FIXING - Black Hole of the Cricketing Universe

The Indian society is supposed to be a conservative one with a wide set of beliefs encompassing morals and pious values. Every now and then, storms of conventional thought busters hit the society in some form or the other. It was a huge blow when news of Match Fixing rocked the cricketing world in the late nineties. It took a while for the reality to sink in where Cricket is considered nothing less than a religion. Tehelka.com was at the forefront of this expose as they conducted a daring sting operation across the cricketing fraternity and the police department. One such tape had a senior cricketing official saying about the then Indian captain, Mohd. Azharuddin, "He had a criminal bent." Yes ! Match Fixing was an extended arm of the criminal syndicate. Conducted by the Criminals, for the Criminals !!

The primitive question is, why does the Gentleman's game get tainted by the stains of Match Fixing ? And the simple answer is, humans have been attracted to the pleasures of gambling since time immemorial. Cricket betting is legal in countries like Australia, U.K., South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Psychologically one gets more attracted to the pleasures that have been legally or socially prohibited. This makes the game in the sub-continent more vulnerable to this menace. Justice Lodha Committee has strongly recommended to legalise cricket betting in India to neutralise the viles arising out of illegal betting. Though public response has not been enthusiastic for this recommendation, legal experts and other stakeholders of the ecosystem seem to agree on the legislation aspect with a broad perspective.

Innovation set in the patterns of match fixing with the advent of Spot Fixing. It could be termed as a soft version of match fixing with a lesser impact on the outcome of the game. It is harder to detect as it involves betting upon total runs scored in an over or even at the expense of a single delivery. The number of wickets taken in a certain over or the mode of dismissal are also considered as hot parameters for Spot fixing.

IPL's 2013 version was rocked by the spot fixing scandal which ended in the arrest of Rajasthan Royals players Sreesanth, Ajit Chandelia and Ankeet Chavan. On the international scene, in 2010, Pakistan players Mohd. Amir, Mohd. Asif and Salman Butt were the poster boys of Spot fixing. Imprisonment and the bans served to them brought a bad reputation to the game of cricket and the PCB. ICC and the other boards has since then subjected young players to counseling sessions to educate and update them to avoid committing this felony.

The modus operandi of Spot fixers is to give out a signal to the bookies watching the game by means of actions earmarked to start the process. These actions could be anything from tucking a towel in the trousers or doing suggestive physical exercises. Moreover these are also effected in the middle overs so that those involved maintain a moral ground of not making much of an impact on the outcome of a match.

Can the Maharaja Kumar of Vizianagaram be termed as a pioneer of spot fixing ? He was rumoured to bribe bowlers and opposition captains of English county sides to bowl full tosses during India's tour or England in 1936. Spot fixing is comparatively easy to execute as it is mostly carried out on an individual level whereas match fixing involves one or more players to create a desired result.

There have also been instances where the ground staff has also been offered teasing amounts to doctor pitches in specific manner. At the Singer Cup in 1994, Aussie legends Mark Waugh & Shane Warne were found guilty of accepting money from an Indian bookie to provide information about the pitch conditions before the match.

Elegant Pakistan batsman Salim Malik was one of the earliest international cricketer to have been banned for match fixing. Accused of bribery, he faced a life ban owing to Justice Qayyam's enquiry in May 2000. Though the ban was later lifted in 2008, his career was far from over by then.

In 1999-2000, The King Commission of South Africa banned the crafty Protea captain Hansie Cronje from any involvement in cricket for life. The contemporary Indian skipper, Mohd. Azharuddin was also convicted in this scandal in the same year resulting in a further ban by ICC and the BCCI for life based on CBI's report.

It is common for the ICC to conduct enquiries for matches on the basis of suspicion but still no steadfast measures are put in place.

The ICC has constituted the Anti Corruption Security Unit (ACSU) to monitor activities on the ground and the team hotel. Their duty begins between one-two months before any tournament. As part of the awareness programme, it imparts education to players on the history of corruption in cricket.

At every IPL venue there are at least two ACSU officers providing cover at the team hotel as well as the grounds on both match as well as non-match days. The BCCI also appoints an extra vigilance officer who travels with every team.

The ACSU officer does not have the power to arrest anyone. They receive information from players, coaches team or franchise officials about approaches and suspicious behaviour, but they are never made public. The hotline number for the ACSU is displayed prominently in press boxes and dressing rooms.

Evolving Technology may play a big role in curbing this menace. On the other hand, the same technology could be used as a double edged sword to come up with new methods to capture and control corrupt minds.

The impact of match fixing is huge as it affects a wide diaspora of followers of the game. The same is reflected by comments from Mr.Justice Cooke in sentencing the Pakistani players.  

“It is the insidious effect of your actions on professional cricket and the followers of it which make the offences so serious. The image and integrity of what was once a game, but is now a business is damaged in the eyes of all, including the many youngsters who regarded three of you as heroes and would have given their eye and teeth to play at the levels and with the skill that you had. You procured the bowling of three no balls for money, to the detriment of your national cricket team, with the object of enabling others to cheat at gambling.”

Allegations of match fixing change people's opinions about the game. Fans are most likely to have a change of heart towards the sport. Players once idolised turn into enemies of state. Brand endorsements are also jeopardised due to public distaste.

The effort to increase sports reputation takes years to achieve but a single moment of greed could bury all glory to ground. Success of the game brings good fortune for allied activities like merchandise, services, travel and hospitality, ticket sales etc.

Finally, it all boils down to a strong mental structure to tell the right from the wrong and resist wrong advances towards destroying the game.  It's a whole new world post-covid with fresh challenges staring right in the face. In such a scenario, Match Fixing is the last of the vices required by the game.

Zero tolerance towards 'Fixing' calls the unanimous voice !