Mother Teresa once said,” I fear just one thing: Money! Greed was what motivated Judas to sell Jesus". Cricket is probably one of the most famous sports in the world and thus is bound to attract criminal syndicates to siphon out money from it. Not only betting and gambling but also match-fixing has also emerged to be an extremely profitable business for players and criminal syndicates. The greed for money and the various benefits attract the players to oblige to the plans of these betters and bookies. If caught, such players end up in jail. Some well-known faces of this illegal industry are listed below.
1. Saleem Malik
Malik was a right-handed middle-order batsman who captained Pakistan in 12 Tests and 34 ODIs. Although a good batter, his name went down into the history books as the first player who is banned for match-fixing. Saleem was found guilty in a judicial inquiry in 2000 which shocked the entire nation. Shane Warne, Mark Taylor and Tim May accused him of bribing them to underperform during the Pakistan tour in 1995. Saleem faced a ban for a lifetime by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB); later, he got rid of the life ban on court verdict.
2. Muhammad Amir
Amir was a young talented Left Arm Fast bowler who made it to the National team after much struggle. It was only in 2010 that he was accused of spot-fixing, i.e. bowling no balls at specific times in a test match against England. He faced a ban from the ICC for all his misdoings. When the case came to the British Crown Court, he pleaded guilty and was convicted in the Southwark Crown Court, after which he spent three months in jail. However, owing to his young age and confession to the court helped him reduce his ban.
3. Mohammad Azharuddin
Azharuddin was a former Indian Captain and probably one of the best middle-order batsmen of the 90s. Applauded for the use of his wrist, his shots were a treat to the eyes and ears. In 2000, Azharuddin's name came up for match-fixing. The CBI reports said that he introduced the then South African captain Hansie Cronje to bookies. He faced a life ban by the ICC and BCCI. He got freedom from a life ban on court order.
4. Maurice Odumbe
The former Kenyan ODI captain Odumbe’s cricket aspirations were cut short owing to his illicit actions. In 2004, the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit investigated Odumbe for receiving money from bookmakers. After being proven guilty, Odumbe had to endure a ban of five years from international cricket.
5. Hansie Cronje
A right-handed all-rounder who led South Africa to its only ICC trophy was Cronje. He received applause for his captaincy and batting skills. However, he faced a ban from cricket after being proven guilty of match-fixing, leaking secret team information and accepting illegal monetary rewards from the bookies. An inquiry by the King Commission revealed that Cronje did meetings with a representative of the Indian betting syndicate, after which he suffered a ban from involving any form of cricket for life.
6. Ajay Jadeja
Regarded as one of the brilliant fielders of the Indian Cricket team, Jadeja’s links to the bookies for match-fixing overshadowed all his achievements. Yet another talented batsman for India ended up facing a ban of five years from the BCCI after being proven guilty of illicit links to bookies. Reports suggest that even his rumored girlfriend, Madhuri Dixit left him for these issues. However, the Delhi High Court dropped all charges against him, following which he began playing Ranji cricket in 2003.
7. Marlon Samuels
Samuels have always been a key member of the West Indies squad and the backbone of their middle order. But his greed led to his downfall and eventual ban from the ICC. In 2008, some Indian cricketers accused Samuels of passing secret information to an Indian bookie before an ODI match between the West Indies and India. After hearing the taped phone recordings, ICC imposed a two-year ban on Samuels for receiving money and involving in illegal activities.
8. Mohammad Asif
For Mohammad Asif, controversies had been a part of his life. He was being tested positive for an anabolic steroid Nandrolone leading to a ban on his career. Asif got rid of the ban with an emotional appeal. But the bigger controversy was the spot-fixing scandal in 2010, where he faced a seven-year-long ban from cricket. Asif was found guilty of bowling deliberate no-balls, after which he received a punishment of 12 months in jail at the Southwark Crown Court for conspiracy to cheat at gambling and accept corrupt payments.
9. Lou Vincent
In 2013, the world witnessed the role of Lou Vincent in several spot-fixing cases. According to reports, he to the Indian Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League, CLT20 and ECB40. Banned for three years by the Bangladesh Cricket Board for not reporting to the authorities about fixing, the England and Wales Cricket Board found him guilty of match-fixing in English Domestic cricket. He admitted to 18 breaches of regulation, following which he had to endure a life ban from playing any form of cricket.
10. Danish Kaneria
Kaneria was the seventh non-muslim to represent Pakistan in International Cricket but his run as a leg spinner was cut short by his illegal activities. Inquired about match irregularities in 2010, Danish got his name away from the case after a couple of months. In 2012 Kaneria’s name resurfaced in front of the ECB disciplinary panel, where he was found guilty of spot-fixing in several county matches. The ECB disciplinary panel ordered a life ban on him, which the PCB agreed to comply. Kaneria’s appeal to lift the life ban got rejected twice by the ECB.
