1. IT ALL HAPPENS IN INDIA
India…. A nation of billion cricket lovers who watch cricket irrespective of which team plays. This
has led to commercialization on a large scale which with time turned into one of the biggest threats
to the game's existence. The other side of it has caused the growth of betting which with time rolled
down to “fixing”. The cricketing world has been in this cobweb since the beginning of this decade.
The growth of betters have gradually increased with time and the police have tried to decode it and
each time ending up with a scapegoat to appease the wrath of the those radical supporters. The
stakes are so high that it has caught all from amateur cricketers to multi –billionaires. Cricket being
so worshipped and cash rich, has always been a matter of concern for all who have been for or
against the game. The power of the governing bodies, being limited has failed to provide adequate
remedy. The underworld links have always been an interruption to fair play. The Sharjah cup
proved to be a hub of bookmakers and the tournament ceased to exist.
Forme
r
Indian
Cricke
ter
Manoj
Prabha
kar ,
tried
to
shift
his
blame
on
teamm
ate
Kapil
Dev in
a
match fixing controversy but was soon banned for five years in 2000. The year which saw Azhar
and Jadeja bid goodbye.
The bookies have always hovered around the players trying to elicit information and have been
successful in connecting with senior cricketers. This includes a range of sportsman who has been
targeted in India.
1. AUSTRALIA- Shane Warne and Mark Waugh have been found guilty of giving out pitch
information to a bookie that had paid them.
2. WEST INDIES- Evidences show batting all –rounder Marlon Samules had conversation with a
bookie during his India tour (2007).
3. South AFRICA- The infamous 2000 tour was the first blow to world cricket when Captain
Hansie Cronje was accused of indulging in match fixing. He tried to evade putting the blame on
Azhar but couldn’t avoid a life ban. Teammate H Gibbs who promised to underperform scored 74

2. breaching his contract with the bookies and he was suspended for six months. Henry Williams also
promised to underperform but his getting injured saved him from a life ban.
The origin of these issues could never be traced. But lets try to figure the root cause of such
problems. Is it the underworld who is still involved or our own corporates who are trying to
capitalise upon these sporting events. Is it because of the General Anti avoidance rule which favors
investors? These investors take stakes in sporting events through special investment vehicles
strategically located in tax havens like Mauritius which helps them to evade taxes while adding
enormous wealth to their corpus. Indian Cricket League, the mother of all battles, which eventually
led to the setting up of IPL had an abrupt ending. The retired cricketers got lured to make some
quick money and eventually ended up with one of the disastrous beginning to the fortune of the
sport.
Look at how Lalit Modi, single handedly pushed the IPL out of India during its second edition
when the government refused to provide them security due to upcoming elections. This could be
taken in the right spirit as it helped young cricketers avail an opportunity to play in the green turfs
of Cape Town.
There can never been a conclusive proof of fraudulent practices which tainted the image of the sport
as long as the big entities are not targetted. With all these events happening in quick succession,
cricket fans have started the credibility of the game.