KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18: The International Cricket Council (ICC) Thursday welcomed the decision by a South African court to uphold the life ban imposed on former captain Hansie Cronje for match-fixing.

“Eradication of corruption remains the ICC’s single highest priority and the penalties imposed on those proven to have been involved must serve as a warning and a deterrent to others who might be tempted,” said ICC president Malcolm Gray.

Cronje’s appeal that the life ban was unconstitutional was dismissed Wednesday by the Pretoria High Court.

“Any other verdict would have sent the wrong message to cricket and its followers around the world,” said Gray, who is in Malaysia for a meeting of the ICC’s Executive Board.

“It is bitterly disappointing that cheats turn to legal proceedings in an attempt to get their own way. It is extremely pleasing that in this case justice has been seen to be done.”

Cronje was banned for life last November by the United Cricket Board of South Africa after admitting before a commission of inquiry that he accepted some 100,000 dollars from bookmakers and offered other players money to underperform.

“This was, and remains, completely unacceptable behaviour and the decision of the judge is welcomed by the ICC,” Gray said.

In Johannesburg, the disgraced Cronje expressed deep disappointment at the judgement.

The ICC Executive Board will hold a second day of discusssions in Kuala Lumpur Friday, against a background of concern over the effect on upcoming cricket tours of the US-led assault in Afghanistan.

Top officials from England and India agreed at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur Wednesday that there was no reason “at the present time why the England tour to India next month should not go ahead”, the ECB said in a statement.

England’s Lord MacLaurin and Tim Lamb met with Indian cricket board president Jagmohan Dalmiya, who said he had discussed with the Indian government the provision of appropriate security for the England team.

“You can be sure that the government would not allow the tour to take place if they felt that the physical safety of members of the team was under threat,” Dalmiya was quoted as saying.

Lord MacLaurin said: “The ECB and the BCCI will continue to closely monitor events in the coming days and weeks, and we have agreed on the importance of maintaining a constant dialogue. Naturally both boards are very keen for the tour to proceed.”

Other tours planned near the volatile region are the Bangladesh home Tests against Pakistan in January, the Shahjah series involving Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka’s one-day series with West Indies and Zimbabwe in December and the West Indies trip to Sri Lanka in November and Pakistan in February.

The ICC is expected to address the question of shifting Pakistan’s matches to neutral venues.—AFP