Pakistan Cricket - The match-fixing woes
Pakistan’ cricket team and its management have been under the microscope, ever since the debacle during their disastrous tour of Australia. Numerous rumours and allegations have surfaced in the aftermath, one of them being match-fixing. Firing back with full force, the chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board Ejaz Butt has announced that no evidence of any mischief was found by the governing body of the game, namely the International Cricket Council.
Aside from an investigation by the Pakistani authorities, the ICC is conducting its own investigation into the matter. The Anti-Corruption and Security wing of the ICC confirmed that they were in the process of investigating Pakistan’s disastrous performance against the Aussies, especially the test match in Sydney. However, an ICC statement clarified that the real test will be to unearth solid evidence if the case is true. All eyes were on Pakistan as they collapsed to a miserable defeat in Sydney after gaining a first innings lead of 206 runs. They could not chase down a modest target of 176 and crumbled to a defeat by thirty six runs.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal has denied that he had any links to bookmakers or that he underperformed in Australia on purpose. He was placed under a watch list, including Shahid Afridi, after former coaches Aaqib Javed and Intikhab Alam suggested that Akmal may have links with bookmakers. These statements came to light when video tape recordings from the inquiry committee proceedings were leaked to the media. In light of all these allegations, Akmal came out in front of the media to clarify his position.
The parliamentary committee on sports has summoned top officials from the PCB to probe into how the videos were leaked. PCB Chief Ejaz Butt, former coach Intikhab Alam, manager Abdul Raqeeb, former captain Younis Khan and former selector Iqbal Qasim are expected to face a barrage of questions from the parliamentary committee on this heated issue, which has engulfed Pakistan cricket into a spiral.
Explaining the position of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Ejaz Butt said that it was the prerogative of the ICC to investigate into any matter. However, as far as the tour of Australia is concerned, they have already expressed their view that no evidence of match-fixing was found during Pakistan’s tour to Australia. With regards to PCB’s own investigation, Butt made it clear that they have already probed the matter, and now they are waiting for a report to be filed by an independent judge. A lawyer has also been entrusted to look into all aspects of this case. The PCB formed a committee after Pakistan dealt with a severe blow after being thrashed by the Australians in a complete white wash. Pakistan was outperformed in all the tests, one-days and the sole T20 match down under. The committee not only looked into the team’s performance on the field but also issues that may have cropped up in the locker rooms and outside the playing arena.
On the issue of match-fixing, the spokesman for the PCB echoed the sentiments of the chief, stating that the board found no solid proof on which any charges of match-fixing could be formulated.
It seems as if problems facing the PCB grow with time. From the match-fixing saga to the issue of the leaked videos, players and officials have pointed their fingers not just at each other but the bookmakers as well. With all the media hype given to the video, the question is how Pakistan cricket will ever be able to rise up from this abyss. Meanwhile, the PCB chief has refused to give his comments on the video, saying he would only do so after having a word with certain PCB officials.
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