The elephant in the room over the current crisis is that the cricket world is obsessed with how the News of the World investigation is playing itself out without really putting it into a context of a decades long history of match-fixing by Pakistan teams in all forms of cricket.
Cricket can, in President Johnson’s phrase, ‘fart and walk at the same time.’ There should be a relentless pursuit of the match-fixing uncovered by the News of the World. But the ICC should not wait for any findings (if any) to come out the current investigations. It should act ruthlessly now.
The Pakistan cricketers must be advised that everything they do, on and off the field, will be monitored relentlessly. The worse possible motivation will be attributed to inexplicable play on the field, until an acceptable explanation is offered.
In other words, Pakistan cricket is guilty until it proves itself innocent.
This is tough. It is probably against the laws of privacy and human rights. But the courts have generally supported sporting institutions when they have instigated special remedies to cope with specific problems inside their sport.
This tough/love measure must be followed by direct action by the ICC to force the officials in Pakistan and Zimbabwe to allocate a meaningful share of the cricket money pouring into the national bodies to the players themselves.
One of the more disgusting sights at international cricket events is the way the delegates from Zimbabwe and Pakistan flaunt the fact that they have siphoned off almost all the cricket money their countries are allocated from television rights for themselves.
If the Pakistan players are paid what they should be paid, there will be much less pressure from their ‘agents’ to accept bribes to bowl no-balls at specific times, bat with such extreme caution that they fail to reach even a low total in a ODI, conspire to drop catches, and stuff up run-outs to make sure that a certain victory is turned (to the great profit of bookmakers) into an unexpected loss.
The Indian government is looking at proposals to legalise the country’s underground gambling market.
The looking should stop. Do it.
Organise something like a TAB system, with the government getting a commission from the money gambled. And make the punishment for underground gambling so draconian that the wide-boys who now dominate the cricket gambling industry will give up the trade and perhaps try to make their money by going straight.
As for the current investigation being undertaken by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit, we shouldn’t hold our breath for any result in the near future.
The unit, after all, looked into the farcical Sydney Test in which fields were set by Pakistan to ensure that a number 10 batsman Peter Siddle could stay with Michael Hussey until a reasonable lead was established.
Hussey, himself, was dropped several times and survived a run-out which was botched by an iron-gloved wicket-keeper.
A difficulty the unit will find in trying to establish exactly the facts of the fix exposed by the News of the World is revealed in the testimony of Yasir Hameed, and the reaction to this testimony by team-mates.
Hameed, a journeyman opening batsmen, has been recorded by the News of the World as saying that “Pakistan have been fixing almost every match.”
Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s one-day cricket, dismisses this allegation on the grounds that Hameed “mentally is 15 -16 … People know what type of character he is.”
This is the same Afridi who tried to bite into a cricket ball as if it were a red apple. This bizarre action, one of the most inexplicable actions I’ve ever seen on a cricket field, has never been explained. It raises the question of who really has the mental age of 15 – 16.
We can make the fearless prediction right now that the ICC will take years to establish the truth of the News of the World sting, if it ever does.
This is all the more reason why the ICC should act now in setting out rules that are tough and which if enforced will be more effective in cleaning up the game than the current policy of essentially turning a blind eye to what is, and has been for decades, obvious to anyone with an interest in cricket.
This means the ICC should accept the fact of a decades-old culture of corruption in cricket; that the perpetrators of this corruption have been, in the main, grossly underpaid Pakistani players; that these players must be paid appropriately by the Pakistan Board of Cricket; and that any inexplicable loss or hard to understand sequence of events (like 42 no-balls when opponents easily chase down 324 in the second innings or five dropped sitters in one innings) must be seen, initially at least, as suspect play by Pakistan. And the authorities must quickly regulate the Indian gambling industry.
The decades long farce of the wink, wink mentality has to end. If it doesn’t cricket could go the way of professional wrestling, a sport with world wide interest which was corrupted by vested interests that turned it into a rigged entertainment.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
I think it definitely should be compared to those countries, and I guess that's why economists have corruption indexes to measure the level of corruption throughout the world. One reason for comparing the corruption is to open our eyes to what we are used to. We see behaviour that is normal to us, but may appear corrupt to people from different societies. Don't forget that Sydney won the vital votes in the Olympic Games by giving gifts to delegates and their relatives, and paying for airfares and accommodation.
Jason
Roar Guru
Well it doesn't come off too well against modern Singapore... ;)
True Tah
Guest
Corruption in Australia should never be compared to corruption in the likes of India, Pakistan, South Africa, PNG.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
Corruption is endemic in parts of Australian society, and is difficult to remove. In some cases it is officially sanctioned, e.g. if you want your letter to arrive somewhere the next day, you just pay a bit extra at the post office and it will be done. We have proven corruption in Australian police forces, amongst Australian politicians, amongst sporting bodies, and in international trade, not to mention shonky real estate deals, people on company boards, union leaders propped into the upper houses of parliament, etc. -- not to mention the wealth that was systematically stripped from the Third World during the Imperial period, to create wealth on the back of slavery, brutality and exploitation. There is no moral high ground for the West. In an economy like Pakistan's everybody does whatever they can to survive -- and that means sports can be targetted by unscrupulous types who don't mind killing someone to get the result they want.
