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Cape Town - The ICC have responded to former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum's pointed criticisms of the way they handled the match fixing probe against Chris Cairns, saying they have taken measures to prevent leaked evidence.
McCullum, during his Spirit of Cricket lecture at Lord's, said that the ICC had been 'casual' and unprofessional when taking his original statement four years ago, when he said he had reported being approached by Cairns for fixing.
His testimony was later leaked to a newspaper, and McCullum said that it was no wonder players were wary of coming forward, if that was how their evidence would be treated.
He'd said: "It goes without saying that if players do not have confidence in the organisation, they will be reluctant to report approaches and the game is worse off."
But the ICC denied that they had not given McCullum's evidence the proper attention, and said that while the leak was not inside the ICC, they had made further efforts to prevent it in future.
In a statement to PA Sport, an ICC spokesman said: "The ICC commended Brendon McCullum two years ago - and continues to do so today - for his brave, courageous and principled stand against corruption in cricket.
"The ICC also understood and shared his dismay at the leak of his confidential statement, which prompted a thorough and detailed investigation by the ICC.
"While the probe proved that the origin of the leak was not from within the ICC, it failed to establish beyond doubt the actual source.
"Nevertheless, the ICC has already put strong measures in place to ensure this type of incident is never repeated."
McCullum's evidence eventually counted for nought, as Cairns was released after a perjury trial related to the original fixing investigation.
