Fixing Saga: 'Star' forced Lou Vincent to fix ICL ties

WELLINGTON: Former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent has revealed that he was caught in a "tangled web" of match-fixing as he came under the power of an "international star" to whom he could not say no.
The extent of Vincent's match-fixing has been laid bare in explosive disclosures drawn from the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption investigation into the former player, who is at the centre of one of cricket's biggest scandals.His evidence has implicated up to 12 players in match fixing.
According to stuff.co.nz, among the claims Vincent told of being threatened by an international star, who waved a bat near his head when he failed to keep his side of the bargain after hitting a six when he was attempting to be stumped during the now-defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL).
Revealing his apparent helplessness, Vincent is quoted as saying in ICC documents that he was under the power of "the man" and could not say "no" to him, although he also admitted that he did not want to throw away the chance of getting "all that money".
"When you're under whatever this power (this man) has over me, I felt I couldn't say 'no' to him . . . I didn't want to throw away the chance of getting all that money ," Vincent is quoted as saying in ICC documents, referring to the "international star".
Vincent further said that when one of the fixes failed, he incurred the wrath of "that man", who accused him of "costing him millions" and "fixing for someone else".
The Kiwi batsman, who played 23 Tests and 102 ODIs and scored a Test hundred on debut against Australia, revealed that he used a number of signs to show that fixes were on, including changing the colour of his bat handle or pulling away when the bowler was running in.
The player also revealed that he was instructed to score 10 to 15 from 20 deliveries and then get out. During his stint with the ICL, he was also offered a woman and cash to throw away games.
Vincent also said that he justified the fixes in England because his contract with Sussex was "only for £22,000" and he was unhappy at how the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had made him wait three years for a British passport.
While there would be few people who would sympathize with the Kiwi, he found support in the form of former England skipper Andrew Strauss. Strauss said Vincent has given the authorities "something to work with against a cancer on the game".
Former New Zealand Cricket (NZC) boss Justin Vaughan has also come out in support of Vincent, saying he "felt for" the former Kiwi batsman who was going through a very "depressing situation".
Vaughan said that he has known the player for many years and Vincent had a "well-documented rocky road in terms of mental state, mental illness that he has battled."