The International Cricket Council walked a fine line in passing judgment on the three Pakistan cricketers caught up in a spot- fixing drama in England last year.
On the face of it, the sanctions against Salman Butt (banned for 10 years), Mohammed Asif (7 years) and Mohammed Amir (5 years) seem severe. In some quarters they’re seen as not harsh enough; while many other commentators believe the sentence handed out to Amir, just 18 years old, was too drastic given his age.
It is the suspended part of the sentences for Butt and Asif with which I disagree – Butt, if he adheres to certain conditions outlined in the verdict, that include a rehabilitation programme to be presided over by the Pakistan Cricket Board, will be back in five years, as will Asif.
Why the suspended provision? Five years is a long time.
For Amir, who is such a glorious talent, the prospect of that period of time out is perhaps not as bad as for the other two. He will be 23 when his ban ends, Butt 31, for Asif, previously caught up in drug allegations, the punishment, could probably mean the end of his cricket career, as he will be 33 in 2015.
This is where the ICC is walking a fine line. It appears that in delivering the sentences the three-man tribunal also wanted to leave the door open for players who in future want to step forward with information to do so.
In fact it appears as though all three were given an opportunity to do so. Amir, it was reported yesterday, could have had a suspension clause attached to his sentence as well, except he refused to co-operate with the ICC’s Anti-Corruption unit. That was despite numerous attempts even by his own legal team for him to do so. Apparently the other two reacted similarly, and if that was the case then they didn’t deserve to have five years of their sentence suspended.
Further, if none of them wanted to co-operate with the Anti-Corruption Unit, then it speaks to just how far the criminal element that runs the illegal gambling, have enmeshed themselves inside the psyche of the players, who obviously fear them.
Remember Zulqarnain Haider?
Fact is these players face a lengthy time out of the game. Five years is a long time in any professional career, let alone that of a sportsman and in this case even if – and he says he will come back – Amir returns at the age of 23, it will take at least another year for him to get properly back into the rhythm of the international game. It’s a severe lesson for him to learn; let’s hope others were paying attention too.