Power of Caring
  presented by CIGNA

Reactions: Cricket corruption

Users disagree on reasons for Pakistan loss

Posted: Friday July 30, 1999 03:11 PM

Australia's Shane Warne is one of the players under the microscope for corruption. Clive Mason/Allsport

CNN/SI asked users to tell us how they felt about recent allegations that Pakistan's loss to Australia in the World Cup final might have been intentional. Some of the most interesting responses follow:

The final was a disappointment. It seemed the Pakistani's were going through the motions of batting. Not one of the batsmen seriously looked like he was trying, faces expressionless they went in and came out. Did they throw the match? From their demeanour it did look like that.

Salim Malik was allegedly offered $100,000. That's a life-time of savings on the sub-continent, in one transaction. Did he do it? Hard proof is needed. Maybe the Australians should come clean and tell us what they know. They were quick off the mark talking about it, not so quick letting on that their own players, including the ones making the allegations, were actually censured by the ACB.

Possible solution : Hire an independent outside investigator. Back him/her to the hilt. Give him/her carte blanche, to investiaget not just the players, but also the administrators.

Cricket needs to move on and leave this mess behind.
-- Ajesh Sharma, Niagara Falls, Ontario

I don't think cricket is as corrupt as it's made out to be. But there are so many questions that need to be answered. Did the Pakistani players take money to throw games away? It shouldn't take three years to prove or disprove that. I don't understand why Warne and Waugh were let off so easily either. It's too absurd to believe that somebody paid them $5000 for the weather and pitch conditions!! I think the main problem is weak control at the top. ICC is not a strong organization. It needs to have much stricter rules in how the boards deal with the issue of match fixing. I for one surely believe that I'll lose all the love I have for this beautiful game, If the people representing my country threw away games for money. I am sure there are a lot of others like me.
-- AZAD

Pakistan lost due to intense pressure put on the young team by fans and media. It was unfortunate that they got out for such low score.

One has to remember that they are number two in the world. Hats off to Wasim Akram and the team for doing so well until this last game. One side has to win and the other has to lose, and it was unfortunate that Pakistan had to lose.

However, keeping in mind that Pakistan played with a young and an inexperienced side, I would think that they did pretty well. In fact they did very well. It is high time Pakistan fans and media put an end to these baseless accusations and stand by the team all the way. Winning is not everything. It is the true cricketing spirit that matters. How can anyone play well, because the moment Pakistan lose, they call bribery, gambling, drinking and other low means. How low can Pakistan media , fans and some of the former members go to tarnish the good name of these great players and the country as whole. It is high time that these rotten things stop. It is high time they show some respect to this team and Pakistan..It such a great cricketing nation and is has produce some of the finest cricketers in the world.

What the media and some foolish fans do is tarnish the good name of the people who bring honour to Pakistan. I think it is the responsibility of the government to make sure to put an end to this once and for all. As you all know, other western cricketing nations are having good laugh at the expense of Pakistan. So stop this foolishness now and honour the cricketers. Once again congratulations to Wasim Akram, Moin Khan and the team! May they always do well. Good Luck!
-- Chitra Marikar, Edmonton, Alberta,

Well, at this moment this is a very good question. And people will have their opinions on both sides.

Pakistan players have been involved with bookers for a while. Imran Khan was quoted saying to his team, "You can bet as much as you can, provided you get more for winning rather than losing." And ever since he left, players have just been bought to lose matches, rather than win and prove to the world that their talent is the best.

There can be the case of intense pressure. When Pakistan won it in '92, they had an early collapse, and only the senior most players, Javed and Imran played more than half the overs to take control of the match. That experience was 18 years each. Out of this team, only one had an experience of 15 yrs, the rest were all under 10.

I would still think the team got bought out only due to the fact that they didn't fight back. Any other team would have given their best to trouble the opposition, but Pakistan looked as if they just wanted to get their money from the bookies as soon as possible. Geoff Boycott summed it up, "The body language is not there. This is a World Cup Final, they should fight for it."

Nevertheless, Australia outplayed Pakistan, and after the superb victories over South Africa do deserve to win the World Cup.
-- Farhan Mazhar, Dallas, Texas

There's no way to say Pakistan threw the match for sure. Yes, it's a possibility. Until the ICC makes a stand and decides to lay some procedures in place to counter the threat from bookmakers and various other elements, Cricket is bound to suffer at the hands of public opinion for a long time. They say that justice has not only to be done, but seem to be done too.

Take for example the case of Shane Warne and Mark Waugh. I for one don't believe that they unknowningly provided inside information about supposedly "pitch conditions" or otherwise to bookies. Warne for one retained his contract with Nike. What kind of example does this set for kids who look up to these chaps as role models? Then you have people like Salim Malik who were accused by the Australians of trying to offer bribes to throw a game. There seem to be different standards for these players to be judged in their respective countries.

Until there is a "consistent" set of standards and procedures laid out to tackle the problem, bribery is going to be a part and parcel of the game like it's a quintessential part of the "third" world.

The ICC often "lovingly" called the "toothless tiger" in my opinion, is not going to do much to rock the boat in this regard. More things change the more they seem to stay the same.
-- Indika Kotakadeniya, Columbus, Ohio

Cricket, I feel is corrupt. I feel the problem can be resolved if the reward for winning the world cup is increased substantially. There should be a strong incentive for winning the world cup and there should be consequences for losing in the world cup. Teams that lose should drop in the world rankings depending on how they lost and strength of schedule.

But before any of this happens the rules of the World Cup need to be straightened out. I don't know what the committee was thinking but trying to make the rules unique was stupid. Every game in a tournament should have a clear winner. Weather should not decide a draw. I think Cricket is just like boxing in that the officials themselves don't understand the game. This makes it harder to enforce anything on players' performances.
-- Neil, Wichita, Ks.

I think Pakistan did throw thw match away due to the following reason.

1.The way were playing on bating friendly pitch make them look like club cricketers or it seem like they were playing test cricket.

2.They come in the final with two big wins and their confidence was very high especially their upper order finally start clicking, Anwer making two back to back hundreds.

3.When they come back to field they give clear indication that they believe they lost the game.

4.Their failed placement their body language was that they don't want to be there. The world best bowling attack looks like some low level club team.

5.Wasim was trying to defend the total. Even with Pakistan's pathetic bating performance they were able to score 132 in 39 overs how could you even think that you restrict Australia under 132.
-- Ovais Bajwa, Elkridge, Md.