Match and Spot-Fixing - a Great Cricket Scandal!

Very thoughtful and perceptive post from hh.

The horrible and iniquitous thing is that the dark revelations of the past few days now make one suspicious of every great or unsusual performance. For example, this morning I looked at the result of yesterday's Somerset v Kent T20 game. In what was reduced to a 13 over match I noticed that Kent, perhaps the weakest batting side in the southern group, smashed an unbelievable 157 in 11 overs off a top attack that included Nannes and Alfie Thomas at a rate of 14 plus per over - and then limply pushed and prodded just seven runs from the final two overs.

Shockingly, my first thought was not 'great win' but 'hello,hello, hello, have Lou's chums been at work  again?' I'm certain that was not the case and it was simply that the Kent top three batted out of their skins for 11 overs and then there was some fantastic death bowling by Somerset. But I hate the evil people who have corrupted both the game and now our minds so that we are immediately suspicious of every extraordinary feat that occurs on a cricket field.

And the initial 'move along, nothing to see here' reaction when Ed Hawkins' book was published two years ago does nothing to reassure us that fixing is now what the PCA insists is a "mostly historical" problem and the education programme has eradicated it.

The way I feel at the moment, I won't be going to any more T20s this season or watching them on Sky Sports as the nagging doubts about the integrity of the product has ruined the enjoyment; I agree with George Dobell when he wrote on cricinfo that the fixing scandal has sabotaged the launch of the T20 Bash. But I hope to continue enjoying four day cricket which is thankfully judged too "dull and boring" to attract the interest of the fixers.

It was deleted

Here's a statement from the ICC re the Sussex v Kent match:

www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/current/story/747235.html

They are basically saying that they had never closed the case on this match.

Key excerpts:

As far as Sussex were concerned, they came to the conclusion at that early stage that this was a clean match. In fact it was through the ACSU's work, including work with Lou Vincent, we came to the conclusion that this match had to be re-examined and we immediately passed on the intelligence to the ECB."



It was, he said, "absolutely and utterly wrong to suggest that in any sense the ICC had given clearance for that match and then a subsequent investigation proved that to be erroneous - that is not the case". To use the term "shut down", Flanagan said, "was not even right."

This is the 'move along, nothing to see here' reaction that I alluded to earlier and combined with Essex's failings over the  Kaneiria/Westfield case it illustrates why I remain  sceptical that the counties are capable of getting to grips with  problems that may arise in their own dressing rooms.

I have followed the debate with great interest, enjoyed the analogies used and, without wishing to be too
sycophantic, congratulate the standard of writing and, in most cases, the fair and even balanced debate shown.
This is a strong start for the new MB.

My penny's worth is this.

I would love to believe that Vincent and Arif were the only two club culprits involved. We can then shut the
door on this horrific affair and move on to enjoy the majority of the season left... BUT...

Given that Vincent was a serial criminal who may have tainted every team he played for, it may be a little naive
to believe this sorry Sussex chapter is already over. And, perhaps, we need courage to keep our minds open to potential
further revelations up the road. Meanwhile, is Vincent the key to uncovering a huge problem that has dogged world
cricket for many years? And how much can the cricket world sustain without destroying itself. For, how far can the
authorities allow the truth of this potential long-term blight to unravel? 

Meanwhile, as the ICC distance themselves from the Sussex hierarchy where accusations may continue, how immune
are they from this affair? Can blame of a possible cover-up be carried to the top? I very much hope not as I have the highest
regard for our excellent hierarchy for whatever happened, they did, for the best of our club. 

What we have read this week may just be the start and not the end? Although, to repeat, I very much hope not. The problem
with the truth is, once the door is open, it has the ability to keep wriggling out and out and...

bm,

To help my sanity and enjoyment of watching cricket and having had the good fortune of talking to
Chris Watts at some length back in 2012, and realising what an excellent job he's done/doing, anything
post 2011 in county cricket is likely to be fair and above board.

Between 2007 and 2011, county cricket was a potential match-fixing orgie for Asian criminals after the
ECB signed the live TV coverage rights for OD matches. That five year window is where a majority
of county cricket fixing occurred.

In 2007 Asian rights for live English cricket were sold to ESPN Star Sports for a period of 5 years for
40 million pounds...


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_and_Wales_Cricket_Board

I have also  talked to Chris Watts. In fact, I was interviewed by him after I passed on suspicions expressed privately by three players that a T20  quarter-final in 2011  had been fixed (not involving Sussex). The players were also interviewed and in the event there was insufficient evidence and charges were never laid; but I was enormously impressed by his calm but rigorous and tough-minded approach to the investigation.

But the episode also reinforced my view that counties are ill-equipped to get grips with problems in their own dressing rooms and it requires trained police officers such as Mr Watts. The county concerned had heard the same gossip and chatter from its players that I had, buit did not report it, presumably due to lack of evidence. But in reality every hint of suspicion has to be reported so that those with the trained skills to investigate - such as Mr Watts - are able to do so.

There is a long and  thoughtful piece here by Mark Nicholas : www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/746669.html

For those who don't have time to read it all, I'd highlight this passage and commend it to Sussex CCC:

"Whistle-blowing should be a duty and must be applauded, not frowned upon. Open discussion about doubtful behaviour and passages of play should become the norm, so that anything underhand is quickly exposed. We have all been guilty of whispering. We have all seen things we have questioned. If we are to rid the game of corruption we shall have to speak freely about our suspicions and concerns. There really is no other way. "

Glad you have broken your silence on the subject, s&f. You started the thread and  I was very keen to know what your  take on events of the past fews days might be...