Reports claim India-Pak World Cup semi-final, IPL games fixed
The ugly face of match fixing has once again surfaced and once again Indians and Pakistanis, the favourite whipping boys for all the ills in world cricket, seem to be at the centre of the fresh controversy. It is alleged that the 2011 World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan in March was "fixed".
England's Sunday Times newspaper claimed, through a sting operation, that a "web of match-fixers are increasingly focusing their attention on the English county game and players" because, as it said, "nobody monitors them", in addition to the Indian and Bangladesh T20 leagues and international matches. The publication also alleged that an unnamed Bollywood actress is being used as a honey trap by bookies to make players underperform, and that illegal betting rings are prepared to offer up to £750,000 to players who comply.
The newspaper's undercover reporters claim to have video recorded a Delhi bookmaker, identified as Vicky Seth, "boasting" about his targets. "English county cricket is a good new market," he allegedly says in the poor quality video. "They are low-profile matches and nobody monitors them. That's why good money can be made there without any hassle if we can get the players to play for us."
Another bookie - identified as Monubhai - alleges that he had worked with players from top cricketing nations. "I was invited to strike a deal with some New Zealanders but I didn't go. The IPL starts on April 4, then everyone will be doing it," he is alleged to have said.
The paper claimed that "tens of thousands of pounds are on offer to fix matches, typically £44,000 ($70,000) to batsmen for slow scoring £50,000 ($80,000) for bowlers who concede runs and as much as £750,000 ($1.2 million) to players or officials who can guarantee the outcome of a match".
The International Cricket Council (ICC) declined to comment. Colin Gibson, ICC's head of media and communications, told the paper: "We do not comment of Anti Corruption and Security Unit matters." But, probably, more than the English county games, it is the mention of the India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final in Mohali that should be a reason for concern for cricket fans and the cricket boards of India and Pakistan.
Former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja, who is in Dhaka as a television commentator for the ongoing Asia Cup, admitted that the game has been beset with problems and that a solution has to be found soon.
Reacting to the India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final, the suave Raja, who was part of the commentary team at the match in Mohali on March 30 last year, said it was a "good game".
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