Root out corruption or game will suffer: Andrew Strauss
English cricket captain Andrew Strauss has exhorted the apex cricket body, the International Cricket Council, to ensure that the sport of cricket is corruption-free. The captain was speaking to the media before the fourth ODI between England and Pakistan,
which will be played as scheduled at Lord’s on Monday September 20.
Immediately after the completion of the third ODI between http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 and England, the ICC had announced that it will probe the third ODI for any wrongdoings after it had received information before the start of the game of certain scoring patterns in the match.
The ICC had also added that the patterns had actually occurred in the match during the Pakistani innings, hence the suspicion on the game.
The English cricket board had also conducted an emergency board meeting after the story broke out in the English daily, The Sun, which said that there was information that the Oval ODI was under suspicion of being fixed.
Strauss said that corruption in cricket was an issue that needed to be dealt very strictly. He also added that while the current allegations needed to be probed before any conclusion could be drawn, it was the responsibility of the ICC to ensure that “when
22 players turn up for a match they are trying hard to win.”
Strauss added, “The ICC need to stand up and lead the game. Never has it been more important for them to do that.”
Strauss admitted that it would go on to become a difficult procedure to be able to root out the corruption but warned that if it was not done, then it could only get worse from here. He said that match-fixing could not be swept under the carpet because it only
reduces the integrity of the game and drives the fans away.
This can actually be seen from the fact that the crowds in the stadiums for the ODIs have been much more sparse than usual.
Earlier, Strauss met up with the English cricket board and the Professional Cricketers' Association to discuss the future of the series. He said that he had given his players the benefit of the doubt before concluding that any of them was involved in match-fixing.
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