Its Summer! - the Fever Cricket Thread. (Part 2)

I think this article sums it up for me. 

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/may/20/the-spin-cricket-fixing-allegations

Now any game that's an upset or has an error that changes the outcome is suspicious. Every interesting game of cricket is now ruined.

Again though, that seems to be blurring the line between spot and match fixing. As far as I can tell, no one has accused Cairns or Vincent of match fixing. Only spot fixing.

This from the Stuff article on the McCullum press conference tomorrow

"It is understood ICC employees were cleared of leaking, but suspicion fell on some ICC member nations who were privy to the statements as part of the wide-ranging investigation across several jurisdictions."

And that one statement underlines how it isn't hard to imagine 'dark forces' at work in all of this.

Several things need to happen now.

1] The ICC need to grow some balls and come down hard on offenders. They also need to finish cleaning their dirty laundry in the public arena. Yet the ICC has more leaks in it than a pair of panythose. As much integrity as FIFA and Honest Sepp Blatter.

2] The ICC need to get back in control of the game and not allow any one member country from dictating terms. If India don't like it, give them the flick. Recently there was talk of a breakaway group leaving NZ to play such tough countries as Zimbabwe & Bangladesh.

3] All players need to either come clean and then cut the crap out. IE, an amnesty so to speak. You have 1 month to come clean or risk being banned for life.

4] What done is done. Time to clean it up. FFS, Cricket used to be the game of gentlemen, not coruppt backhanders.

5] Does anyone think that the advent of 20/20 has made this all a bit more available for corruption? Let's stick with Test Cricket and 50 Over games.

At least doping cheats are trying to win.

Agreed. The game is fudgeed. I think I knew it in the late 90s and denied it, in a WANT TO BELIEVE way, but really it is shot. So fudgeing shark man I hate it. 

The reality is that every result I have seen over the past twenty years could have had at least an element of fix and that fudgeing hurts.

Emmerson in today's NZ Herald -

https://www.thecivilian.co.nz/cairns-didnt-feel-black-caps-getting-paid-to-lose-was-unusual/

Have people's opinion changed about Vincent now that it's come out he doesn't have immunity?

Not really, thought he was a dick when he first burst onto the cricketing scene. Gotta have a bigger jaw than Godzilla. Just begging for some fast bowler to hit it. Seriously though. He never did much for me as a cricketer. But then we all have our own likes and dislikes. That he has come forward and finally brought out into the open something that was said behind one's hand does deserve some credit though.

Interesting perspetive. Anyone on here know him personally?

I do feel sorry for the guy having depression. Know some people with it and it's not nice... It's not an excuse to go cheating though.

However I have a lot if respect that he came out and did this all off his own back knowing he could go to prison. I suppose he finally found out what was important to him

Still a cheat is a cheat. I can't dam decide how I feel

Not sure this is correct. According to the Guardian:

"The ECB has laid 14 charges against Vincent arising from Sussex’s defeats by Lancashire in a T20 quarter final and by Kent in a 40-over match, both at Hove and both televised. Arif has been charged with six offences in relation to the Kent game. But that could only lead to cricketing sanctions – almost certainly a life ban, if found guilty – because match-fixing is not a criminal offence in this country, unlike in New Zealand. The ECB’s chairman Giles Clarke has reaffirmed this week that he would like that situation to change."

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/may/23/lou-vincent-cricket

Looks like the Pakistan players got done for conspiracy to defraud bookmakers or something similar. I still think it is quite possible that Vincent still cut a deal for no criminal charges like the ones the pakistan guys faced. and also as it stands there is currently no match fixing laws in New Zealand. There will be soon though (15 December this year https://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2014/0203/latest/whole.html).

I misread. Thought they were criminal charges....

Cairns on the way to th UK to meet the Police and the ICC.

"No room in the garage mate."

Does anyone want to PLAY cricket for the 14/15 season?

The. 11 that just lost in the West Indies?

So i hear we are finally having a Boxing Day test again this summer..... in Christchurch.

Would have thought it should be at the Basin, you know, tradition and all that.

People's thoughts on Butler's Mankad?  IMO once you have been warned it is your own fault and you deserve what you get.  The level of whinging from the Poms is ridiculous, especially considering the runout of Elliott a few years ago!

It's a very odd part of the game that should really be addressed. On one hand, it's all good bleating tradition and spirit of the game etc. but what if it's a single required off the last ball? Cool to start a few extra feet down the pitch? Not really. The other hand is you don't wanna see bowlers constantly stopping to look for a run out, especially when time wasting is beneficial to the bowling side. One warning then no more works most of the time but again, in a last over scenario maybe not so much. 

I think it was fair enough.

And England's whining is just irritating. It's not like they have a history of being great sports:

After reading this from Jayawardene I have no sympathy at all for the poms.

"We gave him a fair chance," Jayawardene said. "Twice. Before the first warning, we told the umpires that he was taking too much of a lead and then he was warned again. We had to do that, because they kept doing it.

"We analysed our game after Lord's. They took 22 twos in the last 12 overs. Ravi Bopara and him ran riot. And most of the time they were taking starts that are not legal by the written laws. We just wanted to make sure we got a fair chance. We warned them and we warned the umpires, but they didn't listen to us, so we had to take the right steps.

"We always try to play in the right spirit, but if the other team is not playing in the right spirit and not going with the law, then unfortunately we had to take the law into our hands. It was the third time. It is fair enough, I think. We all need to play by the rules.

Looks like our lads are doing alright in the Windies... until our second innings when the pitch has crumbled and broken up and their spinners tear us apart....

I just saw Sonny Shaw and his flags at the game.

I know Rutherford hasn't been fantastic, but what on earth does Fulton need to do to be dropped?