A welcome verdict

The guilty verdict by a court in Britain in the cases of Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif has put a lot of minds — and hearts — at ease. It’s about time that those who throw away matches and their country’s name were made to pay for their sins. One has to wonder, in fact, at their defiance and persistent confidence prior to the verdict because whenever they were asked in public about the matter, they would deny that they had done anything wrong — despite considerable evidence to the contrary. A unanimous verdict, on the charge of “conspiracy to cheat” and guilty by a 10-2 majority decision on the charge of “conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments” was delivered to end the 16-hour deliberation. The subsequent confirmation that Mohammad Amir, the third player to be charged, had pleaded guilty prior to the trial, revealed a sweetly timed stroke that the teenager unleashed. Citing “extreme pressure” and threats to his place in the playing eleven if he refused to go along, Amir, seemingly, used his age, lack of experience and his eagerness for his own advantage. Also, his admission of guilt may have, to some extent, helped in the conviction of Butt and Asif.

It has to be said that even a layperson with little knowledge of law but some amount of common sense would have expected such a decision from the court. Also, these kinds of allegations have been dogging Pakistan cricket for a long time but the Pakistan Cricket Board never acted on its own and the job was left to a sting operation carried out by the reporter of a now-defunct British tabloid to expose some of the culprits. As if the crime committed was not enough to hang their heads in shame, the trio insisted all along that they were innocent, aided by some local TV channels who invited them as ‘experts’ during events such as the World Cup and as ‘guests’ on Eid shows. They not only let down millions who had invested their trust in them but their continued intransigence stomped upon and ridiculed every ounce of love the country’s cricket followers had bestowed on them. But perhaps that is an apt reflection of the society that we are part of. No sense of accountability, denials following all wrongdoings, defiance when confronted, finding scapegoats to vent our anger and frustration on and, in the end, the power of moving on.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2011.