The International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption unit has confirmed a full investigation will be held into a report by the Sun newspaper that the ongoing third Ashes Test has been targeted by match-fixers, despite no evidence of any wrongdoing at this stage.

It made for alarming start to the opening day at the Waca, with the newspaper’s front page on Thursday claiming to have “smashed a plot” to fix the Ashes. Inside was an undercover probe into a former Indian state cricketer and a bookmaker who boasted to reporters about their ability to fix elements of matches at both domestic and international level.

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The ICC, Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board were quick to respondcricket known as the “Silent Man”, adding that he has contact with past and current international players. Spot-fixing – the act of manipulating small passages of play – could be arranged for sums up to £140,000.

The pair cited details of how such scams work in Australia’s Big Bash League and the Indian Premier League and outlined the nature of how players relay information to fixers off the field through a series of messages. These included players’ coloured watches, different length sleeves, stopping before bowling or requesting equipment be brought out to the middle during play.

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Though covertly filmed by the Sun as part of a four-month investigation in Dubai and Delhi, there was not much