The buck stops with the captain. Nothing can be fixed without the captain’s knowledge. That he may have turned a blind eye is another matter. Cronje, Azharuddin and Malik were all captains. All banned for life. Two of them have reinvented themselves. One is a Member of Parliament. One is dead.
In 2008, Marlon Samuels was banned for two years for sharing information with a bookie. How many others were there? Tim Nielsen has confirmed approaches were made to Australian players. Sri Lankan players have been approached, too.
Imran Khan has been scathing in his assessment. He has long been a trenchant critic of the last Pakistan president Musharraf and continues to rail against the current regime.
Ian Chappell said in a recent interview: ”Okay, it might be an example of spot-fixing, and you might think that it is not as serious bowling a no-ball, but it is serious because it means that they have got their claws in the player, and they are going to tell him when to do the next fix and they are going to tell him what to do. And the player doesn’t have any say unless he likes living in a wooden box, for that is the only way he is going to get out. So that’s how serious this problem is.”
This is the issue. Once a fixer has compromised a player, that player is forever at the fixer’s beck and call. To say no is to meet your creator. Match or spot-fixing cannot happen without the knowledge of the captain.
He pulls the strings and ultimately is the man responsible.
The fixers know better than to approach the Australian, Indian or English players. These three teams are the best paid and earn more than any other players. In a way, these three teams are incorruptible.
In Strauss, Ponting and Dhoni they have strong leaders and players like Tendulkar, Dravid, Pietersen, Clarke, Sehwag and Hussey would not countenance any approaches. South Africa post-Cronje and the Sri Lankans under Jayewardene and Sangakkara would get my seal of approval also.
New Zealand, with its recent improved players’ agreement, is also on the same page as the other five above.
This leaves Pakistan, the West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in the potentially susceptible team category. And it all has to do with inadequate player payments. There is also a large disparity in earnings of players within the same team.
This leads to a fractious dressing room and what is called “in-law envy.”
The real answer lies in policing and eradicating the criminals. This is hard when criminals have political patronage. And India is also open to censure. At last count, there were over 50 Members of Parliament with criminal charges pending against them. This is not suggesting that the administrators of cricket in India are corrupt.
It is suggesting that criminals have friends in high places.
Zimbabwe is run by men of dubious integrity and that is putting it mildly. Bangladesh is better than Pakistan but that is not a ringing endorsement. The West Indies is bedeviled with Inter island jealousies and lacks strong leadership both on and off the field.
In short, it is ripe for fixers.
So where do we go from this low point.
For cricket to retain credibility, it has to be clean in all three forms. Draconian measures are called for. It is time privacy came second and virtue came first.
India has to take the lead. It has the power because of the market. It remains to be seen if the clean-up post-Modi is real or just window dressing. Players like Kumble, Tendulkar, Dravid and Dhoni are sick of the innuendo and must be privately seething at the shenanigans of some of the administrators and franchise owners.
The Champions League and the IPL is where the stars are treated like Royalty. It is where every cricketer wants to be. Hayden, Gilchrist, Warne, Kallis, Bollinger, Hussey and Pietersen. It is not only the money. It is the craving for attention.
Those turning up their noses do so because they have not got past the auction.
Bangalore with Steyn and Victoria with Nannes have two of the best fastmen going around. Both these teams have strong batting. Kallis and Dravid complemented by Cameron White and Ross Taylor give Bangalore the edge.
Bollinger will be trying to pull the rug out from under the batters when he opens up for Dhoni’s team. Shaun Tait will fire for South Australia but the rest of the team looks weak. Ferguson coming back will be tentative. Malinga.Tendulkar and Pollard will keep Mumbai competitive.
All these players will assemble in South Africa this week and the eyes of the world will be watching for anything that looks suspicious. It would be a brave man that tries to fix a game.
Once again, there will be no Pakistani players. In light of what has happened, perhaps this is for the best.
The upcoming Champions League and IPL 4 will all be under the purview of the Anti Corruption Unit. For all its inadequacies in enforcement, it is at least a watchdog. Maybe not a killer watchdog, but a scarecrow nonetheless.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Will, Cricket needs an International Royal Commission,with powers to subpoena phone records and interview players,politicians and bureaucrats. Only those boards with something to hide would object. Nothing is impossible if the Will is there.
