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Why BCCI needs to tackle match fixing right on the front foot

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Baidurjo Bhose
Baidurjo BhoseJul 04, 2015 | 13:56

Why BCCI needs to tackle match fixing right on the front foot

Passing the buck is an old bat used by administrators in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over the years. Whenever the going gets tough and the media puts the BCCI under scanner, the easiest way out is to pass the buck. And the same was done when the news came out that the former IPL chairman Lalit Modi had written to the ICC CEO Dave Richardson, questioning the integrity of Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo.

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The new regime in the Board - led by president Jagmohan Dalmiya and secretary Anurag Thakur - talks about transparency at the drop of a hat, but the same isn't visible in their way of functioning. While it is understood that it was the N Srinivasan camp that was ruling the roost in the BCCI back in 2013, one must also remember that Jagmohan Dalmiya had taken over as interim president in 2013 after the spot-fixing fiasco broke out in the sixth edition of the IPL.

Even as the media asked numerous questions, Thakur played it cool and said that since the ICC had not got back to the board after the initial stage, it clearly means that the players had been given a clean chit. The ICC needs to come forward and throw some light on the matter. They just can't back off after confirming receiving Modi's mail. In fact, Thakur went a step further and said that since both Raina and Jadeja are international players, they come under the jurisdiction of the ICC.

Well then, why was an independent disciplinary committee formed when S Sreesanth was picked up by the Delhi Police for his involvement in fixing the Indian Premier League matches? While Ankit Chavan and Ajit Chandila were domestic players, Sreesanth's case should have rested with the ICC.

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Sadly, after all the scrutiny in the media, Raina was forced to come out with a clarification on Thursday, saying that he had done no wrong and was mulling legal action. "In the wake of recent media reports about me, I would like to make my fans around the world aware and clear the air that I have always played the game in right spirit and with the utmost integrity.

"I have never been involved in any wrongdoing and all allegations against me are false. Playing cricket is my passion for whichever team I have represented. I'm also figuring out my legal rights to take the right steps ahead in this matter," Raina said.

In fact, if the hands of the current regime, was tied way back in 2013, they should have swung into action immediately after taking over earlier this year. It is not that the fixing bubble has burst out of the blue. Even the Supreme Court made its displeasure known over the last few years in the way Srinivasan and his group had run the BCCI. So if the current regime wants to refurbish the image of the board, all they need to do is form an independent committee and investigate the matter.

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Also, to think that while the BCCI made a lot of noise while appointing former Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar as the new anti-corruption unit head of the BCCI, a look at the official website of the board on Thursday night showed that the rest of the team remains to be formed. It is written in bold "TBC" - to be confirmed. It clearly shows that even though every official speaks about their zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, there isn't much that they have to show for it.

And honestly, every cricket fan in the country would really want to know if the money and energy that they spend to watch their favourite stars in action is indeed scripted. Dalmiya and Thakur must grab this opportunity to show that they actually believe in letting their actions speak.

Last updated: July 04, 2015 | 13:56
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