The Times of India reported on May 19, 2012 that a bookie, Sonu Yogendra Jalan alias Malad has told the crime branch that he paid Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million Indian) to a Sri Lankan cricket player for fixing a match. According to sources, he also mentioned that some Indian cricketers were also involved in match fixing.
The entire world knew from day one that the sole purpose of launching IPL was to earn money from the corrupt practices found in this game. This fact has now been proved, beyond any doubt, by the recent sting operation of an Indian newspaper and by the above statement of the bookie, Jalan.
Even a very senior and prominent Indian politician, Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav, demanded on Friday that the IPL be closed. As usual, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to these scandals just because the country involved is India. Had even a minor issue been reported regarding match fixing in even a domestic game of Pakistan, the Anti-Corruption Unit of ICC would have jumped into action and nothing short of a life ban on players and a strict warning to the PCB would have been issued.
However, in this case, every one in the ICC is slumbering over the reports of scandals after scandals from the IPL. One is forced to ask if some of the ICC officials are hand-in-glove with the world cricket betting mafia. We still remember the Sydney Test, where the famous bookie himself admitted that the ICC fixed the match, but many inquiries proved that the match was not fixed.
A thief cannot be caught if the law enforcer is involved in the crime. Why is the Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA) silent? The ICC will never uproot corruption from cricket but FICA must act sooner than later, lest the game loses all its charm.
MUHAMMAD MAAZ NASIM
Karachi