Is India alone responsible for the mess?

In the past few days, things were palpably quiet on the match fixing front. But just when things seemed to have dried up in the case, there was some `action' on Monday. The scene of the drama was an unlikely venue - the ballroom of the Lanka Oberoi in Colombo. And the protagonist was the manager of the Pakistan team touring Sri Lanka, Brig Mohammed Nasir. At a press conference called to announce the formal launch of the Singer Cup tri-series, Nasir launched a volatile attack on India, accusing it of being the main villain in the match fixing episode.

The timing of Nasir's tirade was faulty to the extreme. For just when it looked like the two super powers of the sub continent had joined hands to fight corruption in the game, Nasir made serious charges against India. It was hardly the time and the place for such an outburst.

Nasir warned the countries around the world that they should guard against Indian bookies as they are the root cause of match-fixing. In reply to a question, he said "You should do something about these Indian gamblers and their agents who are responsible for bringing disrepute to the noble game."

Coming down heavily on the Indian bookies, Nasir said "Everyone is blaming Hansie for what happened, but the root cause are the Indian bookies. You take them out and the problem will be solved." He added "Hansie is at least honest and admitted what happened, but what steps are being taken to see that the Indian bookies are stopped from operating," Nasir said. Continuing his tirade, he said "this is a total disgrace to the game and it is being done by the Indians." Replying to an Indian journalist, Nasir continued in the same vein and said ``it all started with your country. You can't shrug off the responsibility for what is now going on. All the bookies are from India, they are the ones who are bringing a bad name to the game of cricket.''

Almost every country seems to have made a habit to criticise India on this issue. The accusations may or may not have complete truth in them. There is no denying that there are a few Indian bookies who are involved in match-fixing. But it is not the Indian bookmaker alone who is involved. What about the nexus between the officials, players and other external forces who act in tandem with the bookmakers? There are others who are responsible for the match fixing scam so what was the point in Nasir making these one sided accusations?

It is unfair to single out one particular country or one particular reason as the root cause for the problem. If the players and officials had not encouraged the bookies in the first instance, things would not have come to such a state. The lure for money and other riches has to be cited as the reason and for this the players and officials should be blamed for encouraging the bookies. This was in fact accepted by the former South African captain Hansie Cronje during his testimony before the King Commission.

If Nasir could make such a vehement outburst, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has to take a large share of the blame. For they have been largely insensitive to the whole issue. The government is trying to pursue the case to its logical conclusion, having appointed the CBI, but it has not obtained adequate assistance from the board. With more and more countries accusing India, it is high time the BCCI wakes up and clears both its name and the country's as well, by providing a helping hand to the investigation agency. They must also see that unfortunate charges, like that of Nasir, should not be treated lightly.

Meanwhile, continuing their drive to book the culprits, a Delhi court ordered the arrest of the London-based bookie Sanjeev Chawla. It has also issued a fresh non-bailable warrant against him as he is the prime accused in the match-fixing case. Chawla who was wanted for a $400,000 FERA violation, failed to appear before the court on Monday.