Early end unlikely to match-fixing scandal

It's eight weeks since the 'Hansiegate' scandal related to match-fixing and betting first broke. Looking back on the events as they unfolded, it is clear that though the initial reaction was one of shock, things have become murkier as the days progressed. When former South African captain Hansie Cronje was named, the feeling was one of disbelief. But when Cronje confessed, the image of the game was shattered. The question that everyone asked was whether the gentleman's game is clean any more for no one ever expected Cronje to be party to something like fixing matches.

Soon it transpired however that this was only the tip of the iceberg. There were avalanches to come in the succeeding days. Even as cricket lovers waited for the scandal to blow over, fresh allegations and counter allegations started making the headlines from the world over. Matches played over the last few years were suddenly looked at with suspicion. Doubts were raised and questions asked over the fifth Test match between South Africa and England played in January this year where both the captains forfeited an innings.

Charges and counter charges started flying thick and fast. Ali Bacher claimed that two matches in the 1999 World Cup in England were fixed, one international team was throwing and manipulating matches and an umpire was under suspicion. In England, former England all rounder Chris Lewis pitched England into the match fixing scandal. Lewis had earlier been criticised by England Cricket Board chairman Lord MacLaurin after it was decided that there was not enough evidence to substantiate Lewis' claims that three England Test stars had taken money from an Indian businessman to throw a match.

Ashley Mallett then brought Australia into the match fixing picture. The former Test off spinner, who was employed as an advisor to the South African squad, questioned the bowling tactics and team selection in the 1997-98 series between South Africa and Australia. The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) and captain Steve Waugh refuted the charges.

In India, things took a different course. High profile cricketers and administrators used the match fixing issue as an opportunity to settle scores with whom they had differences. There was pressure from all quarters to make the Chandrachud report on match fixing public. Bowing to public pressure, the Union Sports Minister SS Dhindsa tabled the report in Parliament. He also ordered a CBI inquiry to look into the match-fixing and corruption in the game. Pakistan too bowed to public pressure and made the Qayyum report public. The report had suggested life bans for two Pakistani players and fines to several others.

Personal ego clashes between individuals came out in the open with a war of words between the former BCCI chief IS Bindra and ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya. It all started with the former challenging Dalmiya to hold a public debate on the raging controversy. In between the former Indian all rounder Manoj Prabhakar claimed that he had named the player who offered him a bribe of Rs.25 lakhs to under perform in 1994 to a 'big gun' in the Government.

But the real twist in tale came when Bindra dropped the bombshell by naming Indian icon Kapil Dev as the player who allegedly made the offer to Prabhakar. This was the ultimate blow that the game needed. Still by and large public opinion was in favour of the former Indian captain who expressed his emotions by sobbing in a TV interview. But this was not the end as more was still to come.

Thereafter things got nastier and nastier as the days progressed with more allegations and claims on old matches being fixed. The West Indies, which was silent, joined the act with former captain Viv Richards in an interview to a cricket magazine claimed that the then captain of Pakistan forfeited the toss to West Indies in 1974-75.

This is were the lawyers had a field day with legal and defamation suits following each and every statement or issues. If former Pakistan captain Intikab Alam threatened to sue Richards, Kapil sued Bindra. Dalmiya sued a British newspaper and two Indian weeklies for writing articles maligning him.

However, the final punch was delivered when Prabhakar said in a crowded press conference that it was indeed Kapil Dev who offered him the bribe. In the process he named a few other fellow cricketers to be present when the incident took place. It was not Kapil's name which was tarnished but the game and its image in general and the hopes of the public in particular were brought down. The scenario became even more bizarre when Ravi Shastri in a statement corroborated Prabhakar's statement.

But a near death blow was given in a series of press meets organised by Prabhakar. Acting as a investigator in true James Bond style, he exposed more cricketers and administrators through his video tapes using secret cameras with the help of a journalist. One thing is sure, he achieved what others could not have done. But opinion was sharply divided regarding the method Prabhakar used to drive his point home. .

Suddenly over the past week or so, there has been an ominous silence. But how long will this last? One can expect more `action' in the next couple of weeks with the CBI along with the Income Tax authorities in India and the King commission in South Africa getting into the act. More can of worms are bound to open and a lot of fireworks are expected. So let us take this short lull as an interval and enjoy some cricket!