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Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows the alleged failure of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and subsequently of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to thoroughly investigate accusations of match fixing in Indian cricket in a 1997 inquiry. The money involved in Indian cricket is described as the reason why the inquiry’s report was a whitewash. The clip includes an interview with Harsha Bhogle, an Indian cricket commentator and journalist who criticises the report.

Educational value points

• This clip seeks to establish a link between money and match fixing in Indian cricket, with the strong implication being made that two of cricket’s controlling bodies were implicated in conspiring to protect the image of cricket. The popularity of cricket among India’s extensive population creates a huge money-making capability, especially through the sale of television rights. Rumours of match fixing threatened Indian cricket’s capacity to generate revenue.

• The 1997 inquiry is criticised for not seriously addressing the accusations of malpractice by Indian players and officials. Judge Chandrachund, who led the inquiry, interviewed a select number of players and officials and found that while there was evidence of large-scale betting occurring in India, he was ‘unwilling to believe’ that there was proof that any Indian player or official had engaged in such an activity. Two years later the ICC accepted the findings.

• The clip’s narrator raises questions about the probity of the BCCI, the richest cricket board in the world. The board selects the players, umpires and officials to represent India in international competitions. This gives it great power in India. Its huge wealth, derived from sponsorship, broadcasting and advertising revenue, makes it an influential member of the ICC.

• As described in the clip, India is a ‘cricket-mad’ country. First brought to the country by the British, cricket is now India’s unofficial national sport involving almost all the states and is one of the few sports in which India has achieved continuing international success. Innovative marketing strategies adopted by the BCCI have cashed in on and extended cricket’s large fan base in India. Cricketers enjoy superstar status and derive huge earnings from product endorsements.

• This excerpt from the Walkley Award-winning documentary made by Liz Jackson (c1951–) for the ABC program Four Corners was filmed at the height of a match-fixing controversy that began with Pakistan’s Salim Malik’s life ban and was followed by South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje’s (1969-2002) admission that he took money to fix matches. The program aimed to expose why match fixing had escaped official investigation for so long.