Cricket is again in the news for all the wrong reason. Another corruption scandal has rocked the gentle man's game. After the IPL fiasco, now it is the Pakistani cricket team that is in the muddle.
I still vividly remember the first time live cricket was broadcast in India. That was the Benson and Hedges Cup. It was the time when TV was just becoming popular in India. Before those times, I used to observe the ardent followers of the game get hooked into the radio. It had an old world charm to it as listening from the radio would let your imagination run wild and you would picturise the game in your mind. Then the TV got introduced. I still remember getting up at $ Am in the morning to watch the game live from Australia. I like most from my generation was a avid fan of the game religiously following the game and idolizing the greats of the game like Gavaskar and Kapil Dev. Then as time went by, new sports channels like Prime Sports and ESPN made their appearance. Cricket became over exposed and the money flow to the game shot up dramatically. Cricket became the milking cow with big businesses queuing with lots of money in way of sponsorships. With the advent of modern day cricket, players started having attitudes and the game lost it's charm. There was a gradual decay with several match fixing scandals rocking the game.
PAKISTANI CRICKET TEAM
In my youth, the Pakistani Cricket Team had perhaps one of the best players in the world, the likes of Imran Khan ruled the roost. They were a hard team to play by, tough to say the least. They had universal fan following for this mighty team.But gradually several scandals and allegations including ball tampering started coming out against the team. It is the hall mark of gradual decay in tone with the decay in the game. Now with the latest scandal, the decay is absolute complete. It is humiliating to hear that the players involve themselves in match fixing. What is happening to the Pakistani cricket?
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE
What can be done to correct the anomaly? First and for most there should be an introspection within the Pakistani Cricket Establishment. Nobody can help Pakistani team but themselves. There should be a shake up and new and stringent guidelines ought to be put in place.There should be better checks in place to closely monitor any foul play. If any player is found guilty, he ought to be barred from cricket setting an example for others. Pakistan is living in a state of self denial. If they continue this downward spiral, a time will come when this will eat like a termite into the very fabric of the society. This is a wake up call for Pakistan. Let them correct themselves before it becomes too late.
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