Match-fixing and the Pakistan cricket team – past, present and future
The 29th of August, 2010 would be marked as a black day in the history of cricket - a day that shook the cricketing world with the biggest spot-fixing scandal which has come to the forefront in the sports' history.
British tabloid ‘News of the World’ came out with startling allegations on this day that four of Pakistan’s cricket heroes - Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Kamran Akmal - were involved in a spot-fixing scam in collusion with agent and alleged book-keeper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 in Sydney.
Later, Kamran Akmal’s name was cleared. However, the other three players were further interrogated by ICC officials, the Pakistan High Commission as well as the Scotland Yard team. Eventually, the final verdict of the ICC was that the players should be provisionally suspended till the result of the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Scotland-c756 Yard team comes forth. During this entire brouhaha, Salman Butt was infamously dubbed as the “ring leader’ of the entire plot by the British media.
More importantly, this has not been the first time that our players have been involved in a match-fixing scandal. In 1998, Pakistani fast bowler Ata-Ur-Rehman claimed that Wasim Akram had paid him Rs. 100,000 to bowl poorly against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045.
The Qayyum Commission published its report in 2000 recommending a ban of Ata-Ur-Rehman and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Salim-c88143 Malik. However, evidence against Wasim Akram was not at “the requisite level”. Therefore, according to the report, there was insufficient evidence against Wasim Akram.
Later, Malik Qayyum himself admitted that his “soft corner” for Wasim Akram might have influenced him while making the decision. The rest of the players that were named were slapped with meagre fines. It really begs the question then that doesn’t the justice system require impartiality and neutrality, and consequently a sound judgement? If so, then how can there be room for ‘soft corners’?
So who should we blame for these recurrent instances of match-fixing that have marred our name in cricket? Are players solely responsible or should the management and the PCB get their share of blame as well? Most importantly, is there a loophole within the justice system where judges seem to have soft corners for certain players?
Our cricket will never move forward if we let corrupt cricketers flourish just because they are match winners and brilliant players. Critics suggest that the justice system is flawed and biased as it merely imposes fines and not lifetime bans on cricketers that have been involved in match-fixing. If all of the players caught in the match-fixing scandal in 1998 were thrown out of the cricket team - no matter how talented they were - we would not have seen this day. It seems that corruption, match-fixing and immorality are rampant within the board and the management, allowing the cricketers to practice it as well.
It is hard to believe that in the presence of the chairman of the cricket board along with the management and coaches, such activities were being perpetrated. The future of Pakistan cricket is very bleak if the same management and members of the cricket board continue to hold key positions in the current setup. The Pakistan cricket team is in urgent need of a complete overhaul of the management and the chairman who, with all due respect, is not fit to be the chairman anymore.
It is a pity really to see an 18-year-old, who had so much to offer in terms of his brilliant bowling to be involved in such a horrendous scandal. Mohammad Amir was the new sensation that was being nominated as the cricketer of the year by the ICC, who also went ahead to break the record of being the youngest cricketer to have taken a 5-wicket haul. He was the future of Pakistani cricket, but who allegedly colluded with senior players that might result in an abrupt end to his career. The only way Pakistan cricket can revive again and come back to its days of glory is to start afresh, with new players which are not tainted with corruption, a new management and definitely a new cricket board.
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