The spot-fixing scandal has been at the forefront of all cricketing discussion over the last few weeks. Speaking to PakPassion.net, former Pakistani pace bowler Mohammad Akram discussed his views on the verdicts, and what can be done to prevent this from happening again.

 by Mohammad Akram (5 Nov 2011)

The result of the spot fixing case against Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammed Amir will undoubtedly have sent a strong message to all youngsters coming through the ranks on their future conduct. Ideally, it should have happened before these players brought shame on Pakistani cricket and hurt fans of the game - it should never have come to this.

With respect to what the ICC and PCB can do to prevent corruption within the game, match fixing can be caught and plans formulated as it requires high levels of coordination and participation within a team. Spot fixing is far more difficult to detect, as it involves individual players committing individual acts, thereby requiring far lower levels of coordination. The only real counter to this is through the formal education of players regarding the perils of such activities. The sentences meted out by the Judge at Southwark Crown Court will also go some way towards acting as a deterrent. 

Moving on to the sentences, on a personal level I believe they were fair. However, if you look at precedents and actual events in the field, the tendency has generally been towards life bans rather than incarceration for sportspeople. South Africa, India, Pakistan, all handed out life bans to match-fixers. 

Warne took an anti-diuretic and he’s still commentating, and Shoaib and Asif were found guilty of doping. Mohammad Azharuddin, Mark Waugh and Shane Warne talked to bookies but at that time no prison sentences were given to players. Wrong is wrong, regardless of the era and whilst they were not imprisoned, a clear message was still sent. Despite this, overall it’s a very sad day for Pakistani cricket but I’m happy a strong message has been sent. It’s just a pity it resulted in such a high-profile scandal for Pakistan. 

Agents have a much stronger influence on players than in the past, and not only that, players are less discerning in who they choose to represent them. As a player, I used a trustworthy English agent and it’s stupid to use part-time or unprofessional individuals, especially given you may not have had long-term experience of them previously – it takes more than a few meals to judge someone’s character. 

During the duration of this trial, we have all seen a lot of unsubstantiated accusations and musings about other potential matches that Pakistan may have rigged, particularly prevalent after the verdicts were announced at Southwark Crown Court. Throughout Pakistan’s history and during my time, the team has been dogged with rumours of match-fixing. Back then, we had very strong characters in the dressing room and were able to face such unsubstantiated accusations. The current team will equally require the support of a strong leadership structure to help them - I’m sure Pakistani cricket will get through this.