"Ban Pakistan from cricket" - Malcolm Speed and his idiosyncratic statement
Allegations of spot fixing on the Pakistan team are indeed trying times for this cricket playing nation that is responsible for producing world class cricket players over time. However, match-fixing or spot-fixing is a plague that is not simply limited to Pakistan cricket. Teams from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 have all washed their hands in various forms of fixing by altering the final outcomes in cricket matches. However, match fixing allegations have in most cases involved individuals of a particular team and cannot be representative of the entire country.
In the most recent case of what could be termed as Pakistan phobia, Malcolm Speed has put forward the incredulous suggestion of banning Pakistan altogether from international cricket. This idea is preposterous, for it somehow goes on to suggest that teams who have players involved in match fixing must be banned and if we were to follow this hypothesis, then this must be applied to all those teams who have been involved in match fixing in the past.
Hansie Cronje came to the fore of international cricket following his involvement with a bookmaker in New Delhi. It was learnt that Cronje accepted money to throw matches. The South African government however did not allow any of its players to face the Indian investigative unit, which finally spilled the beans on Saleem Malik, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Delhi-c780 police for their role in the match fixing saga.
Allegations of match-fixing have been a part of cricket for a long time now. However, very few claims have been truly substantiated. Ball tampering allegations against Pakistan have also been in circulation since Pakistan’s infamous tour to England in 1987 when the team was alleged to have been involved in ball tampering following lethal reverse swing by Pakistani bowlers. The fact of the matter remains that Pakistan cricket is going through turbulent times. It is indeed the responsibility of the Pakistan Cricket Board to ensure that match or spot-fixing is rooted out from the system. However that does not in any way mean that http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 should be banned from the world of international cricket.
The allegations are yet to be proven, and to make such a callous statement by a former ICC CEO is indeed saddening. Banning a country or teams is not the solution. The solution is to find a way to root out the problem, and the ICC along with the Pakistan Cricket Board need to do that. The fact is that if the players are involved with bookies, it may further imply that the team management is involved in this controversy as well.
Having said this, Pakistan cricket has been producing quality players for well over 50 years and is one of the first few Test playing nations. Cricket is widely followed in Pakistan. Banning Pakistan from cricket would only result in an empty void in the world of cricket. Cricket fans, despite all the controversies have over the years appreciated quality cricket played by Pakistan, and the legends that this country has produced. It has been a hub for producing quality pace bowlers like Imran Khan, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Wasim-Akram-c96292, Waqar Younis, Sarfaraz Nawaz and many others.
ICC President Sharad Pawar has ruled out the possibility of action being taken against players without the claims being substantiated by the police. However, Pawar did go on to add, "We have to take a viewpoint of the two boards, in this case the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). If anything is established, it will be viewed very seriously by the two boards and the ICC.” He said. “I am absolutely confident that both boards will never encourage protecting anybody who has done a wrong thing".
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