ICC anti-corruption bombshell awaits Lanka?
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ICC Chief Executive David Richardson at the ICC Head Office in Dubai where he held a press conference on cricket’s corruption issues involving T-20 cricket. With him were ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) General Manager (GM) Alex Marshall and ICC General Manager Geoff Allardice.
I met this former national cricketer who was fuming. He said he knows the International Cricket Council (ICC) machinery well and exactly how it ticks, and he too, has tentacles into the inner cogs of the ICC wheel. He said that was the last thing he expected Sri Lanka to be, under investigation on corruption charges and added, “I am ashamed to be a Sri Lankan. Our stock at the ICC are very low and am surprised to hear about some of the names in the potpourri. Shocking.”
A while later, another with almost the same credentials told me, “The moment this Pandora’s Box is opened, the reverberations may be even bigger than the Hansei Cronje revelations. Do not be surprised if a part of the cricket roof caves in.”
The very next day, after I heard about it in Sri Lanka, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson at the ICC Head Office in Dubai held a press conference on cricket’s corruption issues involving T-20 cricket. With him were ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) General Manager (GM) Alex Marshall and ICC General Manager Geoff Allardice.
There it was also revealed that at least five Test captains had already complained to the ICC about match fixing approaches made to them. That was revealed in the wake of the ICC also saying that Afghanistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad was approached to underperform during the Afghan Premier League T-20 tournament, which will be played in Sharjah from October 5-23. The approach was made during the just concluded Asia Cup tournament.
In addition, it is also learned that the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit will be here in Sri Lanka for its final inspection tour this week, before deciding whether to drop the bombshell or candy cotton.
Not too far in India, another Sri Lankan national cricket captain who was there on business, was in a similar furious mood. He too was lamenting on the Lankan cricket scenario, saying“We have nothing to do with the game of cricket anymore. We made our contribution to the game in more ways than one but now, that is finished. Let us stay quietly without being dragged into unnecessary embarrassing situations”.
In short, I wish I could reveal the names of those talking to me about the despicable eventualities, which may even impact Sri Lanka Cricket forever. These former cricketers have played the game at the highest level and then ventured into avenues; some in cricket itself and others not but, all are pretty conversant with the happenings in the realms of cricket, in-and-out. Yet, for sure, they all respect the Sri Lankan version of international cricket, because it is from there they learned the art of living in the upper echelons of life. Yet, all are pretty upset about the state of affairs at hand.
One pointed at the state of affairs in cricket upfront. He said, “We can take the Asia Cup tournament. The first news that we learned was about the opening batsman who made the tour even without a bat, announced he was injured and took the return flight home. Just see the respect he has for the country and the game. They are International cricketers with potential and have a great future ahead of them but, the wrong signals passed down the line have given the wrong impression of the gamut of things. To add to it, this particular player made this tour in the wake of another huge misdemeanor, which nearly cost him his very career.
His opinion was that the general decline in standards in cricket governance has led to this situation. He said, “To live in a house, generally, the foundation and the roof should be solid. On the foundation we build the walls and from the roof we seek shelter. In Lankan cricket, neither the foundation nor the roof is solid. So the rest of the house is not suitable to live in. When the cricket administration of this country gives you false values and wrong standards, the very core of cricket gets shaped in that fashion.
“For instance, they have dropped ODI captain Angelo Mathews, after the Asian Games debacle. Then Sports Minister Faiszer Musthapha got worked up and pointed the finger at the Selection Committee, making a big din. However, the minister should learn that, in cricket, the selectors, the coaching unit and the players work as one unit. But, like in any corporate structure, the head of the particular department leads the team upfront. Before taking the field, the management goes through the other salient matters, taking them into account and draw up a game plan. Then, it is the responsibility of the captain of the team to execute the game plan. Generally, if the game plan is not properly executed, it is the captain who is held responsible.
“At the same time, the management committee also is always on the lookout for bad apples. If they discover a bad apple, the management always take it out of the basket, while keeping a vigilant eye on the others who are going bad. They may not be cricket itself.”
As for the sports minister who knows zilch about the intricacies of the game, he is under the notion that putting a plaster was going to heal the wound. Administering bad medicine may have bad repercussions. For argument’s sake, if Mathews has really messed up the game plan and was trying to execute his own plan, saying ‘I do as I want because I am the captain’, it could be a very bad omen. Then, that could be an insinuation of no confidence on the management team. Now, if Mathews is re-introduced as captain into the team, how would it be possible for the management team to shape a team that has to take a World Cup challenge.
Coming back to the original situation that was the topic, even prior to this there have been players who have been coupled with match-fixing tags and groundsmen tailoring the wickets and helping hands at the practice nets being involved in various dubious antics that have been covered through the SLC ingenuity. But, the way the story was narrated, this may not be a story of the boy who called “TIGER”, until it appeared in real one fine day.
By next week or so, the ICC’s Anti-Corruption sleuths also will be on the prowl. According to people with information, Sri Lanka is one of their prime destinations. It is said that, among the people who would be under the microscope, would be some of the people who were holding responsible positions in the previous administration. Some past cricketing icons, current cricket icons and persons involved in other activities connected to cricket.
Yet, in an administration that is well known for dubious standards, nothing is impossible.