http://bit.ly/fscUDL
By Suresh Menon
South Asia – with three teams in the semifinals of the World Cup – clearly have the power. But are they aware that it comes with responsibility? That this is the nerve centre of cricket has been obvious for nearly two decades now. India is where the money is. The passion is spread over Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka too. The tournament has put the stamp on Asian dominance of an English sport.
The future of cricket will depend on how well the region handles this power. The prognosis is not very encouraging. Match-fixing and its cousin spot-fixing have been rampant. Three Pakistani players, Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir have been banned and face trial in a British court in May. No country is willing to tour Pakistan after the attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore. Pakistan play their matches abroad, and are entitled to their share of the financial returns. Where does all that money go?
The administrators are a disaster. That fine cricket writer, Osman Samiuddin wrote of Ijaz Butt, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board that “a more damaging tenure in the PCB’s history has not been seen,” adding, “Because of him, world cricket bodies will not work with Pakistan.” Butt had accused England of somehow being responsible for the spot-fixing. “Anyone but us,” is a common, but pathetic theme.
No comments:
Post a Comment