The match fixing scandal: A watershed moment for cricket

Critics say that tabloid paper News of the World exceeded the bounds of honest journalism when it trapped a middleman in return for details of three occasions when Pakistan bowlers would bowl noballs during a test match against England. Allegations have since emerged of widespread match fixing by a group of select Pakistan players. The Fourth Estate is divided in its views as to the honesty shown by the News of the World in this sting. Some believe that a good journalist should identify themselves and ensure that the other party is aware of their media connections. Others believe that the ends justify the means and that in the current era of cut-throat journalism, the story is what counts. Besides, sting operations are necessary to uncover the murky underworld in select situations such as this particular one.

Be that as it may, allegations against the Pakistani players have rocked the cricketing world. Already smarting from the friction which exists in this sport between the controlling boards of the various Test playing nations, these allegations if proven, could be a watershed moment for the sport. Divisions are rife within the International Cricket Council (ICC) and disagreements within the two blocs of power - one with Australia, New Zealand and England, and the other with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe,

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

South Africa and West Indies - are openly played out in the media. Australian criticism of Zimbabwe’s racist regime and ICC’s ignoring of this stand was not well received by cricket lovers. More so, ICC’s blatant rejection of Australia’s former Prime Minister John Howard’s application for a position of Vice President of ICC was seen as a snub to the cricketing boards of the so called “white countries” by the “brown countries”. That Australia accepted this insult and withdrew Mr Howard’s nomination was seen by many as surrender to the India-dominated ICC and its substantial financial wealth.

The betting scandal will be a testing time not only for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) but also the ICC and to an extent, Cricket Australia. If the PCB and ICC do not rise to the occasion and apply considerable vigour to unearth the reality behind these allegations, it will be clear to the world that the game is riddled with corruption and self serving interests of a few nations at the cost of the great game of cricket. If they do follow through with an in depth investigation and ensure that it is transparent and open, and then it will go a long way to regain the confidence of the public. Whether the investigations are carried out by ICC’s anti-corruption department or an independent body such as Scotland Yard, will also go a long way in deciding the future of the game.

For itself, Cricket Australia needs to be vocal and forthright about its position. They need to articulate publicly as to how they would prefer ICC to approach these match fixing allegations. They need to be strident in their preferred process and work towards an open policy of keeping the public informed as to what they believe in.

They also need to be confident as to what options are available to themselves in case the International Cricket Council tries to sweep this under the carpet.

This could be a time when the greater good of the game may be more important than the rivers of cricket gold flowing in some countries.