FreeHit: T20 tailor-made for bookmakers

The ugly head of match-fixing has once again surfaced to threaten the popularity of cricket. According to reports emerging from India, some matches in the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) held in South Africa are alleged to have been fixed.

Only a decade ago, match-fixing had destroyed the careers of many cricketers. If the IPL matches are also found to have been fixed, then many more players, who have enthralled us with their talents, may become victims.

It was when one-day matches scaled their peaks that bookmakers entered the scene and enticed cricketers with big money. Cricket officials, who run the game, should have realised that the same fate may befall Twenty20 too once it got so popular.

In fact, the Twenty20 format is tailor-made for betting and it would be surprising if bookmakers did not get involved in it. With the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) keeping a close watch on ICC events as well as contests between nations, it was difficult for these bookies to interfere with these matches. It was at this time that IPL, which was literally free of any control, emerged on the scene.

When ICC expressed their concern and requested the IPL to permit ACU to keep an eye on the tournament, Lalit Modi, the chairman and commissioner of the IPL, refused it point blank. The reason stated was that IPL cannot afford to pay $1.5 million (Dh5.51 million) that was needed for the Unit to operate in the tournament!

The mistake on the part of ICC then was to believe Modi and keep quiet instead of asking why the BCCI, which is hailed as the richest cricket board in the world, cannot afford to pay this money.

Additionally, all ICC member countries too kept quiet over this issue and permitted their players to be enticed by these bookmakers. So, if any cricketer has fallen prey to the money offered by bookies in the IPL, then every cricket administrator should take responsibility for this.

If it is proved that IPL matches in South Africa were fixed, then it is mainly because they freely permitted BCCI, who with their money power, dictated terms to ICC through some of the member countries. These countries were more keen on the revenue they stood to gain through their association with India than protect their own cricketers in the IPL.

Though IPL later went on to permit ACU into their tournaments, the damage was already done and this could very well tarnish the image of the game once again.