Match Fixing Saga And After

PCB stands for Pakistan Cricket Board but it in effect means Perplexity, Crisis, and Back-out. It was not an organization to be proud of before too but ever since Ijaz Butt has taken over as chairman it is total shambles. If Amir, Asif and Salman Butt have done any thing wrong what was PCB and its security wing doing to spot or prevent it? If News of the World had known all this why PCB did not have a clue? When the tour management had openly accused some players of wrong doing in the tour Down Under and then subsequently the Disciplinary Committee had handed bans or fines to those players, why Mr. Butt and co repealed those punishments? Who is responsible for mishandling the whole case when the accusations had been made? Why we were made to look fools in front of the whole world? Why Mr. Butt first accused English team and then backed down shamelessly? Why PCB at first supported the players blindly and now is sleeping on the case to go to the other extreme?

My personal view is that the trio has definitely been involved in some sort of malpractice and it may be only the tip of the iceberg. The mafia and the chain of command have successfully evaded the radar of ICC and its member boards. Ever since the menace of match-fixing came to light in 1994, ICC has failed to get rid of it completely. The Anti-corruption Unit of ICC has proved to be a total failure. The three players were, if we consider the enormity and extent of the menace, unlucky to have been nabbed. They are just the tools; the real nexus needs to be unearthed and wiped out. We need to reach the core. The culprits should be taught a lesson but punishing the players only will not eradicate the problem. Pakistan Cricket is not the only one which is corrupt. Match-fixing is controlled by mafias in India and Dubai. Can we enter those corridors and destroy the roots or we will just keep cutting the branches only?

Now coming to the ICC hearing next month, what scenarios are likely to emerge? Let us suppose the three players are found guilty then what sentences are handed to them? There is talk of exemplary punishment so that others learn a lesson. I think Asif and Butt may be handed over life bans and Amir may get away with a 5 year ban considering his age and unblemished prior record. Or we may see lighter verdict with Asif and Butt getting 5 years while Amir getting a 2 year ban. It is a remote possibility that the trio is exonerated all together and we see them playing again before long. Butt the saga will not end here. There is Crown Prosecution Service of the Scotland Yard who is conducting a criminal investigation of their own. The players if banned would surely land in the Court of Arbitration for Sports for the last chance to clear their names. So the cricket world is not going to get a sigh of relief any time soon. We hope for the best.

The impact which the ICC hearing would have on Pakistan players especially on the eve of the World Cup would be huge. Will they get demoralized and lose the battle even before the start or they regroup and fight with extra motivation? That is why I think the rejection of the plea by Salman Butt’s lawyer to postpone the hearing is not good for Pakistan team. Any unfavorable verdict against the trio will be a huge distraction for the men in Green in the World Cup. Will Pakistan have a third consecutive shambolic World Cup campaign or we will do a 92? We who bleed green pray and wish best of luck to Pakistan cricket and its team.