Latif criticises corruption unit

Wicketkeeper-batsman Latif retired from international cricket in 2003

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has criticised the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Unit, saying it is "highly unsuccessful".

Latif suspects he is the only person to have given the ACU any real information about potential match-fixing worries.

He told BBC Sport: "I was willing to work with the ACU and had a detailed meeting with them in London in 2003.

"I put my life at stake and shared important facts with the ACU, but I was not taken seriously."

Latif, a wicket-keeper batsman who now plays for charity side Lashings, based in Kent, retired from international cricket in 2003.

I somehow felt the ACU could not do anything significant about this grave issue Rashid Latif

His Test career suffered as a result of making corruption claims against team-mates.

He gave evidence to the Qayyum commission in 2000, one of two judicial inquiries conducted into allegations of corruption against Pakistan players.

That led to Salim Malik and Ata-ur-Rehman receiving life bans and others, including former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis, being fined.

Cricket was brought to its knees by match-fixing in 2000, when the then South African captain Hansie Cronje admitted taking money to lose matches on purpose.

That case spawned a number of other investigations, and the ICC set up the ACU in June of that year.

Its chairman is Lord Condon, the one-time Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

But since it was set up the only player to be publicly identified and punished has been Kenya's Maurice Odumbe.

Cricket has come a long way in tackling the evils of corruption Lord Condon ACU chairman

Latif said: "I somehow felt the ACU could not do anything significant about this grave issue [match-fixing].

"In my opinion the ACU has to strengthen its information network.

"They might not have anything more in their database than what I provided them.

"The ACU should work in close co-ordination with the intelligence agencies in cricket-playing nations, for example India's Central Bureau of Investigation has done a fair job to curb betting.

"All in all the ACU has been highly unsuccessful."

The England and Wales Cricket Board chairman David Morgan defended the ACU on Sunday.

He said: "I sit at ICC and hear annual reports from Lord Condon and it is very clear the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit is ever vigilant, so are member boards."

A statement from Lord Condon on the ICC website says: "Cricket has come a long way in tackling the evils of corruption. It has had to grow up quickly but it can never relax and grow complacent.

"If it does the problem will inevitably return."