Over the years, controversies surrounding cricket have marred the beauty of 'the gentleman's game', with match-fixing, being the ugliest blotch in it.
The conviction of Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir on charges of spot-fixing has come as a shock to cricket-lovers and the cricketing community. Time and again, allegations of match-fixing against players surface bringing shame to the spirit of the game. Throughout the history of cricket, there have been a number of players that have been banned from the game of cricket for match-fixing and here are 10 of them.
1. Hansie Cronje
Hansie Cronje, the man whom batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar considered the toughest bowler to bat against, was charged with match-fixing on April 2000, along with other South African cricketers, Herschelle Gibbs, Nicky Boje and Pieter Styrdom. Denials were made by the South African cricket board as well as the players with regard to the allegations levelled against them. 3 Days later, Cronje was sacked as captain after confessing that he hadn't been "entirely honest". a number of startling revelations were made by players and Cronje himself, about his dealings with bookmakers. Cronje was banned from playing or coaching cricket for life on 11 October. After approximately 2 years, Cronje, aged 32, died in a plane crash, which also killed his two pilots.
2. Mohammad Azharuddin
Azharuddin was the shining star of the Indian cricket team till the time he played for the team. He was an excellent batsman and fielder and an inspirational leader of his team. He is the one of the most successful captains of Team India, statistically, with a record win of 103 ODI matches as captain that is still unmatched. However, allegations of match fixing were levelled on him after Hansie Cronje's confession which named Azharuddin as the main person who introduced the bookies to him. A CBI enquiry followed and Azharuddin, eventually admitted to fixing 3 ODI matches. This led him into being banned from cricket for life by BCCI in the year 2000, which was lifted six years later.
3. Manoj Prabhakar
Manoj Prabhakar was a significant part of the Indian cricket team in the early 1990s. He was a shrewd bowler who made batting difficult for his opponents. His career was, however, short-lived as he retired immediately after being dropped from the squad in the 1995-96 World Cup. In 2000, he tried to implicate other cricketers, including Kapil Dev, in the match-fixing controversy which backfired on him. He was found guilty of involvement in match-fixing and was handed a 5-year ban by BCCI. He then tried, unsuccessfully, to enter politics and then took to coaching for good.
4. Herschelle Gibbs
The match-fixing allegation that consumed Hansie Cronje's cricketing career also blotted Herschelle Gibbs's career. In a heart-breaking moment he tearfully admitted that he had, in fact, accepted $15,000 to score "less than 20" in an ODI match from captain Cronje. He however, could not convince himself to keep his side of the bargain and scored 74 instead. He was therefore banned only for 6 months following which he came back to the South African team and resurrected himself as a player of class and worth.
5. Henry Williams
Like Herschelle Gibbs, Williams too had agreed to underperform at an ODI match in Nagpur. The South African bowler, however injured his shoulder and couldn't complete his second innings, as a result of which he didn't receive any payment. He too was banned from international cricket for 6 months. He never returned to play cricket and later became the bowling coach at Boland.
6. Marlon Samuels
The West Indian cricketer was accused by the Indian Police of leaking out team information to a bookie prior to their match against India in 2007. The police claimed to have a taped conversation between Samuels and a bookmaker, Mukesh Kochchar. In 2008 he was banned by ICC for 2 years after being found guilty of breaking rules made to stop players from betting despite him claiming innocence throughout. After the expiry of his ban, he once again resumed the game of cricket, playing for Jamaica and then for West Indies.
7. Ajay Jadeja
Ajay was the darling of the Indian team thanks to his brilliant fielding and equally good batting. The findings of a CBI inquiry found him guilty with match-fixing following which he was banned by the BCCI for 5 years. Jadeja challenged the ban in the Delhi High Court, which was dismissed after no one represented his case when the petition was taken for hearing. Later, however, he was permitted to play domestic matches following which he became the captain of Delhi and Rajasthan. In the meanwhile, he joined Bollywood, though he never found success in it.
8. Maurice Odumbe
Maurice Odumbe was one of Kenya's leading players. Following allegations of match-fixing yet again in the year 2004, ICC found Odumbe guilty of receiving money from bookmakers and was subsequently banned from cricket for 5 years. After his suspension, Odumbe became heavily involved in social work especially helping AIDS orphans. After the completion of his ban he returned to playing cricket, but at a domestic level.
9. Ajay Sharma
Ajay Sharma was considered to be the most prolific run-maker in first class cricket with an average of 67.46. He had many records behind him in domestic cricket but had an average show in the Indian Cricket team. His career finally ended after he was awarded a life ban following his implication in a match-fixing scandal.
10. Saleem Malik
Saleem Malik was a prominent part of the Pakistani cricket team till a notable period of time. He played many memorable innings for the country and even captained the team at one stage. He was accused of offering bribes and was handed a life ban in 2000 becoming the first cricketer ever to be banned. He claimed innocence from the very beginning, which was later found to be true. His ban was overturned in 2008, but he never returned to playingcricket again.
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