The Int'l Cricket Council clarified it found no evidence suggesting that the third Ashes Test between Australia and England in Perth had "any sort of spot-fixing involved." During the test in December, The Sun claimed that spot-fixers had "targeted the match and that they also offered to provide details regarding the rigged periods of play." Two Indian bookies reportedly offered to sell details of rigged periods of play and "asked for up to GBP 140,000 to 'spot fix' markets such as the exact amount of runs scored in an over" (CRIC BUZZ, 2/8).
The Ageas Bowl in Southampton is set to be awarded its first Ashes Test match in the '23 series when the venues for int'l cricket matches from '20-24 are revealed by the England & Wales Cricket Board on Wednesday. Since the ground’s development in '01, it has staged only two tests and missed out on an Ashes Test for '19. Should the bid be successful, the Test against Australia in '23 would reportedly be the "only five-day contest it would host during this period" (LONDON TIMES, 2/8).
