00:00Shane warned Mark Waugh, two Australian cricketing giants, heroes of the 90s.
00:05But behind the brilliance, a secret deal was struck in a Colombo hotel room.
00:09A deal that Cricket Australia would keep hidden for four long years.
00:13This is the story of John the bookmaker and the cover-up that almost broke Australian cricket.
00:19September 1994
00:21The Australian team was in Sri Lanka for the Singer World Series,
00:25staying at the luxurious Oberoi Hotel in Colombo.
00:28There was a casino in close proximity to the hotel, which Waugh and Vaughan visited.
00:33Team manager Colin Egar warned them that the venue was unsavory,
00:37but he was vague in his comments and at that time,
00:40casinos were not perceived as trouble spots or traps for unweary cricketers.
00:46Among the bustling lobby and the humid Colombo nights was a man known only as John the bookmaker.
00:52He wasn't some shady figure in an alleyway.
00:54He mingled casually with players, charming, well-dressed and always ready with cash.
01:00Mark Waugh was his initial target.
01:03John approached him privately, striking up a friendly conversation.
01:07Soon, he made an offer.
01:09Detailed information on pitch and weather conditions in exchange for money.
01:13Waugh hesitated, but the deal was simple and seemingly harmless.
01:16He accepted 4,000 US dollars.
01:18Waugh also agreed to introduce John to Shane Vaughan.
01:22The meeting took place at the casino near the team's hotel.
01:26The trio chatted as Vaughan was playing roulette.
01:29He had a bad night and lost 5,000 US dollars.
01:33John introduced himself to Vaughan as a person who bet on ticket matches.
01:37The next day, he invited Vaughan to his hotel room
01:40and describing himself as a big fan flattered Vaughan's leg-spinning abilities.
01:45Vaughan accepted a $5,000 gift with no strings attached, which covered his gambling losses.
01:52Vaughan reported that he initially rejected the gift but accepted the offer at the insistence of John,
01:58who said that he would be offended if the offer was declined.
02:01Vaughan later lost this money at the casino.
02:06Vaughan wrote in his autobiography that John told him he was a wealthy man
02:10and that the payment was a token of his appreciation,
02:14having made money by betting on Australian victories in the past.
02:17But the truth was, John was collecting intel,
02:20buying small edges in the world of illegal betting.
02:23At first, both brushed it off as nothing serious.
02:27After all, it wasn't match-fixing, just harmless info.
02:30But guilt crept in.
02:31They realised the optics.
02:33What if it got out?
02:34They hadn't told the team, the coach or the board.
02:37In early 1995, whispers of betting scandals swirled in cricket.
02:42Under pressure, both men admitted their dealings in unsigned statements to the Australian cricket board.
02:48The punishment?
02:48A quiet slap on the wrist.
02:50Vaughan fined $8,000 Australian dollars.
02:53Vaughan fined $10,000 Australian dollars.
02:55No suspensions, no public announcement.
02:58The ACB's reasoning was cold and calculated.
03:00If the truth came out, Vaughan and Vaughan's credibility would collapse, especially dangerous,
03:06since they were star witnesses in match-fixing allegations against Pakistan's captain Salim Malik.
03:12Protecting Australian cricket's image mattered more than transparency.
03:16So the scandal was varied.
03:18Not even the coach or teammates were told.
03:20For four years, the secret lived only in whispers behind closed doors.
03:25It all came crashing down in December 1998.
03:29Investigative journalist Malcolm Korn got wind of the story.
03:33The ACB panicked, issued a vague statement.
03:36Yes, two players had been fined back in 1995.
03:39But no names.
03:40That didn't hold.
03:41The very next day, Korn dropped the bombshell.
03:44The players were none other than Shane Vaughan and Mark Vaughan.
03:48Fans felt betrayed.
03:49At the Adelaide Oval, Mark Vaughan was booed by home fans as he walked out to bat.
03:55A surreal moment for one of Australia's golden boys.
03:58The backlash forced action.
04:00The ACB appointed Rob O'Reagan to investigate.
04:04His findings?
04:05The fines were far too lenient.
04:07Suspensions would have been justified.
04:09He condemned Vaughan and Vaughan's actions as reckless and damaging to cricket's integrity.
04:14Meanwhile, Pakistan, whose captain Salim Malik had been accused of bribery, demanded answers.
04:21Both Australians testified before a commission in early 1999, admitting what had happened.
04:27The scandal didn't end their careers, but it left a permanent scar.
04:31Both men were seen differently.
04:33Not as corrupt, but as careless, naive and shielded by their board.
04:37The O'Reagan inquiry led to stronger anti-corruption measures in Australian cricket, including education programs for players.
04:45And John the bookmaker, his real identity was never confirmed.
04:48To this day, he remains a ghost in cricket's darkest files.
04:52A few thousand dollars, a little bit of harmless info and two of cricket's biggest stars were trapped in a
04:58scandal that shook the game.
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