Spot Fixing

“3 Pakistan players detained for questioning by Scotland Yard” screamed the headlines of half the world newspapers, at least in countries where cricket is still popular. Among those who were taken for questioning was the precocious Mohammed Amir. Spitting fire like a wild dragon, Amir had just ripped through the England batting lineup a few days earlier and to see news columns write about match fixing or rather spot fixing was pretty shocking to say the least. The News of the World sting operation led to a bookie being arrested on grounds of spot fixing where he had correctly predicted that Amir would bowl the first over and would bowl a no-ball in the third ball of his spell. Mohammed Asif is not a new comer to trouble. His first involvement in a drug scandal saw him get a temporary suspension

The commentary:

“Mohammad Amir to Cook, 1 no ball, 142.2 kph, no-ball this time from Amir, rare from him, the delivery was pretty decent though, swinging away a fraction. Yikes, on replay that was an enormous no-ball, good half a meter over the line“

“Spot Fixing”

What is Spot Fixing?

In a scathing blow to the integrity of the game, bookies have turned to this innovative form of money making. Spot-fixing involves a player agreeing to perform to order by pre-arrangement. Supposedly, the no-ball bowled by Amir in the first ball of his third over, is a case of Spot Fixing. So was the no-ball bowled in the tenth over?

In an era , where money, glamour and glitz have become integral components in cricket (read IPL, T20) the spot fixing scandal gives a rude jolt that cricket really needed and brings us to the question of whether the cricket boards are paying enough for their players. Had they received enough emoluments, the spot fixing case could have been avoided. When a young player like Mohammed Amir who is receiving plaudits for his on field exploits gets entwined in such a scandal, it reflects badly on the game.

From Pakistan’s point of view, just when they were rebuilding the side and giving their nation something to cheer up amidst the chaos and turbulence back home, this is something which would come to them as a major blow.  Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt the tainted three, who are so vital to this rebuilding phase of Pakistan cricket, have got themselves into a cartload of trouble. Can Pakistani cricket redeem itself from the abyss?

By: Anerudh Balaji

Tags: Cricket, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif, Salman Butt, Scotland Yard, Spot Fixing