ICC, do your job: Andrew Strauss
After the spot-fixing allegations emerged during the third ODI against Pakistan, Andrew Strauss has called on the ICC to “do their job” and rid the game form corruption.
"If it's not dealt with strictly now it never will be," said Strauss. "It's brought everything very firmly to everyone's attention that it's an issue.”
"Clearly we still have to find out if there's actual guilt or not but ICC have got a responsibility to the game of cricket make sure when 22 players turn up for a match they are trying hard to win. The ICC need to stand up and lead the game. Never has it
been more important for them to do that."
Strauss warned that cricket will have to face some painful truths to get to the bottom of this disease. If drastic steps were not taken, the issue would only return in the future with greater vengeance. The English captain added that his heart sank when
he received the news on Saturday morning.
"There is no doubt that we need to get into a situation where every team in international cricket we are sure is 100% clean," Strauss said. "How we go about that is the sixty million dollar question. It's going to be hard to root out people if they are doing
it and it's going to be a long-winded and painful affair if people are going to take it seriously.”
"The last thing I want is things to be swept under the carpet because we'll have to deal with it again in the future and it will be worse. Each time these things come out it chips away at the game of cricket."
The decision has sparked an angry response by the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 Cricket Board by the ICC’s announcement that an investigation would be launched regarding the matter.
However, after the investigation launched by the ECB, it has been proved that England was not involved in the conspiracy and players could continue with the ODI series. PCB Chairman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128 has launched a scathing attack on a “conspiracy” against Pakistan
and claimed that England’s performance should be investigated.
Since the first spot-fixing scandal last month, on-field action has taken a back seat. Cricket’s governing body says the probe is based on information passed on by a British tabloid.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Haroon-Lorgat-c61719 pointed out that the match won by Pakistan by 23 runs was worth investigating because there was a “certain scoring pattern” that warranted the move.
Lorgat said that it was important for them to launch a full inquiry regarding the matter.
More dispiriting accusations were made regarding the matter. In the absence of any conclusive report, Strauss was gracious enough to extend the benefit of the doubt, which was more than what Butt was willing to do, despite the ICC denying that any English
players were under suspicion and had anything to do with spot-fixing.
England’s team captain has also been talking to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hugh-Morris-c63550, Managing Director England and Wales Cricket Board about the latest allegations. But he says that his team is united in their “business-like” approach.
England captain preferred to call on the ICC to let them handle the issue and to “stand up and lead the game”.
Irritated by the ongoing controversy and the way in which it was “casting a shadow” over his teams’ performances, he said that there ought to be a way of making sure that every team playing the game is 100% clean.
Strauss thinks that the pain is necessary if everyone is going to concentrate on improving the games reputation and keeping it clean.
The ICC has only confirmed that the information it received was broadly correct. It is launching a full inquiry but it is not stating that anything untoward has happened.
Tags: