Sir Paul Condon's report on Corruption in International Cricket is likely to put the cricket world in spin. We shall have to wait to see if it's off spin, leg spin, googly or a bouncer is capable of rolling heads after the discussions in the ICC council meeting on June 18, 2001.

It is an impressive document tracing the history of corruption in the princely game of cricket we all enjoy. Highlighting this dragon's forms, extent and dimensions, modus operandi of those involved, the ICC's attitude towards the problem, action so far taken by various cricket boards, finally ends up with possible solutions and remedies. The work done by Sir Paul and his associates in the ICC's Anti Corruption Unit during a short span of six months deserves a big hand of applause and appreciation. Many issues discussed therein, however, need analysis and comments.

An interesting revelation is that corruption existed in the Home of Cricket as far back as 1970 when some county and club games in domestic tournaments were allegedly fixed by teams to secure points and a better position in the league but not for reasons of money.

A list of at least 60 matches starting from 1979-80 though not necessarily fixed, but whose conduct needs investigation has been produced.

Surprisingly, 20 of them were played in India. Though responsibility has to be shared by all countries, the Indian betting industry has been mentioned as the 'engine-room which has powered and driven cricket corruption'. The ICC Knock-Out in Kenya and Pakistan's last tour of New Zealand are already under scrutiny. The Pakistan Cricket Board too, has also planned to institute an inquiry into the team's defeat at the hands of India and Bangladesh in World Cup 99.

The disclosure that despite severe punishments like life bans imposed on the bigwigs of cricket, Cronje, Azharuddin and Saleem Malik, there has been no let up in corruption, is startling to say the least. It clearly shows how deep this evil has sunk into the lifeblood of cricket and it's gladiators, who are not only adored but also almost worshiped by their fans.

A number of reasons have been quoted as to why cricketers indulge in match fixing. The topmost being that international cricketers are paid less than top soccer players, golfers, tennis players and other sportsmen, which renders them vulnerable to corrupt approaches. Since each game has its own peculiarities and level of income generation, this may not be applicable across the board. Cricketers, especially in the sub-continent, beat the other sportsmen hollow as far as projection is concerned. A batsman scoring a century and above in a test match remains the focus of cricket fans in the ground as well as on the TV screen for 2-3 days while the other sportsmen generally disappear from the scene in minutes or hours.

Greed and opportunity, as brought out in the report, appears be the major factor. While some well-paid players were drawn into corruption, the relatively poor ones tended to resist the offers. Here came into play the individual character and loyalty to the cause. It may be noted that economic conditions in Asia differ from the advanced continents. The players coming from countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh generally belong to lower income groups. They have to keep in mind the income level that prevails in their respective countries before comparing themselves with those in the rest of the cricketing countries. I believe, this is what the cricket administrators need to make the boys understand.

It has been rightly brought out, that the live TV coverage of matches created an environment in which it was possible to watch and bet on cricket almost every day of the year. Betting grew further with the wide spread availability of mobile phones.

Some of the disclosures are startling. It is said that the criminals manage to penetrate deep into the teams as well as cricket administration and even to influence team selection. There were cases when in dubious circumstances the umpires too were approached to help in twisting the result of a match.

Similarly groundsmen are said to be bribed, to prepare result-oriented pitches and even to interfere with a pitch overnight, to assist a team for betting purposes. Some cricket administrators are also alleged to be involved in malpractices.

Alarmingly, with corruption in the game reaching such heights, one really wonders how can the game retain its majestic image and the slogan of justice and fair-play.

Though the ICC is accused of failing to take decisive and coordinated action to deal with corruption, it did devise a ' Self-Declaration Process' some time back. A form of undertaking setting out a series of questions about knowledge and involvement in corrupt practices was introduced. The Cricket Boards were asked to issue these forms to players, team officials, umpires, referees, curators, employees and administrators. The response was not found to be satisfactory. Out of the 911 forms received by the Anti Corruption Unit, only 21 indicated a positive answer. It proved to be an exercise in futility.

Some of the suggested remedies are, the proper training and briefing of players and others associated with the game, reporting incidence of improper approach and the appointment of a Security Manager with teams to watch the players' activities, coordinate their meetings with visitors and monitor all telephone calls. I would go as far as to propose a total ban on the use of mobile phones. After all, cricket did function quite smoothly when they did not exist.

As far as punishment for the culprits, former England Captain Mike Gatting suggests a 'ban for life' and I entirely agree with him. Nothing short of it will help nipping the evil in the bud. The attitude of the Cricket Boards trying to minimize the gravity of offence and letting off the defaulters for face saving or to prevent the team from weakening must end. Similarly, for the purpose of punishment, a dubious excuse like 'providing information about weather and pitch etc' should be treated at par with 'match fixing' and the culprits awarded the highest punishment.

Let's hope that the recommendations in the report are implemented swiftly, the inquiries and punishments to the guilty are speeded and a 'system' installed quickly up so that we can all get back to good cricket.

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