Spot Fixing

The controversy that cricket has been mired in has thrown up a new lexicon in the game of cricket, it is known as spot fixing. Spot fixing is defined as a phenomenon where a particular moment of the match can be fixed, as it is being reported in the Pakistan and England cricket match, where Mohammad Amir, the Pakistani speedster bowled a no-ball. While the spot fixing may not alter the course of the game, it is evidence about the fact that the bookie has the control over the game in such a manner that it can change its course, as the spot fixing is a trailer of his ability.

The moot point is while spot fixing may not have much relevance for a test match, but indeed can have a lethal effect in say a T20 match, which popular actor Tom Alter calls as Tick-20, killing spirit of the game of cricket. Presently though Pakistani cricketers may have been caught in the imbroglio, the Indian cricket fraternity also does not come clean. Likes of Mohammad Azharuddin, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Jadeja, Nayan Mongia have also been involved in such incidents. But the problem is that they might have been tainted, but have been given an extension in their cricketing career.

For sure, this incident has pushed Pakistan cricket once again to the brink and it would take a monumental effort on the part of the authorities to take it out of the morass. The rot is probably owing to the fact that in Pakistan cricket mentoring does not take place as it happens in Indian cricket, and as underlined by the former Indian captain and one of the biggest leg spinners Anil Kumble.

However, it needs to be seen how long would the Indian cricket be immune to it? The kind of money that has now been injected into Indian cricket and by extension to world cricket has become the bane for the game. Spot fixing can have devastating repercussions in the shorter form of game, where one such incident can change the course of the game. With the kind of money floating around, who knows spot fixing could become a part of Indian cricket also! The ball is now in the court of International Cricket Council, to take the bull by its horn, and not allow it to become a monster that could engulf the game.

By: Suman Rai

Tags: Cricket, ICC, International Cricket Council, Kamran Akmal, Mazhar Majeed, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif, Pakistan, PCB, Salman Butt, Spot Fixing