John the bookmaker controversy
The ACB concluded that, since Waugh and Warne had previously accused Pakistani cricket captain Saleem Malik of attempting to bribe them to lose matches, their credibility as witnesses would be damaged if their own involvement with John was publicised.
[3] Team manager Colin Egar had advised Warne that he had been told that the venue was unsavoury, but he was vague in his comments, and at the time, casinos were not perceived as trouble spots or traps for unwary cricketers.
Waugh later said that at the time, he did not see anything wrong with his actions, reasoning that the agreement was similar to a player speculating about their form and the playing conditions in a pre-match media interview.
[8] Warne wrote in his autobiography that John told him that he was a wealthy man and that the payment was a token of his appreciation—he had made money by betting on Australian victories in the past.
[9] Australian coach Bob Simpson later said that he was unaware of these events, asserting that his anti-betting attitude would have deterred any players from discussing their involvement in such matters with him.
[10] An inquiry conducted by Rob O'Regan QC in late 1998 and early 1999 concluded the following:[7] Mark Waugh had been warned in 1994 by a senior player rooming with him that providing information over the telephone about conditions, games and teams was unwise as it was likely to come back and haunt him later in his career.
Phil Wilkins of The Sydney Morning Herald reported that an unnamed Pakistani player had attempted to bribe Tim May, Warne and Waugh during Australia's tour of the country in late 1994, immediately after the Singer Trophy.
[10] The player was later identified as Saleem Malik, and it was revealed that the Australian trio had privately reported him for offering them money to throw matches.
[13] Following a private investigation opened by team manager Ian McDonald, Waugh and Warne wrote unsigned handwritten statements on 20 February 1995, acknowledging their involvement.
Warne and Waugh were called to Sydney for an interview with ACB chairman Alan Crompton at the team hotel, where the Australians had assembled before departing for a tour of the West Indies.
[13] The report compiled by Halbish and Crompton was privately forwarded to the ACB's remaining directors and the International Cricket Council (ICC).
[11] The ICC was not informed directly; the ACB delivered the news to their chairman Clyde Walcott and chief executive David Richards.
Crompton and Halbish did not consult the other board members before making their decision and effectively handed them a fait accompli;[12] they failed to inform their colleagues until the players had left for the West Indies tour.
The minutes of the meeting read: The chairman and chief executive officer reported on a further matter that had come to their attention and been dealt with by them in a manner considered appropriate.
[15] Captain Mark Taylor was also aware of the issue by the time he took the team to the West Indies, as were vice-captain Ian Healy and Waugh's brother Steve.
[13][16] In December 1998, before the Third Test between Australia and England at the Adelaide Oval, the journalist Malcolm Conn of The Australian uncovered the story of John.
On 8 December, three days before the start of the Test, Conn informed Malcolm Speed—the CEO of the ACB—that he was going to reveal the details of a cover-up of the fines that were imposed on Waugh.
The ACB responded by pre-empting Conn and releasing a statement, revealing that two unnamed players had been fined in 1994–95 for having financial dealings with bookmakers.
Later that evening, former Test cricketer David Hookes, who was then a sports broadcaster, named Waugh and Warne on the Melbourne radio station 3AW.
[18] On the morning of the publication of Conn's article, the managers of Warne and Waugh organised a media conference after Australia's training session.
[17][19] Waugh concluded:[17] I regret [it] entirely and wish to restate in the strongest possible manner that I have always given my best for my country in every match I have played and I believe my record, particularly in the last three years, fully supports this statement.
[21] Patrick Smith of The Age said, "To deliver such bland explanations to the world media as they did yesterday and then not accept questions was contemptuous of the Australian public they have let down so badly.
"[22] The press attention was so intense that when Waugh attempted to relax with a round of golf at a local course, media helicopters flew overhead.
[24] Sir Don Bradman, widely regarded as the greatest batsman of all time, and former ACB chairman, said that Warne was one of the best influences on Australian cricket for generations, and that the dealings with John did not change this.
In the Weekend Australian of 12 December, Warwick Hadfield and Brian Woodley editorialised that "Warne is in need of some good advice, but not from business managers and PR folk too happy to tell him how wonderful he is in order to flog a few more videos, books, pairs of duds, sports shoes or anti-smoking ads".
[21] Warne's major sponsors reviewed their partnerships with him, and three newspapers, the Daily Mirror of the United Kingdom, The Age of Melbourne and The Sydney Morning Herald severed their ties with him.
[35][36] Waugh denied betting on cricket, but said he had given John information "about ten times",[37] contradicting his earlier statement that the pair had only talked on "a handful" of occasions.
[40] The front-page headline in the Melbourne tabloid Herald Sun subsequently read "MATCH FIX",[41] accompanied by pictures of Warne and Waugh.
[41] Following the public outcry over the suppression of the incident, the ACB appointed Rob O'Regan QC to head up a Player Conduct Inquiry.
