The latest cricket scandal proves one thing. The big scandals are exposed either by police investigation or by the media. The ICC and BCCI have anti-corruption units which do precious little. They speak of action after the scandals are ripped wide open. The latest expose comes exactly one year after five players were suspended as they were seen on the camera offering to fix matches. While the administrative bodies appear inactive, it is very difficult to spot match fixing. The betting industry is buzzing with activity. Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainty- delete ‘glorious’ now. Unusual happenings in IPL cricket are anything but unusual. Give-aways therefore are very difficult to detect. So far 22 out of 66 games during this IPL season have ended without the final over being bowled. The era of five day test cricket is gone. Sport has become entertainment with the glittering film crowd stepping in. Unorthodox cricket has become quite permissible.
The trouble is that cricket is an international game and IPL shenanigans hit the headlines instantly in the cricketing world, the BBC for instance. The BCCI is content with lecturing cricketers on the offence of match fixing and the punishment for that. It has to keep the IPL image untainted as that brings in oodles of money. The IPL’s financial structure should be made more transparent. Roles of the agents of players should be under scanner. A life ban may not be an adequate penalty. Three cricketers have been caught and suspended this time; one of them had played in a test match. There is no point in distinguishing between spot fixing and match fixing. Finally, there are too many bad eggs in the basket, though the BCCI would not admit it.
