Five ways the spot-fixing scandal could affect the ICC Champions Trophy

How far-reaching will the effects of the spot-fixing scandal be?

With Md. Ashraful adding to the IPL fiasco with his admission of guilt of spot-fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League, the clouds around international cricket grew a bit more darker. Though the rain gods have mercifully departed from the greens in England, these clouds of spot-fixing threaten to thunder and storm at the Champions Trophy beginning tomorrow.

Ashraful’s admission leads to some observations worthy of being highlighted. Perhaps, the often-made claim that the sub-continent is particularly vulnerable to such scandal has some merit in it. Moreover, Ashraful is a much-traveled cricketer unlike the lesser-known names guilty of spot-fixing in the IPL. He has captained the Bangladesh cricket team between 2007 and 2009. Not only does this indicate that experienced cricketers can be equally vulnerable to greed, but also shows that perhaps superficial solutions being mulled upon by the ICC like guarding the young and the impressionable through education need more scrutiny.

The immediate concern, however, is to protect the swan-song of the Champions Trophy. A competition that is structured to be a major event involving the very best of international cricket, but one that has always lived under the shadow of the World Cup, does not need spot-fixing to be the final nail in its already decorated coffin. Here are five ways the spot-fixing scandal could affect the Champions trophy.

1) Loss of faith

The spot-fixing scandal is an insult to the average cricket fan who watches the game with the hope of witnessing a fair and competitive event. The very thought, one which is bound to come to his mind, that he is watching choreographed performances will drive him away from the game. The fact that the India-Pakistan fixture sold out in three hours is a testament to the love of the game and to the merit of Champions Trophy as a competition. The tournament promises to serve many of these delights. One of them also being the highly-anticipated Ashes prequel, that is the group stage game between Australia and England. Packed houses will be a face-blow to the demons of spot-fixing.

2. The ‘bad’ press

This distrust can snowball into a paranoia, and needs to be countered with a well-contested Champions Trophy. A certain case study of this paranoia is available in the Indian television media at this moment that is doing its best making absurd connections in the spot-fixing scandal. The sports pages of newspapers covering the Champions Trophy will have small sidebars constantly informing us about the progress of probes into fixing allegations, new names involved and so on. An atmosphere of anticipation and excitement is key to the enjoyment of sport, and bad press can affect that adversely.