International sport is supposed to be the pinnacle for any professional’s sporting career. In the last week, that thought has been undermined as the issue of match-fixing and its relationship with cricket has been brought up once more. So the question that needs to be asked is ‘will the International Cricket Council (ICC) steer the sport through this rocky period and clean up the game for good, or will it continue to be ravaged by such scandals?’ Sport.co.uk investigates.
Cricket’s extensive history
The game of cricket is no stranger to match-fixing and professionals being swayed by big bucks in order to play below their known ability. Since the early beginnings of the game, match-fixing has gone on, even during the times of WG Grace it occurred. Incidentally, when Grace was given out by the umpire during one match, on the way back to the pavilion the Doctor walked up to the official and told him that the spectators hadn’t paid to see the umpire’s decisions, but the batting of himself. Even today crowds expect to see players who will go beyond the realms expected of the average cricketer, and produce performances that will hold long in the memory.
Pakistan’s young prodigy
On the second day of the fourth Test, young Mohammad Amir had viewers on the edge of their seats as he conjured up one of the most impressive performances in Lord’s history as he rattled through the England middle order with ease, taking six wickets in all during his spell. That’s why it’s bewildering that the 18-year-old is being linked with allegations of deliberately bowling no-balls. The Pakistani starlet, who’s already the youngest player to take 50 Test wickets, has another 15 years at least at the top, and if the claims prove to be true, cricket will have lost an exceptional talent at the expense of a cheap deal with the bookmakers.
Betting scandals of the recent past
The most famous of sons to have been guilty of such crimes is former South African captain, Hanse Cronje. Not only was Cronje found to have taken money from an Indian betting syndicate in order to walk, but he offered large sums of money to fellow team-mate Herschelle Gibbs so that he’d score lowly too. After being banned from all cricket in October 2000, Cronje died in a plane crash on 1 June 2002. Some conspiracy theorists have said that the former South African captain’s life was cut short by a betting syndicate, as he knew too much. Today Cronje, despite all his sins, remains one of the most popular South Africans in their history.
Even in 1998, Shane Warne and Mark Waugh were questioned over allegations that they’d received money from an Indian bookmaker during the 1994-95 Australian cricket season for details relating to the pitch and weather conditions. Even though an independent inquiry found that the two were “not fully aware of the informed dangers of interacting with bookmakers”, the Australian Cricket Board secretly fined the duo and buried the case.
Will the ICC clean up the game for good?
So, with these cases in mind, is there any hope that the guardians of the game will try to rectify the situation and protect what integrity is left? It’s been reported in The Times of India that during the T20 World Cup in May, the ICC’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) warned the Pakistani Cricket Board that their players had been in contact with Mazhar Majeed in the Caribbean. Pakistan lost against Australia in the semi-final at St.Lucia after being in a strong position going into the last over, with Mike Hussey smashing 23 off the last six balls to seal a remarkable win. Now the ICC may look at the way in which Pakistan lost that match, as such allegations surrounding the fourth Test at Lord’s, and the involvement that Mr Majeed had have surfaced.
If Butt, Asif, Amir and Akmal are found guilty, there is ground to say that it’s about time that cricket’s world governing body made an example of them and cleaned the game up once and for all. Former England batsman Allan Lamb has called for life bans for those who fill their pockets at the expense of the game’s reputation. Likewise former England captain, Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports: “If there were substantial proof then maybe it's about time, let's get on with cleaning the game up. Part of me says you've got to make a statement, and say, 'Right, ban for life'. If you come down tough maybe it says to everyone, 'Don't get involved, otherwise that's the end of your career’.”
The ICC’s Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat said on Tuesday that the ACSU had begun to investigate the allegations made by the News of the World. Lorgat insisted that the “ACSU is the most respected and experienced such unit in world sport”, yet with the body having no direct powers unlike many law enforcement agencies, it remains toothless. Lorgat even said that the ACSU has “no power to arrest or seize, or carry out a sting operation”. This has led to former England captain, Michael Vaughan saying: “We've had an anti-corruption unit for how long? Why does it take an English newspaper to bring this out?”
It’s easy to blame the ICC, and say ‘told you so’, but with the warning signs in May during the T20 World Cup already being on their radar, cricket’s world governing body will have been incredibly naïve if the revelations surrounding the Pakistani four and Majeed are proven to be true. Presently, any future for the game away from such scandals looks improbable.