Of dragons, and unicorns and Dumbledore – Mohammad Amir, a dream that shattered
Match-fixing has been at the heart of many international sports and amongst the most recent innovations in this business is most certainly spot-fixing. It’s an art form for many which is concerned with controlling instant outcomes which do not have the capacity to overturn results. In cricket, spot-fixing largely deals with a particular bowler controlling the outcomes on a particular ball, by delivering a no ball, or for a batsman to play a maiden over even when he is in good form. Dropping catches is another lucrative opportunity for players who are neither bowling nor batting at the time. All in all, spot-fixing is unable to affect the final result of any match but still allows the bookie and the player to make big money out of it.
To be honest, it is awfully hard to simply judge Pakistani players based on the fact that they come from impoverished families. It is never about the conditions at home, but more so a matter of character and integrity. Cricket is a sport that has over the years seen its fair share of heroes and villains to balance the act out. With the most unlikely of players turning out to be the bad guys, it has now become more like a soap opera.
To simply state, that all matches are fixed would again be a gross disservice to those who have upheld their morals and ethics in the once famous ‘game of the gentlemen’ of the past. These days, many things are being done, that a lot of retired cricketers, commentators and enthusiasts will not find in the spirit of the game. However, it is important to understand that most humans and for that matter mankind are driven by self interest. Therefore, the only driving force in effect is also this very same self interest that makes or breaks the best sporting legends.
Former fast bowler http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Wasim-Akram-c96292 not so long ago criticised the Indian players of being lazy even though they had a lot of potential and talent. The reason’s underlying this chronic issue might be very apparent when given some thought. Indian cricketers make a preposterous amount of money early on in their careers through endorsements and television campaigns not to mention their opportunity to make some more money in the Indian Premier League. When these players find themselves in the midst of changing priorities from prolonging their career to purchasing the latest BMW, they would most certainly go for the latter.
Very few players today can be attributed to have given the best years of their life to cricket which would include the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and several others. These legends were driven by a will and an ambition to be the best, and that turned out to be the driving force for them and not money. At the heart of these events lies the kind of dressing room environment prevalent amongst different teams. When players like Imran Khan, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Javed-Miandad-c66580 and others were part of the Pakistan dressing room, they were responsible for creating a succession of legends from talented young players who had joined the side.
The PCB needs to ask itself this question - how is the dressing room environment different from before, that it has resulted in the gradual moral degradation of an 18 year old, in a matter of months? The blame lies with the PCB and the team administration since for a long time, they have been in the habit of setting the wrong precedent for players to follow; where rules are meant to broken and seniors are meant to be obeyed even if they are wrong.
An 18 year old cannot be expected to stand in front of the captain or his senior players and confront them. That happens in fairy tales and unfortunately this is reality. Where Unicorns are stuffed, and dragons are painted, where there are no happy endings just endings and no Dumbledore to guide his pupils in the right direction, but rather a certain Mr. Butt who would be no more concerned about http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s cricket board or the players than a blonde bimbo is interested in an Encyclopaedia. This my friends is reality and unfortunately the 18 year old who not so long ago found himself in the midst of utopia found his world crashing down with him, dreams shattered by “careless people who smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."
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