Ball Tampering : Another sad incident rocking the game

Ball Tampering, Pitch Fixing, Spot Fixing, Match Fixing so many new dictionary words have been incepted in last few years in a sport which is known as Gentleman's game. The game of cricket has seen a huge transition in phases from the old days of 'Bodyline series' which was primarily built to beat the great Don moving to Kerry Packer circus which brought huge money in the game and to the present day IPL which is more of an event than a game. The media has played a big part in making or breaking these stories and then getting them slowly die down.

The current controversary of Steve Smith is more of an eye opener for the game . The way it was cooked up shows a complete lack of maturity on the leadership part of Smith. The rules of the game are quite clear, the umpires have become more tech savvy , the spectators understand the game much better and media as usual are always up there for the breaking news. Knowing all this, one wonders what was it that made Smith commit a mistake? I treat this as pressure situation with series at stake. In today’s competitive times, no one wants to lose ,nobody is  ready to learn from mistakes and is going overboard to convert results into own team’s favor. However when one tries to understand the punishment for the sin committed , it comes down heavy match fee fine or one match ban at the max. Wont it be true then that the captains would be willing to sacrifice some money or few games and put all their energies in winning the current game by hook or crook rather than thinking much beyond into ban or any fine thereof which anyways doesn’t sound too harsh.

The game needs a serious revamp when it comes to rules and regulations.  The way stringent rules apply in Olympics , Cricket needs to have a wakeup call. The rules need to have an impact on the careers than on few mere matches. The rule books need a revisit to improve the quality of honesty and responsibility on the players and the cricket board which they represent :

1. The captain should lose his captaincy and also ban him from  the game at least for a year. The captain has to have the toughest norms as he not only represents his own country but is brand and goodwill ambassador of the game
2. Ban the player for at least one year who commits a mistake and for misusing the spirit of the game.
3. Strip the records of the players in the key area of the player's profile :
1. Batsman's Mistake – Take off his batting records for last 1 year
2. Bowler's Mistake – Take off the bowling records for an year or so and on the same lines for other functions of the game. 
4. The Coach needs to be made accountable too for the actions on the field.
5. The match referee needs to be replaced by a jury who do not represent any board or are not on the payroll  of ICC instead are chosen from the who’s who in their own fields and common people who do not have direct connect with the game. 

Winning or losing doesn’t matter but the game needs to be played in true spirits and the players need to be the role models of the game. Its time we move back to the basics of the game with high morality values.

P.S. The views mentioned are personal and do not target or hold any person responsible in any individual capacity. That is upto the governing authorities of the game , how to deal with the rules and regulations .

- Jayawant