Saddened Adam Gilchrist demands life ban for cheats
View(s):Adam Gilchrist has called for life bans if the cricketers embroiled in the Indian spot-fixing scandal are found guilty, declaring ignorance and naiveté can no longer be used as an excuse.
Gilchrist, who plays for the Punjab Kings XI, became unwittingly involved as he faced an over allegedly ”thrown” by paceman Shantha Sreesanth, one of three Indian players charged with cheating and criminal conspiracy for rigging performances for the Rajasthan Royals.
”I must prefix this by saying if at all it is true, it is very, very sad,” Gilchrist told Wisden India.
Wrongly implicated: Shaun Tait. Photo: AFP
”It’s one of the most disrespectful things that anyone could do as a fellow cricketer. They are affording such disrespect to their peers by doing this. There is absolutely no excuse for this in this day and age. The talk of players being naive or not understanding of the ramifications, that is rubbish. Everyone is so well educated now.
”For my mind, any player found involved in any implications where they are proven that they have handled illegal bookmakers’ bets or whatever, there is no place for them in the game whatsoever ever again. It’s so clear now, we are so knowledgeable on this, there is no excuse.
”So if proven guilty, the harshest penalty from a cricketing point of view should be applied and that’s banned for life.”
His comments came as the Australian players’ union said its members were reporting in increasing numbers that they had seen things in games, not just in the IPL, that made them suspicious.
”The Twenty20 format lends itself to these activities,” said Australian Cricketers Association chief Paul Marsh.
”I’m very confident our players are not involving themselves in these activities and I’m heartened by the fact that players, when they see something they think is wrong, are prepared to take it to authorities. There’s been a marked increase in players coming to us to discuss these issues … I think players are keeping an eye out more, in all leagues and in international cricket. The majority that come to us have seen things that they think are not right in games rather than have direct approaches [from bookies].”
Former Test paceman Sreesanth, Anjit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan are accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from blackmarket bookmakers to concede large numbers of runs from pre-determined overs.
The runs and the over would be worked out in phone conversations or by phone messages, which were being covertly recorded by police.
In one case, police said Chandila forgot to give the pre-arranged signal to the bookies – which was to untuck his shirt and look skywards – before the designated over against the Pune Warriors.
South Australian quick Shaun Tait was exonerated by Indian police of involvement and has since reiterated his innocence to Cricket Australia’s anti-corruption chief, Sean Carroll. Tait is furious that his name was published on social media in relation to the investigation, and said in a statement that he was considering legal options
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