Ponting: Allegations will go on
Australia cricket captain Ricky Ponting has suggested that allegations over spot-fixing in cricket will go on for a long time.
Pakistan's current tour of England has demonstrated the corruption and spot-fixing that exists in modern day cricket. All parties concerned have said they hope cricket can forget about the last month and
move on.
However, Ponting says the stories that have broken in England will continue. The Aussie skipper thinks the issue will rumble on as more stories will emerge over the coming months.
There is a big danger that large sections of the public will lose faith with the domestic game in different countries. It is also going to be difficult for England to focus on the build-up to the Ashes
following various allegations and negative publicity.
Lose faith
Cricket around the world relies on a loyal and passionate public support. Ticket prices for cricket globally are huge in some countries. Fans will be put off from watching games if they think they aren't
getting an honest spectacle when spending huge sums on tickets.
This will have a negative effect on the English and global game because the majority of funding at domestic clubs comes through gate receipts. If gate receipts decrease then the money sides have to spend
will also decrease.
This could force sides into releasing important players who are on huge wages. This would mean lower quality players across sides all over the world, which would in turn mean a lower standard of cricket.
The game would go backwards.
Ponting said: "Unfortunately for Pakistan at the moment now, the situation that they are in, there's going to be those
sort of allegations for quite a while I think. The ICC need to be doing whatever they can to get on top of these things as quickly as possible and deal with them as
quickly as possible."
Ashes focus
Although the recent allegations against the England team throwing the third one-day match against Pakistan have been denied, there is now publicity that could affect the side's preparations for the Ashes
this winter. The allegations will divert the concentration and energy of key staff and coaches.
England has to be firmly focused on defending the Ashes because many pundits agree the side will never have a better chance of winning in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746. England players must do their jobs and allow the right
people to deal with the off field problems.
Ponting added: "They've done a pretty good job over the last few weeks already and with this latest allegation, hopefully
they will get to the bottom of this pretty quick as well. The events of the last couple of weeks have had a big impact, I'm sure, around the world on the way that
the game is viewed, but that's completely out of our hands."
Betting advice
England has lost the last two one-day international matches against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 and looks to be hitting a rough patch of form. It's very important England wins the last one-day
international match to head off to the Ashes with confidence.
Be wary of backing England to win the Ashes right now. The much better option is to wait until the first Test match at Brisbane has started. This will mean waiting a couple
of months but England's progress can be monitored and Australia's performance in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 can be judged.
For now focus on the players because there are a number of off field issues going on that could affect the team. Andrew Strauss looks good for a century in any game and
Graeme Swann is the best bowler in England at the moment.
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