And Still I Rise

For quite some time cricket has been plagued by allegations of match fixing. The sight of the late South African captain Hansie Cronje being grilled before a Commission remains etched in my mind. That, I think is when the ICC was forced into realizing that cricket was at times not a gentleman's game. The fallout of that scandal was a life ban for Cronje and the Indian batsman Azharuddin who had introduced him to the bookmakers. Two other South Africans who were implicated were given 6 month bans. Since then the allegations have continued with the actions of several cricketers being questioned. In the past week or so, the Pakistan cricket team has found itself under scrutiny for agreeing to bowl no balls at a specific time in the Lords test. Sadly, match fixing claims have long plagued the Pakistan cricket team culminating in a life ban for former captain Salim Malik.

With all the allegations swirling around some are openly questioning if the West Indies cricket team has succumbed to the lure of match fixing.This no doubt is borne out by the endless losses recorded by the team, the occasions when defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory and the involvement of Marlon Samuels with an Indian bookie. A few persons I've spoken to have brought up several matches that definitely made them think the games were thrown. While I agree that those mentioned were remarkable results, I suspect that many persons are still reluctant to accept the demise of the once great West Indian cricket team and prefer to accept reasons rather than the obvious. This is not to say that I believe West Indian cricketers are made of better moral fibre and will have the moral fortitude to resist temptation. The truth is, they like all others before them are vulnerable and likely to succumb if the price is right.

Still games like this prompt questions against a backdrop where one can never be sure what is happening. That is the match fixing legacy.