Spot Fixing In Cricket Matches

Spot Fixing In Cricket Matches

Topic: Spot fixing in cricket matches.

1. Introduction

Spot fixingin sports is the practice of fixing a specific segment within a match. It usually involves a player agreeing, prior to the game that he will perform in a particular way. In cricket this might involve a batsman agreeing to only get a certain number of runs, or a bowler bowling a consecutive number of wide balls in a particularover, etc.Spot fixingstands in contrast to match fixing which refers to the practice of fixing the result of an entire match rather than the performance of one or more individual players within it. By its very nature then,spot fixingis a more discreet manipulation of a game, making it much more difficult to detect thanmatch fixing.

Spot fixing in cricket has rapidly increased for the last few years. Its becoming impossible to detect as well. Spot-fixing, the manipulation of individual incidents within a match which may not affect the result, is a more insidious crime and one which can be impossible to detect. (Mehaffey,2012). The players are becoming addicted to it as it is less risky and also it will help them to earn more money within a short period of time. Spot fixing is becoming a great threat. Betting houses and gamblers are aware of it and they are putting more money on cricket. Its not the only concern for cricket but also the money that has been earned through betting are used to illegal activities such as buying arms for terrorists etc. So its very important for players and other cricket officials to discourage this.

2. Background

The expressionspot fixinghas emerged by analogy with the gambling termspot betting.Spot bettingis the practice of betting on particular aspects of a sporting event, and since the likelihood of making accurate predictions about details is slimmer than it would be for guessing an overall result so that winnings can be much higher.Spot fixingis therefore the criminal activity of paying a competitive sportsperson to deliberately act in a way that enables someone to land winning spot bets. The spot fixing was first came to our mind when the world was stunned by three Pakistani players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were jailed after arranging for deliberate no-balls to be delivered in the 2010 Lord's test against England. English author and cricket betting tipster Ed Hawkinshas said a lot about spot fixing in his book "Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy: A Journey to the Heart of Cricket's Underworld"

Spot fixing is the easiest way to attract a cricketer to involve in it. Cricketers are so much clever now a day that they are not allowing themselves to get involved in match fixing. Moreover they are earning more money by doing it spontaneously. Experts believe, gone are the days of match-fixing with lens chasing every move of players and bookies. Spot-fixing is an easier tool to make money as it involves relatively lesser risk and lower stakes. In spot- fixing, one 'hot' player may be won upon by the bookie to do the needful and rake in the moolah. (Vishwanathan, 2010, p.2).

Spot fixing is the new big issue in world cricket. Lords test wasnt the first time spot fixing had been applied in cricket but more or less it was happening in county cricket as well where the domestic leagues been played. Vishwanathan (2010), This isn't the first time it has come to light. Back in September 2009, during a pro40 match against Durham, Essex cricketers Danish Kaneria and Mervyn Westfield were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud. (p.4).

Match fixing are on a dying circumstances. Even a bookie or gambler knows there are at least 80% players who cannot sell their patriotism for money. Moreover, in case of match fixing they need more players to fix and change the direction of the match. Spot fixing is better because it cannot affect the whole match. Bookies can also attract players by encouraging them.The fans do have question in their mind and that is in spite of getting a handsome amount of money, why they are addicted to spot fixing? Players have certain responsibilities and patriotism as well when they are doing these sorts of stuffs. Why some players do that eventually is still a mystery to them. To understand this complex motivation we can look up to the sayings of the former South African captain and late Hansie Cronje who has a life time ban punishment for match fixing. Cronje said, Sometimes you have to pinch yourself to realize what the position is at the moment. I don't know why I did it. I've asked myself the question so many times over and over again. And it's obviously a mistake that I've made. I cannot find one answer that will give me an answer to that one question. (Page of shame series: Match fixing and spot fixing taints cricket, October 27, 2012)

Spot fixing is also encouraging the criminal activity as well. Most of the gamblers are part of the underworld. the fix matches and earned through betting houses and put those money into illegal activities such as drugs, arms etc. The manipulation of cricket matches is directly related to organized crime and economic crimes, through which tens of millions of dollars end up in the wrong hands. Cricket match fixing also provides an easy avenue for criminal organizations to launder black money; illegal gains are paid out to corrupt players and returned back many times over (in the form of winnings) from payouts from legal betting websites. (Page of shame series: Match fixing and spot fixing taints cricket, October 27, 2012)

