Is Marlon Samuels accused of breaking any law?

No. Police say just talking to a bookie without receiving money or doing anything that suggests match-fixing does not violate Indian laws. Samuels and alleged bookmaker Mukesh Kochchar merely discussed the West Indies bowling plans for the Nagpur one-dayer, with the player revealing he would come on as first-change.

Then what is he accused of?

Violating the International Cricket Council’s code of conduct for players. Rule C-3 states: “Players and/or team officials shall be required to report to their captain and/or to team manager or to a senior board official or to the (ICC’s) Anti-Corruption and Security Unit any approach made to them by a bookmaker or any other corrupt approach or knowledge of such approach made to any other player or team official.”

What is the punishment for this?

A ban of two to five years with or without a fine.

Who is Kochchar?

Nagpur and Mumbai police say Kochchar is a bookie linked with Dawood Ibrahim’s betting syndicate, which is active in cricket betting. Kochchar’s businesses in property dealings and rice exports are allegedly a facade. The police say he is close to Delhi-based Kamal Kishore Chaddha, whom they believe to be a Dawood man.

Kochchar says he is an honourable businessman with a keen interest in sports and has been living in Dubai for 22 years. He claims to be a close friend of Samuels, and that he had merely returned the player’s calls. He says he discussed the bowling plans because of his interest in cricket, and denies he works for Dawood.

When did Kochchar speak to Samuels?

Kochchar made four late-night calls to Samuels using two different SIM cards, and the calls were routed through a PCO to Samuels’ room No. 206 at Hotel Pride in Nagpur. The calls lasted between one minute and eight minutes.

Was it appropriate for Samuels to speak to an alleged bookie?

No, if he believed Kochchar to be a bookmaker. Samuels says he didn’t know Kochchar was a bookie, a claim many see as naive.

Was there anything incriminating in the phone conversations?

Yes, from the ICC point of view. The world body had fined Australians Shane Warne and Mark Waugh for leaking weather and pitch information before a match. The tapes raise the suspicion that Samuels and Kochchar were in touch over more than one match.

Could the information Samuels provided have been used for betting?

Yes. Bets are placed on every over, on 15-over sessions or on the entire match. The odds for the match change as the game progresses. Knowledge of when Samuels would bowl or bat could make a difference to the bets placed. Whether it actually did is a matter of investigation.

The ICC would be probing if there is evidence that Samuels underperformed, the manner of his dismissal, his on-field behaviour, etc.

How did Samuels play in Nagpur?

He made a rather slow 40 off 60 balls when the asking rate was over seven an over. He fell to an awkward shot off Zaheer Khan, and the West Indies lost by just 14 runs.

Has any other player been accused?

The Nagpur police say no other Indian or West Indian player is involved.

What about Robin Singh?

The transcript contains a name that the police say could be “Robinson” or “Robin Singh”, the latter a possible reference to a former India player. Nagpur police commissioner S.P.S. Yadav clarified on Friday that the mention of “Robinson” or “Robin Singh” came in a different context, and they did not suspect Robin of any wrong-doing.

Is there any evidence of match-fixing so far?

No. Nagpur police began monitoring the calls on January 19. They say they don’t know if Kochchar had phoned Samuels earlier.

Can the police act on the basis of the investigation so far?

The Nagpur police say they don’t plan to lodge a first information report against either Samuels or Kochchar as of now.

What about the earlier cases? Did anything come of them?

Delhi police uncovered Cronjegate in 2000 when they tapped conversations between South African captain Hansie Cronje and bookies. It led to a CBI probe and bans on Mohammed Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja and Nayan Mongia. Jadeja challenged the ban and was eventually allowed to play domestic cricket. South Africa set up the Edwin King Commission of Inquiry, which found Cronje guilty.