Ponting urges cricket officials to 'promptly' expose match-fixers to remove 'shadow' from game

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has reportedly urged cricket authorities to quickly expose those known to have fixed matches in order to remove the shadow hanging over the game.

Former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent and his former Sussex teammate Naveed Arif have been charged with fixing in county cricket, and Vincent faces more charges dating to the 2011 and 2012 Champions League, in which Cricket Australia (CA) has a 30 per cent financial stake.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Ponting said that rumours of corrupt behaviour had circulated for years and pleaded with governing bodies - the ICC's anti-corruption unit and individual boards - to act swiftly so that players and fans could have full faith that what happens on the field is legitimate.

Ponting also said that there is nothing worse than having the tag of corruption and the worry about the integrity of cricket hanging around, adding that these fears take a lot away from the game that the players and the fans love.