Players Shouldn’t Be Treated Harshly
By Dawar Naqvi
Yorba Linda, CA
The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal. A former judge Malik Mohammad Qayyum, who conducted a judicial inquiry into match-fixing allegations against Pakistan between September 1998 and May 2000, was referring to the latest match-fixing saga to hit the embattled national team.
The inquiry recommended bans on Salim Malik and paceman Ata-ur-Rehman and fined six other players which included current coach Inzamam-ul-Haq, ex-coach and commentator WaqarYounis, plus current commentator and expert WasimAkram, Saeed Anwar, in-and-out coach Mushtaq Ahmed and Akram Raza.
“It took me two long years and I summoned some 52 players and officials, who all accepted match-fixing existed in cricket,” said Qayyum.
It was recommended in the Justice Qayyum report that the Pakistan Cricket Board keep tight vigil on the players and some of the players should not be given any responsibility in team matters. Today, some of them are still involved in the team’s coaching.
Unfortunately, except for Salim Malik and paceman Ata-ur-Rehman, all players who were fined by PCB always got important positions in PCB after they were fined.
They were involved in match fixing on international level, and due to their violative acts Pakistan cricket team lost important matches.
Recently, at the very beginning of PSL series PCB suspended players who were accused in the meeting with a bookie or a possible match fixing undertaking. PSL is not an international event, this is a private money-maker tournament. Players were representing private teams, not a Pakistan cricket team. If they did wrong, they should be fined or restrained from participating in the PSL. This shouls be enough punishment.
I humbly request the PCB chairman not to punish players harshly, especially when Inzamam-ul-Haq is currently the national cricket coach appointed by the PCB.
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