Once a cheat, always a cheat?

I hate it when England lose. Fact. I simply want them to win all the time, something which they have actually become quite good at recently. So you can imagine my disappointment, when on Friday, they failed to chase down a miserly 242. Yet, I wasn’t actually that sad. This was not just because of the fact that a 2-1 score line keeps this series alive and kicking, but I was actually quite pleased for Pakistan. When the allegations of spot-fixing (during the Lords test) came out I was as angered as any cricket lover - how dare these players corrupt the game I adore?! However (maybe naively), that’s all I believed it to be - a few individuals bringing themselves, and the game, into disrepute. Consequently, I felt a bit sorry for those who had done nothing wrong, who had been playing within the spirit of the game and were trying their hearts out for their grief stricken country. I understood how hard it must have been to rally themselves for the remainder of the series and I came to have a lot of respect for Shahid Afridi. Yes, he is far from perfect (pitch scuffing and ball biting, being his two most famous exploits) and the fact that he has now become Pakistan’s shinning light says it all. But, I felt he handled himself and the situation pretty well. Apologising to all the fans for what had happened was a good start. An honesty which seemed to continue on Friday, when he admitted his run out was due to him being lazy and that he hadn’t bowled that well. His praise for the teams effort was also heart-warming. The way Pakistan bowled during the third ODI (especially Umar Gul) reminded the cricketing world of how good a side they are and how much richer the game is for their involvement. Yet, news on the following day, that the ICC were investigating irregular scoring patterns during that match, also reminded everyone of why banning the entire Pakistan cricket team may be the only way forward. It seems after all, that (as I had initially thought) corruption does not stop at a few players, but is embedded within the team. As a cricket lover and someone who gave Pakistan the benefit of the doubt, I feel cheated and let down. It’s time for the ICC to say enough is enough.

Although Pakistan may have abused my sympathy, my heart does go out to Somerset. The whole team now know how every girl who has only ever been a bridesmaid feels. To come runners up in the Twenty20, County Championship and now CB40 must hurt. Yet, look on the Brightside, they did much better than my own team Middlesex. If only they could have had such a season.