The root cause of match-fixing : Players don't make enough money

[Madplayer]

Of course I know you are not justifying as I know your stance on the issue.

However I would say a middling player who has little hope of making it to international level is more vulnerable than a supremely talented new entrant who has his entire career in front of him at 17.

Yes but when you are very young and aren't given opportunities regularly to play in domestic matches (due to senior culture, nepotism etc) you sometimes start to think that perhaps you aren't good enough. It can happen to the best of us. At the same time you want to do something for your family , raise the financial status a bit, go further than hand to mouth earning. We all want that. Thats the time you are extremely vulnerable to the bookies.

You might fix one match when you are young, thinking that its your best shot at earning money but if you later succeed in making the national side, thats the time bookies return to blackmail you.

I dont know if it happens already, but i think the crooks have a better chance to recruit future fixers by targetting players early on in their careers when they aren't big stars and are low on confidence.

I think PCB should monitor domestic matches more than what they are doing now. That might help.

 

[zyrus]

For those who think that money is NOT the cause or they are earning ENOUGH money, PLEASE try to get Kohli, Rahane or Ashwin fix a spot. Its obvious that less money is the cause with PCB will always try to hide so that they can point their finger over the players.

 

[big_gamer007]

Money is one of the reasons but not the root cause.. The players fix for money so yes it is a reason.. But ultimately it comes down to what kind of a person you are surely there are poorer people playing in PSL thank Sharjeel but they didn't fix so it comes down to character and greed..

 

[Tekcirc]

Protect players in domestic cricket. Increase vigil there. They are more likely to be trapped there when they are nobodies and used later when they become stars. Maybe pour a bit more money in domestic cricket?

Anyone with a few brain cells knows what match fixing is and how it can ruin your career. Even a lowly peon who earns a few thousand rupees a month can show integrity and honesty. Its a character of a person, a cricket board is hardly the institution that has to do everything about it.

 

[big_gamer007]

For those who think that money is NOT the cause or they are earning ENOUGH money, PLEASE try to get Kohli, Rahane or Ashwin fix a spot. Its obvious that less money is the cause with PCB will always try to hide so that they can point their finger over the players.

How can you compare the scaling of potential money earned by an Indian to a Pakistani cricketer? Not just the boards but the sponsorship in India will generate a lot more money for cricketers compared to their Pakistani counterparts..

Of course money is one of the reasons but it is not the sole reason.. There are 100 players who earn less than sharjeel in PSL but they did not fix, comes down to your character..

 

[Madplayer]

Anyone with a few brain cells knows what match fixing is and how it can ruin your career.

Yes they know it can hurt their careers but what if they dont believe that they can make it to the next level in their careers? That's a vulnerable state of mind.

Even a lowly peon who earns a few thousand rupees a month can show integrity and honesty.

Yes and so can lots of other poor domestic players. But just like many peons become corrupt when they see an opporunity to earn extra cash which they can't by any other means, some players too can become corrupt.

Its a character of a person, a cricket board is hardly the institution that has to do everything about it.

100% agree its the character of a person. And i am sure such people are there in domestic set ups of all countries. Greed is everywhere. Human brain works similarly everywhere but elsewhere they know they aren't going to get away with it even in domestic cricket because of better vigilance. Thats how you discourage such practices by letting the players know that somebody is watching. I seriously dont think if Matches were fixed in Pakistan domestic set up anyone would bat an eye. And thats where bookies are going to target players.

Its naive to think that sharjeel was pure and pious before this scandal. He must have fixed some games in domestic cricket which the bookies blackmailed him with. I can say with certainity that he wouldn't just throw his career away by fixing all of a sudden.

 

[yasir]

Money is one of the reasons but not the root cause.. The players fix for money so yes it is a reason.. But ultimately it comes down to what kind of a person you are surely there are poorer people playing in PSL thank Sharjeel but they didn't fix so it comes down to character and greed..

There are many aspects to this issue:

1. Spot fixing(if that is not target sting operation like in 2010) if actually happens, people will bet on stars, I am not sure if people will be putting lot of money on some random dude...For young and upcoming, bet would be about situation not on player...

2. They develop these habits and blackmail able contacts in domestic, which is wild wild west, focus should be on that to make end product better, that's really hard thing to do...

3. Money given to players is also a big factor, its not easy to buy out Kohli/Ashwin etc, they makes so much money, fixers cannot pay them...Same reason its not easy to buy US athletes, they are handsomely paid...But I am also not convinced money was big factor in case of Sharjeel, who was making $100K plus and was about to double that money in this year alone, why he would risk it for only $40K, it was either bad contacts blackmailing or he was doing it for a while without being caught, might be for him it was business as usual, definitely money at face value was nothing special...

4. Legalize gambling in countries like Pakistan, India, Middle East can help a lot...Fixing was more common in western world, when betting on sports was not regulated...Now legal bookies have lot to loose to fix bets...Size of illegal betting market in western world is much smaller than legalize one, again making it white business solves lot of problems...

List can go on, but these are some of the big issues...