Aragorn
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WHEN Pakistans leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was banned for life for fixing, many were baffled as to why Pakistanis were so talented at cricket yet so susceptible to the lure of corruption.
It was another jolt for a country reeling from the devastating 2010 spot-fixing scandal at Lords, which ended in bans and jail terms for then Test captain Salman **** and pacemen Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer.
Corruption is rife in Pakistan.
Businessmen consider it a necessary evil.
Last month the prime minister lost his job after being convicted of contempt for refusing to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
In a country with an ineffective government, disastrous power cuts, Taliban violence, al-Qaeda strongholds and an economy at risk of defaulting, cricket is the most popular entertainment.
"Corruption cases against our politicians are common, but the corruption of 19-year-old Aamer was hard to swallow," said Tauseef Khan, head of mass communication at the Federal Urdu University in Karachi. "It reflects the lack of role models and unabated corruption in our society."
For those talented enough, cricket offers an escape from the hardship of low-income and poverty-stricken homes, such as those where Aamer grew up just outside the capital Islamabad.
The commercialisation of the game in the late 1970s enabled cricketers to earn tens of thousands of dollars a year, but also gave rise to corruption.
Most Pakistani cricketers were from poor families, said former captain Mushtaq Mohammad. "When they see so much money floating around, sadly, temptation gets the better of them."
Many also blame the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for being unable to stop the rot after life bans and fines on Salim Malik and other top cricketers in 2000.
Commentator and former captain Ramiz Raja blamed the lack of structure.
"I dont think the system moulds players into an ambassadorial role for the game," Raja told AFP. "Its a mix of so many factors: lack of education which could help to weigh good and bad options; social breakdown as we increasingly see villains ruling the roost; lack of sound upbringing and lack of role models, especially in cricket."
Cricketers are lionised to such an extent that fans refuse to believe their idols are ever capable of crime and corruption, further emboldening offenders.
So there was little surprise when **** was warmly welcomed home last month in contrast to the apathy felt over former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilanis conviction for contempt last April.
"The power of denial is a safety rope that breaks a fall. There have been examples in which cricket crime has gone unpunished because of such an approach," said Raja.
"Hard-core evidence is difficult to get and the crooked know how to drown out the sane voices by playing on the emotions of the nations simplicity and giving it a conspiracy spin," he added.
He said the loyal family culture in Pakistan, where parents are ready to fight even for children at fault, was also to blame.
The 2010 scandal put Pakistan cricket at a crossroads. There were even calls for Pakistan to be thrown out of the World Cup the following year. Since then, the PCB has sought to implement strict measures to purge the game of fixers and malpractice.
But if the daily newspaper headlines about corruption in the corridors of power are anything to go by, it seems unlikely that the countrys future breed of cricketers will avert the pitfalls of temptation.
Sapa-AFP
BusinessDay - Pakistan cricket loaded with talent, yet overburdened with corruption
It was another jolt for a country reeling from the devastating 2010 spot-fixing scandal at Lords, which ended in bans and jail terms for then Test captain Salman **** and pacemen Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer.
Corruption is rife in Pakistan.
Businessmen consider it a necessary evil.
Last month the prime minister lost his job after being convicted of contempt for refusing to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
In a country with an ineffective government, disastrous power cuts, Taliban violence, al-Qaeda strongholds and an economy at risk of defaulting, cricket is the most popular entertainment.
"Corruption cases against our politicians are common, but the corruption of 19-year-old Aamer was hard to swallow," said Tauseef Khan, head of mass communication at the Federal Urdu University in Karachi. "It reflects the lack of role models and unabated corruption in our society."
For those talented enough, cricket offers an escape from the hardship of low-income and poverty-stricken homes, such as those where Aamer grew up just outside the capital Islamabad.
The commercialisation of the game in the late 1970s enabled cricketers to earn tens of thousands of dollars a year, but also gave rise to corruption.
Most Pakistani cricketers were from poor families, said former captain Mushtaq Mohammad. "When they see so much money floating around, sadly, temptation gets the better of them."
Many also blame the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for being unable to stop the rot after life bans and fines on Salim Malik and other top cricketers in 2000.
Commentator and former captain Ramiz Raja blamed the lack of structure.
"I dont think the system moulds players into an ambassadorial role for the game," Raja told AFP. "Its a mix of so many factors: lack of education which could help to weigh good and bad options; social breakdown as we increasingly see villains ruling the roost; lack of sound upbringing and lack of role models, especially in cricket."
Cricketers are lionised to such an extent that fans refuse to believe their idols are ever capable of crime and corruption, further emboldening offenders.
So there was little surprise when **** was warmly welcomed home last month in contrast to the apathy felt over former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilanis conviction for contempt last April.
"The power of denial is a safety rope that breaks a fall. There have been examples in which cricket crime has gone unpunished because of such an approach," said Raja.
"Hard-core evidence is difficult to get and the crooked know how to drown out the sane voices by playing on the emotions of the nations simplicity and giving it a conspiracy spin," he added.
He said the loyal family culture in Pakistan, where parents are ready to fight even for children at fault, was also to blame.
The 2010 scandal put Pakistan cricket at a crossroads. There were even calls for Pakistan to be thrown out of the World Cup the following year. Since then, the PCB has sought to implement strict measures to purge the game of fixers and malpractice.
But if the daily newspaper headlines about corruption in the corridors of power are anything to go by, it seems unlikely that the countrys future breed of cricketers will avert the pitfalls of temptation.
Sapa-AFP
BusinessDay - Pakistan cricket loaded with talent, yet overburdened with corruption
