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ShareIn the good old days such charges and counter-charges would have been the stuff of spoof and farce. But since we have all been chastened since the events of circa 2000 when the match-fixing scam erupted and nearly destroyed the game, the controversy was allowed to be played out in its complete absurdity.
One can't be dismissive of the threat of match-fixing, of course. History tells us something which will be ignored at peril to the game. Who would have thought that some of the biggest names in the game would be involved in the scam in 2000? There were few tell-tale signs of hanky-panky even then, so the vigilance has to be sustained and severe.
Moreover, corruption is also not peculiar to cricket. As we have seen in recent weeks, Formula One has come under a cloud. Tennis, of course, has been waging a grim battle against 'tanking' for a while, and athletics seems to be fighting a losing battle against drugs. How to weed out corruption in sport is a vexing issue that demands sustained, and harsh efforts.
But such scrutiny cannot be allowed to degenerate into unsubstantiated accusations. This sullies not only the reputation of players, but mocks the sport itself.
In cricket, players from Pakistan (and India to an extent) find themselves particularly vulnerable in this matter, not merely because the epicentre of the match-fixing scam was found to be located in the sub-continent, but sadly also because people from the countries in this region are so sceptical of their own.
The beauty of cricket -- indeed any sport -- lies in a certain amount of unpredictability. When minnows topple the mighty (India beating the West Indies in the 1983 World Cup), it makes for heroism. Upsets, setbacks and unexpected fightbacks add to the drama of not just sport, but life itself. Strong precaution and prompt punishment, not cynicism, I believe, is needed in tackling the menace of corruption. Find the cheats and fix them, but let's not condemn without basis.
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By some quirk of circumstances I found myself as Rajan Bala's roommate during the 1982-83 series against Pakistan. I was on my first tour, he was a widely regarded senior pro, but we jelled well, and quickly. He loved his tipple and I enjoyed his anecdotes and arguments, laced with Samuel Johnson-like sarcasm and witticisms.
Rajan was strong on the history and technique of the game, and a raconteur par excellence. Several thought he was plain pompous, but this could be because he would flaunt his erudition without modesty.
He was dialectical in his approach, spinning theories that ranged from the banal to the profound but with a sense of conviction that is the preserve of the truly obsessed. Rajan lived, slept and dreamt cricket.
I don't know if he had a premonition about death that his new book slated for release is called Days Well Spent, but I can aver that the title is the mot juste.
