Anger, sadness and pats for the BCCI

"I have discovered that all human evil comes from this, man being unable to sit still and quiet in a room alone," said Blaise Pascal. Had four players - Mohd. Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar and Ajay Sharma - and the physio Ali Irani heeded these wise words, they would not have been in the situation they find themselves now.

Of the five who have been punished, two have been banned for life while the other three have been banned for five years. The reaction from various quarters has been mixed. The affected players have taken exception to the ban and have come down heavily on the BCCI. As usual Azharuddin remained incommunicado while his brother Abrar Ahmed said from the very begining of the CBI enquiry that they had targeted 'Bhai' as he was a 'soft pad'.

The Indian captain Sourav Ganguly refused to comment on the decision taken by the BCCI on his former colleagues. Ganguly said he preferred to concentrate on the game. Talking to reporters at Ahmedabad airport before leaving for Jodhpur for the third ODI against Zimbabwe, Ganguly said "It is their (BCCI) decision. They know the whole thing better than I. I just want to stick to cricket. The Board has done what they think is correct."

Hyderabad Cricket Association secretary and former Indian selector Shivlal Yadav said he felt sorry for the family members of Azharuddin. "I feel sorry for Azhar's parents and his children. It's sad that his mother and father, the very ordinary people from the city, had to hear this news at this age," the former Indian offspinner told a news agency.

But Yadav was critical on the decision of the board on the quantum of punishment for other players. Yadav said "All the guilty persons should be awarded equal penalties and there cannot be discrimination," adding, "if the CBI report found some persons guilty, all of them should be given equal punishment."

While PR Mansingh, manager of the victorious 1983 Indian World Cup team, said "it is a sad day for Indian and Hyderabad cricket." He added "However, the game is greater than those who play it. It may be an initial setback, but the game will go on and in better conditions and good spirits," he said. As far as the penalties were concerned, Mansingh said, "Azhar was in and out of the Indian team of late and Manoj Prabhakar was out long back. The ban would only affect Ajay Jadeja, but we have to bear with it and continue with the game."

Talking to Star News, Jadeja came down strongly against the board's decision of banning him from playing international cricket for five years. Jadeja, probably the only one really affected by the board's decision, said "I have lost the motivation to play for India. They (BCCI) are not going to play me and I don't want to play for them." However, he said he would appeal against the verdict. The former Indian allrounder said "I have the right to appeal and I will appeal. I have played for the board and I want them to listen to me".

Asked whether he regretted his past actions, Jadeja said "Probably yes. I do have regrets and the biggest regret is that playing cricket would be missing." But he denied having fixed or under performed in any match. "I have played with the best of my ability," Jadeja said.

But the most critical of the players remained the man who blew the whistle first. The former Indian all rounder Manoj Prabhakar said "I expected a better reward from the BCCI for having blown the lid off the match-fixing scandal and trying to rescue the game from the malaise." He was critical on the board for equating him with Jadeja in the issue saying he was "unhappy for equating him with Jadeja against whom there were far graver allegations and findings. He added even the BCCI's anti-corruption commissioner K Madhavan and the CBI found no evidence against him of receiving money from bookies or of under-performing.

"The only count on which I have been found guilty by Mr Madhavan is of having contact with bookies," he said and claimed that "those contacts were made for purposes of investigation long after I had retired from competitive cricket."

Prabhakar said he wished the former office-bearers of the Board, notably Jagmohan Dalmiya and the then cricket manager Ajit Wadekar had been more sincere and keen to come down on match-fixing in 1994 itself when he first raised the issue. "Yet, no matter what the Board does now, I believe my efforts to bring match-fixing to light have paid off."

Ajay Sharma, the other player to have been banned for life, said "I just cannot believe it. On the face of it, the BCCI decision is arbitrary and discriminatory." He added he was awaiting detailed orders from the BCCI. "I will then consult my lawyers for further action after receiving the copy of orders from the BCCI."

An ICC press release commended the BCCI's action against erring cricketers. ICC Chief Executive David Richards said "The BCCI should be commended for acting in the best interests of cricket in reaching these decisions. Of course it is disappointing that the careers of these prominent players should end in this way, but hopefully others will learn from their example."

Richards added "From an ICC perspective it has been made abundantly clear that corruption will not be tolerated and has no place in the game. Wrong doers will be identified and punished, not just to ensure that justice is seen to be done, but also to send a strong deterrent to anyone considering corrupt practices in future."

The BCCI's action on the players goes well with the words of Martin Luther who said "Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree."