Is this the End of Cricket??

Cricket seems to be going out of track for sometime now and match-fixing issues do top them all.

From the earlier match-fixing scandals that benighted the careers of many top captains to the beyond tolerable commercialization of the IPL, cricket has long since lost its sheen. For sure, this game of cricket which is called globally as the gentleman’s game is put to shame and the rot is truly unwinding and it’s out naked and so public!

The latest News on the match-fixing row first broke the story that the Lord’s Test between England and Pakistan had apparently been rigged. On further investigations, came the shocking news that as much as seven players were contracted from the playing eleven and pulled into a match fixing scandal. Cricket is clearly losing its magic wand and merely is being stooped so low and stands only next to the millions of dollars that is being offered.

And almost millions around the world, who were watching that particular test match between Pakistan and England at Lords, saw Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif deliver no-balls one after the other. Unsuspecting all these went dejected those millions of Pakistan cricket fans. But after the match-fixing scandal is out, Pakistan could only deliver anger, outrage and denial. And in spite of the videos being recorded, pictures clicked, dialogues taped, they just term it as allegations, just allegations shows how hard skinned they are! When as many as seven corrupt cricketers enter the field, cricket is being skinned and ruined.. very sad is the game of cricket caught amidst.

Now comes the question about the Anti-corruption Unit from ICC. It is said that the Anti corruption Unit from ICC or in short the ACSU will stay with the players all the time, be it in the hotel rooms or in the sporting arena. How can there still be a chance for a match-fixing? This surprises me to a large extent. There should for sure be a zero tolerance from the ICC towards dirty issues like this which can ruin the progress of the game. They should bring in a strict rule on match-fixing issues, and take care that the player who is found contracting will be given a lifetime ban from the game. No backdoor entries please.

This match fixing issue is something which is not new to the sport or any of its forms, but still just a ban for a game or two certainly will not help the game. Also we never can impose the whole blame on the Pakistanis either. As we cannot ignore an Indian interference and it is still debatable as we have seen allegations on Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja previously in this regard. Also South Africans - Boje and Chronje, who was then the South African skipper, were caught on their odd foot with a match-fixing scandal charge. When THREE blatant no-balls can pocket an amount as high as £150,000, who would give you thumbs down?

Either way this dirty issue has to be cleaned up. The game has to go on. It is a good wake-up call to the ICC and its associated squad members to get down to level zero and clean up the whole issue. Here should be the end to this dirty stuff. Let rules be strict enough to cash in on any player who is found guilty in this regard. Let’s play clean cricket and give the sport its respect. Say No to Match-Fixing!!