Adil Najam
In a much awaited verdict from the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) corruption tribunal Pakistani crickets Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir have been handed suspensions (bans) from cricket for 10 years, 7 years and 5 years respectively. However, Salman’s and Asif’s sentences have 5 and 2 years each of ‘suspended’ sentences which means that effectively they could also be back in 5 years, depending on what happens between now and then.
What do you think about this: Is the punishment too harsh? Too lenient? Or just right?
And what would you have done if you were in the tribunal? If the punishment would have been harsher or more lenient, what message would have been sent out? What message, do you think, has been sent out now?
The players are allowed to appeal the decision in the courts of Switzerland. Do you think they should appeal the decision? What would you advise them to do?
Interestingly – and importantly, in my view – the suspension sentences also come with a requirement that the players complete “anti-corruption” training and education supervised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) – wouldn’t that be a good thing for all of us!
Details on the news, as reported in CricInfo are as follows:
The ICC tribunal has announced a sanction of ten years’ ineligibility for Salman Butt (with five years of a suspended sentence); seven years for Mohammad Asif (with two years suspended) and five years’ ineligibility for Mohammad Amir. The sanctions follow investigations of their role in spot-fixing, along with Mazhar Majeed, a players’ agent, during Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010.
The announcement on Saturday evening followed a day of deliberations in Doha between the three-man tribunal – comprising Michael Beloff QC, Sharad Rao and Justice Albie Sachs – and the players and their legal teams. The sentences are open to appeal by both sides – players and ICC – in the Court of Arbitration in Sport in Switzerland.
Butt, who was captain during the series in England, received the maximum sentence but one charge against him – of batting out a maiden over during the Oval Test – was dismissed. However, he was found to have not disclosed an approach by Majeed that he should bat a maiden over. The other charges that were upheld relate to the subsequent Lord’s Test, where Amir and Asif were found to have bowled deliberate no-balls and Butt was party to that.
The tribunal released a statement after announcing the decision. The full text is reproduced below:
‘The independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal which has been hearing the cases of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif under the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Code for Players and Player Support Personnel had adjourned on Tuesday 11th January 2011 after a six day hearing.
‘The Tribunal reconvened today for further submissions and thereafter announced the following decisions.
‘The Tribunal found that the charge under Article 2.1.1 of the Code that Mr Butt agreed to bat out a maiden over in the Oval Test match played between Pakistan and England from 18 to 21 August 2010 was dismissed, whereas the charge under Article 2.4.2 that Mr Butt failed to disclose to the ICC’s ACSU the approach by Mr Majeed that Mr Butt should bat a maiden over in the Oval Test was proved.
‘The Tribunal found that the charges under Article 2.1.1 of the Code that (respectively) Mr Asif agreed to bowl and did bowl a deliberate no ball in the Lord’s Test match played between Pakistan and England from 26 to 29 August 2010, Mr Amir agreed to bowl and did bowl two deliberate no balls in the same Test, and Mr Butt was party to the bowling of those deliberate no balls, were proved.
‘We impose the following sanctions:
‘On Mr Butt a sanction of ten years ineligibility, five years of which are suspended on condition that he commits no further breach of the code and that he participates under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board in a programme of Anti-Corruption education.
‘On Mr Asif a sanction of seven years ineligibility two years of which are suspended on condition that he commits no further breach of the code and that he participates under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board in a programme of Anti-Corruption education.
‘On Mr Amir sanction of five years of ineligibility.
‘No further sanctions are imposed on any player and no orders are made as to costs.
‘The Tribunal has recommended to the ICC certain changes to the Code with a view to providing flexibility in relation to minimum sentences in exceptional circumstances.
‘The Tribunal note that it is for the ICC, whether and if so when, the fully reasoned decision in respect of the breaches of the Code and of the sanctions imposed in consequence should be published.
‘It is our strong and unanimous view that it is in the interests of all concerned in the world of cricket that publication should take place as soon as possible.’
I think it is a fair decision.
I a glad they took their time about it because now there will be less fuss about it too.
More comments from the ATP Facebook Page:
– “They should have gotten banned for life. For that matter PCB now should show strength and ban them for life and send a message to the rest of the world that they don’t tolerate behavior of this kind.”
– “bad news yaar”
– “too lenient
these should have been booked for lifetime to try n get fixing out of this game :P”
– “They got escaped life ban.”
– “They deserve it, they have shamed their country and sport. What a waste.”
– “They got escaped life ban.”
– “they deserve it. I as a normal person cannot get away with even a small fine, then these people shouldn’t either. They STOLE, yes STOLE, millions.’
– “I think it should be a msg for rest of the players. I agree with pardesi that they should have got life ban. I feel pity on Amer who had a whole life in front of him. Jaisay boa gai waisay bharo gai.”
– “Good ridance. All them cheaters deserve this kind of punishment. Let them be an example for the other players. A harsh reminder for the rest of the team. Naam badnaam kar kay rakh diya hai.”
– ” big controversy against pakistan it is !”
– “They got escaped life banned.”
First, I think the verdict is about right. Anything less woudl be a wrong message.
Second, if I were on teh tribunal I woudl have poushed for harder judgement.
Third, they should still appeal, but not expect to win. But take the process further. Stay in the news even if not in cricket :-)
Finally, the good news is that the team is now over them. Having them would be good but we have begun building a team without them and the message is no single player is bigger than the team.
The sentences don’t make much sense to me. There seems to be no correlation between extent of criminal activity, and the sentence received.
In my view, Butt’s sentence is right: it is effectively a life-ban, and a well-deserved one at that. The evidence against Asif was not as much, but he is a repeat offender, so his effective life-ban makes sense as well.
That leaves us with Mohammed Amir. Sure, there should be absolutely no excuse for what he did. But the fact that he got the SAME punishment (the suspension on conditions is irrelevant) is downright ridiculous. Butt has been an international player for a very long time, was the captain, and due to his upbringing, etc would have known the consequences of his actions very well.
Compare that with Amir, 17 years old, from a very humble background, not at all educated, and very naive about how the world works. If you randomly pick any 17 year old from rural Pakistan (or India for that matter), do you really think that he will be able to tell you that spot-fixing is unethical and illegal? Probably not; because most will see it as a victimless crime. Note that I obviously don’t think that.
In the end, I just cannot get beyond the fact that a worldly, well-educated, wealthy, experienced captain who set up the whole scheme, gets the same punishment as a naive, uneducated, poor 17-year old who had barely entered world cricket. Sad.
If you study closely, all of them are suspended for 5 years if you take into accunt the suspended sentences. I think they deserve more for what they have done to embarrase the nation. I think not only them but the cricket administration deserve a harsher sentence for what is being done under their noses. we are in collective shame because of them. But this is not thier main problem. The major headache is the criminal prosecution by the London police, they can and should rot in jail for what they have done.