Marty Melville—AFP
Cricket is religion in Pakistan. It is no surprise then that the latest assault on the sport has sent the faithful into hyperbolic fits of disbelief, denial—and anger.
On Aug. 29, British tabloid News of the World published an exposé naming and shaming four Pakistani players for allegedly throwing matches at the behest of their suspected fixer Mazhar Majeed, a 35-year-old failed businessman turned bookie. The revelations suggest a broader network involving at least four other players and some officials, and came at an inopportune time: during the series at Lord’s against England which Pakistanis were turning to as a distraction from the floods. The series concluded on schedule the following day.
The hidden camera confessions of Pakistani-Briton Majeed, who faces criminal prosecution, make this scandal the most damning yet for the sport. “If any player is found guilty he should be made an example of,” says cricket legend Imran Khan, who in 1994 admitted to ball tampering, another violation of the game’s rules. At a protest in Lahore on Aug. 30, a score of furious fans pelted tomatoes at donkeys made to wear signs with the names of the disgraced players. Former British model Elizabeth Hurley has expressed disappointment: “I bet those poor, young Pakistani players are forced to cheat. I feel sorry for them.” And some columnists in Pakistan believe this was just another conspiracy to defame their country.
Malik Qayyum, the judge who in 2000 led the first judicial commission into reports of cricketing irregularities, blames half-hearted measures against rule-breakers. No action can be expected against the players in Pakistan because the outcome of local inquiries is determined by what is considered best for the country, not the sport. Qayyum concedes that he was “lenient” toward some players in his own inquiry “for the sake of my country.”
This matter is not in the hands of Pakistani officials. Three players—Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir, and skipper Salman Butt—have been suspended by the International Cricket Council, the highest world body for the sport. They have also been questioned by Scotland Yard, which said it had found £50,000 in cash in Butt’s hotel room in London. The players could be charged with conspiracy to defraud bookkeepers, an offense that carries a maximum prison term of 10 years under England’s laws. Pakistan’s high commissioner to the U.K. says the three will remain in England for “as long as needed.”
For a country starved for good news, this is just not cricket.