That’s Just Not Cricket

Two weeks ago, limited overs cricket said goodbye to one of the greatest men that has ever played, Ricky Ponting. However, instead of celebrating one of its greatest careers, the sport was rocked once again by allegations of corruption and match-fixing. Essex youngster Mervyn Westfield was sentenced to jail for four months for agreeing to concede 12 runs in an over in exchange for £6,000.

The first big corruption scandal in cricket was in 1999 when Hansie Cronje, the then South African captain, was implicated for match fixing. The repercussions of the scandal were massive with Cronje and a number of cricketers from around the world being banned for different intervals of time. The ICC also set up the Anti-Corruption Unit whose primary job was to monitor the players and also educate them. While things were stable and corruption-free for a while, there were always murmurs of illegal activities in the sport. Once again this came to a head when three Pakistan cricketers were arrested last year because of their role in a spot-fixing cancel during their team’s tour of England in 2010.

All this time, England remained unaffected. The game’s founding nation not only encouraged the offenders to be punished, but also prided itself on the integrity of its players. This was until the Mervyn Westfield case blew up, eradicating the idea that match fixing was non-existent here. Westfield claims that he was pushed into it by Danish Kaneria, Essex’s overseas professional and Pakistan international, himself not exactly the best-behaved cricketer. The fact remains that there are serious problems which the authorities would be silly to turn a blind eye to. Many experts have claimed that the Westfield scandal is the county cricket equivalent of the Cronje saga.

The ECB has been swift to react, making changes to the anti-corruption policy to cover not only the players but also the off-field staff at all the 18 county cricket clubs. Westfield has also agreed to help the investigators build a case against Kaneria and also to talk to other players about the perils of match-fixing. The question remains, however, about how effective these methods are.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan raised the point that during his playing days there would be an annual presentation from the Professional Cricketers’ Association about corruption and what steps to take whenever a player is approached. He has also called for life-bans for the players involved, a move that has been backed by many former players and experts, who claim that it is the only solution. While it is true that a strong example has to be sent out, Westfield’s case is an interesting one because of his claims about being forced to into it. This leads to questions about the dressing room environment and also the team culture.

This is where the role of the club, as well as the Board, becomes even more critical. If it is true that young players are being exploited then the problem runs dangerously deep. The ECB and indeed the ICC need a comprehensive education programme in which the players are actually made aware of not only the perils of corruption but also their responsibilities as professional athletes.

While it is true that the wages paid to the county cricketers are not very high, the players must realize that they are in a privileged position to be doing what they love and chasing their dreams. The ECB also introduced amnesty for players who report past match-fixing approaches in January this year. It is obvious that the Board is very serious about this situation and wants to do all in its power to ensure that more and more people holding secrets come out and help cleanse the game.

At the end, however, it all comes down to the individuals involved; the authorities can only do so much. To say that corruption will forever go away from the sport would be a massive overstatement, but efforts must still be made. The players need to look at themselves as well – to actually understand and realise that they are role models and are representing their country, county and indeed their families on a stage where everyone aspires to be, but very few actually reach.

Being a professional sportsperson is a matter of pride and dignity and no amount of money should be able to take that away from a person, athlete or otherwise.