The Cricket Match-Fixing Scandal

[Kittygalore]

It is not something new to the table, Op. Matches were being fixed since the sport was born because every player has a weakness and these bookies or parties who don't want a specific team to win, bribe players either through money, girls or even drugs. You should watch an Indian web series called 'Inside Edge' because it has all the facts you should look into, and it is also related to gambling, but a corporate (insider) level gambling, not what we do.

Knowing that a documentary regarding match fixing do exist, I find it really unfathomable as to how deep the match fixing abyss is with a lot of powerful people involved in it, I will assume that it involves the whole organization. Pretty sad that knowing match fixing exist, you can't fully enjoy the game because at the back of your mind you think that the players aren't playing at their best.

[Pmalek]

Match fixing is a relatively new phenomenon, at least as far as cricket is concerned.

Due to the way the game is played, spot fixing in cricket, which involves only manipulating certain small segments of the match, wouldn't be that difficult to do and it can easily be concealed from those that don't need to know. Be it the federations and anti-gambling committees, or the fans. Unless there is proof that a player was bribed, or there are records of calls or SMS messages, how would you know about it. A player can always he played badly for this or that reason.     

[AicecreaME]

Rigging in sports in not new anymore, the only thing you'll get after you paid the ticket is disappointment because the match has been fixed. The main reason behind it is all about money, because they could make a lot more money in match fixing rather than playing a clean match, I mean, who doesn't want easy money, right? Especially in this time of pandemic where we really need money to survive and sustain our daily needs as well as our bills monthly.

[madnessteat]

Match fixing is a relatively new phenomenon, at least as far as cricket is concerned.

Due to the way the game is played, spot fixing in cricket, which involves only manipulating certain small segments of the match, wouldn't be that difficult to do and it can easily be concealed from those that don't need to know. Be it the federations and anti-gambling committees, or the fans. Unless there is proof that a player was bribed, or there are records of calls or SMS messages, how would you know about it. A player can always he played badly for this or that reason.     

You are absolutely right. This is the kind of thing professionals do. They never discuss their cases on a mobile phone or on the internet. I assume that all meetings are held in a secure room where no outsider can get in. So proving anything is simply unrealistic.

[imstillthebest]

Rigging in sports in not new anymore, the only thing you'll get after you paid the ticket is disappointment because the match has been fixed. The main reason behind it is all about money, because they could make a lot more money in match fixing rather than playing a clean match, I mean, who doesn't want easy money, right? Especially in this time of pandemic where we really need money to survive and sustain our daily needs as well as our bills monthly.

its dissapointing if you find out that theres a match fixing that happen but most of the time you wont figure it out and what you will expect is only a normal loss but losses are still dissapointing to the many .
i dont think its pure money but a player could be rich to not care for the money but they can use their money to stay in their current position .
some just want fame but this is shameful if they will find out and they can carry this until they get old of until they die

[dunfida]

Rigging in sports in not new anymore, the only thing you'll get after you paid the ticket is disappointment because the match has been fixed. The main reason behind it is all about money, because they could make a lot more money in match fixing rather than playing a clean match, I mean, who doesn't want easy money, right? Especially in this time of pandemic where we really need money to survive and sustain our daily needs as well as our bills monthly.

its dissapointing if you find out that theres a match fixing that happen but most of the time you wont figure it out and what you will expect is only a normal loss but losses are still dissapointing to the many .
i dont think its pure money but a player could be rich to not care for the money but they can use their money to stay in their current position .
some just want fame but this is shameful if they will find out and they can carry this until they get old of until they die

When it comes to conscience then dont expect that it would be somewhat relevant into these players since they wouldnt really care at all as long they would neither get money or popularity
on which this one matter most.

Match fixing cant really be known until it gets busted and its hard to determine until there's some news or proofs that had been showed in the public.
This is not common but it do really exist.

Fixed matches doesnt limit only to this sport but on other sports as well.

[paxmao]

I am not surprised to read bout a match fixing in general, particularly not surprised that any short of fixing happens in India, where you can actually buy a certified negative COVID test from the f*ing laboratory that is certifying the results for just 20 extra bucks. Now, what I am really surprised is about them being caught and about how long took for the investigation to get there. There must be something political about all this, I just cannot see this as merely casual.

