ICC's Selective 'fixing' Of Blame To ArrestSpot-fixing In Cricket

By: Gowhar Geelani
These days it is quite fashionable to indulge in Pakistan bashing. It [the bashing exercise] pays in more than one way. It also gives you a few certificates for free: “liberal, well educated, modern-thinking, an enlightened and a secular person.” If any Pakistani national is charged for rash driving in Dubai, breaking a traffic signal in Berlin, crossing the speed limit in Tokyo, fighting inside a London nightclub, or, found drunk in the streets of Damascus after a verbal brawl there with a native, we have a ready-made argument from the "enlightened" class: "No wonder the culprit belongs to Pakistan. Their country, I'm sorry, is in a terrible mess. A failed state, you know! It is a safe sanctuary for the 'terrorists' of Taliban, Al-Qaeda and many other 'dangerous' terror outfits." All evidence heard, verdict pronounced and hence the case dismissed.

After the recent spot-fixing scandal in the game of cricket, this distinguished enlightened class have to add one more sentence to their favourite argument: "Pakistanis even cheat in cricket, that's so pathetic!"

We all know that rest of the world is crime proof, morally upright, and corruption free in all matters; social, political, and in sports as well! Ahh!!

Cricket –described by many as a gentleman's game, has once again been brought into disrepute; thanks to Pakistan's 'talented and tainted' trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.

To be brutally honest, the true fans of this great sport shouldn't feel sorry about the sentences handed down in Southwark Crown Court, London, on the morning of the 3rd November, but given Amir's younger age it is but natural to feel a touch sad for him.

Imran Khan –the man who led Pakistan to coveted World Cup victory in 1992, too feels sad for Mohammad Amir.

"It is a painful decision. Amir is in such an age where he is vulnerable. When the President of the country is corrupt to the core; is also the patron of the PCB, the sportsmen think and feel when the President can get away with it; they too can. But in the long term, the judgement could serve in the interest of the game. Fixing has tarnished the image of Pakistan and the game of cricket; feel sorry for the cricketers and their family," Khan told the media channels.

Like few others, I also feel for the families of these three cricketers-turned-culprits, who admitted that they conspired to cheat; bowled three pre-determined no balls, and accepted corrupt payments for executing the wicked plan of spot-fixing. What these three players have done is shameful, filthy and sordid. No doubt. One must not forget that crime never pays; sooner or later a criminal has to pay, so the trio too has paid.

However, the menace and nuisance of the match-fixing and spot-fixing in cricket doesn't start and end with this latest episode involving Butt, Asif and Amir.

Cricket is also known as the game of glorious uncertainties. For all the good reasons, this great game is full of surprises on the field; but for all the bad reasons it has thrown many a surprises off the field as well.

I, for one, do not suggest for a moment that the sentences handed down by a Britain Court are harsh. A precedent needed to be set. And I'm glad that it has been. The guilty players needed to be punished. Salman Butt –the former Pakistan skipper and by far a better English speaker than his contemporary team mates, has been sentenced to two years and six months in jail for his main role in the spot-fixing case; Mohammad Asif has got one-year jail sentence and Mohammad Amir six months. Mazhar Majeed, the players' agent and fixer, has been sentenced to two years and eight months in jail. Young Amir, however, has been sent to a young offenders' detention centre, not to jail.

All done and dusted.

On the personal front, I'll indeed be missing Salman's cracking cover drives, his gutsy cuts through the point region, wristy flicks, graceful glances, and all his shots that have been so pleasing on the eye. I'll certainly be missing Asif's astonishing accuracy with the ball, his in-swingers, the out-swingers and that very mean economy rate resembling McGrath’s. I'll of course be missing Amir's positive attitude towards the game, his nippy action, bouncers, outgoing deliveries with the left-arm angle and then that surprise ball that comes in to the right handed batsman. It is a huge loss to the world of cricket.

I am mourning that loss!

But, all of this is only one aspect of this menace of match-fixing in cricket. The role of the International Cricket Council [ICC] –cricket's governing body, is questionable on more than one count.

When it comes to take a stance against the stronger and richer cricketing nations such as Australia, India and England, the ICC acts like a "dead horse". It's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit [ACSU] –meant to check and arrest the match-fixing in cricket, is a "toothless tiger". Even England's test skipper, Andrew Strauss, believes so.

"...I still think the ICC could be doing a lot more than they are doing. Unfortunately, the anti-corruption unit is a pretty toothless tiger. They can't get into the real depth of it all because they haven't got the resources available to them. I don't hold it against them; they're doing the best job they possibly can. They can't do sting operations like the ‘News of the World,’ they can't infiltrate these betting networks. They've tried their best," Strauss told ESPNcricinfo.

But every law –howsoever holy, justified, draconian or laughable, is automatically applicable to the weaker and poorer cricketing nations; such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe. But when it comes to the richer nations, their hegemony and arrogance become laws! If the Indian cricket board, the BCCI, refuses to accept the Umpires Decision Review System [UDRS], the ICC gratefully obliges. When the BCCI babus speak, the ICC helmsmen listen with respect and surrender in fear! Would the ICC dare to take cudgels with the mighty, powerful and the rich BCCI?

