Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, explained that the organisers of the event had bypassed the boards of both countries and directly contacted the players, which could have made match-fixing easier, according to a PTI report.

"Organisers' direct contacts with players could raise chances for match-fixing," Mani said, adding that the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) had brought down such incidents significantly.

But the ICC's comments took BR Shetty -- the president of the Abu Dhabi Cricket Control Board -- by complete surprise, according to The Indian Express.

"There was no problem when the ICC president Ehsan Mani and the ACU chief Sir Condon visited the stadium some time back. They were all praise then for the facilities and architecture. I fail to understand how such issues have been brought up now."