Young Australian cricketers are "being targeted" by int'l match-fixers using social media to "groom rising stars in a bid to corrupt the sport Down Under," according to Peter Rolfe of the Melbourne HERALD SUN. An investigation revealed illegal foreign bookmakers have "started targeting players through sites such as Twitter to obtain sensitive information." Scores of male and female players have been "contacted via their private social media accounts this summer by shady figures believed to be linked to offshore betting syndicates." Players in all formats had been "warned about match-fixers and sport-fixers preying on the Australian game via the internet." Cricket Australia Integrity Head Iain Roy said, "We've had a number of approaches made on social media to players already this season." In-form cricketers "vying for national selection or on the brink" of Big Bash League careers "have become a particular focus of the corruption push." CA would not "reveal how many players had been approached but said men, women and even promising juniors had also been sent messages on Facebook and Instagram" (HERALD SUN, 12/29).
