Sports

Reap what you sow

For Butt, Asif and Aamir, the future couldn’t be clearer. They will live their days out in shame and infamy.

Editorial February 05, 2011

In delaying its verdict on the futures of Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir by nearly a month, the ICC tribunal may have done Pakistani fans a favour. It has given us more time to process the inevitable, that all three are guilty of spot-fixing and selling out their country for personal enrichment. In handing down a 10-year ban (five of which are suspended) to Butt and a seven-year ban (two of which are suspended) to Asif, the ICC has effectively ended their careers. Amir is young enough to come back after serving his five-year ban although returning after a prolonged absence will not be easy. The cricketers have the option of appealing the verdict with the Court of Arbitration for Sport but, given that an British authorities intend to prosecute them for conspiracy to cheat and accepting corrupt payments, this may not be a good option.

For Butt, Asif and Amir, the future couldn’t be clearer. They will live their days out in shame and infamy. Fans will do their best to blot out the memory of this disgraceful episode and continue supporting their cleansed team. Meanwhile, the latter has had encouraging series against South Africa and New Zealand and there finally seems to be a measure of stability in the days leading up to the World Cup. To assume, however, that after the verdict all is well and good with Pakistani cricket would be a folly. Part of the reason the cricketers felt they could get away with corruption was the PCB’s head-in-the-sand stance over the years. By all accounts, match-fixing was present in the 1990s but bans were handed down against cricketers only after they had retired from the sport.

The PCB needs to ensure it is vigilant and doesn’t automatically assume a defensive posture when its cricketers are charged with corruption. As for the cricketers, while they earn far more than most of their countrymen, they are paid far less than most other international cricketers. With the PCB’s finances in a mess and international cricket halted in the country due to terrorism, they will have to accept that pride in representing their country compensates any shortfalls in earning potential.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6th, 2011.

COMMENTS (12)

Asit | 13 years ago | Reply Dear Editor, Should they not apologise for what they have done?? Instead they are going around giving interviews. It is a shame that these three lack even the basic sense of apology!! They did not even have the courtsey to say sorry to their fans for the shameful act they have done. Should they be allowed touch a criket bat or a ball ever again???

Le Mystique | 13 years ago | Reply I see the punishment as a very lenient one. It would have been great if ICC had also ordered confiscation of their properties and had fined them heavily. Such unpatriotic corrupt players deserve it!

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MAD | 13 years ago | Reply Dont absolve the PCB from this mess. THe effort to distance themselves and any links shared wuith the players and bookmakers is obvious. teh administrators must have been in on it. they too should pay.

Ehsan | 13 years ago | Reply Now it is so clear that they are guilty.. and there is no doubt. But the government as well as PCB are just watching this ... why not they come out just punish these for selling the country for money?????????

rauf shah | 13 years ago | Reply these players should also be charged with the HIGH TREASON laws of the country as they have sold pride of the country merely for the sack of money. Chairman PCB is also equally responsible.

Moazzam Salim | 13 years ago | Reply It has now become clear to all what was apparent to most of the cricket fans from the very begining of this sad sequence of events. There is a dire need for the fans to move on and that too in the right direction. There is no use in adamantly defending the culprits, instead they should be dealt with harshly for maligning Pakistan's name and reputation. It is funny to hear people say that Amir is young and hence can play after 5 years ban. But who will want him to represent Pakistan after his proven track record? that will be a huge step backwards when we as a nation generally and as a cricket loving bunch particularly should be taking the right direction in the right state of mind. We do not need cheats and match fixers in our team and we need to dissociate oursleves from those who have breached our trust. It is now extremely probable that the Scotland Yard will also be able to get an indictment against the accused. A little time in prison will go a long way in having other cheats and match fixers running for their lives. But all of this will come to nothing if PCB is to keep protecting and selecting the cheats and match fixers. A real shift of paradigm is the need of hour.

Habiba Younis | 13 years ago | Reply well said! Good riddance to these cheaters!

Truth Prevails | 13 years ago | Reply Spot On!

Zazi | 13 years ago | Reply You are right! PCB management has a lot to answer and account for its expenses. The way Ijaz Butt and Pak HC in London reacted to the charges reflected, they too were involved in this "money for no-ball" scandel. Later Ijaz Butt's outrage against England players and his mea-culpa in England was more demeaning for the country.

Malik T | 13 years ago | Reply These three players are definitely responsible for the fate that has befallen them, so is the PCB chairman Mr Ijaz Butt who let all this happen under his nose. If PCB had taken action against these players, Pakistan would have been spared this embarrassment. Unfortunately most of those who matter do not consider corruption an issue. There is a very casual view of this cancer in the corridors of power. This attitude has brought shame to Pakistan. The PCB officials who accompanied the team on tours, when all this was happening are as much responsible as these players. In fact they are more responsible, because they provided the environment in which all this occurred. There should be ZERO TOLERANCE for such indiscipline, but this can only be achieved if the PCB hierarchy is cleansed of all such pesticides.

Syed | 13 years ago | Reply Pakistan must punish them for breaching their loyalty of their country for the greed. We must stop supporting these na-shukray and namak-haram sportsmen.

Prof. Tahir Husain | 13 years ago | Reply .....Indeed.A balanced article.It is important to send the message to the louts of cricket that when the country can put you on its head ,it can trample you with its feet also.Well done!. I.C.C

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