Hooper PORT OF SPAIN, CANA:
FORMER West Indies vicecaptain Carl Hooper says there was always a suspicion in the performances of certain cricketers other than West Indians during his twelve years of playing international cricket.
To this end, Hooper, who retired from playing for the West Indies last year believes there are several other cricketers in the world who are involved in match-fixing.
"In my twelve years of playing with the West Indies, there was not to my knowledge any question of match fixing with the West Indies team. As far as I know we have been clean," he told the Caribbean News Agency (CANA) from his home in Australia where he now resides with his wife and 17-month old son Carl Junior.
"However, I knew there was something going on, especially in Sharjah. The games, some of them that we watched or played in looked a little funny, sometimes teams just crumble suddenly when no one would have expected that.
"Also the way some of the guys from the other teams just gave away their wickets with strange shots made you question in your mind what is going on," Hooper said.
"When we played, I have never questioned our motivation, but in some matches mostly involving Pakistan and India, there was always some suspicion.
"But as a player you always wanted to give your fellow players (not West Indians) the benefit of the doubt. The guys just seem to have a lack of dedication in their play and then the next match they would do good," Hooper said.
Hooper, who retired from international cricket in 1999, noted results of matches that led him to be suspicious now.
"Now that the news has broken about match fixing, you can look back on matches and question the results. Certainly Bangladesh beating Pakistan in the World Cup, and also Zimbabwe beating South Africa in the World Cup are matches where the results were totally surprising," Hooper observed.
When asked about the West Indies' defeat against Kenya in the 1996 World Cup, Hooper said: "I have not been involved in any West Indies matches where we would do that, and we were trying to win that match that day."
"People have to understand that a lot of these matches which they are saying were fixed took place in Sharjah and in the Asian region, where India and Pakistan are playing each other regularly and where there is a lot of gambling," Hooper said.
Hooper admitted that before this news broke about Hansie Cronje, the disgraced former South African captain, he would have been "the last person I have suspected".
