Spot-fixing charges sully game's beauty: Fleming

Bangalore - Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach Stephen Fleming has said that the raging controversy over spot-fixing charges against three Rajasthan Royals players have sullied the beauty of the game and affected a lot of players.

“The beauty of the game has been sullied by spot-fixing charges. They are not only a distraction, but have also affected a lot of players,” Fleming told reporters ahead of CSK’s last league tie with hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) tomorrow.

Admitting that the incident had saddened all players, the former New Zealand captain said as a result of the expose, the game of cricket would be analysed and over-analysed and accusations would fly thick and fast.

“Events of the last two days would affect the approach to the game because anything that sullies it and the quirks of the game is a concern. One hopes it is not the bigger picture and the isolated incident can be dealt with firmly by law,” Fleming asserted.

Noting that charges of spot-fixing would come to haunt players themselves, Flemings said that processes and players were under watch and their movements in the hotels are observed always though not on 24×7 basis.

“Players are well educated and the naivety around match-fixing has been somewhat dispersed because they govern the game. What else can we say? Let’s keep our fingers crossed for the next few days,” Fleming observed.