Samuels to face bookmaker inquiry

The West Indies Cricket Board is to investigate alleged links between their batsman Marlon Samuels and an Indian bookmaker earlier this year.

This follows a statement from the International Cricket Council, whose anti-corruption officials found enough to suggest further investigation.

The WICB has been asked to report back by 31 January 2008.

Samuels is alleged to have passed team information to a bookmaker while the West Indies were on tour in India.

An ICC statement said the investigation would focus on two sections of the Code of Conduct regulations.

The first concerns the receipt by a player of "any money, benefit or other reward (whether financial or otherwise)" which could bring him the game of cricket into disrepute".

The second relates to "conduct which, in the opinion of the (ICC) Executive Board... is prejudicial to the interests of the game of cricket".

Samuels, who denies any wrongdoing, was reportedly taped in conversation with the bookmkaer on the eve of the opening one-day international between India and the West Indies in Nagpur on 21 January.

But despite the allegations hanging over him, the 26-year-old was cleared to play in the World Cup and also toured England during the summer.

The Jamaican made his international debut in 2000 and most recently played in the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa, when the West Indies lost both their matches.

Source: BBC Sport