3. Research areas

In my research I investigated based on the following five questions. Through my primary and secondary research I could partially find out the answers of these questions which are discussed in the following in great detail:

1. In terms of match fixing which is more popular? Spot or the whole match fixing?

The match fixing was very popular in the late 90s. The world was shocked for the first time when the former Protease captain Hansie Cronje and the former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin was banned for lifetime as they were accused of match fixing in the year 2000. Days went by and players now a day are more conscious about their career and so on. There are hardly any match fixing that took place now a day but the burning topic that has forced the cricket world is nothing but the spot fixing. It is so hard to detect that there is hardly any scope to prevent this threat. My research is to find out is it more popular than the match fixing. Spot fixing has become a hot topic and for some reasons some cricket experts believe that spot fixing is more popular than match fixing.

Spot fixing is easier to orchestrate and is less likely to influence the overall result, the greater charge of match fixing looms large. (Williamson, 2012, p. 1). Spot fixing are not only playing a major role in international cricket but also domestic cricket leagues as well. Through my secondary research I have found out that spot fixing is now a day more popular but through my primary research I have to ensure that.

2. Why are players getting involved?

I also expect to find out why players are getting involved into it. Money is the key role here we know but if only money is responsible or lack of evidence, lack of opportunity and forced by the gamblers also play a vital role here. Money can be the prior reason but not the only reason because Hansie Cronje, the former Protease captain clearly mentioned that he didnt do it for money but he actually didnt know why he had done that. Maybe for some complex situations he did that.

Lack of evidence can be the reason but we already know that three Pakistani players have been suspended for different terms for spot fixing. Besides, lack of opportunity can also be the reason because there is so much competition in cricket now a day. Selectors also find it difficult which player to choose and which player to drop.

Forced by the gamblers can be a valid reason for doing it because most of the gamblers are part of the underworld. They can either seduce players by money or by threatening them. The former IPL chairman also mentioned that he was threatened by the gamblers for fixing the matches. "There was a shoot-out outside my house (in 2009) and one guy got killed and one got picked up," (Modi, 2012, p.3).

3. Which format of Cricket does it have more impact on?

Spot fixing was first detected in a test match but I would like to find out in which format of cricket it has more impact on. It can be test cricket, one day internationals or T20 matches. Test cricket is match that has been played for five days containing three sessions in each day where I personally spot fixing has not much impact in the whole match because a particular wide or no ball cannot change the direction of the match.

While we consider the one day internationals there can be some affect but it also remain the same as test cricket. It is a 50 over match and similarly spot fixing has less impact on the whole match. Although there were close encounters but it happens in rare cases.

T20 is the biggest addition in world cricket and I personally think spot fixing has more impact on T20 matches rather than test matches or one day internationals. Almost every T20 games have close encounters and in the end most of the matches ended up in a tie. So spot fixing has more impact onT20 matches.Although there were not sufficient secondary resources to find out the answer but I will come up with a valid answer from my primary research

4. What should ICC do to prevent such activities?

ICC can prohibit players by applying severe punishment. From my research I expect to find out that what initiatives ICC can take to prohibit players. Although we know that ICC has banned three Pakistani players in different terms and conditions. Radley (2011) noted that, Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, was handed a 10-year ban for being complicit in a plan to fix certain aspects of the Lord's Test against England. . . Asif was handed a seven-year ban, two of which are suspended. Amir was banned for five years. (p.5). Moreover they were sentenced to jail as they were handed over the anti-corruption unit. A British judge jailed disgraced former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt, two of his bowlers and their agent Thursday for their part in a fixing scandal which rocked the international game to its core. (The London Times, 2011, p.1 ). I think this should be a lesson to every player who wants to make quick money by involving ins such activities.

I want to find out whether banning players for certain time will help ICC to get rid of this problem or not. I think banning players for lifetime will be appropriate. I shall have to find out through my primary research whether they agree with me or not.

5. Is lack of evidence is encouraging the young players to be involved in it?

My final research area should be to explore whether the lack of evidence is encouraging the young players to involve in spot fixing or not. Experts have said that it has been practicing so early before the scandal of Lords test. It is so hard to detect that without evidence no one can charge against any players. It is so tough to find out whether it was deliberate or accidental. Through my primary and secondary research I would like to find out the appropriate reason for it.4. Hypothesis

Spot fixing is more popular than the whole match fixing now a day. As the whole match fixing are more risky than the spot fixing, the players are getting involved easily. Spot fixing has more impact on one day matches or T20 matches rather than test cricket because one day matches or T20 matches have more often close encounters than test cricket. Besides I want to explore the fact that influences players to get involved in spot fixing. Money should be the prime factor here but I have to find out if anything else is also as important as money. Players are responsible in most of the cases for spot fixing but I need to find out whether it is only the players or the gamblers and betting houses plays a vital role here Moreover, ICC should ban players forever to prevent this sort of fixing.

