Eoin Morgan victim of a five-figure sum blackmail by Australian man

London, Jan 22: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today confirmed that one-day captain Eoin Morgan was the victim of a blackmail by an Australian man, who demanded "five-figure sum".

ECB on Thursday said in a statement that they received an email from an Australian man demanding a "five figure sum" to prevent a story about Morgan's "brief relationship" with a woman.

ECB said that the matter was investigated and the man apologised for his actions and is now resolved.

"The allegations related to a brief relationship Eoin had with a woman from Australia five years ago. Following liaison with the Metropolitan Police, our support team on the ground in Australia investigated the blackmail.

"This involved approaching the man in question who, when confronted, admitted and apologised for his actions, blaming jealousy (he is presently in a relationship with the woman concerned)," ECB said.

England ODI team is currently playing a ODI tri-series in Australia. They will face the hosts in Hobart tomorrow.

ECB's full media statement on Eoin Morgan

"In the last few days, the ECB received an email from an Australian man demanding a five figure sum to prevent a story about our one-day captain Eoin Morgan appearing in the national newspapers in the UK and Australia.

The allegations related to a brief relationship Eoin had with a woman from Australia five years ago. Following liaison with the Metropolitan Police, our support team on the ground in Australia investigated the blackmail.

This involved approaching the man in question who, when confronted, admitted and apologised for his actions, blaming jealousy (he is presently in a relationship with the woman concerned).

The ECB will not allow anyone to disrupt our team's performance on the field of play. We are wholly focussed on winning cricket matches. This matter has now been brought to a conclusion and we will not be seeking further action against the individual at this stage.

Commenting on the matter, ECB's Managing Director - England Cricket Paul Downton said:

"We will not allow anyone to disrupt our team's preparation or performance in the tri-series and as we build up to the World Cup. I am pleased that this issue has now been brought to a swift conclusion.

"At this point we'd like to thank the Metropolitan Police for their advice, which assisted us in dealing with this in the swiftest possible manner."

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