The Dhaka Times Desk Cricket is called a gentleman's game. But the stigma of match-fixing over the years is putting a terrible scratch on this title, above all the beauty of the game. The conviction of three Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir for spot-fixing shook the entire cricket world. However, from time to time allegations of match-fixing have come up and are hurting the dignity of the game.
If you go through the history of cricket, it can be seen that many players have been banned from the game before because of match fixing. Today's report is about 10 of them:
1. Hansi Cronje
In April 2000, the batting wizard Sachin Tendulkar, whose bowling he considered the most difficult to face, was accused of match-fixing by Hansi Cronje, along with his three South African team-mates Herschelle Gibbs, Nicky Bowe and Peter Strydom. The South African Cricket Board and the players initially denied the allegations. But Cronje was sacked as captain 3 days later when he admitted that he had not been "completely honest". Cronje and his teammates leaked shocking information about their relationship with the bookies. On 11 October, Cronje was banned for life from playing or coaching cricket. About 2 years later, at the age of 32, Hansi Cronje died in a plane crash along with two other pilots.
2. Mohammad Azharuddin
As long as he played for the team, Azharuddin was the shining star of the team. Was great in batting, fielding, was an inspiring captain. Statistically, he is one of the most successful captains in Indian cricket, his record of 103 ODI wins as captain remains unbroken. But when Hansie Cronje revealed in his confession that it was Azharuddin who introduced him to the bookies, he was also accused of match-fixing. The CBI started investigating all this and Azharuddin also admitted to fixing three ODI matches at one point. As a result, the BCCI banned him from cricket for life in 2000, although they lifted the ban six years later.
3. Manoj Prabhakar
Manoj Prabhakar was an integral part of the Indian cricket team in the early nineties. He used to make the batsman sweat with the ball. However, his career did not last long, he was left out of the 1995-96 World Cup squad and retired immediately. In 2000, Kapil Dev and some other cricketers got involved in the match-fixing controversy. He was found guilty of match fixing and BCCI banned him for 5 years. Later he failed to enter politics and got involved in coaching.
4. Herschel Gibbs
The match-fixing allegations that destroyed Cronje's cricket career rocked that of Herschel Gibbs. With tears in his eyes, he admitted that he had taken $15,000 from captain Cronje to score "less than 20 runs" in an ODI match. But he did not keep that promise and instead scored 74 runs in that match. Because of this he was banned for only 6 months, after which he returned to the South African team and got a revival as a player.
5. Henry Williams
Like Gibbs, Williams agreed to play badly in an ODI in Nagpur. But this South African bowler could not complete his bowling quota due to a shoulder injury and therefore did not get any money. He was also banned from international cricket for 6 months. He did not return to the game as a cricketer. Later became bowling coach of Boland.
6. Marlon Samuels
The West Indian cricketer was accused by Indian police of leaking team information to a bookie before a match against India in 2007. Police claim they have records of phone conversations between Samuels and Mukesh Kochkar, a bookie. After being found guilty in 2008, the ICC banned him from cricket for two years, although he maintained his innocence. He returned to cricket after the ban, playing for Jamaica and later for the West Indies.
7. Ajay Jadeja
Ajay Jadeja was the centerpiece of the Indian team due to his excellent fielding and batting. BCCI banned him for 5 years after the CBI investigation found evidence of his match-fixing. Jadeja appealed against the ban in the Delhi High Court, but the appeal was dismissed when no one appeared for him to hear the case. However, later on, he was given an opportunity to play domestic cricket, captaining Delhi, Rajasthan. He also tried to make a career in Bollywood, although it did not succeed.
8. Maurice Odumbe
Maurice Odumbe was one of Kenya's top cricketers. In 2004, he was found guilty by the ICC of taking money from bookies when allegations of match-fixing were made against him and he was banned from cricket for 5 years. After his suspension, Odumbe became deeply involved in social service work, particularly in the welfare of children orphaned by AIDS. After overcoming the ban Odumbe returned to the game with domestic cricket.
9. Ajay Sharma
Ajay Sharma was a run machine of sorts in domestic cricket, averaging 67.46. Despite setting many records in domestic cricket, he could not show anything special when he got a chance in the Indian national team. His cricket career ended with a life ban for match-fixing.
10. Salim Malik
Salim Malik was a key player in the Pakistan team for a considerable period of time. He has played many memorable innings for the team and once captained the team. He was accused of bribery and banned for life from cricket in 2000. Salim Malik is the first cricketer to be banned for match-fixing. Malik claims to be innocent from the beginning, later it turns out that his claim is indeed true. His ban was lifted in 2008, but he never returned to cricket.
Source: mensxp.com
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