Had some Indian, Aussie or English players been involved in the spot-fixing, would the ICC have had guts to slap bans up to five years or more, as the governing body of cricket did against the three Pakistani players? The answer, undoubtedly, is NO.

The spot-fixing and match-fixing exists in cricket even now. There are heightened fears that the players of many high-profile countries might be involved in this corrupt practice of making huge bucks the easy way. But, the ICC doesn't have the belly to raise a finger of suspicion towards them for obvious reasons.

The public memory, unfortunately, is short-lived. Let's not forget the history of match-fixing in the game of cricket that many of us love so much and follow passionately.

Former India captain and match-fixer, Mohammad Azhar-ud-Din, is sitting comfortably in India's Parliament today. Yes, a life ban was slapped on him, but the respect for the match fixer is so much that he was overwhelmingly voted to the Parliament. Ajay Jadeja, a 'co-fixer', is voicing his expert views on the game of cricket on a private television channel. At one time, Jadeja was accused and perceived guilty of fixing the game he once used to play. Marlon Samuels of West Indies too was found involved in fixing and today he’s on India’s tour playing for his country. Former South Africa skipper, Hansie Cronje admitted to match fixing and later died in a mysterious plane crash. It was Azhar who had introduced Hansie Cronje to the world of fixing!

Azhar-ud-Din, Ajay Jadeja, Sharma, H Gibbs, H Williams, Tim May, M Waugh, M Samuels, Salim Malik; and many more cricketers were accused to be involved in the corrupt practices of match fixing in one or the other way. But no one seems to be talking about them anymore, because the intended target is obviously one nation.
Now many ex-cricketers, especially from India, are talking so loudly about morals and ethics in the game of cricket, as if match-fixing and spot-fixing started and ended with Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir...!!!

Those who want to know where the financial nerve centre of the match fixing is; how did this menace start and spread, and how was it exposed, should definitely read the “Outlook” Issue of June 11, 1997.

[…The Indians, if you believed the buzz, don't lose matches; they simply tank them. Go by the buzz, and greed, commerce seem to be the main operatives. In last year's Titan Cup [1996] finals between India and South Africa, the police say the turnover of bookies in Mumbai alone was well over Rs 43 crore. … Suddenly, no match seems to be above suspicion. Amazingly, not even some of the best known names in Indian cricket are spared. In the course of its reporting, Outlook kept hearing some names with alarming regularity, including those of Mohammed Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Nayan Mongia and former India manager Ajit Wadekar. Pakistan's Aamir Sohail had spoken to Outlook (April 9, 1997), saying "two Indian players" had approached him during the '94 Singer Cup in Sri Lanka to "fix" a one dayer. "I told them they'd come to the wrong guy," he had said. The accusation is lent credence by Manoj Prabhakar's testimonial. Wadekar, then, had dismissed Sohail's allegation. Indeed, in the two months that Outlook chased the story, anybody who's somebody in Indian cricket admitted match-fixing was on, but were unwilling to go on record.] Outlook, June 11, 1997 Issue.

Selective fixing of blame will not cure the disease of match fixing and spot-fixing!

--

Gowhar Geelani is a Kashmiri journalist with more than a decade-long professional experience at the national as well as international level.

Give Audiences A Break!

Onscreen Shouting And 'Potbelly' Dancing
'Of English Speaking Gundas, Gundis and Crybabies'
By: Gowhar Geelani
Imagine a potbellied disreputable street politician sharing a platform with living legend Imran Khan on a television channel and then discussing the art of fast bowling, the swing, reverse swing and the seam movement. How ugly it'd appear onscreen is anybody's guess! That is exactly what usually happens when some of the Indian television channels, if not all, extend an open and unqualified invitation to this modern crybaby named Aditya Raj Kaul to spit venom left, right and center. I don't know whether he belongs to the Right-wing or the Ultra-right wing. Neither do I want to know. Come on, does this guy deserve such attention? All that the saner minds would want is that someone please clip his wings, whether they be Right or the Ultra-right. Give audiences a break! Don't insult their wisdom and intelligence. Please. For belly dance and solo performances of shouting, there are plenty of nightclubs available! Spare the television studios.

Yasin Malik, the leader of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front [JKLF], has, of late, developed an uncanny knack of giving even sexier soundbites than before. On one of the Indian television channels the other day, Malik profiled Mr. Kaul as an "English speaking gunda." Only previous year, the JKLF chief had, with a no non-sense attitude, said to the Editor-in-Chief of the Times Now, Mr. Arnab Goswami, that he was "intellectually bankrupt". All Mr. Goswami could say in response was this: "Thank you". Despite serious objections on Mr. Goswami's deliberate distortions with respect to the serious discourses on Kashmir, he deserves some grace marks here for keeping his cool.

