Not same as match fixing, therefore no life ban? Says former Pakistan Cricket Captain Imran Khan

Society | September 9, 2010 | Share

This very statement by the Pakistani former cricket captain Imran KhanÂ Â portrays Pakistanâ€™s attitude towards this serious issue.

Ten years after the whole clout of match fixing erupted and took two great cricket captains– Hansie Cronje and Mohammad Azharuddin down– the game has never been the same again. Some were in shock at the revelations and some were stupefied that such a thing could happen. Some stopped following the game and were disappointed by the fact that their heroes let them down. Many who backed the game in the hour of crisis believed that it was a one off case and that there were good and bad guys in every field and the game would bounce back.

Well itâ€™s back and this time in a whole new avatar- â€œSpot Fixingâ€. It is said to be a milder version, wherein as a player you arenâ€™t throwing the match by under performing, rather bowling a couple of wides and no-balls at a specific instant. Your team may go onto win and in return you take away some money. Seems like a good deal. Isnâ€™t it?

According to Imran Khan, ex Pakistan cricket captain and a legend of the game, in spot fixing the player is not throwing the game away as such, therefore the punishment should not be as stringent as 10-15 years ban, or, worse, a life ban.

What has shocked the cricket fraternity as well as the world is the statement, coming from Imran Khan. It throws light on the entire country as well the Boardâ€™s attitude towards the whole episode. Ever since the sting operation on the alleged fixer Mazhar Majeed and his role in spot fixing in the test match between the England-Pakistan has been exposed, the Pandoraâ€™s Box has been laid bare with the January test match between Australia and Pakistan coming under the scanner and ICC looking into the last two yearsâ€™ matches involving Pakistan. The rot this time seems deep enough to engulf the PCB.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) assured its fans worldwide that the guilty will not be spared, but over the last couple of days they have backtracked in what they promised and are now supporting the tainted players. The alleged players should be given a fair trial but the PCB should not support them openly for the world to see and claiming that this is a conspiracy against Pakistan.

Coming back to spot fixing and its degree of crime as compared to match fixing. Cricket, like all other sports, is an unscripted drama and therefore scripting even a single ball is against the rules and laws of the game. You might go onto winning the game and at the same time bowl a couple of no-harming no-balls. But what if you get a batsman out of a scripted no-ball and then he goes and scores a match winning century and, worse, what if the margin between winning and losing is a mere 2 runs and you know that there were couple of deliberate no-balls bowled? These are questions that need to be answered.

It also isnâ€™t about winning and losing. It reflects the attitude and the mindset of the player who is willing to compromise his team and his country for money. Where cricket acts as a healer of wounds and crosses the barriers of cast, creed and colour, even a mere thought of fixing a game should be liable for a ban.

Unlike the rest of the world, in this subcontinent there is a sporting culture and the young teenagers look up to these sportsmen, where cricket is all over the place and cricketers are treated as demi-gods. Seeing god-like figures turn corrupt definitely tarnishes the image and brings disrepute to the game and the country.

The final message for the fixers and the corrupt players isâ€¦â€™clean up the mess, else this time the exodus of the fans would be humongous and the damage will be irreparable.â€™

Aatish Sharma