ICC and King Commission hope to restore credibility

While the International Cricket Council stopped short of reintroducing public flogging and placing the perpetrators of dishonesty in the stocks for further they have manfully put aside differences to root out the evil which has left a gaping credibility gap in the game.

Not that the introductions on Wednesday of a life ban and other stringent measures are going to change overnight the backlash of a skeptical public who are going to wonder whether what they have paid good money to see is what druggies call a "fix" or a genuine game.

Already one former Northerns all-rounder, Nico Martin has posed the question relayed to him by friends, whether limited-overs internationals and even the domestic skinhead variety of the game, can be taken seriously again.

They argued the need for transparency as well as action and seem to reluctantly agree that the ICC have at least taken a few corrective measures, not before time, either, to minimise the serious damage the public now view what they see taking place on the field.

Dr Ali Bacher, managing director of the United Cricket Board, has already admitted there is serious concern within the ranks of the board about the public's view of the sport since the spectre of Cronjegate was raised in India a month ago with the release of a transcript of a tape at a media conference at which one of alleged 14 tapes was played.

From shock and horror to disbelief and anger and now ridicule, players' greed to place themselves and their bank balance above the role of the game has created the sort of credibility which it could do without as we move into the 21st century.

The ugly image of stained money and characters, shady underworld visions and clandestine cellular conversations with thugs is not new. What is new is the way the ICC have tackled the issue and which could see Hansie Cronje banned for five years under clause eight. Not at all a pretty prospect for the one-time national captain now in disgrace.

An examination of the measures show that players could be banned for five years if they have been found guilty of receiving money or other rewards for providing information on the weather, teams, state of the ground, the status or outcome of the match. The five year ban also involves those found to have bet on a match, or a series of matches or inducing other players to bet on a match or a series of matches.

There are clauses for life bans as well which the international administrators hope will restore the public's image as the measures announced to clean up cricket's image as one of now harbouring so-called sportsmen on the take in murky corners of musky pavilions riddled it seems with dry rot instead of firm foundations around the globe. Such is the skepticism which has now invaded the public domain.

For years the ICC have been likened to a collection of fusty old men with a distinct old school tie image and what is known in England as the Oxbridge (Oxford and Cambridge universities) connection. Their coat of arms was once described as having a toothless tiger mounted on a white shield with a yellow stripe down the middle and a set of blinkers representing each of the nine full member countries.

There are those who are disturbed at the way Cronje, the one-time icon of South African cricket and someone whose integrity and fairplay ethic was trusted without question in the boardrooms around the world, has been treated.

"He is not a murderer," they whinge, "so how can you be so callous?"

By first denying then admitting to "not being entirely honest" he placed himself in a position where a stunned public are still battling to come to terms with what has happened. There are members of the team who still wonder if it is not all a nightmare and a good pinch is going to wake them.

The ICC have not so much wielded the light cane as the birch to get home to all their message: they had to be firm, tough and decisive in their intentions. Instead of granting amnesty to the dishonest, they have decided to hand out a list of under what offence players can be banned as part of the get tough on criminal elements infiltrating the sport. The amnesty idea, it has been said, was a comment from David Richards, the ICC's chief executive, as a way of looking at the early picture of what might happen before Wednesday's crisis meeting at Lord's in London.

Fortunately it was rejected by the 17-man executive who came up with the a formula designed to draw out the truth by placing players' honesty on a wrack designed to drag out their confessions and admittance of guilt.

There is uncertainty whether Cronje is to be the first player to possibly face a five-year ban, which could to take place with immediate effect.

From Monday we have what is known as the King Commission, headed by the respected Cape Town judge, Mr Justice Edwin King and armed with far stronger muscle than an ordinary inquiry which the UCB had initially planned. Constituted by the government the idea is to drag out the truth and the power to subpoena anyone they desire and whom it is felt will at least give honest answers or spill the beans.

Plans to hold it as an open forum, with exceptional cases, lasting about a month is at least one way to restore public confidence. Just as the ICC are now prepared to own up to a responsibility towards the game they should have shown 30 years ago, the UCB are prepared for the evil smell of opening a snakepit which is likely to reveal a variety of shades in dshonesty.

"The truth must come out," Dr Bacher said. "We have to show where we stand on this issue and I believe in the next few months we are going to have a bumpy road... But the UCB will handle this process very carefully."

The UCB have been at the forefront of a major shift within the ICC to face up to their responsibilities by instituting the ICC anti-corruption investigation as a result of the Cronjegate admissions.