Daily Times

LONDON: I was Pakistan’s High Commissioner in 2010 when the match-fixing scandal broke in the now deceased News of the World involving Pakistan skipper Salman Butt, fast bowler Mohammad Asif and one of the cricket’s sensational finds –Mohammad Aamir –the wonder quickie of our squad. Not going into the merits of the whole despicable episode scarring our cricket, I was personally pained to see involvement of overly talented Aamir. Regretfully the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) top hierarchy had done the disappearing act and I had to face the hostile media. I felt like giving him benefit of doubt while defending all three as ‘innocent until proven guilty’.

Aamir was sucked into the seamy side of cricket’s vicious environment at the age of 19 when he took the cricketing world by storm. Keen game lovers saw in him reincarnation of yet another immortal that had made one’s mark with the ball, some by being unplayable, others by ball tampering and getting away with it too.

Aamir’s strident run to the wicket, his speed, style, his manoeuvrability of the ball and demeanour –all had different meaning for different people for different reasons. While he overawed game lovers by his bowling skills, he attracted vultures out there to hunt new blood to make money. One underworld professional who trapped him to cause immense suffering for over five years-found him easy prey in London in 2010. It was more by virtue of his company as a junior with two others who were senior to him, one being his skipper.

Being a lover of the game, it was music to my ears that PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan called him to fitness camp for the cricketers who could be selected for the New Zealand tour and World Twenty20 to be played in India next year. Neither overemphasising the need nor undervaluing it, one could foresee windfall results from such a sizzling performer- a match winner who has the capacity to take Pakistan to the top.

However, one was shocked by the petty mindedness of some of his colleagues as well retired seniors who objected to his inclusion in the camp on the ground of morality and their holier than thou façade. Quite a few of them sounded like devils quoting from scriptures. One would like to remind them and ask them to search their souls. Aamir’s only fault was – with two others more senior to him – that he got caught as well. One cannot give the number of players who got sold over the years to the bookies or name the countries where the betting business is legitimate.

Cricket is no more a sport that was known in the yore. It is hardly a gentlemen or elitist’s game any more. It is now free-for-all and for all and sundry. And why not – what merits is to play well and out play others -irrespective whether one is blue blooded or one coming from humble bearing to change over from rags to the prestigious kit, national blazer and big money too – by virtue of one’s prowess with bat or the ball. There is more of pelf in it than it ever was, patriotism has become peripheral. It has come to be a multi-billion dollar commercial venture.

Like every other business, cricket too has element of wheeling-dealings by institutions and individuals. And of course it is a heaven for betting like any other sport. In football clubs acquire ownership of big players-carrying huge head money on each goal scored. Footballers, their clubs, managers and coaches-all bask in gold and glitter. Billions get turned over from betting shops to the coffers of the big business. Making a mountain of a mole-hill of a moral issue by some questioning Aamir’s much deserved recall after his enormous penance- support to him by our cricketing greats like Imran Khan and Wasim Akram should be enough.

(The author is the former High Commissioner of Pakistan)