In an exclusive podcast interview with Giving The Game Away, former New Zealand cricketer, Lou Vincent, opens up about the world of match fixing.

In 2014, Vincent was given eleven life bans for match fixing, and he has not spoken in detail since then. In the Giving the Game Away podcast Vincent explains how he was lured into the murky world of match-fixing, what he was asked to do by the fixers, and how they kept him working for them through intimidation:

“Once you’re there, you’re always living with a noose round your neck waiting to be bribed. There’s always subtle conversations about your children and where you lived and things they knew about you that you didn’t even know.” 

He outlines exactly what was expected of him for $50,000 cash per match. Using a pink grip as a signal to the fixers that he was ready to throw a match, Vincent explains how he would score a pre-determined number of runs off an over but it wasn’t easy: .

 “It’s about controlling the runs - by being on strike and playing and missing and then getting out. The hardest part was to control a game when you’re on the take but the other person isn’t. So you can see why they groom you into getting other players involved - because with more players involved in a team then the more they can guarantee that the betting is controlled.”

Reflecting on his match fixing past, Vincent said “I’ll have to live with the way I disrespected the game, particularly in England - the home of cricket… no one has the right to do what I did.”

Vincent is now seeking redemption and is looking to turn that period of his life into a positive by educating young sportspeople about the dangers of match-fixing and how to avoid it. He hopes his experiences can help to ensure that no one else gets tangled up in the same corrupt mess he was in.

“I’m telling athletes first-hand experiences. Hey this is me, I’m Lou and yeah I did ok for New Zealand cricket at times, but man did I make some mistakes, and this is how it happened, and this is something you’ve got to be careful of, and it’s your right to protect the game and the future.”

You can listen to the whole interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, by visiting the following links:

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/giving-the-game-away/id1519343211#episodeGuid=4e096816-556a-455a-beb4-fda6ae0c2f80

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2T2kWiyRFW10iwF8Pwyet6

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