Guilty as charged

International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal hearing the spot fixing case against three Pakistani players has announced a guilty verdict, banning the former captain Salman Butt for ten years, and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir for seven and five years, respectively. The punishment has brought ignominy to the entire nation though it comes not as a surprise.
The players' fate was effectively sealed when earlier this month the Crown Prosecution Service brought criminal charges against the trio and Mazhar Majid, front man for a betting syndicate. That meant the British police believed it had enough evidence to convict the players.
The ICC handed them minimum punishment. Yet for the senior two players, it is effectively the end of their careers. Aamir, only 18-years-old, and currently regarded as the best fast bowler in the world, can still rebound after the ban is over. Some commentators have termed the verdict a case of bias against Pakistani players, also accusing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of not providing legal and moral support to the trio in the ICC tribunal proceedings. They still have a chance to clear their names in the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sports, and of course in the British courts.
Match fixing or, as in the present case, spot fixing, brings cricket itself into disrepute. Even genuine wins and losses become suspect in the eyes of the spectators. As the Pakistan cricket legend Imran Khan has aptly put it "once the players were proven guilty, punishment had to be given for the sake of cricket in general and for the sake of Pakistan cricket in particular."
So far as the role of PCB is concerned, it is not without blame. This is not the first incident of its kind in Pakistan, or indeed in the cricketing world. There have been several instance of match fixing in the past. It has brought down several icons such as Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin and South Africa's Hansie Cronje, and some of our own prominent players, including former captain Saleem Malik.
PCB officials should have taken a tough stance with the past wrongdoers, and in the light of their past experience, also maintained a high level of discipline and vigilance. That, though, was not to be. It is worthwhile to recall here that back in 2000 a special inquiry report, prepared by a Lahore High Court judge, looking into several allegations of match fixing, had recommended bans and fines for several players. The cricket establishment later overturned punishments in most cases.
That may have acted as a source of encouragement for the new players. Then there is the issue of lack of discipline. The video evidence from the present incident, that took place during the Test at Lords, showed the players easily mixing with the tabloid News of the World's sting operator and the bookie. This was a glaring lapse on the part of the management. Now that we are where we are, instead of pointing fingers at outsiders, the PCB must put its own act together and adopt a zero tolerance policy for any transgression. It owes that to the nation and to the fair name of the game of cricket.