The match-fixing scandal that has rocked the cricketing world in the recent Cronje days is not a new phenomenon. In 1919, the White Sox, an American baseball team, threw away a World Series match for monetary gain. The baseball authorities in the US reacted swiftly and banned the players for life. The next baseball betting scandal was in the form of Pete Rose, (a habitual gambler and a brilliant batter, the latter a la Azharuddin) whose induction into the baseball Hall of Fame has been stopped because he bet on baseball matches other than the ones he was involved in. Note that gambling on baseball games is legal in Las Vegas.

It can be argued that the baseball administrators reacted swiftly almost a century ago because of public and government pressure; the latter because of the benefits baseball receives as a regulated monopoly. But why does not the BCCI (Board of Cricket Control in India), a body with significant links and benefits from government, including tax- exempt status, feel the pain?

In 1998-99, according to a Public Interest Litigation filed by two youngsters, Rahul Mehra and Shantanu Sharma, the BCCI had net profits of 83.7 million; its profits have been growing at a rate that will make Infosys blush with insecurity - over 50 percent per annum, for 11 years, from the high base Reliance Cup year of 1987. Forget dotcoms; the BCCI is the real thing. And there is nothing better in the world than to get police, sorry government, protection for your monopoly. Note the conclusion of the government on the subject matter of match-fixing in cricket: "Based on the deliberations (sic) today, the BCCI has agreed to prepare a five-year vision document in the next three months covering all aspects for improving the standard of cricket in India. This document will be discussed with the sports ministry". (Press statement, Ministry of Sports, April 27, 2000; emphasis added). I would like to buy whatever the BCCI and the Minister of Sports is smoking. Perhaps the former Chief Justice of India, Mr Y. Chandrachud, will be asked to prepare his vision statement given that his last vision, exonerating all players and administrators from any involvement whatsoever in any match-fixing or betting, has just been tabled in parliament. Perhaps the cricket improvement vision will involve a further reduction in the amount that BCCI spends on coaching - 1.1 percent of revenue compared with more than 20 percent of revenue spent by the South African Cricket Board.

The BCCI and the Indian government are the first inductees into the cricket Hall of Infamy. There is a long line outside. Leading the cover-up brigade is the Australian Cricket Board whose president, Mr. Dennis Rogers stated yesterday that "the players found guilty of match fixing should be banned for life". Mr. DeQuincey anticipated such behavior 170 years ago. Recall that the ACB did not even slap the wrists of two world class players, Mark Waugh and Shane Warne, when they were caught with their umbrellas down providing "weather information" to bookies. How does Mr. Rogers propose to define match-fixing and guilt? He certainly does not need any help from the BCCI.

Next in line are the South African cricket fans who supported Mr. Hansie Cronje after he had admitted to taking money from bookies for providing non-weather information. When the scandal first broke in the form of voice tapes of the upright and white Mr. Cronje talking to brown Indian bookies, the white Australian and South African media went into raptures over Cronje's assumed innocence. The Delhi Police were accused of tape tampering; "voice of Cronje that of an Asian" was the accusation. The rot did not stop with Cronje's admission of guilt. "Poor Victim of Oriental skullduggery" was the enlightened white view. The correct picture: Ulta Chor Kotwal ko Dante , an Indian phrase which means "The topsy-turvy world in which the thief accuses the police".

The best among the worst entrants into infamy is the Pakistan Cricket Board. Over the years, they have done the least amount of cover-up, though they nevertheless are card- carrying members of DeQuincey's club. Their crime - manslaughter rather than murder. Players have been banned (and brought back), captains changed, and a report by Justice Qayyum which has considerably more ink than whitewash.

Is there no contender for the Cricket Hall of Fame? Are there no heroes left ? The damage done to the psyche was best reflected in my 8 year old's wonderment at what Cronje had done wrong. His innocence makes grown men cry. How does one explain the intricacies of insider trading? Betting and speculation is OK (I am a fund manager in my non-cricket time) but match-fixing not.

Over the fifty odd Control years of Indian democracy, the one genuine hero has been the free press. So with cricket. In 1997, the Indian magazine Outlook broke the story of the match-fixing virus. It was accused of sensationalism and many within the press thought it was indulging in yellow journalism. However, several journalists persisted with cricket's millennium scandal. And they have been vindicated. Now it is politically correct for fence sitters to talk about the virus transmitted by rotten eggs. The Indian cricket fans are also speaking via the PIL; (unlikely that the South African fans that thought Cronje did no wrong would endorse such a brave effort). And a genuine hero is our own Delhi Police for overcoming insurmountable odds to publicize Indian cricket's most zealously guarded secret.

But perhaps the South African fans are more right than wrong; perhaps, our youthful innocence is blinding our vision. The government of India has already pronounced the vision verdict. Not guilty and keep on betting. It is very likely that the ICC will end its meeting on May 2nd with similar vision: "Seek and ye shall profit; only do not talk over tappable phones". There is a lot of legal profit in the administration of cricket. Just look at the BCCI accounts. The major problem with cricket is large and growing monopoly profits. Monopolists like to protect their turf; which is why the Great Cover Up will succeed. I would bet on it.  

The BCCI accounts, the PIL, and all related documents pertaining to the match-fixing controversy are available on www.cricketx.com.