BPL: Five wides, overs of 11-15 runs evoke suspicion of spot fixing
“Cricket is such a sport where a skeptic can find suspicion in everything. If you see through a normal lens, everything seems normal,” a former national cricket team player, who wants to see the sport does not get dirty, made the remark.
He believes since the game is the means of livelihood for cricketers, they cannot cheat with it. Unfortunately though, this former cricketer’s ‘conviction’ is shaken repeatedly by the ongoing season of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Some incidents give rise to his suspicion and misgivings.
Although suspicion of spot fixing is nothing new in BPL, some abnormal happenings in the ongoing season stoke that a bit more than the past. Many current and former cricketers, board officials, journalists, even spectators now suspect something unusual on the field.
Spot fixing usually cannot affect the result of a match as it happens centering on smaller events within a match such as what will happen in a certain over.
Wide boundaries, 11-15 runs in over
“Perhaps there is fixing of five wides (boundary from a wide delivery) where the keeper is not involved. Delivery will be so wide that the keeper cannot stop,” said one involved with BPL.
Five wides are not uncommon in cricket. Chances of five wide increases while attempting wide Yorker.
But a wide yorker is usually bowled offside. However, the scenario is different in BPL. Most of these deliveries are bowled leg side. Some deliveries are so wide that they are bowled outside the pitch.
If spot fixing is about bowling a wide delivery, why should a bowler ball so wide?
A former cricketer who is observing BPL closely, on condition of anonymity, said, “There is no need to bowl outside the pitch to make a wide. If you bowl a little outside on the leg side, it is wide, but why is it being bowled on another pitch? To get 4-5 runs, to ensure the specific run of the bet for that over. Not even the wicketkeeper; the third man, the fine leg fielders cannot cover these all the time.”
Another former cricketer commented on this, “It is unrealistic for a cricketer of this level to bowl on another pitch. This doesn’t happen even in weekend cricket. Such bowling is unexpected for professional cricketers.”
Many involved with BPL teams observe that the trend of spot fixing this time is giving 11 to 15 runs in a specific over. The problem is that batsmen don’t know the intention of the bowler and they sometimes don’t hit easy deliveries. In such cases desperate bowlers start bowling wide-no balls, so wide to bypass that wicketkeeper fails to stop it. If that strategy doesn't work, there comes an overthrow.
Some suspicious incidents
Since there is no concrete evidence of spot fixing, let's mention a few incidents without mentioning the names of any team or player. Since there is more suspicion and discussion about five wide runs, let’s shed lights on these first-
Until last Sunday, a total of 16 wide boundaries were bowled in 10 of the 26 matches in Dhaka, Sylhet and Chattogram phases of BPL. One such delivery was bowled on Monday. Such recurrence of five wide runs surprises many. These wide boundaries were given by both local and foreign bowlers, and even spinners!
Suspicious overthrows are also taking place. In Sylhet, a team at the top of the points table was batting against a team at the bottom of the points table. A foreign batsman from the batting team hit a six. After two singles in the next two balls, the batsman was back at the batting end. The bowler could not lure the batsman with a loose delivery. Despite not having a backup fielder or keeper in place, the bowler unnecessarily threw the ball towards the stumps, resulting in four runs from the overthrow. The left-arm spinner, who has not yet played for the Bangladesh team, has a special 'reputation' among cricketers for doing incredible things in a specific over despite bowling two or three good overs.
Usually, bowlers are used for spot fixing. It is not in their hands to give less runs, but they can ensure more runs are scored in a particular over by bowling poor deliveries. They can bowl 'wide' or 'no' at their will. Still, actions of some batsmen also raise suspicion.
In the Sylhet phase, the sudden loss of momentum of two foreign batsmen in a match gave rise to questions. One of their teammates even expressed surprise about the sudden change of momentum while speaking to the media after the match.
Even, captain of a franchise was also seen to lose momentum suddenly, only to regain it after a certain time. Many suspect he batted cautiously to keep the runs within check in a certain number of overs. In another match in Sylhet, the way of dismissal of a local player who played for the national team surprised everyone.
At the beginning of the tournament, even the batting team was taken by surprise as a foreign bowler delivered one short ball after another. In this regard, a member of the team’s coaching staff said, “The bowler kept bowling short balls repeatedly, and sixes were being hit off them. All might think such an over can happen, but those who monitor the game closely can sense something suspicious.”
Why is this happening?
The only reason behind this would be greed for money. Sometimes, bad performance earns higher than good performance. As some particular players have already passed their prime, they might have chosen underperformance as a new source of income.
These cricketers are aware that suspicions hover around them. However, they do not care as there will be no punishment unless the suspicions are proved with concrete evidence. Also, it is too tough to prove such allegations in cricket.
The suspects are mostly at the twilight of their careers. Among them, some have never played for the national team and are unlikely to do so, while the others once represented the country but are now far from making a return to international cricket. Their domestic cricket form is also so poor that their participation in the next BPL draft seems doubtful.
A group of both local and foreign cricketers, who have little left to lose in their careers, have seemingly adopted these unethical practices as a 'profession.' At least 12 to 13 local players, including two former captains, are under suspicion, and the number is four to five when it comes to foreign players.
Are franchises involved?
Some weak franchises are speculated to have been involved in such activities, often through specific players. A source familiar with franchise operations said, “Sometimes, the franchise agreements with players are structured like this: ‘We will sign you for the team, pay you a certain amount, but you have to do the particular tasks for us.’”
According to him, such agreements are common in foreign franchise tournaments, “You’ll see that some Bangladeshi players, who are not hired by anywhere, suddenly get opportunities in foreign tournaments. This is how their agreements are made. Similarly, foreign players are brought into the BPL”.
A former national team captain underscored the need to focus on franchise selection to keep the BPL clean. “Some franchises come in for just one season to make quick money. They recruit players who will follow their instructions. This problem will not be solved unless franchises are contracted for the long term.”
What is the BCB’s perspective?
Rayyan Azad, the head of the BCB anti-corruption unit, could not make time to comment in this regard, though he was approached repeatedly throughout the last two-three days.
Nazmul Abedin, the member secretary of the BPL governing council and a BCB director, assured that everything is under their surveillance. Whenever suspicious activity is observed, the BCB anti-corruption department investigates it.
He, however, refrained from commenting on any particular case due to lack of necessary evidence.
Speaking from Kuala Lumpur, where he is with the under-19 women’s team, Nazmul Abedin said, “If we can prove that such incidents have taken place, we will not hide them, or sit idle. We will take punitive action.”
According to sources, the anti-corruption unit has already summoned the manager and captain of a team. Nazmul Abedin opted not to comment in this regard.
When asked if he noticed anything suspicious in the BPL, he said, “I cannot comment on these issues. We will track every suspicious activity. Even if we cannot immediately prove an incident, we will keep it on record. It will make the concerned ones understand that everything is under our watch.”