Teenage Pakistan paceman Mohammad Aamer said he was shocked and disappointed at being handed a five-year ban today.
"I am shocked and hugely disappointed. I wasn't expecting that much of a ban," Aamer said just minutes after the anti-corruption tribunal of the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced its verdict.
Former captain Salman Butt was banned for 10 years - with five suspended, Mohammad Asif for seven years - with two suspended - and Aamer for five years.
The corruption charges relate to alleged incidents during a Test match against England at Lord's last year, when Britain's News of the World newspaper claimed the players were willing to deliberately bowl no-balls.
The newspaper alleged the players had colluded in a spot-fixing scam organised by British-based agent Mazhar Majeed.
Some will say that the bans are too harsh. We are not amongst that number. Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Aamir should, in our humble opinion, have been banned from cricket for life.
As we have mentioned more than once, cricket is our first sporting love. It used to be a game of purity and integrity; the gentleman's game. Sadly, the advent of sports betting has robbed international cricket of its integrity.
We can understand how the Pakistani players in particular have succumbed to temptation. They are low-paid in comparison to other cricketing nations. And they have been shut out of the riches which is the Indian Premier League. It's little wonder that the temptation of fast money has been too much for them to resist.
That does not excuse Butt, Asif and Aamer's behaviour though. The bar was set high when former South African and Indian captains Hansie Cronje and Mohammed Azharuddin were banned for life after being implicated in betting scandals. The Pakistani players knew the risk that they were taking, and should consider themselves lucky not to have received similar bans.
Match-fixing on spot-fixing is a blight on a wonderful game. The ICC has not made the job of eliminating it any easier with these suspensions.
3 comments:
Agree entirely, anything less than a life ban is wet bus ticket territory.
Being less well paid is the outcome of the regimes adherence to Islam and refusing to see the benefits of the openness that reducing the totality of religious influence on their state will bring.
I accept that is not about to change but advancing their low local financial rewards has no more relevance than our national acceptance of alcohol as a remitting factor in excusing wrong behavior, factor yes excuse no.
These experienced (Butt) and almost innocent ( Aamer) along with Asif are a blight on the game and must be eliminated end of story.
If I were judging this case as the administrator of a sport here's what I'd do.
1. Upon hearing the allegations, express disappointment in the actions of the players.
2. Upon hearing the verdict, accept the actions of the players' team as the closing of the matter.
Sports administrators should not be involved with the gambling industry. It creates a conflict of interests.
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