The hectic nature of T20 cricket could attract the interest of the greedy and opportunistic
The hectic nature of T20 cricket could attract the interest of the greedy and opportunistic
There's a very funny video spoof about on-board aircraft safety where the comedian says: "Don't just assume the crash position, assume the adjectival worst."
Cricket would do well to follow this advice when it comes to match or performance fixing.
The subject of match-fixing has again been in the news. First, the ICC's CEO Haroon Lorgat and the head of their Anti-Corruption unit Paul Condon, voiced concerns about the threat Indian Premier League poses in regard to corruption in the game. Then this week, it was the Indian sports minister MS Gill who disapproved of the new interactive texting game 6UP that has been launched during the IPL competition.u00a0
Before that, there were some very loud whispers about unsavoury happenings in the Indian Cricket League competition. It stands to reason with the high profile and the hectic nature of T20 that it will attract the interest of the greedy and the opportunistic.
It may be argued that the big money on offer in the IPL should mean players aren't susceptible to the easy buck. T
hat's displaying an ignorance of human nature and the IPL pay structure; not all the players are receiving the big money.
It's so easy to slip a delivery down the leg-side or create confusion and cause a run out in the hustle and bustle of a T20 game that it's almost impossible to prove performance fixing. When American Major League baseball had a problem with fixing early in the last century it assumed the worst.
Baseball's solutionSo much so that half a century later two former players weren't allowed to hold an official position in baseball until they renounced their contracts to meet and greet a casino's big punters on special occasions.
This might seem like overkill but it's had the desired effect. Since the fixing scandal in the 1919 World Series, baseball has only had to ban one other person for betting on the game and he was retired player Pete Rose who was then managing the Cincinnati Reds.
Cricket hasn't been so vigilant. In the thick of serious match-fixing allegations, the ICC had a bookmaker on their Board. And at the same time Thilanga Sumathipala was also president of the Sri Lankan board. It's not that Thilanga was accused of being involved it was just a poor example to set when players were facing life bans.u00a0 Cricket must always be wary of match-fixing and perhaps this was part of Gill's message; assume the worst.
