Cricket
this comment gives me no pleasure at all but there are allegations in a Sunday newspaper about betting in cricket. If these allegations about bowling no balls then that to me would be the tip of the iceberg. In the first innings of the current test England were on the ropes, just like we were in the Battle of Britain, our backs against the wall, then miraculously England recovered, with a brilliant ninth wicket stand.
Then come these allegations, everything is tarnished, a dropped catch here, a dropped catch there, a misfield, all of a sudden nothing makes any sense. What people have to understand is that in the betting market you can 'buy' runs. For example, if somebody had bought England for £10 when they were 150-7 then England score 300 then the person who bought England would win £1,500, whereas if England had been all out for 200 then the person would owe £1,000 to the other side of the bet. Now this is big money, because we are not talking £10's here, we are talking serious money.
Now my concern is that yet again Pakistan figure in all this, a Pakistan which is meant to be striggling with terrorism, and don't mention the floods. So, there is something seriously going wrong.
There have been problems with betting previously in cricket, but it does not seem to go away, despite some major efforts, and it is sad when one of the greatest sports in the world is brought into disrepute, and it is sad, so very sad, that it would seem that all is not right.
Take an example, a team might well be involved in a match where the game is affected by rain, so the captains agree a run target, with easy bowling, and artificial targets, one team then 'wins' by declarations, and may take some of the honours, but is it fair on the other teams involved, and if betting is involved, or bonuses for success, then there is trouble.
It is no different in Grand Prix racing, we have seen, and heard, that teams may well have their favourite to win, and the second racer may be 'ordered' to allow the other driver to pass. Now this has happened, and again there are problems, because of betting.
These are sad days for those of us brought up on fair play, all illusions are shattered, it is a sign of the times, nobody would seem to be whiter than white. I have said before, and it still stands to this day, money makes pimps and whores of us all, a harsh comment I know, but we all follow orders at some time or another in our lives, and we have to ask, why?
Then come these allegations, everything is tarnished, a dropped catch here, a dropped catch there, a misfield, all of a sudden nothing makes any sense. What people have to understand is that in the betting market you can 'buy' runs. For example, if somebody had bought England for £10 when they were 150-7 then England score 300 then the person who bought England would win £1,500, whereas if England had been all out for 200 then the person would owe £1,000 to the other side of the bet. Now this is big money, because we are not talking £10's here, we are talking serious money.
Now my concern is that yet again Pakistan figure in all this, a Pakistan which is meant to be striggling with terrorism, and don't mention the floods. So, there is something seriously going wrong.
There have been problems with betting previously in cricket, but it does not seem to go away, despite some major efforts, and it is sad when one of the greatest sports in the world is brought into disrepute, and it is sad, so very sad, that it would seem that all is not right.
Take an example, a team might well be involved in a match where the game is affected by rain, so the captains agree a run target, with easy bowling, and artificial targets, one team then 'wins' by declarations, and may take some of the honours, but is it fair on the other teams involved, and if betting is involved, or bonuses for success, then there is trouble.
It is no different in Grand Prix racing, we have seen, and heard, that teams may well have their favourite to win, and the second racer may be 'ordered' to allow the other driver to pass. Now this has happened, and again there are problems, because of betting.
These are sad days for those of us brought up on fair play, all illusions are shattered, it is a sign of the times, nobody would seem to be whiter than white. I have said before, and it still stands to this day, money makes pimps and whores of us all, a harsh comment I know, but we all follow orders at some time or another in our lives, and we have to ask, why?
posted by Catch22 at 11:38 PM
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