[Sithara007]

I am not surprised to read bout a match fixing in general, particularly not surprised that any short of fixing happens in India, where you can actually buy a certified negative COVID test from the f*ing laboratory that is certifying the results for just 20 extra bucks. Now, what I am really surprised is about them being caught and about how long took for the investigation to get there. There must be something political about all this, I just cannot see this as merely casual.

Politics is definitely involved. Mohammad Azharuddin, who is regarded as the mastermind behind the match fixing scandals of the 90s went on to become a Member of Parliament with the Indian National Congress (who were in power back then). The master mind behind the IPL betting scandal is still owning powerful position within the BCCI. Sreesanth, who was acquitted by the court on spot-fixing allegation contested the election for the ruling BJP (but lost the polls and came third).

[goaldigger]

Rigging in sports in not new anymore, the only thing you'll get after you paid the ticket is disappointment because the match has been fixed. The main reason behind it is all about money, because they could make a lot more money in match fixing rather than playing a clean match, I mean, who doesn't want easy money, right? Especially in this time of pandemic where we really need money to survive and sustain our daily needs as well as our bills monthly.

This is happening even before pandemic, fixed matches are being organized well so they can collect more money and put it directly on their pocket. Most of the top players are being paid for this one, they agreed to play under such fixed game even if its against their goals. Anyway, don't place your bet if you think the match is fixed so you wont lose money, we can also see such matches in Boxing nowadays.

[Chato1977]

I am not surprised to read bout a match fixing in general, particularly not surprised that any short of fixing happens in India, where you can actually buy a certified negative COVID test from the f*ing laboratory that is certifying the results for just 20 extra bucks. Now, what I am really surprised is about them being caught and about how long took for the investigation to get there. There must be something political about all this, I just cannot see this as merely casual.

From Basketball(Specifically NBA) and other sports now cricket ?

Actually since i was young , I am hearing this issue but there are no proof at all , but now that there are easy way to prove about what's happening now.

with high tech gadgets and people willing to cooperate just to broadcast this? then yeah i think this is the true way of dealing in gambling and sports.

[7788bitcoin]

I am not surprised to read bout a match fixing in general, particularly not surprised that any short of fixing happens in India, where you can actually buy a certified negative COVID test from the f*ing laboratory that is certifying the results for just 20 extra bucks.

Are you saying that people are getting fake COVID test report and why would anyone do that when people are literally dying as per the news reports i have seen and this is criminal and i have no idea how to react to these.

 Sreesanth, who was acquitted by the court on spot-fixing allegation contested the election for the ruling BJP (but lost the polls and came third).

If he contested for the ruling party then why he did not get the permission to play in the IPL .

  Anyway, don't place your bet if you think the match is fixed so you wont lose money, we can also see such matches in Boxing nowadays.

How do we even know whether a match is fixed or not, we only come to know if there is an investigation going on. Even if we placed a bet and lost the bet the money is gone and you are not getting your funds refund even if at a later time it is found that the particular match was fixed.

[Silberman]

OK guys.. so a few hours back, we had official response from the International Cricket Council (ICC), which is the global governing body for the sport of cricket. As expected, they have downplayed the allegations.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/icc-says-al-jazeera-s-allegations-implausible-concludes-investigation-1263319

The ICC has concluded a three-year long investigation into allegations aired on a TV documentary in 2018 linking England and Australia players being involved in spot-fixing in two Test matches in India, in 2016 and 2017, calling them "implausible". The ICC's anti-corruption unit (ACU) has also cleared five individuals, including two former cricketers, of any charges due to "insufficient evidence".

A few of the big names were mentioned in the documentary, including international players Dilhara Lokuhettige of Sri Lanka and Pakistan player Hasan Raza. They will face no disciplinary action, either from the ICC, or from the regional boards.

Disappointing but not unexpected, it is obvious what it is happening, they think that if they were to admit there was some wrongdoing then that will damage the sport and they have decided to hide everything and make it seem as if nothing is happening, however what will happen with this decision is that the few that know about this will stop supporting the sport and the organizations responsible for this are just going to keep fixing games and become more powerful to the point they may take control of the sport one day.

