Why has spot-fixing not gone away from Pakistan cricket?

[Saj]

Jail terms, 5 year bans, total ridicule in 2010 for 3 very high profile Pakistani cricketers, yet the disease of spot-fixing has not gone away.

Why has this not gone away?

Who is to blame?

Will Pakistan cricket ever be free of spot-fixing?

Can the PCB do more to eradicate spot-fixing?

 

[Yatoo]

Jail terms, 5 year bans, total ridicule in 2010 for 3 very high profile Pakistani cricketers, yet the disease of spot-fixing has not gone away.

Why has this not gone away?

Who is to blame?

Will Pakistan cricket ever be free of spot-fixing?

Can the PCB do more to eradicate spot-fixing?

I guess it starts way before these players make debut. Bookies pick out talented guys early in their career, get them do stupid things and when these guys are successful, make them fix. Since there is already dirt on players available, they can't say no

 

[Leo23]

as a nation we always ensure that the fixers are made to look like victims and we look for conspiracies to protect them

as long as we let these players go lightly they will not abstain from selling out

 

[wrongun]

A country with corruption problems and low cricket wages, especially at lower levels allows bookies to spread networks more easily. How can one sport remain 100% pure with corruption at every level from top of govt down?

 

[90MPH]

as a nation we always ensure that the fixers are made to look like victims and we look for conspiracies to protect them

as long as we let these players go lightly they will not abstain from selling out

That's a load of nonsense.

The real reason spot/match fixing exsits and will always be lurking is because there is corruption on virtually every other institution in Pakistan.

How can one expect cricket and sports to be corruption free while it goes unabated everywhere else in Pakistan society ?? It's an absurd aim that will never be fulfilled till until the day it's tackled everywhere else.

Harsh Penalties should be enforced that I agree with but it's only part of the soloution and certainly not a magic fix it all remedy.

 

[90MPH]

A country with corruption problems and low cricket wages, especially at lower levels allows bookies to spread networks more easily. How can one sport remain 100% pure with corruption at every level from top of govt down?

Exactly, totally agree.

 

[RickyG]

Probably because our players don't actually see it as criminal or immoral. They don't actually think they are stealing money from anyone and no one is getting hurt and it's not the same as throwing away a match.

Just think of Salman Butt has the gall to show up on every channel and present himself as a victim even after everything he has done. He doesn't actually think what he did was wrong. And if it was wrong then he certainly doesn't believe that the punishment fit the crime.

Maybe this country doesn't spend enough time teaching kids the importance or empathy, compassion, taking responsibility and how morality extends beyond killing and stealing.

 

[Abdul]

Players shouldn't be allowed back in international cricket.

If you let players like Mohammad Amir return then what do you expect?

 

[KingKhanWC]

A country with corruption problems and low cricket wages, especially at lower levels allows bookies to spread networks more easily. How can one sport remain 100% pure with corruption at every level from top of govt down?

This.

When corruption is so normal in a country and most never get caught, the same mentality finds its way into the minds of cricketers.

 

[Junaids]

Pakistan cricketers at every level earn 5% of what their Aussie or English equivalents earn.

Even Indians earn ten times as much.

Until you eradicate that, underpaid players will Top their income up themselves.

 

[90MPH]

Of course Salman Butt doesn't think he's done nothing wrong.

If the PM of Pakistan doesn't believe he's done nothing wrong or all those at the top of government continue their corruption then how on earth do people except those at the bottom to be corrupt free ??

Finally some action is being taken but it's going to take decades. For the time being it can only be contained.

 

[LordJames]

A country with corruption problems and low cricket wages, especially at lower levels allows bookies to spread networks more easily. How can one sport remain 100% pure with corruption at every level from top of govt down?

Pakistan cricketers at every level earn 5% of what their Aussie or English equivalents earn.

Even Indians earn ten times as much.

Until you eradicate that, underpaid players will Top their income up themselves.

Neither Salman Butt nor Sharjeel Khan had low wages or money problems. They also didn't come from poorly educated backgrounds, they must have thought that they can get away with it and its just a bit of harmless money.

Corruption is endemic in the society.

 

[Junaids]

Neither Salman Butt nor Sharjeel Khan had low wages or money problems. They also didn't come from poorly educated backgrounds, they must have thought that they can get away with it and its just a bit of harmless money.

Corruption is endemic in the society.

We are all apparently about to learn that Sharjeel Khan was corrupted seven years earlier, and basically was being blackmailed to fix in recent times.