Will
Guest
The ICC is corrupt, why should the game on the field be any different?
Whiteline
Guest
Richard said it all. Curruption is part of life in Pakistan - end of argument lads. Also, I haven't taken any game Pakistan has been involved in seriously for years. It's been going on for many a year and probably a long time before any of us care to remember.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Viscount,a few things out of the " i suspect" corner first. My allegiances are to Australia and my soul is in India. If Australia played India in any sport I would barrack for Australia,this incidentally to the disgust of my extended family in India. So please let us not stop pressurising India. We "ought" to. I don't have much time for Giles Clark after the Stanford debacle.You would think the US Securities commission would know a thing or two. I certainly am not pessimistic. Just evangelical in my zeal to have cricket come clean. Oh! and PS I nominated you as a teammate the other day on my profile. Have a look.
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
Vinay - As any undergraduate philosopher knows, "must (or "ought") implies "can". Do you really think that England and Australia can impose effective pressure on India? I rather suspect that if England and Australia DID try to pressurise India, then many Indians - perhaps including yourself - would scream blue murder and we'd soon be hearing long lectures about the West's colonialist mindset. After all, the decision to nominate John Howard didn't go down too well, did it? I somehow doubt that Indians would tolerate the sight of Giles Clarke standing up in his double-breasted suit to give the BCCI a good ticking off and inform the world that England would refuse to play those naughty Indians until they jolly well got their house in order. We need to be realistic. I don't think there's any magic bullet here. It's just going to take common sense measures over a period of time. There are some good people at the ICC, like Sir Ronnie Flanagan. There are some good people in English, Australian and Indian cricket. One hopes that this monumental embarrassment will empower the good people to bear down a little harder on the venal people and, in so doing, make the game cleaner. I shan't be holding my breath, admittedly, but I wouldn't be quite as pessimistic as some.
David
Guest
If the corruption runs so deep in Pakistan and players families are being threatened with threats they can back up i see it as more reason the Pakistan team should be banned until further investigation can be taken into their whole administration. If their players aren't protected by their own country and they can simply fall back on excuses of threats every time then their team shouldn't be allowed into the international arena until issues are resolved.
Geoff Lemon
Expert
Spiro, a few points here. Hussey wasn't reprieved by a run-out, that was Watson. And even if the match was rigged, the dropped catches off Hussey couldn't have been a part of it. The crooked agent who the News of the World got on tape claimed that they instigated the fix once Australia was eight wickets down, and the odds had ballooned out to 40-1. But Hussey got dropped first when Australia was three down, and twice more when they were four down, way before Australia were in trouble, and before there were long odds on an Aussie win. See my article from today: http://www.theroar.com.au/2010/09/07/was-the-sydney-test-rigged/ As for Hameed, if you watch that tape he's just repeating what he read in the News of the World's own articles, at the prompting of the undercover journalist. It's the biggest beat-up you've ever seen.
Richard
Roar Guru
The sad thing about widespread corruption in Pakistani cricket is that it is a mirror image for Pakistan itself. The entire society is riddled with corruption, in government, law enforcement, business and sport. How you successfully address corruption in cricket given that corruption is so much a part of the way they do things there, I don't know. In the meantime, I for one won't bother going to or watching any matches involving Pakistan ever again. I just hope some of the money I donated to their flood appeal actually gets to those who need it. Sad sad country.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Spiro,you are right in maintaining the rage and all cricket lovers should be up in arms. A note of caution though. Just think for a moment the following scenario: An underworld bookie comes up to a cricketer,could be Pakistani, Indian,Australian ,South African,whatsoever. He offers a large sum of money to spot fix or something else. The player refuses. The player is then threatened with physical voilence to himself and maybe his family. Who then protects this cricketer if he blows the whistle. Watson is understandably annoyed his name has been put in the open domain. These bookies are criminals and do not value life and property. This is a matter for the police and Interpol. The ICC is powerless and toothless. There needs to be more education and a fairer pay scale for cricketers from Bangladesh,Pakistan and West indies. As far as India is concerned it must be made to show more leadership and this is where Australia and England need to forget the money out of India and concentrate on the image of the game. India cannot play in isolation. There are enough good people in India like Dravid,Kumble and Tendulkar who care for the traditions of the game. Unfortunately the administrators do not share this same love of tradition and are looking at money only. Pressure must be placed on India by Australia and England.