Betting controversies in cricket
Encyclopedia
Cricket
has had a number of controversies relating to players being involved with the betting aspects of the game. In particular, numerous players have been approached by bookmaker
s and bribed to, throw matches, aspects of matches (e.g. the toss) or provide other information.
police intercepted a conversation between a blacklisted bookie and the South Africa
n cricket
captain Hansie Cronje
in which they learnt that Cronje accepted money to throw matches. The South African government refused to allow any of its players to face the Indian investigation unit. A court of inquiry was set up and Cronje admitted to throwing matches. He was immediately banned from all cricket. He also named Saleem Malik
(Pakistan
), Mohammed Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja
(India
). Jadeja was banned for 4 years. They too were banned from all cricket. As a kingpin, Cronje exposed the dark side of betting, however with his untimely death in 2002 most of his sources also have escaped law enforcement agencies. Two South African cricketers, Herschelle Gibbs
and Nicky Boje
, were also listed as wanted by the Delhi police for their role in the match fixing saga.
and Shane Warne
's fines from the Australian Cricket Board for offering information about the weather and pitch information to "John the bookmaker". The report by Rob O'Regan
QC, concluded that cricketers were not fully informed about the dangers of interacting with bookmakers, and although no further punishment could be given to either Waugh or Warne, in the future players should be punished by not only fines, but also by suspensions.
The ICC
was slow to react, but did eventually in 2000 set up an Anti-Corruption and Security Unit headed by Sir Paul Condon, former head of London's Metropolitan Police
. It claims to have reduced corruption in cricket to a 'reducible minimum'.
During the 4th Test of 2010 Pakistani tour of England
, English newspaper News of the World published a story with allegations that Mazhar Majeed
and some of the Pakistani players were involved in spot fixing.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
has had a number of controversies relating to players being involved with the betting aspects of the game. In particular, numerous players have been approached by bookmaker
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
s and bribed to, throw matches, aspects of matches (e.g. the toss) or provide other information.
1999-2000 India-South Africa match fixing scandal
In 2000, the DelhiDelhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
police intercepted a conversation between a blacklisted bookie and the South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
n cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
captain Hansie Cronje
Hansie Cronje
Wessel Johannes "Hansie" Cronje was a South African cricketer and captain of the South African national cricket team in the 1990s...
in which they learnt that Cronje accepted money to throw matches. The South African government refused to allow any of its players to face the Indian investigation unit. A court of inquiry was set up and Cronje admitted to throwing matches. He was immediately banned from all cricket. He also named Saleem Malik
Saleem Malik
Saleem Malik is a former Pakistani cricketer who played between 1981/82 and 1999, at one stage captaining the Pakistani cricket team. He was a right-handed wristy middle order batsman who was strong square of the wicket. His legbreak bowling was also quite effective...
(Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
), Mohammed Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja
Ajay Jadeja
Ajaysinhji Daulatsinhji Jadeja was born on 1 February 1971 in royal rajput family of Jamnagar, Gujarat. He was a regular in the Indian cricket team between 1992 and 2000, playing in 15 Test matches and 196 One Day Internationals. His cricketing achievements were overshadowed by a 5 year ban for...
(India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
). Jadeja was banned for 4 years. They too were banned from all cricket. As a kingpin, Cronje exposed the dark side of betting, however with his untimely death in 2002 most of his sources also have escaped law enforcement agencies. Two South African cricketers, Herschelle Gibbs
Herschelle Gibbs
Herschelle Herman Gibbs is a South African cricketer, more specifically a batsman.Gibbs was schooled at St Joseph's Marist College and then Diocesan College in Rondebosch...
and Nicky Boje
Nicky Boje
Nico "Nicky" Boje is a South African cricketer who played in 43 Tests and 115 One Day Internationals for South Africa, and attended Grey College in Bloemfontein...
, were also listed as wanted by the Delhi police for their role in the match fixing saga.
Other controversies
Among the scandals were Mark WaughMark Waugh
Mark Edward Waugh AM is a former Australian cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, and made his One-Day International debut in 1988. Waugh is regarded as one of the most elegant and gifted stroke makers to ever play the game. His nickname is "Junior" as...
and Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
's fines from the Australian Cricket Board for offering information about the weather and pitch information to "John the bookmaker". The report by Rob O'Regan
Rob O'Regan
Rob O'Regan is an Australian Barrister and former head of the Queensland Criminal Justice Commission. He is also known for his involvement with the Australian Red Cross, gaining the position of chairman in 2001....
