MUMBAI, 16 May 2008 — The shady business of match-fixing, the biggest controversy to hit cricket after the Bodyline fracas of 1932, reared its ugly head again when Marlon Samuels of the West Indies was banned by his county’s governing body for two years.
While no substantive proof was found of his indulgence in acts of match-fixing, the suspicion of his having friendly relationship with unauthorized bookmakers was large enough for him to earn the penalty.
Samuels is the first cricketer to face a ban in the eight years, after the match-fixing holocaust first hit international cricket in the year 2000. The picture then was so grim that several leading players had had their names dragged into the controversy. The ICC and some of its member-countries had wasted no time in tackling the issue.
The earnest work of the King’s Commission in South Africa, the Qayyum Commission in Pakistan and the Anti-Corruption Bureau of India resulted in life bans being imposed on South Africa’s Hansie Cronje, now no more in our midst, Salim Malik of Pakistan and India’s Mohammed Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma. Two other Indian players, Manoj Prabhakar and Ajay Jadeja had five-year bans imposed on them. Jadeja fought a prolonged legal battle to have his ban lifted and became the first banned player to play first-class cricket again. Today, he is a prominent cricket anchor on television.
There is no denying the fact that the ICC and the member countries continue to be alert in their endeavor to check the evil. Recently, when Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar, banned by his board for five years on disciplinary ground, indulged in some loose talk and unnecessarily dragged the names of couple of his former colleagues in a non-existent issue of match-fixing, the members of the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) descended to question some Pakistani players. They found nothing even vaguely incriminating.
How long and where all can the watchdogs be on duty? There is no doubt that their presence is having a salutary effect. There is no law anywhere which can enable them to cover non-cricketers.
In this regard, it is interesting to recall what former BCCI president, I.S. Bindra had suggested sometime back. He recommended that betting on cricket be legalized in India to overcome the menace of illegal bookmakers.
Betting on all sports, not the least cricket, is legal in England and Australia. There are even official bucket-shops at various grounds to receive bets on the game. You never hear of illegal bookies in these countries. Can this be a solution to at least mitigate, if not completely eradicate, the menace of illegal betting and the likely involvement of players in it? You bet your life.
