Calling the three Pakistani cricketers involved in the spot fixing scandal that recently rocked the cricketing world as “enemies of the game”, former Indian captain Kapil Dev has urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to act fast in investigating the matter.
The former Indian fast bowler has also termed the three cricketers as betrayers of Pakistani cricket fans.
“It is very sad and unfortunate to see the way these very talented bunch of Pakistani cricketers being involved in cheap incidences of spot fixing. They are a shame for the entire cricketing world and one must say that they have sold the emotions of the entire cricket fans of Pakistan. I want to urge the entire young generation of cricketers to play for their national pride. It is a fact that in today’s world money has become very important; however cricketing pride is higher than any other temptation,” said the cricketer, who was speaking at a business press conference.
While commenting on the role of the senior players in the teams, Kapil said that there was little doubt about the fact that senior players in the teams are often responsible for such scandals. “Young cricket players from countries such as Pakistan and even India come from varied backgrounds and often have very little knowledge about life. The seniors do play a key role in grooming these newcomers since they spend a lot of time together as a team,” said Kapil.
When asked whether betting on matches should be legalised, he refused to comment saying that these issues are best left in the hands of legal experts. “All I wish to say is that cricket cannot be a fixed game such as WWF wrestling. I can only say what I feel from the emotions that I have attached to the game,” added Kapil.
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