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I’d like to say that my first reaction on seeing last week’s expose of yet more cricket match-fixing allegations was one of shock.
Yet, like many others I suspect, it was one of resigned disappointment.
More dirty laundry being aired, with Lou Vincent doing the washing, will bring promises of strong action until, once the kerfuffle has died down, another tale of grubby, deceitful behaviour comes to the fore.
Now we’ve got the distasteful scenario of accusations being thrown by all and sundry, while the game itself can only stand back and let the mud stick.
Corruption is nothing new, so we’re not looking at something resembling a novelty here, and if anything it now has more avenues by which to achieve infiltration. But it is the punishments that are meted out that provide the biggest stumbling block to getting rid of this corruption for good.
It won’t be long until the ban awarded to Mohammad Amir, the young Pakistani seamer, for spot-fixing is lifted. While it will be good to see such a splendid talent back where it should be, a compelling argument could be put forward for this being where the game isn’t helping itself.
Sentences that offer little in the way of deterrent, by their very nature, will merely encourage others to flaunt the rules. Take a hit but finish a few grand richer. Nonsensical it may sound, but avarice is a strong pull to those of a certain mindset and if they can, they will.
It is hard to deny that there are a myriad of factors in the whole business, and one person’s attitude will differ from another’s, but from one angle it is very much a black and white matter.
The temptation might well be there and it may be very accessible, but an individual doesn’t have to say yes.
It always brings me back to the proliferation of betting shops and casinos and the argument that it breeds a nation of gamblers. This is only the outcome if the majority choose to gamble, just as a pub on every corner doesn’t mean you have to walk in the door at every opportunity.
There is a choice to be made and those who opt for the wrong side of the line, knowing full well what they are doing, deserve no sympathy whatsoever. In stark terms, those found guilty should be banned from the sport for life.
Draconian? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.
Would you rather watch a contest that you knew was being played out properly or one where certain incidents were manipulated for material gain, thus going against every sporting principle that exists?
That, by the way, is a rhetorical question.
Cricket, or any other sport where this issue raises it’s unwanted head, doesn’t need greedy players. So get rid of them and ignore the cries of those who can’t see the bigger picture.
Those in authority have to go by the old adage of ‘good riddance to bad rubbish.’ And the sooner the better.