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Cricket's dirty laundry Match-fixing scandal overshadows test matches
Again cricket is making headlines for the wrong reasons at a time when the sport should be getting ready to ride a wave of popularity. The latest, sinister twist in the match-fixing scandal is detracting from some fascinating 5-day contests between some of the world's elite nations. A rejuvenated England is about to begin a three-test series in Pakistan, Australia is looking to win its record 11th straight test at the start of a series against the West Indies and the gritty New Zealanders are in South Africa. Wicketkeeper-batsman Alec Stewart will be trying to put aside his surprise inclusion in the Indian police report into match-fixing to help England against the Pakistanis. The former England captain admitted to being in a state of shock after allegations emerged that he received about US$7500 from an Indian bookmaker for pitch and weather information during the 1990s. Stewart, a model professional with a hitherto squeaky-clean reputation, denied the charges in a newspaper column. Even so, England's selectors are worried that he may still be too distracted to perform at his best. Like Stewart, Australian veteran Mark Waugh says that fresh allegations against him are untrue. But they promise to put a dent in his confidence as he tries to fight off several younger batsmen who are challenging for his place in the Australian middle order. As one of the nine non-Indian players named in the match-fixing report, Waugh and his denials are taking away from the excitement of Australia's quest to equal the West Indies' record as the winningest test nation in history. Brian Lara is playing for the Windies in the rfive-test series Down Under, trying to dodge reporters who are questioning him about his presence in the Indian report. Lara, who holds the world record for the highest individual scores in both test and first-class cricket, is a sad shadow of his former self in a very poor team. The left-hander had the potential to be better than Sir Viv Richards and even the greatest of them all, Sir Donald Bradman, but wasted much of his talent through indiscipline and lack of focus at a time when the Caribbean nations needed him most. In addition to allegations (denied by Lara) that he was paid to under-perform six years ago, he earned the ire of West Indies officials by his excessive night clubbing during the disastrous English tour earlier this year. By comparison, the South Africa-New Zealand series is relatively free of controversy. The South Africans have a new captain in Shaun Pollock with the disgraced Hansie Cronje serving a lifetime ban for accepting money from bookmakers, while no current New Zealand player is accused of match-fixing. Former skipper Martin Crowe, however, was named in the report, although he has since retired. Zimbabwe has arrived in India for a 40-day tour, causing barely a ripple of interest with the south Asian nation still reeling after allegations that implicate former captains Mohammad Azahruddin and Ajay Jadeja among others. I get the feeling that those fingered in this and previous reports are angry, scared and, for the most part, in a state of denial. Without doubt, some are innocent of the charges against them, but those who aren't need to step forward. Rather than feeling sorry for themselves because they were one of the unlucky few who got caught, they should simply tell the truth. Wouldn't that be refreshing? The irony is that the damning Indian report refers mostly to one-day internationals, yet the controversy is also tarnishing cricket's crown jewel, the five-day test match. As for the upcoming Test series, here are some predictions: Pakistan to defeat England 2-1 Australia will be 4-0 winners over the West Indies, who will also lose to Australia 'A' in tour matches and to Zimbabwe in the triangular one-day series South Africa to beat New Zealand 2-0 India will get a 2-0 result over Zimbabwe Jason Dasey is co-host of World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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