[Sithara007]

 Sreesanth, who was acquitted by the court on spot-fixing allegation contested the election for the ruling BJP (but lost the polls and came third).

If he contested for the ruling party then why he did not get the permission to play in the IPL .

From what I heard, he was double crossed by the BJP guys. The court had acquitted him and it ruled that the ban against him was illegal. But the BCCI would not remove the ban, due to the involvement of powerful people (Sreesanth made a lot of enemies during his career). When the state elections were around in 2016, Sreesanth was approached by the BJP and was asked to contest as a candidate. In return he got the assurance that his ban will be removed. He contested the elections, but after that BJP went back on its word.

[leea-1334]

From what I heard, he was double crossed by the BJP guys. The court had acquitted him and it ruled that the ban against him was illegal. But the BCCI would not remove the ban, due to the involvement of powerful people (Sreesanth made a lot of enemies during his career). When the state elections were around in 2016, Sreesanth was approached by the BJP and was asked to contest as a candidate. In return he got the assurance that his ban will be removed. He contested the elections, but after that BJP went back on its word.

Sigh,,, welcome to Asian politics which bleeds all the corruption and scandals into sports. Happens in football also and even small games like badminton, but yes, very problematic in cricket.

In Pakistan, the country's leader was an ex cricket player too so we all know cricket gains respect and it leads you into a path to popularity and politics. Very sad but unfortunately,,, nothing new.

[Lanatsa]

From what I heard, he was double crossed by the BJP guys. The court had acquitted him and it ruled that the ban against him was illegal. But the BCCI would not remove the ban, due to the involvement of powerful people (Sreesanth made a lot of enemies during his career). When the state elections were around in 2016, Sreesanth was approached by the BJP and was asked to contest as a candidate. In return he got the assurance that his ban will be removed. He contested the elections, but after that BJP went back on its word.

Sigh,,, welcome to Asian politics which bleeds all the corruption and scandals into sports. Happens in football also and even small games like badminton, but yes, very problematic in cricket.

In Pakistan, the country's leader was an ex cricket player too so we all know cricket gains respect and it leads you into a path to popularity and politics. Very sad but unfortunately,,, nothing new.

Whenever I do see some news about rigged game and events then I do have those thoughts that "here we go again" its indeed nothing new. If big sports events or leagues can be rigged out
on known sports then how much more on lower or small ones?

Here are some recent ones.
https://www.news24.com/sport/cricket/proteas/anti-corruption-chief-defends-2015-match-fixing-process-amid-race-based-unfairness-allegations-20210521
https://igamingbusiness.com/lithuanian-basketball-player-found-guilty-of-match-fixing/

[chaser15]

Whenever I do see some news about rigged game and events then I do have those thoughts that "here we go again" its indeed nothing new. If big sports events or leagues can be rigged out on known sports then how much more on lower or small ones?

It's common already but the thing is, there is now a strict law about it like here in our country.

Even the mastermind of the culprit can't be determined, if a player is found guilty of participating in a rigged game, a hard sanction will be given or at worst, permanently suspended which is a hard penalty. Not all players want that and others are voicing out if they found a certain game is rigged.

Here is the link of the recent rigged game happened in one of our local basketball league and everyone who participated has given a wild penalty:
https://www.spin.ph/basketball/lookback-on-game-fixing-episodes-in-philippine-basketball-a2437-20210415-lfrm

[Sithara007]

Sigh,,, welcome to Asian politics which bleeds all the corruption and scandals into sports. Happens in football also and even small games like badminton, but yes, very problematic in cricket.

In Pakistan, the country's leader was an ex cricket player too so we all know cricket gains respect and it leads you into a path to popularity and politics. Very sad but unfortunately,,, nothing new.

First of all, cricket is different from other sports. The other sports bodies such as basketball and football are managed by former players, who care about the sport. But in case of cricket, the former players are rarely involved in administration. The power lies with people like N Srinivasan (one of the accused in the 2015 IPL fixing scandal) and Sharad Pawar (a politician with alleged links to the D-gang) who don't have any connection to cricket. Naturally they are not interested in the well being of cricket and don't care much about the match fixing issue.