QC, concluded that cricketers were not fully informed about the dangers of interacting with bookmakers, and although no further punishment could be given to either Waugh or Warne, in the future players should be punished by not only fines, but also by suspensions.
The ICC
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
was slow to react, but did eventually in 2000 set up an Anti-Corruption and Security Unit headed by Sir Paul Condon, former head of London's Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
. It claims to have reduced corruption in cricket to a 'reducible minimum'.
During the 4th Test of 2010 Pakistani tour of England
Pakistani cricket team in England in 2010
The Pakistan cricket team toured England from 29 July to 22 September 2010. The tour consisted of four Tests, two Twenty20s and five One Day Internationals .-1st Test:-2nd Test:-3rd Test:-4th Test:...
, English newspaper News of the World published a story with allegations that Mazhar Majeed
Mazhar Majeed
Mazhar Majeed is a British Pakistani sporting agent and bookmaker who came under police investigation in 2010 following reports of cricket 'match fixing' after a News of the World sting operation. On Saturday August 28, 2010, he was arrested by the Scotland Yard for allegedly fixing a Test match...
and some of the Pakistani players were involved in spot fixing.
In popular culture
- The 2008 novel Raffles and the Match-Fixing Syndicate, by Adam Corres, which places E.W.Hornung's A.J.Raffles, 'the gentleman thief' into the world of cricket match-fixing. This black humour comedy includes speculation on the infamous Hansie Cronje and Bob Woolmer incidents.
- The 2009 HindiHindiStandard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
film, 9999 (2009 film)-Reception:The film's music received mixed reviews from critics. Indiatimes gave the soundtrack three stars out of four, saying the songs "What's Up", "Soch Mat Dobara", "Punjab Size" were average while praising "Kal Ki Tarah" and "Delhi Destiny". Bollywood Hungama's Joginder Tuteja gave the album...
, starring Kunal Khemu, Boman IraniBoman IraniBoman Irani is an Indian film and theatre actor and photographer. Irani began his acting career in theatre and moved to film in 2000 at the age of 44 with a role in Josh...
, Soha Ali KhanSoha Ali Khan- Early life :Khan was born into the erstwhile princely family of Pataudi. She has Muslim Pashtun ancestry through Nawabs of Pataudi lineage from her father's side and Bengali Hindu ancestry from her mother's side...
and Cyrus BroachaCyrus BroachaCyrus Broacha is a TV anchor, Theatre Personality, Political Satirist, columnist and author. He is also a stand-up comedian and prankster, best known for his show Bakra on MTV and his show The Week that Wasn't on CNN-IBN.-Early years:...
, is set in the year 1999, with the India-South Africa match fixing controversy as the backdrop. - The 2008 HindiHindiStandard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
film, JannatJannat (film)Jannat is a 2008 Bollywood film directed by Kunal Deshmukh and starring Emraan Hashmi, Sonal Chauhan, Sameer Kochhar and Javed Shaikh...
, directed by Kunal DeshmukhKunal DeshmukhKunal Deshmukh is an Indian film director of made his debut with Jannat in 2008, starring Imran Hashmi.-Early life and education:After finishing his schooling at Arya Vidya Mandir, Bandra, Mumbai and junior college at Jai Hind, Church Gate, he took up an advertising course at H.R. College. Later,...
and starring Emran Hashmi, Sonal ChauhanSonal ChauhanSonal Chauhan is an Indian fashion model and actress. She has won several beauty contests and made her acting debut in the movie Jannat directed by Kunal Deshmukh .-Early life:...
and Javed SheikhJaved SheikhJaved Sheikh is a Pakistani actor, director and producer who is involved with Bollywood, Lollywood, and Pollywood films.-Career:Sheikh's first movie as actor was the Lollywood film Dhamaka, released on 14 December 1974. He since acted in over 100 Urdu films from the 1970s through to the early...
is also based on Match fixing.
See also
- List of cricketers banned for match fixing
- Pakistan cricket spot-fixing controversy