quentinOPINION: Pakistan Match Fixing Scandal
September 6th 2010 12:12
So anyway, over the past 2 weeks every man and their dog have weighed into the Pakistani "spot-fixing" scandal that is threatening to destroy the integrity of cricket as we know it. It's only fitting that Sport Talk weighs in as well.
Before talking about the issue and ramifications, first it is important to understand what spot-fixing actually means. I wasn't able to find a definition on the internet but my understanding is that refers to arranging for a certain incident to occur at a pre-ordained time. The obvious example in this case is a no-ball at the start of the 3rd over.
Anyway this all kicked off courtesy of News of the World who arranged a sting with regards to a Pakistani player fixer who took £150,000 cash and proceeded to tell the News of the World reporter exactly when certain incidents would occur
The 3 incidents were
Mohammad Aamar would bowl the first over
Mohammad Aamar would bowl a no-ball on the first ball of the 3rd over
Mohammad Asif would bowl a no-ball on the last ball of the 10th over
Alledgedly Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamar and captain Salman Butt were involved in the fix with cash being found in Butt's room.
All 3 players have now been suspended for the T20 and ODI series against England and have had their phones seized but the damage that has been done to cricket is inexcusable.
This scandal is now seeing a lot of other games being investigated for spot-fixing with the most notable game being the Sydney Test last year when Australia were on the ropes but emerged with a 37 run win due to defensive fields and a Pakistani collapse.
Ultimately this scandal throws every Pakistan match over the past 6-7 years under the spotlight and trying to investigate that many matches could lead to some real issues
As a sports fan, to see cricket dragged through the mud like this is an absolute disgrace. I would also put it out there and say that this seems to be a common theme on the subcontinent as well (with the IPL seeing allegations of spot-fixing as well).
Ever since the suncontinent became the most powerful bloc in the game of cricket, morals have steadily slipped to the point that this sort of stuff could occur. Of course, if India and Pakistan got over their issues to enable the Pakistanis to play in the IPL, maybe this sort of thing simply wouldn't happen.
This is simply not good enough and something has to give
So here it is, plain and simple
Pakistan for the good of the game must be thrown out of World Cricket for an undisclosed period of time. Sure this would be rubbish for the development of the game in that country but look at the facts
1. Teams can't travel to Pakistan anyway due to the security situation in that country
2. Everytime something like this has occured recently, it's always been Pakistan involved
As far as I can see, the game in Pakistan is corrupt and rotten from the top, down and frankly it is time for change. Anyone that is corrupt should be sacked or forced to resign in disgrace and any player found guilty of match-fixing should be banned for life.
It will more than likely set Pakistan back 20 years or whatever but that's the price they should have to pay for their stupidity
World cricket is fast losing credibility and the only way that credibility and respect can be regained is if the subcontinent way of doing business (threats, bloc voting and match fixing) comes to an end.
The IPL (Indian Premier League) is corrupt and the ICC (International Cricket Council) have their hands tied by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and as for the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board), they need to start again.
Whatever way you look at it, it's a sad day for cricket
Before talking about the issue and ramifications, first it is important to understand what spot-fixing actually means. I wasn't able to find a definition on the internet but my understanding is that refers to arranging for a certain incident to occur at a pre-ordained time. The obvious example in this case is a no-ball at the start of the 3rd over.
The 3 incidents were
Mohammad Aamar would bowl the first over
Mohammad Aamar would bowl a no-ball on the first ball of the 3rd over
Mohammad Asif would bowl a no-ball on the last ball of the 10th over
Alledgedly Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamar and captain Salman Butt were involved in the fix with cash being found in Butt's room.
All 3 players have now been suspended for the T20 and ODI series against England and have had their phones seized but the damage that has been done to cricket is inexcusable.
This scandal is now seeing a lot of other games being investigated for spot-fixing with the most notable game being the Sydney Test last year when Australia were on the ropes but emerged with a 37 run win due to defensive fields and a Pakistani collapse.
Ultimately this scandal throws every Pakistan match over the past 6-7 years under the spotlight and trying to investigate that many matches could lead to some real issues
As a sports fan, to see cricket dragged through the mud like this is an absolute disgrace. I would also put it out there and say that this seems to be a common theme on the subcontinent as well (with the IPL seeing allegations of spot-fixing as well).
Ever since the suncontinent became the most powerful bloc in the game of cricket, morals have steadily slipped to the point that this sort of stuff could occur. Of course, if India and Pakistan got over their issues to enable the Pakistanis to play in the IPL, maybe this sort of thing simply wouldn't happen.
This is simply not good enough and something has to give
So here it is, plain and simple
Pakistan for the good of the game must be thrown out of World Cricket for an undisclosed period of time. Sure this would be rubbish for the development of the game in that country but look at the facts
1. Teams can't travel to Pakistan anyway due to the security situation in that country
2. Everytime something like this has occured recently, it's always been Pakistan involved
As far as I can see, the game in Pakistan is corrupt and rotten from the top, down and frankly it is time for change. Anyone that is corrupt should be sacked or forced to resign in disgrace and any player found guilty of match-fixing should be banned for life.
It will more than likely set Pakistan back 20 years or whatever but that's the price they should have to pay for their stupidity
World cricket is fast losing credibility and the only way that credibility and respect can be regained is if the subcontinent way of doing business (threats, bloc voting and match fixing) comes to an end.
The IPL (Indian Premier League) is corrupt and the ICC (International Cricket Council) have their hands tied by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and as for the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board), they need to start again.
Whatever way you look at it, it's a sad day for cricket
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Comment by sastha