The damage inflicted on Pakistan by the shameful acts of three cricketers is more than what could have been done by all the negative propaganda by our enemies. It would be grossly unfair to blame these players alone, for all this could have been prevented if timely remedial measures had been taken by the PCB, its politicised governing body and the patron who appoints all of them. The officials who accompanied them and the controversies that stick to most of them, are responsible for throwing these young men, two of whom came from very humble backgrounds into the lion’s den.
This was waiting to happen and was bound to happen given the tolerance and patronisation that the political establishment of Pakistan has for those whose greed knows no limit. The cricket mafia that is responsible for infiltrating and controlling PCB for more than 15 years are all responsible for what has happened. This young talented fast bowler Amir was tempted by the examples of senior players accused of match fixing and yet managed to get away. The millions that they made and their opulent lifestyle were too much of a temptation for this novice to resist.
Had the State of Pakistan and its powerful establishment allowed accountability process to gain a foothold in this country, this could have been prevented. Musharraf and Zardari in their role as all-powerful patrons are guilty for not enforcing discipline and punishments for those found involved in irregularities by failing to appoint men of integrity on merit to head PCB. This was waiting to happen and those in power, including the military dictator, are guilty of bringing shame to this country.
GULL ZAMAN
Peshawar
(II)
When cricket becomes slave to politics and the undisciplined manage to get away because there is no accountability, than what has befallen our cricketers was bound to occur. It is PCB and their legal experts who are responsible for the shame and embarrassment that Pakistan had to endure, because either political interference, or incompetence of the board had prevented action against these players, when initial reports about irregularities surfaced.
There were numerous officials accompanying these players, whose job it was to protect these young players from being lured by bookies. The cricket betting mafia is huge with annual stakes of over $30 Billion and India is the capital of betting mafia. Recently another player who was not cleared on issues of integrity has managed to stage a comeback because he was recommended by a minister of ruling party hailing from Sialkot. Can anybody imagine the fallout if this player ever gets caught red handed, since his meeting with the Patron was publicised?
What about the former selector against whom a player had given a signed complaint of demanding bribes for selection and yet managed to accompany the team as an official, when this incident occurred. Such allegations have in the past been made against other senior executives of PCB, who were accused of betting during their tenures in PCB. The PCB’s lack of will and determination to enforce discipline has brought disgrace to Pakistan and those responsible are as much guilty as these players.
IRFAN BUTT
Karachi
(III)
This week marked the end of a dark chapter in the history of Pakistan cricket that began with a scandalous exposé of three Pakistani cricketers involved in spot-fixing in their tour of England at Lord’s last year. The guilty verdict criminally convicting Pakistan’s ex-captain Salman Butt, 27, and Muhammad Asif, 28, was saluted by many all over the world and is seen as a positive move in the right direction towards ridding the sport of corruption.
Cricket was once the epitome of ‘gentleman-like behaviour’. However, this image of cricket has been tarnished over the years. The massive sums of money that it now brings in via ticketing, satellite television rights and competition, sponsorships from a range of companies, etc, has led to insatiable greed amongst some players. Also, its increased popularity has contributed to its evolution in terms of the introduction of different formats as opposed to the traditional test matches.
An anti-corruption and security unit set up by the ICC to monitor deviant behaviour has time and again proved a failure in exposing all those allegedly implicated in jeopardising the integrity of the sport. Needless to say, the role of the PCB in this regard was neither sufficient in adequately responding to the breaking of the scandal initially, nor was the PBC bothered to look into the allegations so as to hold the perpetrators to account for their ignominious deeds.
The illegal practice of corruption and cheating in sport, especially cricket at the domestic, club and international level, has been ongoing for decades. It is a consequence of the failure of the ICC and the respective country boards to crack down on this menace. The spirit of the game must be restored and it can only be done by implementing a zero tolerance approach towards corruption.
FATIMA BAREE
Karachi
(IV)
Spot fixing scandal and punishment awarded to our three young cricketers have shaken the entire cricket world, and this will certainly put caution on all the sportsmen to behave like gentleman. Punishment awarded to our cricketers have drawn mixed reaction from cricket lovers, so much so President Asif Ali Zardari has also taken notice and ordered investigations and to extend help to the cricketers.
Who is to be blamed for this debacle? Frankly speaking, it is the PCB Board and the officials who accompanied the team during their tour to England. Practically these bunch of officials mostly accompanying the team are busy in all other activities except cricket. These youngsters are susceptible to outsider influence. As a matter of policy, no player should be allowed to leave the hotel and meet any outsider due to the sensitivity of the game and it must be enforced strictly.
Punishment awarded to cricketers has been as per British Law after due process was met. The judge has been very lenient in view of tender age of players and has also given an indication that if the accused showed good behaviour, their sentence can be further reduced.
This is a lesson for PCB, the players and the government to tighten their loose ends to avoid such disgrace and embarrassment in future.
MUKHTAR AHMED
Karachi
(V)
Finally, three cricketers of Pakistan were found guilty of fixing parts of a Test against England. It has not only thrown the credibility of international game into doubts but also highlighted the negligence of PCB that did not notice the suspicious activities of players. Everyone is crying that this shameful act of players has besmirched the image of the country and demanded that the accused players should also be tried in Pakistan.
I think, the guilty must be punished to avert such situation in the future. But punishment alone can’t solve the problem. Remember that corruption is not the problem of our cricket team alone: it is the problem of our whole society and can be eradicated by the cooperation of the whole society. To eradicate the corruption from cricket, we have to depoliticise the PCB, make adequate legislation and have a zero-tolernace attitude towards dishonesty and corruption.
MUHAMMAD NADEEM
Lahore
