Match-fixing has been cricket’s biggest downer over the last
decade or so and recent revelations and consequent punishments suggest that the
saga hasn’t ceased. Committing mistakes is not a problem but not attempting to
rectify them is a bigger problem. When the corruption charges were proved first
about a decade ago the cricketing community was shocked and the game’s repute
was at stake. Names with impeccable integrity and transparency sailed cricket
through that tough weather.
Times have changed: match-fixing allegations don’t raise
your eyebrows instantaneously anymore, instead of complete matches’,
manipulation of a few moments have come to the fore, cricket players have been
jailed for proven corruption charges yet you get a sense not enough efforts are
going in to make the game transparent.
The ICC’s anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU) has been
bestowed upon the duty of keeping a vigil on any possible malpractices since
its origin in 2000. Either the ACSU officials are under-empowered or ill
equipped to monitor and access malpractices in the game, for too many allegations/proven sting operations have come from non-official agencies. Whenever a terror
attack is executed, we shouldn’t forget that the security forces bust 9 out of
the 10 such attempts; likewise the ACSU shouldn’t be looked upon as a weak cop
but a body that is going about its business in a quiet manner. We live in a
result-oriented age, and hence everybody is expected to deliver 100% and
nothing less than that; the number of sting-operation led busts of fixing
charges raise questions about ACSU’s role.
ICC with its limited reach is trying to exploit as much as
it can via ACSU, the national boards need to step up as well. Players have been
caught indulging in corruption at the domestic level in England and India.
Punishments have been imposed, popular statements aka ‘we won’t tolerate…’ etc.
have been rolled out and there is that full-stop. There is a lot to be done but
national boards appear to have a stance of non-action until it reaches a point
of compulsive action.
When we are looking upon this subject, we need to classify
players into different categories - established international players, fringe international
players, seasoned domestic players, fringe domestic players, T20 league
players. Let us try and delineate this topic briefly. Established international
players today are associated with some sports management company or the other
(a fine piece on that subject).
Though this can be streamlined in a much better way globally, like Australia and England are doing, it is a positive start nonetheless. Fringe domestic players would
comprise of those who have just graduated out of club or sub-domestic cricket;
players who don’t have big shot sponsors or less vulnerable to getting influenced.
Players falling into these two categories should be expected to be least
involved with corruption acts. The other three categories can easily be
qualified as those falling into the vulnerable category. So what could be done?
Once a player starts playing domestic cricket his off-field
activity (with respect to cricket) should be monitored by the national board
via some mechanism (maybe by monitoring his balance sheets) from that very
moment; for example his dealings with his sponsors’, his meetings with people
during matches. T20 leagues are possibly the future of cricket but they are too
inclusive (in terms of activity) to be kept a tab on. If the game has to
survive with minimal corruption, keeping a tight leash on monetarily activity
on T20 leagues should be executed with priority. When a child is punished for a
wrongdoing during his early age, he tends to avoid repeating that act. Likewise
if a player’s activity is strictly monitored during his domestic career,
chances are less that he would commit a corrupt act whenever he goes through a
period of instant fame and money or short-lived fame and money. Cricket is
described as a gentlemen’s game but (sadly) today the time has come that it is
the prerogative of anti-corruption bodies to ensure that only gentlemen take
the cricket field!
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