Michael Atherton has dismissed the allegations of spot-fixing at the third Ashes Test as a “thin story” but says cricket will always be vulnerable to match-fixing.
The Sun newspaper published purported evidence of bookmakers offering to sell details of passages of play for betting purposes, known as spot-fixing, for the match between Australia and England in Perth that started on Thursday.
The ICC has launched an investigation but says that after initial assessment, there is no evidence that the match had been "corrupted".
"The threats are there but I just can't see it for a game like this," said Atherton. "There is too much at stake, too much for the players to lose. There is no detail in the story at all. It is a pretty thin story as far as I can see.
"There will always be a vulnerability - it's a fact of life that people are going to be able to bet on televised games therefore any cricket where there is opportunity to make gains is going to be vulnerable.
"Particularly where there is perhaps a discrepancy in what players earn. But, in England and Australia, you are looking at two of the best-paid sides in world cricket with a lot at stake.
"Of course, you can't just bury your head in the sand and say it is never going to happen but unless there is a bit more detail there you'd have to say that the story looked pretty thin.
"There are so many domestic tournaments and televised games, there are always going to be threats and opportunities there so you have to stay vigilant."