To our utter shame

The world of cricket woke up Sunday morning to a set of allegations made in a British newspaper that will have shaken it to its foundations. Evidence was presented that members of the Pakistan team currently on tour in the UK took money in exchange for ‘fixing’ details of play within the match in such a way as to benefit crooked punters. The man who set up the fix, Mazhar Majeed, was secretly filmed accepting 150,000 pounds and was caught on tape detailing what he would be able to do by way of influencing the game and the players. There seems little doubt that he has committed a serious offence under British law, he has been arrested and we must await the outcome of legal proceedings. Four of our team, including the captain, were named in the revelations made by the newspaper and another three are alleged to be involved. Majeed claimed that he could influence future games, and had influenced games in the past. The evidence appears conclusive and we are exposed to the world as cheats and frauds once again.
There is never a right time for revelations such as this but there can be little doubt that this was as wrong as it could get. The spectre of cheating has been hanging over Pakistan cricket for years. Our cricketers should have been ambassadors for us at this time – instead they have stabbed us in the back. There can be no running away from this one, no sweeping under the carpet because this may end up in an English court of law and we could even see our players in the dock – certainly as witnesses and possibly as accused. Our own cricket-governing body will be contemplating action today as will the world governing body of cricket. We can expect little mercy. Some of our players could face a lifetime ban. We have lost face and reputation worldwide – and what team will want to play against us if they are unsure whether we are playing a straight bat or not? This is, for professional cricket in Pakistan, a very uncertain future. Perhaps the only way forward now is to literally start from scratch. Sack the lot, top to bottom. Anything less and the stink generated by these allegations will stick to us forever – Thenews