Tim May of Fica claims that Twenty20 cricket is 'ripe for corruption'

Tim May, chief executive of the international players union, Fica, has claimed Twenty20 cricket is "ripe for corruption". Interviewed in the March issue of The Wisden Cricketer magazine, the former Australia spinner said: "The shorter the game the more influence each particular incident can have. So I think it opens up a great deal of opportunities for the bookmakers to try and corrupt players into providing various different outcomes in the game, if not the result itself. Cricket needs to be very careful." May also directs some harsh words in the direction of the Indian Premier League, claiming its decision making is "arrogant". "The IPL's refusal to grant players the ability to review the security arrangements and the decision of the IPL and its franchises not to recognise or deal with any players' managers or agents, is self-defeating," he said. "The attitude is that they're the only game in town, they're the biggest game in town and, as long as they pay these huge amounts of money, they can do what they like. That may not always be the case." As the international fixture list continues to become more and more crowded, May says that a Test championship would add context to the game. "At the moment it's just a mad scramble of bilateral series that mean nothing," he said. "A Test championship over a period of one or two years would increase the value of those contests and make it possible to play significantly less cricket but maintain or increase commercial revenues. "The political nature of the ICC board and its members means it's going to be a difficult concept to sell. There is an over-riding need for boards to be absolutely in control of their destiny, and going with a Test championship would hand over a lot of power to the ICC. A lot of boards don't want to do this – that selfish mind-set isn't in the best interests of the game."