Players must lead against corruption: MCC
Body wants India to get onboard the DRS issue.
CAPE TOWN:
Players must ‘take ownership’ of corruption issues, according to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) World Cricket Committee Chairman Mike Brearley.
Speaking after a two-day meeting, former England captain Brearley said corruption had been the most important topic covered because of the dangers it brought to the game. The committee recommended lifetime bans for any captain, vice-captain or coach found guilty of corruption but also called for a relaxation of minimum sentences for other players.
“The argument that came from our group, chaired by [former Australia captain] Steve Waugh, is that if people feel emotionally that a penalty is too severe, they may find a player not guilty rather than guilty,” said Brearley, who added that it was difficult to know how pervasive corruption was in cricket.
“There are suspicions and rumours. It’s extremely hard to know what weight to attach to them. We do know that people acted corruptly a year-and-a-half ago on Pakistan’s tour of England. It is an achievement for those people to have been caught and disciplined.”
The recommendations will be forwarded to the International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti Corruption and Security Unit.
India should back DRS
Meanwhile, the committee said it was wrong that the decision review system was not used in matches involving India but hoped they would get onboard after further testing of the technology.
“We are hoping that once that research has been undertaken the report will go back to the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India will start to buy into it,” said MCC head of cricket John Stephenson. “We are also hoping for a stage where India will have no choice but to get into line with everyone else on this matter.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2012.
Players must ‘take ownership’ of corruption issues, according to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) World Cricket Committee Chairman Mike Brearley.
Speaking after a two-day meeting, former England captain Brearley said corruption had been the most important topic covered because of the dangers it brought to the game. The committee recommended lifetime bans for any captain, vice-captain or coach found guilty of corruption but also called for a relaxation of minimum sentences for other players.
“The argument that came from our group, chaired by [former Australia captain] Steve Waugh, is that if people feel emotionally that a penalty is too severe, they may find a player not guilty rather than guilty,” said Brearley, who added that it was difficult to know how pervasive corruption was in cricket.
“There are suspicions and rumours. It’s extremely hard to know what weight to attach to them. We do know that people acted corruptly a year-and-a-half ago on Pakistan’s tour of England. It is an achievement for those people to have been caught and disciplined.”
The recommendations will be forwarded to the International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti Corruption and Security Unit.
India should back DRS
Meanwhile, the committee said it was wrong that the decision review system was not used in matches involving India but hoped they would get onboard after further testing of the technology.
“We are hoping that once that research has been undertaken the report will go back to the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India will start to buy into it,” said MCC head of cricket John Stephenson. “We are also hoping for a stage where India will have no choice but to get into line with everyone else on this matter.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2012.