"First over, second ball" those words used by TP Sudhindra agreeing to bowl a no-ball
off the second ball of his first over in the hitherto unknown Indore T20 league
match, represent the first-known instance of spot-fixing in Indian cricket.
Sudhindra and four other
cricketers - all of whom are contracted to play in the IPL - have been
suspended by the BCCI pending an inquiry, in what promises to be the toughest
test yet for BCCI, the richest and most powerful cricket board, and Indian
cricket.
That these events will have a
major impact on the IPL is inevitable -
however, the ramifications of this for Indian cricket might be far greater. Even though
the evidence on an IPL link presently appears to be thin - the
ultra-competitive nature of the media business could well mean that India TV,
the channel behind the sting, has more to offer - but it would be myopic to see
this as an open-and-shut IPL-only case, as it involves players at state level,
who eventually go on to play for India. Another point which would be
pertinent and again ignored conveniently is that three of the five players were
caught on tape being encouraged to negotiate deals with other teams and not
fixing, per se. The worry for Indian cricket should be that a current domestic
cricketer was indeed willing to bowl pre-arranged no-balls and that this cricketer
was also part of the current IPL edition.
Indian cricket would not be the first time a sport has been haunted
by fixing allegations. In the last decade every major sport has had to deal
with the prospect and reality of results being influenced by external factors. Tennis,
Football, Formula 1 and even bids for Olympics have had incidents which
resulted in investigations. And contrary to the general perception of sports
governing bodies being lethargic once enquires established the allegations of
fixing as true sanctions were quite severe. Cricket itself has barely recovered
from blow after blow suffered over the last decade starting with the HansieCronje match-fixing saga in 2000 all the way to the Butt-Amir-Asif
spot-fixing case followed immediately by fixing allegations in English county
cricket which led to Mervyn Westfield
sentenced to prison in 2011-12.
Cricket is never going to rid itself of the dangers of
fixing and at times it would certainly look like a losing battle. However, the
Boards of all major test playing nations have to put in place punishments, procedures
and safeguards for players to be punished when found guilty as well protected
in cases where they have reported such approaches. It is essential that the confidence
of the biggest stakeholders in any sport – the fans – is not eroded and that
cynicism (already quite prevalent) does not become the overwhelming response to
every unusual shot played, ball bowled, dismissal, fielding effort or even
match result. It might be tempting to argue that cricket has seen crises bigger
than this and has survived but nothing turns fans away from a sport than a
feeling that the result is contrived or manipulated by forces outside the field
and once the fans leave, the broadcasters, advertisers and sponsors cannot be
far behind. Fixing will hurt many more than just a few teams or individuals and
strikes at the very foundations of the sport.
This is also the right opportunity for the BCCI to show that
it has a strong intent to keep Indian cricket clean. It is probably a
blessing in disguise that this particular stain that has now hit Indian cricket
is not yet IPL-linked. The incidents in question where the spot-fixing occurred
were for Indian cricket’s other domestic competitions. The banning of the five
players is the first and the right step and has to be followed up with a
full-scale investigate and the BCCI has done well in acting quickly. However,
that is not where they should be stopping - mere press statements and banning
of players will not make cricket any cleaner. These illegal bookmakers cannot
be kept away from the game if the body responsible for running the sport does
not show the commitment and determination to act. The BCCI has to control what
it can and in this particular case it has to be the players, and the IPL teams.
Of the factors the BCCI has to control
the most obvious would be to educate the players and support staff about the
dangers of fixing. Having a round-the-clock helpline where players can report
approaches by bookies would be a great step in giving players the assurance
that the Board will stand by them as long they do not deviate from the straight
and narrow and stay away from aligning themselves with dubious individuals. The
players, many of them at an impressionable age in terms being exposed to the
riches, the glitz and the glamour of the sport, have to be educated that there
is never a solitary instance of fixing and it quickly becomes a vortex from
which they would never be able to extricate themselves. Importantly, the BCCI
has to convey to the players that it will always be there to help.
Where the IPL is involved the franchises also become part of
the equation and they play a huge role in insulating their players from influences
which could sway them towards fixing. While the incidents involving Pakistani
cricketers and English domestic cricketers were for the longer formats of the
game, the T20 version is the most prone to spot-fixing. The action happens in
such a blur relative to the other formats that a no-ball, or a wide really goes
unnoticed. This makes the IPL very fertile ground for fixing. In its inaugural
year and already the Bangladesh Premier League has been rocked by fixing
allegations and the IPL can consider itself quite lucky that is has not been
majorly affected by any spot- or match-fixing controversies since its inception
so far.
The outrage in the forums and social media of the online
world following India’s disastrous tours of England and Australia were ample
proof that the Indian cricket fan still values the performance of the Indian
team above everything else. The threat Indian cricket now faces in relation to
spot-fixing is that it will be rapidly downhill for the game and the team if
the Indian team itself falls prey to fixing allegations and that is bound to
happen if no lasting action is taken to ensure this stain does not spread. It
will not take long for fixing which has affected one obscure domestic game to next
be in an IPL game and from there on a Ranji trophy match all the way to an international
contest featuring India. A lot of confidence following the dark days of the
Hansie Cronje affair in 2000 had been restored as Indian cricket entered its
own Golden Era with legends like Tendulkar, Dravid, Kumble, Laxman, and Sehwag
being led admirably by Saurav Ganguly. Now as we come full circle and these
legends near their respective retirements India cannot afford to step into an
uncertain future lugging the same baggage of doubt it hoped it had shed a
decade ago. In addition to the fans, the BCCI also has a responsibility to
those hundreds of cricketers who slog day in and day out just so they can make
their dreams come true. If all of them were of the same corrupt mindsets this
game would have been finished in India long ago. The fear of everyone being
painted with the same brush is a real one and a grossly unfair for the majority
who are still honest in their endeavours and playing the game for the sheer
love of it while also hoping that one day they get the biggest reward –
selection to the Indian team.
The BCCI is the richest and the most powerful body in the
world of cricket. While that does not mean they be blamed for other teams
playing two-test series there should be not a shred of doubt in the highest
echelons that it is the Board’s duty to protect Indian cricket and more than
anything else (even more than influencing the FTP, wrangling over DRS, the rejection
of the WADA clauses or the non-invitation of Bangladesh to tour India) the BCCI
has to ensure it remains strong enough to be able to repel fixing from at least
Indian cricket. Once the intent is shown to do something about match- and
spot-fixing the game can try to clean itself up on a more global level. Now is
the time to open those coffers and get the best brains on board to tackle
fixing.
