ICC should act swiftly to eradicate match fixing menace
The reaction has been spontaneous - and predictable
Partab Ramchand
10-Apr-2000
The reaction has been spontaneous - and predictable. Wherever one
goes, there is only one topic for discussion. In clubs, offices, homes and
on the streets, the only talking point among people is the match fixing
story - never mind if some of them wouldn't know the difference between
a square cut or a cover drive.
Perhaps match fixing is not a new phenomenon. It does go back a few
years at least. But this is the first time names have come out into the
open. In the past, the vague charge was that a teammate offered a
player a sum of money to bat or bowl badly, or the allegation was that
leading players were approached by a bookie to throw away a match. At
best there were strong suspicions - fueled by statements from
irresponsible cricketers with vested interests - that a certain game was
thrown. But when names are thrown about openly, then the disclosure is
nothing short of sensational.
In India, the initial reaction is one of shock mingled with anger and
disgust. That the whole episode was seemingly enacted in this country,
that it involved a series concerning India, and that the names associated
with the match fixing scam are some of the best known international
cricketers, including the South African captain, is something that
transcends all other similar charges made over the years. At the
moment no Indian player has been named but then these are early days
yet.
Predictably enough, the reaction from South Africa has been one of
anger and disbelief. Besides denying the charges outright and rising to
their captain's defence, the authorities are now tackling the issue at
Government level. If there is no early and amicable solution, if the
situation gets out of hand or is handled in a clumsy manner, the match
fixing episode could jeopardize the friendly relations between the two
governments and the two cricket boards.
Which is why a solution has to be found soon. The Delhi police having
unearthed the scam on a tip off is now on the move, have sent teams to
Kochi, Bangalore and Mumbai either to make arrests, seize documents
crucial to the case or just follow up on any lead. Also vital to the case
are any clues that may be provided by Rajesh Kalra, allegedly a Delhi
based bookie who has been arrested, former film actor Krishan Kumar,
who is said to be involved in the scam and Sanjiv Chawla, another bookie
who is said to be in London. An appeal has been sent to Interpol,
through the CBI, to help in Chawla's extradition from Britain. Chawla in
the meantime has claimed he is 100 percent innocent.
It is just as well that the Delhi police are doing all they can to follow up
on the lead. For there is little doubt that the bombshell dropped by them
could well backfire if they fail to build a foolproof case. Tape recorded
evidence by itself may not hold in a court of law. Moreover the snatches
of conversation leave some pretty important questions unanswered.
There is no precise mention of dates or locations where the phone was
tapped. The figures spoken of in the conversation are just figures and
one cannot easily fathom what they mean or what the currency is. There
is no guarantee as yet that the voice is that of Hansie Cronje and the
South Africans are convinced that it is not. And the result of the
Faridabad match does contradict portions of the transcript.
However it must be said that the existing evidence is also pretty
damaging in a way and has put Cronje and his four teammates in a bit of
a spot. Over the next few days, more evidence is bound to be unearthed
and these widening ripples could put them as well as the United Cricket
Board of South Africa (UCBSA) much more on the defensive. The Delhi
police, having sparked off a sensational revelation, will obviously do
everything in its power to unravel any loose ends and make out a
foolproof case.
But for the match fixing scam to lead to its natural culmination, to bring
those found guilty to book, the police need all the help from the cricket
authorities. The UCBSA, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
and the International Cricket Council (ICC) should be most co-operative
in this matter, irrespective of who is involved. For the UCBSA, dealing
with match fixing may be a novel thing. After all, this is the first time their
players have been named in a controversy such as this. The BCCI has
already dealt with the issue in the past. Following the allegations made
by former Test cricketer Manoj Prabhakar a few years ago, the one man
commission of enquiry, Justice Chandrachud, delved deep into the
matter but came up with nothing except to conclude that no Indian
cricketer was involved in match fixing. The ICC also formed a committee
a couple of years ago, following allegations by Shane Warne and Mark
Waugh that they were approached by an Indian bookie to give routine
information on the eve of a Test match. But even this committee has
done nothing specific about the matter, even though the ICC is no doubt
aware that something is wrong somewhere.
The latest revelations however should wake the ICC from its slumber.
The president Jagmohan Dalmiya has said that the ICC will act if
needed. Their intervention is certainly needed at this juncture. This latest
episode should force the cricket establishment to deal with this menace,
which is assuming the proportions of a cancerous growth. The ICC is
keen to globalise the game and is spending a lot of money towards that
objective. It is time it spent its time, money and energy towards solving
the match fixing controversy once and for all. The latest episode proves
that things have already gone out of hand and if the ICC does not act
swiftly, it could soon be dealing with a global scandal.