[RealMalatesta]

I am not surprised to read bout a match fixing in general, particularly not surprised that any short of fixing happens in India, where you can actually buy a certified negative COVID test from the f*ing laboratory that is certifying the results for just 20 extra bucks. Now, what I am really surprised is about them being caught and about how long took for the investigation to get there. There must be something political about all this, I just cannot see this as merely casual.

Not sure of the negative covid certificate for money but I have seen that indeed a lot of Asian countries are involved in matchfixing and that might have something to do with the economy because new players and athletes have to bribe a chain of officials before they are even allowed to play at the highest level. Hence, once they get to that level they don't see a problem in taking money and throwing a few matches or performing badly.

The change needs to come from the bottom, if the selection process is transparent and the players know they didn't have to bribe through their way to the top, I am sure these kinds of incidents won't happen.

Another reason for these fixing scandals is the salary and wages of these players. Would you think an NBA player would ever cheat or throw a game intentionally, I don't think so, that's because they have a hefty salary and contracts that no one can offer them.

[Silberman]

From what I heard, he was double crossed by the BJP guys. The court had acquitted him and it ruled that the ban against him was illegal. But the BCCI would not remove the ban, due to the involvement of powerful people (Sreesanth made a lot of enemies during his career). When the state elections were around in 2016, Sreesanth was approached by the BJP and was asked to contest as a candidate. In return he got the assurance that his ban will be removed. He contested the elections, but after that BJP went back on its word.

Sigh,,, welcome to Asian politics which bleeds all the corruption and scandals into sports. Happens in football also and even small games like badminton, but yes, very problematic in cricket.

In Pakistan, the country's leader was an ex cricket player too so we all know cricket gains respect and it leads you into a path to popularity and politics. Very sad but unfortunately,,, nothing new.

Whenever I do see some news about rigged game and events then I do have those thoughts that "here we go again" its indeed nothing new. If big sports events or leagues can be rigged out
on known sports then how much more on lower or small ones?

Here are some recent ones.
https://www.news24.com/sport/cricket/proteas/anti-corruption-chief-defends-2015-match-fixing-process-amid-race-based-unfairness-allegations-20210521
https://igamingbusiness.com/lithuanian-basketball-player-found-guilty-of-match-fixing/

It is incredibly common to the point it makes no sense to make any kind of bets on small events as you are at the mercy of those that want to rig the sport, I like boxing and I even go and watch new fighters, or at least I did before the pandemic came, and at least once every night there was a moment in which I said this fight is rigged, I could clearly see one of the fighters not giving it all or the judges giving the fight to someone that did not deserve it and that is extremely disappointing for those that actually love the sport since it destroys the incentive to keep watching it.

[Sithara007]

It is incredibly common to the point it makes no sense to make any kind of bets on small events as you are at the mercy of those that want to rig the sport, I like boxing and I even go and watch new fighters, or at least I did before the pandemic came, and at least once every night there was a moment in which I said this fight is rigged, I could clearly see one of the fighters not giving it all or the judges giving the fight to someone that did not deserve it and that is extremely disappointing for those that actually love the sport since it destroys the incentive to keep watching it.

How common are such incidents in the sport of boxing? Such fixing may occur in lower tier fights. But there is zero chance that the top fights are being fixed. That said, the scoring has been a contentious issue for sometime in boxing. I have seen a number of instances when the win was awarded to the boxer who performed poorly.

A good example is the (first) fight between Canelo Álvarez and Gennady Golovkin. Adalaide Byrd had a shocking scorecard of 118-110 for Alvarez (meaning that he won 10 out of the 12 rounds) when the TV broadcasters and neutral observers claimed that Golovkin indeed won 8 to 10 rounds. And the biggest joke is that Adalaide Byrd continues to be a judge. But I don't have any reason to believe that Byrd indulged in fixing here. The biased scorecard possibily resulted from the personal bias towards Álvarez, rather than due to any monetary considerations.