The International Cricket Council has promised a full investigation into how thousands of World Cup tickets allegedly ended up on the black market or in the hands of VIPs, police or politicians after the executive board in Hong Kong received a confidential report criticising the handling of ticket sales in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"The report highlighted certain shortcomings around ticketing and stadia construction," an ICC statement said. "The directors also noted the appointment of forensic auditors to review ticketing during the World Cup, including allegations of ticketing and stadia corruption."

Senior ICC officials privately confided their unease during the World Cup about reports of corruption in ticket distribution, especially in the final stages when the official website collapsed under weight of demand, leading one to comment that auditors will not need to be all that "forensic" to discover discrepancies.

The affair was an embarrassment for the ICC chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, who had promised a "corruption-free World Cup" in the wake of spot-fixing allegations against three Pakistan cricketers only to find that the focus shifted from the activities of players to officials

The ICC board also adopted a recommendation from the finance and commercial affairs committee that stadiums hosting major ICC tournaments must be "match ready" at least six months before the event. England's group tie against India was switched at the last minute from Kolkata to Bengaluru because Eden Gardens was not finished, leaving hundreds of England fans out of pocket as they tried to change travel plans.

Source: the guardian