Latest Revelations Condemn Pakistan

When I heard the news that Zulqernain Haider had fled to the UK because of death threats over his refusal to fix games. I was not overly surprised or shocked. I sighed, disappointed as the realisation of how severe this problem is within Pakistan cricket hit me.

I have been optimistic about the future of Pakistan cricket even after the spot-fixing saga (I firmly believe they are all guilty, Amir's no ball was ludicrous). This latest revelation has however condemned Pakistani cricket in my view. I cannot see how they can possibly continue to play international cricket. Every time they lose spectacularly or pull off an incredible victory (there is very rarely any middle ground with Pakistan) I will always think, which player/players have fixed that game then?

You have to admire what Haider has done though. In the face of such adversity his principles have shone through and I only hope he and his family are permitted to reside in the UK safely.

The ICC has to act. In my opinion, as harsh as it is, Pakistan should be banned from playing international cricket. The ICC has to at least try and find out how deep this problem lies and take any steps necessary to eradicate the problem. I am not saying it will be easy, far from it. But it is completely necessary if the integrity of cricket is to remain.

I am not saying that Pakistan should be banned forever. A period of 1 or 2 years would suffice whilst investigations take place. The ICC should then slowly re-introduce them into the game, taking all necessary measures to ensure players cannot be contacted by illegal bookmakers (if this means putting players under 24 hour surveillance, then so be it).

During this period I also feel that domestic cricket in Pakistan should be stopped as there is enough evidence to suggest fixing is also a problem at this level. The Pakistani players should also not be allowed to take part in any domestic cricket or IPL as they are obviously very susceptible to approaches from bookies. Whilst this would obviously be a huge blow to the Pakistani players (especially the ones who have done nothing wrong) they would still be able to hone their skills in places such as English league cricket and Australian Grade cricket.

The love of cricket in Pakistan would mean there would still be a talent pool to choose from once they are re-admitted. I believe support would also increase by these measures as I'm sure a lot of support has been lost over this match/spot fixing saga. This would be the best thing for Pakistani cricket, it's fans, players and the entire cricketing community.