International Cricket Council (ICC) doesn’t look serious to take efficient measures to stop match fixing. ICC’s recent actions seem to prove that they are hardly concerned. ICC have decided to clear the 30 players preface world cup squad after the approval of their Anti Corruption and Security unit. No one would disagree with the measures but it seems that it is meant only for Pakistan.
The controversy started when British second-rate Tabloid “the News of the World” discretely suspected that seven Pakistani players were involved in spot-fixing, during the Lord’s Test against England in August. Scotland Yard broke in to the Pakistan team’s hotel and inquired with skipper Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz. On the basis of poor evidence, ICC suspended Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Amer. They will not be part of world cup squad until ICC doesn’t clear them out of allegations.
On the other hand, a month back, Indian player Suresh Raina was also caught in a video with a lady who had relations with bookies. Sri Lankan Cricket Board forwarded the video to the Board of Cricket Controlling India (BCCI). ICC didn’t step in to the issue and no actions were taken against him. Danish Kaneria was also accused to have spot fixed while playing for Essex. Later on, he was cleared by county police but ICC pulled him back from the Test squad. These actions create wonders against ICC, why it looks to act against only Pakistan, in desperation. If ICC starts taking serious actions against the match fixing soon, cricket will be cleared from corruption. However, it seems that it’s not ICC’s fault only, as we all know about the strength of our Board as compared to other Boards of the world. It seems that it happens because of the role of politics in the country. It is like corruption. Politics is in the board, just because the Chairman is selected by a President of Pakistan, who is also a chairman of a larger political Party of the country. The Chairman of PCB is also a relative of the defense minister, Ahmed Mukhtar.
The Chairman is only answerable to the President of Pakistan, as he is nominated by him. However, it is understood that he should be elected on basis of merit. This is a basic cause of Politics in Cricket, in Pakistan. It seems that there should be democracy in the board and only a democratic Chairman should represent the country in the world. Proper elections should be held in PCB and associations should select their chairman through a democratic process.
