Indian cricketer approached for match-fixing

It might boast of rich and glittering history, but the game of cricket has had its integrity severely tested on several occasions. An array of both distasteful and scandalous affairs have threatened to put the fabric of the game in jeopardy, throughout its history.

In an unprecedented development of affairs in women’s cricket, a player from the national team is now reported to have been approached to fix matches, as revealed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) chief, Ajit Singh Shekhawat.

Singh conveyed to ANI:

“Yes, the cricketer is a member of the women’s team and an international player that’s why the International Cricket Council (ICC) conducted the inquiry. Also, the ICC warned the person who made the approach and informed us and acknowledged that the cricketer has done the right thing by reporting the approach by the fixer,”

The first whiff of sleaze, however, came later yesterday when the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) found its officials in the glare of public attention as the greed and the deceit stood lurking in the corners to cause upheaval in Indian cricket. 

The player, who was approached by the fixer, had reported to the ACU cell, earlier this year, ahead of India’s one-day home series against England. The ACU cell has, in turn, lodged an FIR with the Bengaluru police against the accused. With such firm scrutiny in the sport, match-fixing is expected to take a backseat, with chances of the scourge starting to grow feeble. 

However, cricket has, for long, grappled with match-fixing controversies, despite claims of having a robust anti-corruption line-up by the game’s administrators. To succumb to the bookies’ inducements is not a damning indictment of the player’s rapacity alone, but intimidates a certain sense of patriotic pride.

Now fixing is routinely followed, especially within the gamut of men’s cricket through the money-spinning cricket leagues, much like empty bottles lying in the vicinity of boundary ropes. With the specter of match-fixing now entering the lexicon of women’s cricket, it will be interesting to note how situations unfold in the course of time.