Dean Jones: I fear for my safety

Dean Jones on his way to the crease

The murky world of match-fixing took another twist on Monday after Australian batsman Dean Jones revealed he would fear for his life if he is forced into naming an Indian cricketer he says is involved in corruption.

Jones said he fears reprisals if he identifies the Indian player he claims introduced him to a bookmaker who wanted him to forecast matches.

The former Australian cricket captain said he would only reveal the player's name if summoned to do so in court.

Jones said: "I'm a bit worried about if he's got mafia connections."

Hansie Cronje was sacked in April

The former Derbyshire and Durham player says he was offered around £30,000 in Sri Lanka in 1992 after he was phoned by an Indian player.

He believes he was the first player to be offered money - the year before fellow Australians Shane Warne and Mark Waugh were approached.

He claims the Indian player introduced him to an Indian man named John who said he was a bookmaker and then offered him the money and a phone to give forecasting.

Jones said: "I listened to what he had to say; then I said no."

All the players thought that it was a bit funny. It's not funny now

Dean Jones

He told the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) management and players but nothing was done, he said.

"All the players thought that it was a bit funny," he said. It's not funny now."

Match-fixing allegations have rocked cricket in recent months.

Life ban

In April, South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje was sacked after he admitted taking money from a bookmaker.

A criminal investigation, involving three other South African cricketers, is still ongoing. Indian police say they have enough evidence to charge the players with fixing a recent one-day series with India.

Former Pakistan captain Salim Malik and medium pace bowler Ata-ur Rehman were found guilty of match-fixing, by a one-man judicial inquiry.

Malik now faces a lifetime ban from the game.

And Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev is also being investigated for corruption although he strenuously denies the allegations.