Cricket Special Report: Will the threat of bookies loom over UAE and World Cup 2011 (Part 1)
The recent controversial English tour has ruined the image of the international cricketing world. The entire tour included http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mazhar-c75448 Majeed, who was accused for paying-off Pakistani fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir to bowl a number of no-balls in the third test match at Lords in the four test match series. Later, the match-fixing controversies became more evident as allegations were made on the performances of the English and Pakistani cricket teams in the ODI encounters as well.
The controversy has resulted in ruining the trust and faith of the billions of cricket lovers from around the globe. These match-fixing, spot fixing and unknown relations with bookies has surely brought doubt in the minds of the cricket lovers, who have also shown their losing interests in the sport. Whatever action they witness in the middle is the reality or just another act of bookies paying-off their favourite cricketers with loads of money to not play their natural game, and intentionally tamper with their cricketing talent.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has tried its utmost to keep the global game away from these illegal controversial activities over the years of international cricket. And since the recent controversy, the Council has also imposed more and more pressure on the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ASCU) of the ICC to come up with concrete results and solutions to resolve this unacceptable affair.
However, since no solid or relevant proof to the English controversies was found, it appears that the ICC will fail to make an example of the Pakistani trio which also included the test skipper for the tour Salman Butt alongside the opening fast bowlers. Nevertheless, the suspension imposed on the three culprits as Veteran former captain and the 1992 World Cup Pakistani well-known hero and cricketing icon Imran Khan refers them, will continue and the way things have taken shaped it seems that the trio will face some more of the small time suspension period and a modest amount of fines.
Meanwhile, the ASCU is trying to ensure that the game is played in good healthy cricketing spirit, and the success of the recent Champions League Trophy 2010 (CLT20), tri-series and some home series in terms of no association with bookies or match fixing scandals is giving some surety to the cricket lovers that the game is and will continue to commence free from corruption.
Meanwhile, the irony is that Mazhar Majeed who has been a sports agent to several Pakistani superstars, to the extent that the known bookie was Pakistani ODI and T20 skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482’s international sports agent, and he is the main reason for Afridi’s advent into the English and South African county.
Shahid Afridi, who willingly resigned from the test captaincy slot after the shameful defeat of the first of two test match series against Australia in the beginning of the recent controversial tour of England occurred, was based on two reasons. The first reason is well known and understandable by the masses as the veteran skipper said after the defeat in the first test that his cricketing style and temperament wasn’t suited for the game.
This is the same Shahid Afridi who led the controversial Pakistani team after the controversial test series in the ODI series with in the English tour. He led the team with Great Spirit, tried his level best to revive the shattered confidence of the young Pakistani team, and ensured that the national team is able to focus on cricket rather than the controversies.
(To be continued...Part 2)
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