As for Salman Butt, I refer you to the PROSECUTION evidence at his ICC trial. He was the national team captain, earning one tenth of what his opposing captain, Andrew Strauss, was being paid. The fix money bought him a luxury watch, part of what he considered to be a normal lifestyle for an international cricket captain.

I'm not defending or justifying their corruption. I'm explaining it.

 

[Usman]

Jail terms, 5 year bans, total ridicule in 2010 for 3 very high profile Pakistani cricketers, yet the disease of spot-fixing has not gone away.

Why has this not gone away?

Who is to blame?

Will Pakistan cricket ever be free of spot-fixing?

Can the PCB do more to eradicate spot-fixing?

It's all about risk and reward to be honest. The players believe that the reward is high in comparison to the risk, so they take the risk.

The reason players believe the risk is low is firstly because I don't think the players believe that the PCB is competent enough to pick up on most spot fixing. Even when the PCB do pick it up, the players know that the PCB won't conduct a proper investigation and is unlikely to impose proper sentences. The players know therefore that even if they get caught, they will openly protest their innocence and a large chunk of the population will believe them. I'm sure many players believe that any punishment imposed no matter what will be overturned in due course.

The solution is simple. Change the PCB constitution to impose harsher punishments on fixers - i.e. life bans. Also, make judging panels entirely independent from the PCB. Get rid of any potential sympathies and loyalties by hiring a UK QC on the judging committee and external co-committee members too.

Sharjeel's 2 year punishment is so poor in my view that it will only encourage others to take the risk too.

 

[msb314]

Pakistan cricketers at every level earn 5% of what their Aussie or English equivalents earn.

Even Indians earn ten times as much.

Until you eradicate that, underpaid players will Top their income up themselves.

Income is no longer an issue - not even for Pakistani players.

They are cashing it big time from PCB central contracts, match bonuses, PSL Contract, CPL Contracts, BPL Contracts etc. you name it lol

Think of the CT prizes - any average Pakistani can only dream of such rewards like BMW sedan, house property, cash/gifts etc.

The issue is greed and rampant corruption...

 

[msb314]

Players shouldn't be allowed back in international cricket.

If you let players like Mohammad Amir return then what do you expect?

Amir/Butt are only a small speck of sand in a huge societal problem that is greed and corruption at every level, every where throughout the country.

Until this problem is fixed top-down for several decades - we will unfortunately witness many more "Amir's"..

 

[Junaids]

Players shouldn't be allowed back in international cricket.

If you let players like Mohammad Amir return then what do you expect?

Read "Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy" - which is the published version cleared as non-libellous by lawyers.

It makes very specific accusations about the 2011 World Cup semi-final in Mohali, which for some reason neither the PCB nor the ICC is ever known to have investigated. I will not even identify the team in question.

Then look at the scorecard.

Then ask yourself why you are so bothered about Amir and Butt.

In general, as the ICC Tribunal wrote when banning Amir, Asif and Butt, there is a deterrent effect from seeing the return of players after lengthy bans.

But when you see other people get away with it, that's what perpetuates fixing.

 

[maxamax]

A. Low pay.

B. Our nation is generally more corrupt and are in constant race of leaving each other behind, which leads to such desperate measures.

C. Be in place of fixer for a moment. You got family to feed, their school fees are pending. Beaconhouse is taking 40k a month (but it should be okay for you people because its easy to condemn a fixer while sitting on chair). The first things girls question about these days when you date (or their parents if you go out for arranged one) is their financial backing. You're really passionate about cricket but its slightly reduced after breaking into international cricket and its just another day for you now. Game is good and you really want to perform for your team but not at the cost of your life. Game stays on for 15-20-25 years, life goes way beyond that. You desperately need to make quick bucks. Yes you already got 50-60 lacs with you but for a sports celeb its not enough. A single fine can take it out. And then you see your good'ol friend/bestie is worried about you and all of a sudden he puts up an option of stopping couple of balls intentionally or bowling few balls poorly for quick bucks, just that. You got remaining 49 overs to bat or 9 overs to bowl, right? You can make things happen for the time in rest overs, sure. Amir did that. He took a 5-fer in Lords, hasn't he? You just need to manage an over out of you game and everything stays intact. All the glory and stuff. And you'll be rich in no time. You wont have to drag yourself everyday out for work. Good career for kids, wife will be much happier after getting all the fancy stuff out there. Your post-retirement life will be a breeze. Just manage out a fixed over, even couple of balls? How many of you would refuse that?