5. Methodology

To find information about my research toward spot fixing in cricket matches, I have incorporated two methods to collect data. Primary Data Collection Secondary Data Collection

For my primary research, I had conducted a survey of representative sampling of the cricket crazy fans in Dhaka and also had interviewed some people who have love and passion for the game because I needed to find their reaction about the spot fixing that has been taking place more often in the game. To complete my research I had made a questionnaire with different types of question so that it was be helpful for my research.

For my secondary research, I had used the resources of the internet, books, journals and magazines etc. I had also collected the review of the expert cricket analysts. Though I didnt get much help from the books, I had to depend largely on internet website and online books, articles, blogs and journals.6. Data presentation

The following chart is showing the questionnaire survey results on the topic spot fixing in cricket matches:

Question No.Options

abcd

186%4%0%10%

256%27%17%-

363%7%27%3%

410%23%60%7%

563%10%27%0%

6. Data analysis

OptionsTotal (30)Percentage (100%)

a. Money2686%

b. Lack of opportunity14%

c. Lack of evidence00%

d. Forced by gamblers310%

1. What influences players to get involved in spot fixing? Figure: What influences players to get involved in spot fixing?

Here the X-axis represents the percentage of the options while the Y-axis represents the options that influence players to get involved in spot fixing. I have done a survey with 30 people in Dhaka and they are very much passionate about Cricket.

Taking a closer look at the graph, we can say that about 86% people are saying that it is money which is influencing players to get involved in spot fixing. The reason behind that is most of the people think that it is easy source of earning more money. For an example, if a bowler deliberately bowls a no ball or wide ball he can earn even more than the match fee as per the betting conditions. It is an extra source of money that can help a player to be a millionaire in a short period of time.

10% people think that some players can be forced by gamblers. They believe that most of the gamblers are part of the underworld and players are more conscious about their life and family rather than career. So they have no other choice to do so. On the other hand 4% people think that lack of opportunity can be the reason for players to get involved in spot fixing. They think that sometimes players are not given enough chances according to their potentialities. So when they come into the team they want to earn as more as they can and what else better than spot fixing. No person has voted for lack of evidence.

So therefore, we can clearly estimate that it is money that influences players to get involved in spot fixing.

2. Who is more responsible for spot fixing?

OptionsTotal (30)Percentage (100%)

a. Gamblers1756%

b. Betting houses827%

c. Players themselves517%

Figure: Who is more responsible for spot fixing?

Here the X-axis represents the options that are responsible for spot fixing while the Y-axis represents the percentages of the options. I have done a survey with 30 people in Dhaka and they are very much passionate about Cricket.

The three options that are given in this question are more or less responsible for spot fixing. By looking at the graph, we can say that the numbers of votes for betting houses and player themselves are almost the same while gamblers are considered as the prime reason for spot fixing.

56% people think that gamblers are responsible for spot fixing. They believe that gamblers put their money in a match and at any cost they want profit. So they fix meetings with players and encourage them to do spot fixing and attracting them with lots of money.

27% people think that betting houses are responsible for spot fixing. They believe that no matter which team won a match it is betting house that has the gain margin all the time. Besides gamblers put their money into betting houses so unless there were no betting on cricket matches gamblers wont be able to put their money into the matches.

17% people think that it is player themselves that are responsible for spot fixing. They believe if players are concern of their responsibilities and if they have a little bit sense of patriotism, they wont allow themselves to get involved in spot fixing. Money can buy everything but it cannot buy dignity. So therefore, we can say that gamblers are more responsible than betting houses and player themselves for spot fixing.

3. On whom should ICC focus more on?

OptionsTotal (30)Percentage (100%)

a. Players1963%

b. Gamblers27%

c. Player Agents827%

d. Team Manager13%

Figure: On whom should ICC focus more on?

Here the pie chart is showing results on whom ICC should focus more on. I have done a survey with 30 people in Dhaka and they are very much passionate about Cricket.