The recent television debate on the CNN-IBN was about Mr. Prashant Bhushan, the senior lawyer and a key member of Team Anna, who was beaten to the pulp by three men inside his chamber in the Indian Supreme Court on October 12th, Wednesday, late afternoon. Mr. Bhushan had committed an unforgivable crime. An unpardonable sin. He had apparently favoured a referendrum, a direct popular vote, in the politically disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir. According to the media reports, the assaulters belong to a lesser known Hindu Right-wing group, 'Sri Ram Sene'. Reports also suggest that some of these attackers are associated with 'Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena'.

Anyway, the attack on Mr. Bhushan is not surprising. Because this sick bunch and all those self-styled custodians of the Indian nationalism and protectors of country's pride have been carrying out such exorbitant assaults in the past too. The appalling attacks on Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in Chandigarh [November 26th 2010] and Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani in New Delhi during a seminar on Kashmir are the recent examples of their unruly behaviour. Violence is their tried and tested weapon. They hate civil behaviour. They romance hate speech and deliver their verdicts through punches, kicks and slaps.

Mr. Kaul is of the view that such acts of bullying behaviour are, in fact, "manifestation of anger". Shazia Illmi, a journalist and also a member of Team Anna, gave him an intelligent response by describing hooliganism as "manifestation of complete stupidity". That's really like calling him a dolt. According to Illmi, those who counter alternative view points only through acts of vandalism are stupids of a rowdy brigade. And those who advocate such acts are exactly like Mr. Kaul. They refuse to improve the quality of their argument. All they're good at is shouting. That's it.

What exactly did Mr. Bhushan say? "Remove the draconian laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act [AFSPA] and Disturbed Areas Act, and respect the right to freedom of expression in Kashmir. And if Kashmiris are still not satisfied with India, hold a plebiscite as demanded by them, and as promised by us. If Kashmiris want a separate state; so be it, their aspirations should be respected. In my view there's nothing wrong in that."

But according to Thackerays, Modis, Bhagwats, and now; small fishes in the filthy pond like Kauls too, there's nothing right in what Mr. Bhushan has said. Fair enough. Counter Bhushan's argument with genuine logic and sound reasoning. "What does that mean," would perhaps be their response!

Surprisingly, even Mr. Anna Hazare--who in Kashmir too was respected by many for his ongoing fight against murky corruption and scams in India, distanced himself from Mr. Bhushan by declaring that Kashmir remains an "integral part" of India. He even threatened to review his decision of keeping Bhushan with him, or, even ousting him from his famous brigade named Team Anna. If this is Shri Anna's stance on moral corruption in politics, then God save the Indians! Arvind Kejriwal, another key member of Team Anna, also didn't agree with Mr. Bhushan's remarks on Kashmir. When one is made to read the distorted history pages and doctored text books, this is the expected consequence.

After the latest unfortunate episode [attack on Mr. Bhushan], I wonder what the conversation between Shri Anna Hazare and Mr. Prashant Bhushan would have been like. Perhaps somewhat on these lines:
Mr Bhushan's explanation to Anna: "Anna Jee, I did no wrong by favouring a plebiscite in Kashmir. It is our moral duty to support a genuine struggle of Kashmiris."
Anna's reply: "Our team was formed only to continue fight against the financial corruption in India."
Bhushan: "But why? That's grossly unfair!"
Anna: "Since the moral conscience of the majority in India is dead, I can't take such a risk. And honestly, I, too, am morally corrupt, if not financially. Tell me, who will follow me and our team if I start supporting Kashmiris?"
Bhushan: "Thank you. Then I'm happy to be labelled a seditionist or a Maoist sympathizer if the act of advocating people's rights has been declared a crime in modern India!"
Anna: "Iss Mudde Pai Ab Aur Baat Nahin Hogee [There will be no further discussion on this topic.]"

There the conversation ends.

Welcome to the elite club of anti-nationals and seditionists, Mr. Bhushan. After people like Arundhati Roy--celebrated author and social activist, and Gautam Navlakha--a renowned human rights defender, it is your turn Mr. Prashant Bhushan to listen to the 'ghazal' of democracy.

What Mr. Bhushan has said is nothing new. He's actually expressed his views quite in tune with India's first prime minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru, who promised a plebiscite in Kashmir. Independent history books, our own elders whose old eyes have been witness to the wretched history of injustices and denials in Kashmir, and many historians of international repute inform us that Pandit Nehru, in a broadcast to his nation on 3 November 1947, said this: "We have declared that the fate of Kashmir is ultimately to be decided by the people. That pledge we have given not only to the people of Kashmir and to the world. We will not and cannot back out of it." After that in his letter [No. 368, dated 21 November 1947], addressed to the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan, Nehru wrote: "I have repeatedly stated that as soon as peace and order have been established, Kashmir should decide of accession by Plebiscite or referendum under international auspices such as those of United Nations."

Mr. Nehru could express such views on Kashmir, because it was still Gandhi's India then! Mr. Bhushan can't even repeat what has already been promised to Kashmiris, because it's modern India now!! Put as many exclamation marks as would please you.
Gowhar Geelani is a Kashmiri journalist with more than 10 years of professional experience, both at the national and international level.
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