 

[Markhor]

As long as greed is part of the human character it's impossible to eradicate corruption from sport but strong institutions can ensure corruption is minimised. It's no coincidence that these fixing controversies have often arisen from countries like Pakistan, India and South Africa where corruption is endemic and inadequately prosecuted by weak judicial institutions.

Pakistan's institutions have been incompetent, unduly influenced by political pressures or unwilling to tackle corruption in all forms, including the PCB who missed a major opportunity in the late 1990s to set an appropriate precedent with the highly flawed Qayyum Report. This PSL scandal counts as another missed opportunity.

A 2 year sentence isn't a sufficient deterrent to other players down the line who may involve themselves in corruption. Compare this to Thami Tsolekile who received a TWELVE year sentence for contriving to fix and failing to report an approach after the 2015 Ram Slam scandal. The PCB must update its anti-corruption code as these sentences are ridiculously lenient.

I agree with [MENTION=145243]Leo23[/MENTION] that you cannot make exceptions for talented players, justice must be blind and not selectively interpreted based on the skills of the individual player. It's remarkable how people's tune changes regarding corruption when it's their favourites in the dock ! Nobody wanted Ata-ur-Rehman spared as he was no loss to the team but many folks were desperate to see Mohammad Asif return and dug out the YouTube clips of him from 2006 as if a magic bowling spell absolves you from criminality.

Whilst the Qayyum Report had many problems, one recommendation that was not acted upon that's still worth pursuing is for PCB to set up a permanent Review Committee to probe fixing as and when these scandals arise. It should consist of people independent of the Board, including a former judge of the High Court or Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The PCB also ought to shine a light into it's own affairs - corruption must not have a place in the dressing room or the Boardroom.

 

[Slog]

This 'corruption at every level of society so why should cricket be free from it' mantra is frankly old, lazy and doesn't deserve the light of the day.

Pakistan isnt the only corruption-ridden country playing an elite sport.

Otherwise football would be full of fixing, and you would also see regular fixing from other Asian countries and WI

 

[Slog]

A. Low pay.

B. Our nation is generally more corrupt and are in constant race of leaving each other behind, which leads to such desperate measures.

C. Be in place of fixer for a moment. You got family to feed, their school fees are pending. Beaconhouse is taking 40k a month (but it should be okay for you people because its easy to condemn a fixer while sitting on chair). The first things girls question about these days when you date (or their parents if you go out for arranged one) is their financial backing. You're really passionate about cricket but its slightly reduced after breaking into international cricket and its just another day for you now. Game is good and you really want to perform for your team but not at the cost of your life. Game stays on for 15-20-25 years, life goes way beyond that. You desperately need to make quick bucks. Yes you already got 50-60 lacs with you but for a sports celeb its not enough. A single fine can take it out. And then you see your good'ol friend/bestie is worried about you and all of a sudden he puts up an option of stopping couple of balls intentionally or bowling few balls poorly for quick bucks, just that. You got remaining 49 overs to bat or 9 overs to bowl, right? You can make things happen for the time in rest overs, sure. Amir did that. He took a 5-fer in Lords, hasn't he? You just need to manage an over out of you game and everything stays intact. All the glory and stuff. And you'll be rich in no time. You wont have to drag yourself everyday out for work. Good career for kids, wife will be much happier after getting all the fancy stuff out there. Your post-retirement life will be a breeze. Just manage out a fixed over, even couple of balls? How many of you would refuse that?

Again lame reasoning

90% of the Pakistan cricketers today are from the pind and lack any education.

If it werent for cricket they would either be drawing water from the well or milking the cows.

You and others are making it sound as if these cricketers are sacrificing other lucrative opportunities available to them by turning out for Pakistan. The fact is that due to Pak cricket, these players are seeing more money than they or their family could ever have dreamed of.

You and others in this thread are just making excuses for them by building a strawman that their corruption is explained by their low pay compared to other top international cricketers. I guarantee you that is not the reason. Greed is.

Sharjeel and others were making good money as is with massive potential for earnings in the future. Similarly Amir and Asif barely made a few thousand quids from their no-balls. That isnt some big payday and they certainly were making more money by conventional means. It was just greed to get the extra few bucks which landed them in trouble and they would have the same greed for extra few bucks even if their base contracts were double or triple of what they were. Its human nature to not be satisfied with what you have.