On analyzing the pie chart, we can see that 63% people think that ICC should focus more on players rather than gamblers, player agents or team manager. It is maybe because unless the players are committed to their game, we cannot get rid of this problem. They also suggests that ICC should apply some terms and conditions with whom they will meet besides team mates, coach and other officials.

About 27% people think that players agents should also be investigated by ICC because they are the ones who are responsible for the meetings set by the gamblers and the players.

7% people think that ICC should focus on gamblers because ICC can prohibit themselves from interacting with players. On the other hand 3% people think that ICC should focus on team manager.

So therefore, we can say that ICC should focus more on players.

4. In which format of cricket spot fixing has more impact on?

OptionsTotal (30)Percentage (100%)

a. Test Cricket310%

b. One Day Cricket723%

c. T-201860%

d. All of the above27%

Figure: In which format of cricket spot fixing has more impact on?

Here the X-axis represents the options that have more impact on spot fixing while the Y-axis represents the percentages of the options. I have done a survey with 30 people in Dhaka and they are very much passionate about Cricket.

10% people think that spot fixing has more impact on test cricket. They believe that test cricket is the base of cricket. So spot fixing will have more impact on it. Moreover they added that spot fixing was first come to spot light through test cricket. On the other hand 23% people think that spot fixing has more impact on one day international matches. They believe that some one day internationals between arch rivals for example India and Pakistan marches are always have close encounters. So a wide or no ball can make a huge difference sometimes.

60% people think that spot fixing has more impact on T20 matches rather than test cricket or one day internationals. They believe that t20 matches are always fun to watch and almost most of the matches ended up a tie. So a single extra run can make a huge difference here. Moreover, this format of the game is lightning fast that players can easily get themselves in spot fixing because it will be really hard to detect.

7% people think that spot fixing has equal impact on test matches, one day international and T20 matches.

So therefore, we can say that spot fixing has more impact on T20 matches rather than test cricket and one day internationals.

5. What should ICC do to prevent spot fixing?OptionsTotal (30)Percentage (100%0

a. Players should be banned forever1963%

b. Players should be banned for more than 10 years310%

c. Players should be banned for more than 5 years827%

d. Players should be banned for more than 3 years00

Figure: What should ICC do to prevent spot fixing?

Here the X-axis represents the percentages of the ICCs initiatives options while the Y-axis represents the initiatives options. I have done a survey with 30 people in Dhaka and they are very much passionate about Cricket.63% people think that ICC should ban players forever if they were found guilty. They believe that it would discourage players to involve in it. Moreover, they will be careful for their career as well.27% people think that players should be banned for more than five years. They believe that it will be too harsh if they were banned forever unless this would give a player a second chance to come back in cricket. On the other hand 10% people believe that ICC should ban players for more than ten years. They believe that this will literally end their career and the others should learn from their mistakes.

No person has voted for banning players for more than three years. Maybe they thought that it would be less punishment for them.

So therefore, we can say that ICC should ban players forever in order to stop this.

8. Interviews

Mohammed Idris AliMatch Coordinator, Bangladesh Cricket BoardCell No: 01913518620

I have conducted an interview with him and asked him frequent questions about spot fixing. He said that due to unprofessionalism and lack of patriotism is causing players to get involved in spot fixing. Besides he added that match fixing are hardly seen now a day whereas spot fixing has been taken place more often in every matches. He also added that T20 matches are responsible for this sort of fixing and for example he mentioned about IPL. Moreover, he told me that domestic leagues of England and India are hugely affected by spot fixing. When I asked him about our domestic leagues and the impact of spot fixing in our cricket then he assured me that our cricket is still safe from the curse of the spot fixing. Finally, he told me that ICC has to ban players for ever in order to get rid of this problem. This will strongly discourage the youths to get involved in it.

Soyeb UddinEx U-19 player, Dhaka DivisionCell No: 01715864329

I have conducted an interview with him and it was a lively session indeed. He was an ex under -19 player of Dhaka division but due to the injury cases he had to left cricket. I had asked frequent questions about spot fixing that will was really helpful for my research findings. He told me that now a day it is really hard to detect spot fixing because even the match referee is confused whether it was accidental or intentional. He added that, the rise of T20 cricket is helping to grow this disease rapidly in cricket. Because of the fast nature of the game players have more chances to do spot fixing frequently and also it is less risky. Besides, he added that not only players but also the gamblers are equally responsible for spot fixing. Moreover, It is not curable until the players should create awareness among themselves. Players should have to think that they are representing a nation and you must have love and passion for the game.

