International Cricket Council (ICC) CEO Malcolm Speed - file

KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC)

Malcolm Speed, the International Cricket Council's (ICC) chief executive, has warned against corruption in next month's Cricket World Cup and says the Anti-Corruption Unit will be out in full force during the tournament.

In outlining the ICC's zero-tolerance policy on corruption in the sport, Speed said there would be "stringent measures in place to deal with any suggestions of corruption" during the tournament that runs from March 11 to April 28 in the Caribbean.

"The ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) will be here in force. Its members, both the investigators and the regional security managers, attend events such as this. They don't seek to attract attention to themselves but they will be here," Speed said at a recent media conference in Trinidad and Tobago.

Speed said the ACSU had "an excellent network of contacts" which assisted its investigative team in tracking bookmakers and other persons "who have been involved in corruption in the past".

The ACSU, comprising former senior police officers from around the globe, will monitor any inappropriate activity surrounding CWC matches and will investigate any matter that seems to breach the ICC's Code of Conduct.

"That will be their focus throughout the Cricket World Cup," Speed said.

He revealed that as much as US$1 billion in worldwide bets could be at stake per match if certain teams meet during the tournament.