Claims might be ‘just not cricket’, but keep up the vigil

INanother age the match-fixing allegations levelled against New Zealand cricketers might not have seen the light of day. The evidence against the unnamed Kiwis is so slight as to be almost inconsequential. It bears no comparison to the marked bank notes and television footage of illegal deliveries being bowled to order that resulted in three Pakistani players being jailed for spot fixing last year.

It consists solely of the secretly recorded testimony of two Indian bookmakers big-noting in Delhi hotels to what they thought were fellow bookies. One tells The Sunday Times’ undercover reporters: ‘‘we’ve got connections with New Zealanders’’. He names two, but tellingly, the paper has chosen not to identify either. The other reports that he has recently been offered an opportunity to sign up New Zealanders, but does not identify the players in question or provide any other detail that can be independently verified.

It is at least as likely that the two bookies were attempting to talk themselves up to potential business partners as it is that Kiwi cricketers have actually accepted bribes.

Nevertheless, much though New Zealand Cricket might wish it otherwise, the claims will cause some cricket fans to wonder the next time a Black Cap spills a simple catch, lobs a full toss directly to an opposing fielder or blocks out a string of maiden overs. Public confidence in the integrity of sport has been undermined by an endless stream of drug and bribery scandals in sports ranging from cycling to athletics, swimming, baseball and cricket. In almost every instance the initial allegation has been greeted with a heated denial.

For cricket the loss of faith is particularly disappointing. It is a sport steeped in lore and legend and a game whose very name was once a byword for fair play. ‘‘It’s just not cricket,’’ was a phrase that could be applied to any sphere of activity to denote something being done in an untoward manner. Today it is more likely to be used ironically than as an earnest rebuke. The sport’s good name has been sullied by a string of scandals involving some of its most famous players including the late South African captain Hansie Cronje and his dashing Indian counterpart Mohammad Azharuddin – both implicated in match fixing in 2000 – and, more recently, Pakistan’s Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.

Only an innocent in the stands would believe that cricket authorities have successfully stamped out dishonesty in the game. The equivalent of millions of dollars is reportedly bet on every match televised in India. Inevitably players are going to be approached by bookies seeking to tilt the odds in their favour.

NZ Cricket has dismissed the latest allegations as ‘‘baseless’’, having ‘‘no credibility’’ and ‘‘unsubstantiated’’. Fair enough, but it should remain vigilant.

That’s just not cricket is a concept that belongs to an earlier, more trusting, age.