West Indies Cricket Board must speak

The integrity of West Indies cricket is being questioned in London and India by way of innuendo in the wake of South Africa's deposed captain Hansie Cronje's admission he took a large sum of money (possibly US$15 000) from a bookmaker during a recent International One-Day Series.

Many observers and commentators have said "if a man like Cronje has done it, then anyone else is likely to do it or must have done it". What is it that makes Cronje so special?

Is he, or rather, was he a god?

Over the last 25 years, West Indian captains and players have behaved with impeccably good manners in the international arena, and the examples of decency, honesty and fair play by Lloyd, Richards, Richardson, Walsh and Lara as captains, are ones in which West Indians can be justly proud.

There has never been a whiff of scandal around our teams and yet the generally English, old establishment Press is adopting a freedom of expression about this matter that seeks to taint all Test-playing countries.

We have recently had cases in Pakistan, India and Australia where these countries' players have been banned, suspended or fined because they (players) were allegedly involved, in one way or another, in the murky waters of betting on matches which were mostly played on the India sub-continent.

We have also had English manager Ray Illingsworth, former English captain Adam Hollioake and player Chris Lewis state that they were approached to fix the results of matches.

Cheating spectators

Despite all this information, a recent report from Bombay (India) has suggested that only the teams of Australia and England are beyond reproach in this disreputable and grubbing act of cheating spectators and fans of a truly played and honestly fought game of cricket for which many would have paid money which they, probably, could not afford.

How could the author of the Bombay report include Australia in this "whiter than white" nonsense?

In recent years, Mark Waugh and Shane Warne (both current Australian Test players) have taken money from bookmakers in exchange for "information" on games!

The International Cricket Council (ICC) should immediately hold an international enquiry into the whole matter of bribes and match-fixing to get to the bottom of this cesspit.

The fact, that the ICC has sanctioned an internal South African inquiry is hardly making waves, and it would be a gross and total abdication of its duty to protect the good name and honour of cricket, if it did not act.

The continued absence of action by the ICC is not being tolerated by the England and Wales Cricket Board and neither should the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

Our board, in the interest of the reputation of our players, both current and former, has a vested interest in an inquiry and it should press for one.

Although it is the way of these inquiries that a united stance is given in the final report, WICB owes it to West Indians, at home and abroad, to have clarified in any report, the individual and separate position as it affects the current and former West Indies teams.

Double standards

The fact that Cronje carried a Bible and acted demurely only to have been found to have double standards, is a good reason for WICB to be wary of this minefield.

However, the WICB must state in clear and unequivocal terms that our boys are clean. The professionalism and honesty of our players should not be compromised in any report that might want to indicate "a plague" on all our houses.

Can you imagine, the reaction of the world's press if Brian Lara had been accused and found guilty of match-fixing?

Would the Press have lumped everyone else in the same pot? Somehow I doubt it.

WICB should also alert our current players of the great danger and possible grave penalties if they (players) fall prey to the bookmakers.

A ten-year ban would be just about right if any of our players were found guilty of blackening the good and honourable name of West Indies cricket for a mere 20 pieces of silver.