The entire cricketing world was hit recently by the latest in a series of infamous match-fixing scandals that have enveloped the gentleman's game. This is the first of two columns that I will write on the topic.
Today's piece will give a general overview of spot fixing and the current situation: A shocking allegation was made after an undercover sting operation by a News of the World reporter that a London-based bookie, Mazhar Majeed, of Pakistani origin, had supposedly fixed the fourth and final test-match between England and Pakistan at the Oval.
Three Pakistani players — the captain Salman Butt, pace bowler Mohammed Asif and the young bowling sensation Mohammed Amir — have been implicated in the video. Majeed claims to have "fixed" certain deliveries during the course of specific overs. His claim is reinforced by the fact that the Pakistani bowlers did the exact same thing that Majeed wanted them to do.
What exactly is spot fixing? After the scandalous match-fixing expose of the late '90s, where cricketers from South Africa, Pakistan, India and Australia were implicated in various murky dealings, the illegal bookies resorted to "fixing" certain events of a game instead of the entire game in order to avoid scrutiny. The agents would take deals on certain events of a game, with a huge amount of money bet on these "challenges"; games associated with India amounted to about $80 million per game.
The three Pakistani players were questioned by Scotland Yard and have been excused from the Tour of England. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has temporarily suspended the players, pending investigations.
An unnamed fourth player has also been implicated in the saga, and investigations by Scotland Yard and by the ICC anti-corruption unit are underway. The three players have been sent back to Pakistan on the condition that they return to England if called for further questioning.
If they are proven guilty, this has grave implications for cricket, especially for the Pakistani teams.
A supporter roots for his team with all his heart, becoming elated when the team wins and shattered when it loses. What never changes is his passion for the team and its players.
A fan's trust in the team and its integrity is very fragile and very difficult to win back. The cricketing world took time to recover from the match-fixing saga of the 1990s, and this scandal might just tarnish cricket's reputation permanently.
The biggest losers in this, apart from the paying public, are the Pakistani fans. Pakistani cricket has been dealt several blows with no home games played in Pakistan in light of the horrific terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in March 2009. The team has failed to deliver despite having unquestionable talent and also held the T20 World Championship title for a while.
Nevertheless, the fans are willing to embark on this roller coaster ride of emotions because of their undying love for Pakistan cricket and its rich heritage. This episode has the potential to derail that roller coaster. How can they believe anymore that the team lost because they were just not up to the task, without more sinister misgivings behind the scenes? Did the player get out on purpose? Did he bowl a bad over to earn some additional money?
It is the duty of the ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board to ensure that those who have been implicated in spot fixing face strong punishments resulting in lifetime bans. This will act as a deterrent to the younger generation to pursue this source of income. It will also offer some solace to the grieving cricket-viewing public in that justice will have been served.
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Avinash Asthana is a junior majoring in computer science. He can be reached at Avinash.Asthana@tufts.edu.
