For me finding two players guilty and sending them to jail does send a message but it is akin to taking drug dealer off the streets. Yes it sends a message out but there will always be more desperate people to take their place. To stop any problem you must stop the source. And in the case of cricket it is the bookmakers. Australia has a regulated industry and recently has had to make efforts to stop exotic betting. But you can only stop things that you have control over. And world cricket does not have control over the biggest source of betting in cricket, Indian bookmakers. With an industry of what is said to be in the vicinity of $40 billion dollars a year, it is a monumental task to get to a point where you can say that there is not a problem with your game and gambling.
What is the ICC to do then to stamp out the problem? They educate the players, the fine or ban the players yet here we are writing and talking about two players about to be sentenced to jail terms. To stop the problem it needs to be done on a larger, harsher scale. Pakistan has always had question marks over their team, one never knows which team is going to turn up. On their day they are unbeatable and the next couldn't be a school team. There are many games that involve Pakistan and the rumours or allegations of the match being thrown. And now we know that Pakistan has been involved in practices which control betting outcomes but have no bearing on the result of a game.
Now if Pakistan continue to be a blight on the game then the best thing is to kick them out of the ICC until they are serious about their efforts in eradicating the problem. This though will only take one of the dealers out of the game. If you truly want to get rid of the source then India is where the action needs to be taken. India over the last 10 years have taken over control of the game and are seen to be the financial centre of the game, but India is also the heart of the gambling issue. If you take India out of the equation then things might start to change. India rely on Australia, England & South Africa as they are the teams that not only provide consistant top level competition but also huge financial game.
If India will not directly take on bookmakers on, then the rest of the cricket community should not let their game be dragged down by that country. The ICC as a group will be hard to convince to get anything done on this scale as the sub-continent will always group together and with the lack of wealth in the West Indies they are easy to pay off. But if Australia, South Africa, England and New Zealand decided that they will no longer play in India or host India until the country starts being proactive in stamping out the problem then you will see things start happening.
India though the IPL would do what they can to create rebel teams like those seen in the days of Apartheid in South Africa but then all you need to do is to give life bans at any level of cricket to those that defect. A black mark is always hard to remove.
I do not want to see it ever get to this stage but sometimes harsh actions are the only thing that work.
UPDATE:
The Pakistan players in question have all been sentenced to jail. I agree with the punishment I just don't think that the sentence is adequate. Former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt, 27, has received 30 months, fastbowler Mohammad Asif, 28, received one year and 19-year-old Mohammad Aamer has been jailed for six months. And the agent has been sentenced to two years and eight months. What I have a problem with is the following statement from Judge Jeremy Cooke "These offences, regardless of pleas, are so serious that only a sentence of imprisonment will suffice. Each of you will serve half the time imposed in custody and then be released on licence."
If the offense is so serious why only make them serve half the sentence. It is a slap on the wrist and if past experiences in cricket are anything to go by these players will most likely end up playing again too. The courts really missed a good opportunity to send a message here and soft sentencing will not deter those who wish to continue to have an underground influence on world sport.
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