These unsophisticated brats made more in cricket through conventional means than their families ever dreamt of. And besides you know what the pay is anyways. This is like saying a policeman in Pakistan is justified in indulging in corruption because he gets peanuts. Thats not how it works. If you arent gonna happy with the remuneration in a profession you leave that profession. You dont indulge in corruption

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Read "Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy" - which is the published version cleared as non-libellous by lawyers.

It makes very specific accusations about the 2011 World Cup semi-final in Mohali, which for some reason neither the PCB nor the ICC is ever known to have investigated. I will not even identify the team in question.

Then look at the scorecard.

Then ask yourself why you are so bothered about Amir and Butt.

In general, as the ICC Tribunal wrote when banning Amir, Asif and Butt, there is a deterrent effect from seeing the return of players after lengthy bans.

But when you see other people get away with it, that's what perpetuates fixing.

Even if we dont go into fixing thing, I want answer about one thing:
How can a player be dropped 5 times in 40 overs? Pressure of a a big match made you so pathetic? Why no one grilled them on that? Just because that team had 3 so called 'legends' of Pakistan cricket? None of those 3 should have played an odi after that but unfortunately we hailed them as heroes for reaching semi final. So reaching semi final in subcontinent conditions is our level now. Wah!!! And it didnt end there. Started with semi final loss and ended at no 9 ranking in odis. Double woww!!!

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Back to spot fixing and ill behaviour etc.
It has to do with selective likes and dislikes of Pakistanis too. They have diffferent rules for different people. If a player is good he has the leverage to do bad things. Want example: Just look at posters' reaction on Umar Akmal scenario (not that i disagree with) and same guys hail Wasim and Waqar as masoom legends who were involve in grouping , politics , ego clashes to name a few and team as a whole didnt perform to its potential because of 2 groups. Why this double standards?

 

[sshakir411]

Because it doesn't start with international cricket. I'm absolutely certain most of these bookies develop relationships with players while they're in the domestic scene. Nasir Jamshed is said to have known the bookie/fixer Khalid and Sharjeel met with for a while and so did Umar Amin (according to Sharjeel's lawyer). I think these shady people build relationships at an early stage with the player, gain trust, and then use what they know to get the player to commit such acts.

 

[Extra_Cover]

Jail terms, 5 year bans, total ridicule in 2010 for 3 very high profile Pakistani cricketers, yet the disease of spot-fixing has not gone away.

Why has this not gone away?

Who is to blame?

Will Pakistan cricket ever be free of spot-fixing?

Can the PCB do more to eradicate spot-fixing?

Education! Its all down to education on the subject, that's all.

Education helps a person differentiate right from wrong. If one player is lured to play two dot balls for some financial gains he would be easily convinced that these two dot balls wont decide the match and therefore he is not throwing the match away. However, education would let him know about ethics and honesty which would help him see the bigger picture. As they say in our religion intentions are very critical, if a person's intention is not to play in the interest of the team then he is dishonest. Simple as that.

 

[Zeshan547]

Education! Its all down to education on the subject, that's all.

Education helps a person differentiate right from wrong. If one player is lured to play two dot balls for some financial gains he would be easily convinced that these two dot balls wont decide the match and therefore he is not throwing the match away. However, education would let him know about ethics and honesty which would help him see the bigger picture. As they say in our religion intentions are very critical, if a person's intention is not to play in the interest of the team then he is dishonest. Simple as that.

lol, as if out educated persons are saints, there are thousand examples of well educated persons committing worst of crimes, and even in cricket, do you think Salman Butt was some uneducated guy nope he wasn't and he was the ring leader of two guys, I know lack of education can be a big reason but isn't be all and end all, it's just small part of problem not the actual problem,

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

Lack of social security and the lack of moral education.

 

[joly]

Players shouldn't be allowed back in international cricket.

If you let players like Mohammad Amir return then what do you expect?

Great point and also 10 years Jail term

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Undeserved leniency in the past from authorities.

 

[MenInG]

Inconsistencies in treatment of players based upon who is incharge of Pak cricket and when!

 

[90MPH]

Great point and also 10 years Jail term

Azrahudddin got rewarded to become a MP while Jadeja became a TV pundit.

 

[big_gamer007]

It's a cultural problem, society in our part of the world is generally corrupt as a whole. Some engage in low level form of corruption like bribing cops, evading HRA etc and then come on Internet and become keyboard warriors against bigger whales of corruption like Aamir, butt etc..

But deep down society as whole is corrupt..