Dubai: The spectre of match and spot-fixing returned to haunt cricket again this week with allegations of cricketers being involved in it. The sting operation carried out by Al Jazeera TV has unearthed instances of ‘pitch-fixing’ and ‘spot-fixing’ in Test matches played by India, Australia and England, closely followed by the Indian Premier League being hit by another betting scandal after the major one in 2013.
It is yet another blow to the image of IPL, which had just about recovered from the impact of the 2013 betting scandal. The two teams — Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, who were involved in 2013 betting scandal, were allowed to return and Chennai had won the title last Sunday. It will be a shame, if following the investigations it is revealed that bookies may have influenced the results.
It is a known fact that bookies are hovering around cricket match venues, trying their best to induce cricketers into corruption. If not for the arrest of bookie Sonu Jalan and interrogation by the Thane Police, Bollywood actor Arbaaz Khan’s betting details would not have emerged.
On questioning, Khan, brother of Salman Khan, admitted to the police on Saturday that he has been betting for six years. Khan told the media: “My statement has been recorded. Police asked whatever they needed in this investigation and I answered them.”
Jalan was the kingpin of the IPL 2013 betting racket in which Indian pacer S. Sreesanth got accused and was arrested. Police have found out that Jalan had travelled to Sri Lanka during an international cricket tournament in 2016. Jalan is understood to have revealed more names of prominent people who bet huge amounts on certain IPL team and players. He also has revealed to the police that a match-fixing meeting was organised. The police are now probing as to which of the IPL matches were ‘fixed’ and who all were involved.
The Jazeera TV, meanwhile, revealed how the pitches used for India against Sri Lanka Test last year and Australia against Sri Lanka match in 2016 were doctored as per the demands of the fixers. Things have reached such a stage where matches can be fixed even without the involvement of cricketers but through pitch curators.
ICC CEO David Richardson admitted that Test cricket remains under constant threat of corruption and that the governing body is working overtime to counter such threats. “Because we have hardened the target at the top level, they are now going to focus on junior levels of cricket or other avenues such curators and groundsmen,” said Richardson.
The Al Jazeera TV documentary claims three England cricketers were involved in match-fixing in the Chennai Test in India in 2016-17 and it has reference to alleged involvement of Australian players. Richardson went on to admit that there were people, who are essentially criminals, swamping around the game “to destroy its integrity.”
Cricket’s biggest match-fixing scandal emerged in 2000, when South African captain Hansie Cronje admitted he had accepted money from bookies to throw matches. Ever since, ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit has been working hard to protect cricketers, but bookies — with huge money and backed by influential people — are managing to corrupt the sport through innovative ways.
