#360cricket: Please keep cheats like Amir, Butt and Asif out

Ajit Vijaykumar 08:03 24/08/2015
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  • Back in action: Mohammad Amir.

    In professional sport, laws are broken every now and then. Some are genuine mistakes while some have a hint of deliberation. Differentiating between the kind of offences committed is generally not that difficult a task, but we are increasingly seeing differing views on similar looking acts.

    This week saw disgraced Pakistan cricketers Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt get relief from the International Cricket Council which announced that they are free to return to competitive cricket from September 2 after serving five-year bans for their involvement in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal. Apparently, the two had fulfilled conditions laid down by the Anti-Corruption Tribunal, which included a public apology, cooperating with the tribunal and attending lectures on the evils of match fixing.

    But the Pakistan board made it clear that a comeback is not on the cards for now as there is no guideline from the ICC in place regarding such ‘re-integration’ and that the two have anyway been out of action for a long time.

    The third culprit in the 2010 Lord’s Test shocker – Mohammad Amir – was cleared to play domestic games in January after the ICC amended its rules which allowed banned players to take part in home matches six months prior to end of their ban. What’s surprising is that there is an actual debate in cricket on whether someone like Amir, who was 18 when he committed the crime, should be allowed to make a comeback as he was young, naive and apparently easily influenced by his skipper Butt.

    Almost no one seems to be coming to the defence of Butt and Asif, who were senior members of the side when the incident occurred.

    For me, we are complicating a simple issue – there should be no place in sport for cheats. Once a player has been caught corrupting the game and has served his sentence, that should be the end of his association with the sport. It’s such a simple concept even kids in kindergarten will agree.

    – Related: Ex-captain Butt targets Pakistan return
    – INTERVIEW: Anwar Ali on plotting a permanent Pakistan place
    – FEATURE: How Bangladesh are building to take on cricket’s elite

    The situation is different when we talk about India fast bowler S Sreesanth and the IPL spot fixing betting scandal where he was first caught and then released for lack of evidence. He continues to be suspended by the Indian cricket board but there is merit in his demand for an opportunity because he has been exonerated by a court of law.

    The Indian team management might never consider Sreesanth again but technically, he has the right to attempt a comeback.

    The problem with having proven cheats around in competitive sport is that it sullies the narrative and alienates fans who are only interested in seeing a clean game.

    During the Beijing World Championships men’s 100m heats, American sprinter Justin Gatlin, who has served two doping bans, was roundly booed as he prepared for his run. In the final, Usain Bolt rose to the challenge yesterday and spared us the dilemma of cheering Gatlin as the world champion.

    Aiming to return: Butt.

    While doping is the worst thing that can happen to athletics, match fixing is, arguably, the lowest point in cricket. The world of athletics is still contemplating whether or not serious dope offenders need to be thrown out of the sport once and for all.

    Cricket administrators should keep things simple by following the rule that those caught committing the gravest of offences simply cannot return to the sport – no exceptions.

    What’s in a leak?

    Yet another ‘secret’ has been revealed through the obviously risky slip-a-note-under-the-door method. The South African team management was left red-faced when a ‘plan’ meant for quick Dale Steyn ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand landed in the room of a member of the public, who duly posted it on Facebook.

    The dossier had assessments of New Zealand batsmen and their apparent weakness. Despite the ‘leak’, South Africa won the opening one-dayer fairly easily.

    Maybe the Kiwis were caught in two minds, unable to decide whether the Proteas will stick to Plan ‘A’ or switch strategies now that the cat was out of the bag.

    To be fair to New Zealand, it’s not easy to benefit from such a situation. The only side in recent memory who got the most out of such a scenario was, funnily enough, South Africa.

    In 2012, the Australian’s game plan was leaked ahead of the three Test series which has specific plans for batsmen, including attacking Jacques Kallis with bouncers and engaging Hashim Amla in a psychological (read verbal) war. The Proteas ended up winning the series 1-0.

    New Zealand fought back well in the second ODI so it might not be too late for them after all. It might be time for the Proteas to make some more tweaks and make sure their plans reach the right hotel room this time. 

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