No ‘Match-fixing’ please!

Amid suspicions and rumors of match-fixing, a petition has been filed

India has won the ‘mother of all finals’ in Mohali last night but the media frenzy does not seem to end any time soon. Pakistan were not favorites but the way they lost the match has raised many eye-brows. People who always smell rat have started murmuring about ‘possible’ match-fixing, while the cautious ones are waiting for the euphoria or dysphoria to settle down.

Every thing was going fine as fans from both countries were waiting anxiously for the match while media was blowing hot and cold until this happened. A well-known bookie Pardeep Agarwal was seen lurking in Indian dressing room during India vs Netherlands match and his presence sparked furor and buzz in the Indian media. Later an Indian tax commissioner Gupta ‘revealed’ through his ‘under-ground links’ that the semi-final was fixed and India were bound to lose that match as billions of rupees were changing hands in betting.

A day after India confirmed their clash with Pakistan after beating Australia in the quarterfinal; Indian Prime Minister invited his Pakistani counterpart to Mohali to watch the semi-final. After some deliberation, Pakistan accepted the offer of ‘peace’ and PM Gilani watched the match sitting beside Manmohan Singh.

This was supposed to be a ‘goodwill’ gesture to ease tensions between the two countries but some circles started doubting the intentions from the outset. They believed that the match was going to be fixed in favor of India and Pakistan will get some ‘strategic’ benefits in return. No one listened to these people, but after Pakistan’s loss they have started grumbling loudly.

Even as I went to my work-place people felt let-down by the ‘government’. I asked them instead of blaming players who played mind-boggling cricket, why are you pointing fingers to the high-ups. The replies were multi-faceted:

- Zardari and co have ‘sold’ the country like they did in Raymond Davis case.
- India bargained glory for concession with Pakistan. Now both India and Pakistan will resume talks and the tensions would ease up. Players had no choice but to obey for the sake of ‘national interest’.
- Bookies had manipulated at the highest level to earn billions.

And so on…

A minority also blamed a few players of following the dirty tactics of Asif, Amir and Salman Butt. They argued that they could have got earning of a life-time by throwing away just one match and still would be regarded as heroes for reaching the semi-finals as underdogs.

The suspicions were strengthened by a mysterious statement by Pakistani Interior minister Rehman Malik two days prior to the match. As both teams were practicing hard for the match under immense media focus, Rehman Malik stunned every one by issuing warning to Pakistan players to refrain from match fixing as they were under scrutiny. This statement was termed as ‘howler’ by former players and fans too were furious at the timing and language of the statement. Even Shahid Afridi termed it unfortunate. The doubters say it may have been issued as an eye-wash.

Zulqarnain Haider, Pakistan’s former wicket-keeper who had fled to London from UAE to seek asylum after allegedly being threatened by the bookmakers, jumped on the bandwagon. He accused a group of players including Akmal brothers of fixing the semi-final. "I am not surprised by the defeat because they are groups operating in the team and they don't allow any player to settle down unless he succumbs to them. The same thing happened to me," Haider said while talking to Dunya news channel from London after the match.

"No one is allowed to settle into the team unless they are supported by a group and that is what happened to me. Players are not allowed to settle into the team if they don't go along with a group. That is the reason why Kamran is still in the team despite poor performances. No other keeper would be retained in the team if he dropped the number of catches Kamran has dropped," he added. Zulqarnain said that his stand on fixing had been justified after the semi-final result.

The clamor did not end here. A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against some Pakistan players and some officials on charges of match-fixing in the ICC World Cup 2011 semi-final match against India. The petitioner claimed the match was fixed to create friendly ties between two nations at loggerheads. According to him, Afridi talked to Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan on the telephone before the match.

Lawyer Muhammad Azhar Siddique who filed the petition on behalf of Muhammad Irfan Mukhtar named Rehman Malik, Firdous Awan, the PCB chairman, Captain Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Karman Akmal and Pakistan's envoys to Britain, India and the UAE as parties to the matter.

Mukhtar opined Pakistan was "deeply hurt" by the defeat and a probe should be conducted by the FIA, NAB, Federal Board of Revenue and State Bank of Pakistan to determine the players’ contacts and details of their bank accounts. The petitioner claimed: "The way the Pakistan team surrendered the match to India is obvious that the match was fixed and for the realizing of which, even cricket diplomacy was initiated under a deep-rooted conspiracy wherein the role of two Pakistani ministers may also not been ruled out."

As a cricket fan and analyst, I request all concerned that please stop moaning about aimlessly. Pointing fingers is easy but proving something wrong is difficult. We should maintain composure and accept defeat at the hands of a superior side with grace.