STEVE WAUGH and several of cricket's all-time greats believe lie detector tests should be used in the battle against corruption.
The amazing idea was proposed at a meeting of the MCC World Cricket Committee held here over the past two days.
The big names also recommend that players tainted by match-fixing allegations should not be selected in future.
That ban would apply to coaching and managerial staff as well - which would mean England bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed again coming under the microscope.
Former Aussie skipper Waugh has been nominated to head a working party to investigate ways of removing corruption from the game.
He insisted: "The greatest issue confronting the game is match-fixing and personally I get a little sick of people asking me about match-fixing.
"The lie detector idea came from me. I was thinking about how we can make players more accountable for their actions.
"If you've done nothing wrong, why wouldn't you want to have a lie detector test? We can't make it compulsory but I can't see a problem if you have nothing to hide.
"These are purely discussion points. We'll go away, discuss and do more research."
The World Cricket Committee also want to help to legalise and regulate betting markets in India, make sure guilty players receive long bans and include anti-corruption clauses in playing contracts in all countries.
But it is going to be tough because the ICC's anti-corruption unit and police in various countries have struggled to make much progress.
Among those on the WCC are former England captains Mike Atherton, Mike Brearley, Alec Stewart, Mike Gatting and Geoff Boycott.
England head coach Andy Flower is involved as are legendary players such as Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble (India), Shaun Pollock and Barry Richards (South Africa), Martin Crowe (New Zealand) and Courtney Walsh (West Indies).
The game is still reeling from last summer's allegations against Pakistan and three of their players - former skipper Salman Butt plus fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif - remain suspended by the ICC.
Their fate will be decided at an independent tribunal in Doha next month.
Butt has this week repeated his claim that money found in his hotel room in England was accounted for and the stash included payment for opening an ice-cream parlour in Tooting.
England skipper Andrew Strauss has described match-fixing as a "cancer" in the game and regularly insisted guilty players must be banned for life.
He has no problems with the basic philosophy of polygraph tests - although he wants to have more information.
Strauss said: "I'd have to think about the arguments for lie detector tests but the principle behind it - having 22 guys on the pitch who supporters are 100 per cent certain are playing the game for the right reasons - is a good thing.
"If we have to take extreme measures in order to be 100 per cent confident the game is being played in the right spirit, I'd be happy to do that.
Former England skipper Tony Lewis, chairman of the World Cricket Committee, admitted: "We are knee-deep in corruption and all the things we don't want to see.
"It's like gnawing into an apple that is rotten - you're not sure how deep it is but you know it is rotten.
"We are totally independent and don't make decisions based on race, cash or religion. That means we can help.
"The quicker we clear the game of the people involved, the better. And I mean clear them out - so they are never seen again."
PAKISTAN
Test bowler Mohammad Sami is being investigated for allegedly brawling with a Karachi Blues team-mate and doing damage in a Rawalpindi hotel while drunk.
Lie Tests Home Page
Lie detector Tests
Lie detector Testing Locations
News Items
Contact Information
Log In
Sitemap