9. Summary of Research Findings

With the above results showing on the graphs, I have come up with a summary that money has influenced much that helped the players to get involved in spot fixing. It is the easiest way for players to be millionaire within a short passage of time. I also expected that money would be the prime reason and my research also agrees with my hypothesis. Besides, I also come to know that gamblers are more responsible for spot fixing rather than players and betting houses. A gambler always tries to attract players with lots of moneys. Some of the players lack in moral and values can easily involve in pot fixing. I expected that players will be more responsible bit somehow it does not agree with my hypothesis.

I also come to know that ICC should focus more on players rather than gamblers, player agents and also team manager. About 63% people voted for players because it all comes to player to make a decision whether he should do it or not. I also expected that players are the main thing ICC should put more focus on and it agrees with my hypothesis. Moreover, I also come to know that spot fixing has more impact on t20 matches rather than test cricket and one day internationals because of the nature of the game. I also expected that result and it agree with my hypothesis

Finally, I come to know that ICC should ban players forever to prohibit players from spot fixing. It will strongly discourage the players. I also expected that result and it also agree with my hypothesis. Overall I am happy with my research as most of the answers have agreed with my hypothesis.

10. Recommendations/Suggestions

There are some recommendations I have and which I feel is more or less effective to get rid of this curse of spot fixing in cricket.

ICC should put more close circuit cameras to see the movement of the players. If there are something suspicious then eventually the match referee should submit his copy to ICC and ICC should start investigations.

ICC should put some terms and regulations into the players with whom they can contact with. This will prohibit them to fix meeting with gamblers.

ICC should also strictly monitor the player agents that are most of the time responsible for fixing these meetings.

The rising popularity of T-20 cricket is helping the spot fixing to grow rapidly. ICC should not only monitor the international T-20 matches but also the domestic leagues like IPL, Big Bash etc.

11. Limitations

While doing this research, I have faced several problems. They are:

Time was very short. If more time had been given then the research could get better and more information could be achieved.

If I was given more time then my sample size of respondents would be bigger and more accuracy of the research could be ensured. I could also do a little more research using secondary sources, read more journals and books which could be helpful for me to reach to more accurate research findings.

As this topic is not a general issue, it is sport related issues; there was a lack of secondary materials which particularly discuss this field. If there were more materials, it could help me more.

Sometimes the respondents are not inclined in answering sincerely and tick an option randomly without reading the questions. This problem can mislead my findings and research results.

12. Conclusion

Spot fixing is the biggest threat that the cricket world is facing right now. No preventive and initiatives will work unless the players are concern about the game. Through my research I wanted to find out the impact of spot fixing in cricket matches and after finishing my research I am really shocked that how easily and quickly players are earning lot of money. This must be encouraging for players who comes off a poor family where cricket is the only source of earning money but at the same time they must also keep in mind that ICC will not only ban them for years but also anti-corruption unit will also put them in jail. The rising T20 games are playing a key role here. ICC should strictly monitor this sort of games especially domestic leagues like IPL, Big Bash etc where players are earning lot of money.

Through my hypothesis I wanted to prove some points. I wanted to prove that spot fixing is more popular than match fixing. In addition, I wanted to prove that payers are doing it just because of money. Besides, I wanted to prove that players are the one who are only responsible for spot fixing. Moreover, I wanted to prove that ICC should focus more on players and ICC should ban players for ever to get rid of this problem. So far most of the research findings had agreed with my hypothesis and I am happy with my research.

12. References

1. David, C. (2012, May 18). Spot-fixing, corruption and other weeds in the IPL. Retrieved from http://www.thewicketpost.com/2012/05/spot-fixing-corruption-and-other-weeds.html2. Mehaffey, J. (2012). New book details cricket's spot-fixing issues. Retrieved from http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket3. Modi, L. (2012, November 22). Spot fixing is rife in the game. The Times Of India. Retrieved from http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/4. Redley, P (2011, February 6). Pakistan trio punished for spot fixing with more to come. The National. Retrieved from http://www.thenational.ae/sport/cricket/pakistan-trio-punished-fo-spot-fixing-with-more-to-come5. Vishwanathan, R. (2010, August 30). Why is spot-fixing hotter than match-fixing?. Retrieved from http://sports.in.msn.com/cricket/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4323512#page=26. Page of shame series: Match fixing and spot fixing taints cricket. (2012, October 27). Retrieved from http://cricketcrowd.com/cricketcrowd-article.html

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