In an embarrassment for Pakistan and its people, grappled as it is with devastating floods and regular terror attacks, the reports of its cricketers indulging in corrupt match fixing should come as even more agony and dismay. Allegations of match fixing has been there from before with many dubbing the sub-continent as the hot bed of such illegal practice. Since the early 1990s, Pakistani players in particular have at different point of time being under the scanner for match fixing. There have also been players from India, Australia and South Africa involved in the past. These being the case, match fixing goes beyond Pakistan although it has to be admitted that without a doubt the sub-continent remains as the origin and breeding ground for match fixing. And because cricket has such a huge following in both India and Pakistan, the region generates the highest cash flow in terms of revenue from the game. Not surprisingly therefore, anything related to cricket is not only big news but involves huge money. The shocking story coming out of the United Kingdom involving Pakistani players and their alleged involvement in ‘spot fixing’ should therefore not come as a surprise. While the latest news on match fixing will sully the image of this ‘gentleman’s game’, the positive we can take away is the attention which will now be on this chronic problem. The International Cricket Council (ICC) which runs the game of cricket should use this occasion to clean up the game. Those involved in the latest scandal if the allegations are true, should be immediately banned from the game. A strong message has to be sent out to our cricketers that any wrong doing will not go unpunished.
Of interest to note was a late night television programme debating the question as to whether the ‘culture’ in the sub-continent (meaning South Asia) breeds corruption. There were several interesting and divergent points of view given by the panelists. However to the main question posed, it was generally accepted that ‘culture’ need not be responsible for the current practice of corruption that we see around us. In fact one could argue that the phenomenon of greed which makes people corrupt is a chronic problem of the modern era, something that was quite rare during our forefather’s time. Therefore to blame one’s ‘cultural heritage’ is like ‘missing the woods for the tree’. More than culture, it is the all round corrupt system that we live in which greatly influences people into corruption. No doubt people everywhere are corrupt so it would be wrong to say that only people from the sub-continent are indulging in corruption. However the major difference seems to be that in our society corruption is a ‘low risk high profit’ venture. Our systems of check and balances have failed to punish those who are corrupt and therefore corruption is flourishing. If we make corruption into a ‘high risk low profit’ business, the level of corruption will come down because of the fear factor. What we need is a strong deterrence against corruption. In the coming days the ICC should think seriously about putting some form of regulation. Besides, cricketers should also come under some ‘code of conduct’.
