Slow-start story 'laughable' - Haddin

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	Brad Haddin scored 29 off 66 balls against Zimbabwe © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Brad Haddin Matches: Australia v Zimbabwe at Ahmedabad Series/Tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup Teams: Australia

Brad Haddin, the Australian opener, has rubbished reports that the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) were looking into Australia's slow start in their Group A match against Zimbabwe in Ahmedabad.

"It's quite a laughable story. It's a joke," Haddin told reporters during a net session at the SSC in Colombo. "We just got off the mark a bit slowly."

Haddin and Shane Watson, the Australian openers, scored five runs in the first two overs and only 28 in the first ten. Australia eventually went on to score 262 for 6, after which their bowlers secured a 91-run victory.

The story, which was reported by Press Trust of India, was also criticised by Australian team manager Steve Bernard, who said that "it was the silliest thing I've heard this week - and I've heard a lot of silly things since I've been here".

"I've just heard the story a moment ago and I'm not sure how to respond, except to say it would make a cat laugh. It's the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard in my life that a side can be 0-5 after two overs and that that's suspicious."

The ICC said it did not comment on any ACSU matter, including whether or not a match had been investigated. In the last few years however, with the advent of spread betting, the ACSU has been on high alert to keep an eye on unusual scoring patterns. Since the spot-fixing scandal, they have been keeping tabs by monitoring a large number of matches.