The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today rejected claims made by Mr Don Topley in The Times that there had been a "whitewash" by the ECB over allegations that Mr Topley made about collusion among players in two matches involving Essex and Lancashire in 1991.

The facts of the matter are these:

Mr Gerard Elias QC, at the request of the ECB Management Board, carried out an ECB investigation and interviewed a substantial number of witnesses and potential witnesses. Mr Elias concluded that the matter required further external investigation and he subsequently made all the transcripts of these interviews available to the police. The Greater Manchester Police then conducted their own investigation and, after a full review of the evidence, concluded that no further action should be taken.

The ECB can confirm that a confidential 'hotline' will be put in place to investigate any new allegations from players about corrupt match-practices.

© ECB