Corruption in cricket-IPL spot-fixing saga!

By Francis Saldanha
Bellevision Media Network

Bahrain, 24 May 2013: There is a scandal knocking on your door every day, a scam seems to lie in wait around every corner. The recent spot-fixing scandal that has rocked the IPL seems to be giving the impression that the cash-rich T20 league is a breeding ground for fixing related controversies. However, fixing in sports has a long history.

 

Cricket’s biggest match-fixing scandal was unearthed in 2000, when Hansie Cronje from South Africa admitted he had accepted money to throw away matches. Soon players from other countries were implicated, among them Mohammad Azharuddin of India and Saleem Malik of Pakistan. Since then, allegations of match fixing - including the new phenomenon of spot-fixing have cropped up sporadically and it has been acknowledged that bookmakers and the underworld have been active in trying to influence cricket results and specific moments in play. In 2010, scandal reared its head again when three leading Pakistani players were questioned by Scotland Yard and suspended by the ICC over spot-fixing charges.

 

 

It’s convenient to blame the underworld for every instance of cricket fixing, but its ordinary punters who are behind many of them. In India, betting takes place on almost everything. They bet on weather, they bet on politics, they bet on movies and they bet on cricket. There are a lot of people with a lot of black money and they play the game of betting. The problem is for the small fry who gets into those circles and loses all his money. Such people just want to show off that they too can match the big boys and then get ripped off. Even after legalizing betting, this will happen. I have seen people who do not know anything about cricket,  talking such crap when watching a match and place bets for the same. This is a vicious unending cycle.  We can blame bookmakers, administrators, players, police, and underworld endlessly. But I think the biggest culprits are the punters, who bet on events which can be manipulated by human beings. It is a stupid thing to bet on something which can be easily manipulated. But I think roots of this betting also lie in prevalent corruption in India. Some corrupt people are left with lot of black money for which they don’t have any other avenue to spend. So they invest it in illegal betting.

 

Legalizing betting is the only way to go. If most money goes to the open and regulated markets, there is not enough left for the underground ones. There is no guarantee that the legal bookies won’t try to arrange fixes either, but if they are out in the open, they are easier to scrutinize and control. The thing is you don’t need to arrange fixes to make money as a bookmaker. The system of odds is designed to automatically generate money for "the house" over a period of time. That’s how casinos make money by the truckloads without doing anything illegal. So if betting were to be made legal, with harsh penalty and scrutiny, fixing can be reduced or even stamped out. Spot fixing can be done by paying or intimidating a single bowler. All players must be monitored so that spot fixing can be prevented. Outcome of a match cannot be fixed as it involves 11+11 = 22 players consent or at least 4-5 players in a team or a captain who asks his worst bowler to bowl full quota. So prevent spot fixing, game fixing takes care of it.

 

 

Sport should be played in true spirit. Players taking money are cheating the spectators and also bringing bad name to IPL. I request IPL committee to work jointly with BCCI and Delhi police and take severe action on corrupt players and ban them playing IPL matches permanently. IPL tournament brings talented budding cricketers into main stream for playing for India. Because of few players,  the IPL game is getting bad name. BCCI should take severe action against three Rajasthan Royal players. This is shame to the ‘Gentleman’s’ game. As of now, the tainted players, Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila and S. Sreesanth stand suspended pending enquiry. All information required to bring the persons involved to book will be collected and strictest action will be taken, if found guilty.

 

The BCCI engages the services of the anti corruption wing of the ICC to educate and monitor players and support staff in prevention of corruption of any form in the game. In fact, it is unfortunate that despite such education, best playing conditions and terms of engagement offered, some players seem to be indulging in such activity.

 

 

 

The IPL has also brought much joy and sustenance to many families. It is an extraordinary product and a lot of cricketers have benefited from it, both financially and through the opportunity it has afforded them. It is important that it stays strong and that the good it has done doesn’t get buried amid the bad that we are now seeing. That is why, for the BCCI itself, and by implication for those that run the IPL, this is the time to act swiftly and decisively. India prides itself on its financial muscle. It must now move very quickly towards legislative leadership.

 

India’s cricket fans are hurt, suspicious and confused and as such the BCCI has to reach out to them. It is not possible to police sport completely, and across continents and sports we are reminded of that constantly. But the fans often want intent and the BCCI will have to move in that direction very quickly. If they do and if they can strengthen the game, something good can still come out of this. But for that the anger must simmer longer. The player must fear the administration but the administration must fear the fans and be answerable.

 

 

I do not know when that will happen,  but I do know that it must protect Indian cricket and make it stronger. It must do so to protect young Indian players and allow them to fulfill their dreams and not to be waylaid by immoral bandits. It is a dark spot on IPL but you cannot just sit back and wait for the first light. Out of the shattered lives of these three young men from RR and other cricketers, newer and stronger players must emerge. Indian cricket must ensure that. Cruel as it may sound, it is too good an opportunity to miss. If the IPL is to cling to its credibility, the BCCI must ask for help from everyone connected to the game. Great wealth usually leads to great power, but neither serves as protection when integrity is under threat. Only maturity and humility does. I grew up looking at heroes from all eras and their heroics and wit. To imagine even some of it being a fake! This betrayal somehow has to be personal to all those who follow the game.