Cricket, control and incompetency: The many ailments plaguing the BCCI

Spot-fixing: An illegal activity where, a part of the match, rather than the match itself is fixed so as to benefit the bookies. Difficult to detect, but equally shameful once brought to light. As seen in case of the three Rajasthan Royal players, one of whom was a part of the nation’s two World Cup squads.

Its illustrious name has become a subject of irony today, and is literally in tatters. It’s the wealthiest cricketing body in the world, so much so that even the official cricketing body quakes under the exercising power of its wealth. It attracts controversies, yet manages to evade big-time scrutiny by the sheer dint of its power-wielding. It takes decisions, as it vetoes ones that don’t appeal to its vested interests. All-in-all, the Board of Control for Cricket in India does many things – powerful, visible, and tangible – but is yet unable to rein in and control the tentacles of taint in its cricketing fixtures from spreading far and wide.

The sudden exposé of three cricketers in the wide web of spot-fixing has left everyone reeling. And none will be more worried about its ramifications than the BCCI. For a premier institution holding major clout over most other cricketing bodies and major cricketing decisions – the latter will need a lengthy elaboration all by itself – the findings couldn’t have been more humiliating. Why? Because the Board’s unique brain-child was supposed to present to the world, the best of Indian and world cricket and none of its seedy under-belly possibilities. And as big an objective transparency was for the BCCI, after the spot-fixing exposé, not many will take its word to stay true to the fulfilment of the said objective. Not the fans and definitely not the other cricketing boards, especially since foreign players have been unanimously cleared by the Indian police authorities from being involved in the spot-fixing scandal.

As the police authorities continue to gather and present the multi-faceted evidence about the larger prevalence of such nefarious activities in the sport, one can’t help but wonder about the actual control that the BCCI exercises so as to ensure that these activities are curtailed and eliminated before they can spread and mutate further.

These emerging thoughts aren’t accusing fingers pointing towards India’s wealthiest sporting body, but genuine concerns that every cricketing fan and viewer in India wants to be addressed. For it is a fan’s due right.

‘Responsibility’ is a big word. The dictionary describes it as the trait of being answerable to someone for something. The true extent of BCCI’s shouldering of responsibility towards the sport and towards the people involved – both actively and indirectly – will be tested amidst this whirlpool of discoveries. How the BCCI answers and takes charge about these revelations would then speak for its objective of remaining transparent.

Whether it steps up, taking charge as a regulatory authority should or whether it shrugs the matter off after only a surface inspection of the scandal without considering the depth of its penetration, would be instrumental factors in making or – in the worst case – breaking of the BCCI’s hold on international cricket. It would also be the determining factor in the restoration of the fans’ faith in not just the sport but also in the institution. Faith, that has been grossly shaken all over again, and would remain susceptible for the foreseeable future.

Banning the players as a punitive measure, or simply trying to pass on the buck by claiming unawareness about the spot-fixing mire isn’t an option for the BCCI any more. It needs to go beyond this on-the-face repair work, work that will redeem its authoritative stance. This is chance for the BCCI to go from a controlling, almost-dictatorial organisation to one, that effectually controls matters that need to be controlled.