Will
Guest
I agree Vinay. But I need to be realistic. There is no way, cricket in its current state, can completely rid itself of corruption, whether it is with regards to poltics, or on field matters. It is impossible. It saddens me. You see guys like Flintoff work their body to the ground for their country. I remember Ponting spending hours in a hyperbaric chamber to get ready for a test? These guys would do anything to win a cricket match. Now there are people in the game doing everything to lose a cricket match. It disgusts me. I feel sorry for the players caught up in this. Sorry, for them. Were they greedy? Did they need the money? Whatever it is. We need to know. These players need to realise that the truth will set them free.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
No,Russ,it would not surprise me. And while we are discussing it it extends right through the subcontinent.And it would not surprise me either if it exists in the UK<Australia and South Africa.And why exclude West Indies,Zimbabwe and New Zealand. Some of these mentioned are not corrupt societies per se but have had Royal Commissions into drugs and "food for aid". It has happened in tennis and soccer.The NRL is under the scanner. I think golf may be the only major sport immune.
Russ
Guest
Vinay, would it surprise you if that was the case? That mafia/terrorist run "illegal" bookmaking firms bribe government officials at all levels? That those officials appoint the "right" people to the board? That the board interferes to ensure the "right" players, coaches and managers are in the team? That the conspiracy is underpinned with not just cash but also violence and extortion? Corrupt societies produce corrupt organisations and cricket can hardly expect to be immune.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Reports overnight suggest Mohd. Asif fears for his life if he returns to Pakistan.You would think that criminals don't respect boundaries and Asif would be at risk whereever he is. He should have nothing to fear if he is innocent. And should be protected whether innocent or not. This is increasingly a matter for the police.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Will,I now get my joy from bowling to nephews and watching school and club cricket. Or the street urchins in India. Where money is the last thing on anyone's mind. But I have invested a lifetime in this sport and I'll be dammed if some bent cricketers are going to hijack this game. Firstly cricketers at the elite level must rededicate themselves to upholding the values you and I hold(or held ) so dear. If they do not ,collectively,take a stand then it will degenerate into a freak show.
Will
Guest
Sadly, when corruption is so rife within the ICC, in various forms, then it is hardly surprising that there is corruption on the field? Is it? I love the game of cricket, but of late, my love has diminished. T20 is taking over - the perfect format for any potential fixer. How can we control fixing when T20 is the preferred format for cricket boards to make a dollar? We will never eradicate fixing from the game of cricket. Like any criminal element - the criminals will continue to devise techniques to elude capture. Every now and then the cops will get their man, but a lot of damage is done in the mean time. Right now cricket is up against a perfect storm of filth. Poor fixturing; poor wickets; useless administration; a marked difference in player payments between countries; T20 overload; greedy players and now, spot-fixing and / or match fixing. Right now, cricket is a laughing stock. And why not. How many hours of our lives have we wasted watching bent cricketers fix matchs? Cricket should take a long hard look at itself and so should all the fans, for believing that cricket was clean. We are all fools.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Jason,you make a valid point and my question then is what is the captain,coach and manager doing...maybe the poor player is just a pawn..and maybe the players will pay the price and those higher up will make away with the real cash. is there a cartel of bookies across major sports and do they operate with impunity because they have compromised lawmakers or politicians looking after them. We need more than Colombo on this case.
Jason
Guest
We shouldn't ignore Geoff Lawson's point in all this. That is, much of the fixing might just as easily be because of extortion (ie bookie threatens to harm a family member if player x doesn't do what he wants). That sort of extortion is almost impossible to prevent - even in a country with a strong rule of law and substantial police force, let alone some of the poorer nations. And in that case you have to have some sympathy for the player.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Hayden's point is not new. It has been made before and talk is cheap. I see some players out there with quality ideals but too often they are passive. Brett,I agree fully that players must reclaim this game from broadcasters and administrators. I have said for a long time we need players of integrity in positions of power.If you recall Ponting was at odds with hayden about the security during the last IPL. You did not have to be Einstein to work out that Hayden had the playing reason to go to IPL whereas Ponting had no reason. And Ponting was right to voice his concerns. So when cricketers can't agree what is the answer. One man's integrity can be viewed as anothers livelihood. India does not need to legalise gambling. It has 700 million other people that need attention first. There is already enough bureaucratic corruption in India without giving them another avenue. The illegal gamblers would ensure their kingdom is safe. It needs political will to clean up the illegal gambling and this is lacking.
