Cricket8217;s darkest hour

For all the talk of match-fixing over the last few years, especially after Manoj Prabhakar8217;s sensational allegations, precious little was done to even take cleaning implements out of the broom closet. Perhaps the tapes scandal could be the starting point for a comprehensive spring cleaning effort to rescue cricket from the pernicious efforts of big money. The cricket establishment can afford to shirk this task no longer, or it risks the flight of fans around the globe.

But spare a thought for those who believed in the fallen man. In an era characterised by a pa-ucity of heroes, Cronje8217;s disgrace is tragic indeed. If the return of South Africa to international sport a decade ago infused cricket with a new professionalism and determination, Cronje himself rewrote the terms of captaincy. He was a model skipper, on and off the field. So it seemed. Always leading from the front, shrewdly marsh-alling his men and resources, at every point exhibiting an unwaning desire for victory, he set new precedents with his articulate and informed exchanges with the media after every match.

In other words, a model captain headed for the history books is now the object of revulsion and anger. That is what makes this episode so poig-nant and tragic. Through all the indignation a question lingers, why did a man of Cronje8217;s stature risk all the fame and the glory?

That question may never be answered, but certainly the Cronje scandal has demolished many a myth. For starters, it has shattered the regional divide that was popularly endorsed, that match-fixing was a subcontinental evil. Yes, it is an evil on the subcontinent, but match-fixing is not confined to it and its tentacles have clearly spread far and wide. But how is this evil to be fought. Let it not be understated that the entire cricket establishment is architectured like a house of cards.

Damage to one portion is bound to have a domino effect. Even if they themselves are beyond suspicion, cricket administrators are likely to be wary of instituting inquiries as the muck raked would drive away spectators, at least for the time being. However, after the Cronje bombshell, do they really have a choice? Given the web of rumours and softly whispered allegations, it is evident that rescuing cricket will be a painful process.

A beginning has been made with the Delhi Police initiative, now cricket lovers must ensure that it is taken to its logical conclusion: a wide-ranging, thorough inquiry into Indian cricket.