The head of the world players' representative body warned that the Int'l Cricket Council's new powers to seize phones "could jeopardise players' privacy" and added that "he would be stunned if any Australian or England players were caught up in spot-fixing," according to Chris Barrett of THE AGE. The ICC's anti-corruption unit is "in the early stages of a wide-ranging investigation" that will stretch into five countries including Australia in an effort to discover if "sensational allegations" made by two alleged Indian fixers have any substance. While the "most shocking" of the claims of Sobers Joban and Priyank Saxena -- about a supposed spot-fixing plot in the third Ashes Test -- was "quickly played down" by ICC Anti-Corruption Unit GM Alex Marshall last week, Australia will be a "key part of the probe." Marshall indicated that he and his team "may demand phones" from "participants in cricket" and download material from them "if deemed necessary." Federation of Int'l Cricketers' Associations CEO Tony Irish said, "While it's a useful tool for investigation we have warned that this may encroach on players' privacy and that is also fundamental to players. I think you'll only see how this works when it's actually in practice. If it's abused, then it will be challenged" (THE AGE, 12/17).