Brett McKay
Guest
that may well be the case Vinay, but Hayden's points about the players taking a stance, and developing integrity among themselves on this matter are still quite valid. Likewise, the administrators could also do more to ensure that these "shady" types can't easily access the players during series or tours. I think India's move to try and legalise gambling is probably a good move (admittedly, that's with a 30,000ft view), and as plenty have suggested in recent days, the abolishment of these exotic bets will also help..
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Brett, I have a lot of time for Peter lalor as a journalist but the remarks made by Hayden are a nonsense. As a director of CA he would know exactly how much money is in their kitty and he should have a good idea of the finances of the BCCI and the ECB. For him to say there are not enough resources is only making excuses for the lack of will..either in India or Australia. It is not only illegal betting under the scanner. As you know there is an ongoing investigation into the NRL and bettting irregularities. And what was Gallop's excuse..not enough resources..This is absurd when you are talking about a possible 1 billion dollars ten year deal. I as the question again..how much money does cricket need?
Brett McKay
Guest
some quality comments from Matthew Hayden on this topic Vinay (from Peter Lalor's article in The Oz) "If governments can't control illegal gambling then what chance has a small organisation like the ICC got of making an impact on the global footprint of gambling," Hayden told The Australian. "The only way that you can build integrity into the sport is if players and administrators make the choice to reject corruption and choose integrity. "There is no other way. The decision has to be made by those in the trenches and those on the front line because there is not enough resources to do anything different."
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Kersi, it is a distasteful subject but an important one and good people like you must make their disgust known. Thankfully,the new head of the IPL ,Amin, is making all the right moves. He has confirmed the Champions League and the IPL4 will be monitored by the ACU. I know that some birds are not frightened by a scarecrow and more needs to be done.Pity they have outlawed capital punishment.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
I am sick of reading on match-fixing and spot-fixing and fix-fixing! But I enjoyed your piece, Vinay. Especially the ending: the anti-corruption unit being "Maybe not a killer watchdog, but a scarecrow nonetheless".
Brissie Kid
Guest
Spot on sheek. Seems the bookies now have an avenue to cry freely when they done over. Never mind the damage their innuendo causes the game and Aust sport generally. Never mind that many of those bookmakers don't pay a zac to the NRL in sponsorship and none of them pay the NRL from their turnover or profits.
sheek
Guest
Vinay/Brett, This vignette in today's Daily Telegraph: "Leading bookmakers have called on the NRL to take decisive measures on gambling, after confirming suspect betting trends in at least three recent matches". In other words, come down hard on apparently recalcitrant players. No mention that their 'licorice all-sorts candy type of betting' might also be a contributing factor.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Brett, I would not lay too much credence on a franchise moving a batsman up the order. You and I would have changed batting orders in quest of a victory. This is stoking an imaginary fire. Having said that the past structure of the IPL was highly rorted and compromised and the BCCI turned a blind eye because the TV deal was worth billions. Did CA and CSA question this? Maybe privately but not publicly. The Indian Govt. banned odds being sms'd. Franchise owners have benefitted from what I call "insider trading". Enough has been written about the "facilitation" payments for TV rights and the whole sordid saga is enough to turn your stomach. I am convinced that there are players like Dravid,Tendulkar and Kumble who can reclaim our game. They have to voice their concerns more forcefully and publicly. I know that privately they are angry. Player agents I have a problem with just as I do with "gossip" journalists. India has to take the lead because I don't see anyone else stepping up to the mark. The ECB,CA and CSA HAVE to make it happen. I think the idea of taxing international players is a good one and in the case of Australia and New Zealand(also ECB) it does find its way to the grassroots. Not a good idea if it goes to Pakistan because the current administration would only waste it. The International Council you crave is already there. People like you and me and Sheek and millions more that care about the game. We all have to demand BETTER of our administrators and players.
sheek
Guest
That's the spirit - put the administrators in the crosshairs. Also other authorities, governments & the opportunists (betting agencies) themselves. Because of their own double standards, they are the true culprits of the piece!
Brett McKay
Guest
Vinay, the IPL is not without it's own problems of course, and Malcolm Conn only this week wrote of one franchise having to move a leading batsman up the order for fear that he was influencing the end of a batting innings in an adverse way. And then there is the latest move whereby the IPL want to tax the contracts of international players with 10% being passed onto that player's national board. For someone like David Warner, he could end up paying more "tax" to CA than he makes from his NSW contract. And then there's matter of the IPL still refusing to deal with player agents and associations... So I'm not sure India taking a lead is necessarily a good thing. If only there was some kind of international council to administer cricket gloablly......