August 28, 2010 saw cricket being shamed again after revelations that Pakistan’s three players had indulged in spot-fixing in the Lord’s Test against England.
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In the modern era, cricket has been plagued by several scandals that have shaken the love of the fans. When South Africa skipper Hansie Cronje admitted to the match-fixing scandal in 2000, the game’s foundations were shaken to the core. Fans started doubting the legitimacy of a win, players were banned and corruption in the game of cricket became the major focus. Efforts were made by the ICC to have strict vigilance and ensure bookies did not have easy access to the players.
But, 10 years after the Hansie Cronje scandal, another major controversy erupted in the world of cricket. The world at that time came to terms with a new term in the sport called Spot-Fixing.
Unlike match-fixing, Spot-fixing is an illegal activity in a sport in which a specific aspect of a game, unrelated to the final result but upon which a betting market exists, is fixed in an attempt to ensure a certain result in a proposition bet. The examples included something as minor as timing a no-ball or wide delivery in cricket.
This term came up during the fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s. England was already leading the four-Test series 2-1. But Pakistan had made a stirring comeback by winning the Oval Test in a thriller. In the Lord’s Test, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were once again in their elements. Amir took six wickets and Asif chipped in with one to have England reeling at 102/7.
During the course of the spell, Amir bowled a big no-ball which did not raise much suspicion. It was a big no-ball, about half a foot over the popping crease. Even Asif delivered one no-ball that did not look suspicious. But, the real drama was starting to develop outside of Lord’s.
A video emerged of the News of the World Tabloid Newspaper conducting a sting operation. A bookie, by the name of Mazher Majeed, was caught claiming that he had bribed Amir and Asif to deliberately bowl no balls. Majeed accepted GBP 150,000 and allegedly asked Asif and Amir to bowl no-balls at specific moments of the Lord’s Test. He also alleged that Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal, and three other players were involved in the whole deal. Majeed had contacts with the team, under the assumption he was acting as an agent for players helping them secure sponsorship and kit contracts.
But, there was money found in the hotel rooms of the players. The predictions that Mazher Majeed made in the video were correct, with both Asif and Amir bowling no-balls at that specific moment. The ICC, along with Scotland Yard, was investigating the issue with tremendous seriousness. Pakistan Cricket Board, on the other hand, had denied that any arrests were made and defended their players.
Pakistan lost the Test but the real repercussions were starting. All three players were suspended pending an ICC investigation. Butt filed an appeal to have the suspension lifted. On February 5, 2011, the ICC gave the verdict. All three players were banned. Salman Butt, the Pakistan skipper, was banned for 10 years, Mohammad Asif for seven years and Mohammad Amir for five years. Butt’s ban included a five-year suspension while Asif had a two-year suspension.
But, this meant that Butt, Amir and Asif could not play any form of cricket until 2015. The suspension of sentences for Butt and Asif were conditional on each “[committing] no further breach of the code and…[participating] under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board in a program of anti-corruption education”. All three players were allowed to file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. However, their appeal was denied.
After being banned, Scotland Yard along with the Crown Prosecution Service worked to collect evidence and charge the players involved. On 1 November 2011, at Southwark Crown Court, Majeed, Asif, Amir and Butt were found guilty of conspiracy to cheat at gambling and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments. Majeed and Amir were convicted. On 3 November 2011, jail terms were handed down. Butt was sentenced to two years and six months in jail while Asif was given one year and six months jail term. Amir and Majeed were handed a two-year eight-month time in jail.
After the end of 2015, Mohammad Amir was the first one to make a comeback. His first Test on comeback was the Lord’s Test. He played a major part in Pakistan securing a win at Lord’s. But, it was not the case with Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt. Asif and Butt never managed to make a comeback. They did play some domestic cricket but they never came back in the reckoning.
Amir played for a couple of years before he decided to retire from Tests at an age of 27 as he wanted to manage his workload. But, the lessons of the spot-fixing scandal were not learnt. In the 2013 Indian Premier League, three Indian players, including Sreesanth were convicted of spot-fixing. Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila and Sreesanth were banned after the revelations.
Even in England, the ghost of spot-fixing lingered on. Allegations were made against Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield after he bowled poorly in a Pro40 match against Durham in September 2009. Westfield later pleaded guilty to accepting money for spot-fixing in the match. He attempted to concede twelve runs from his first over although he conceded only ten. Westfield was banned for five years and his Essex team-mate and former Pakistan Test bowler Danish Kaneria received a life ban after he was found to have orchestrated the fix.
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