Cricket: Playing the Game

The corruption scandal over the alleged betting fraud relating to Pakistani cricketers has focused attention not just on the ethics of the game but also, perhaps, attitudes to money.

What was particularly shocking was the sight of someone gazing covetously at £140,000 in banknotes spread out in front of him, and then counting the notes one by one as he discussed how the fraud would be perpetrated. It looked very like the sting a few weeks ago when, in pictures that looked remarkably similar, an undercover reporter presented thousands of pounds to a celebrity prepared to take it in return for selling access to her husband without his knowledge. 

In both cases, if the newspaper behind the investigations had provided proof through, for example, bank account records instead of a video of piles of cash being accepted, the impact of the revelations would have been far less. The clear greed for piles of dirty paper was unedifying to watch, the distaste of viewers heightened by knowledge of the intent behind the situation.

I am not being judgmental here. The people concerned are learning their own lessons in their own way, but in so doing so publicly have given us, unintentionally, gifts of reminder and learning. Seeing the stacks of notes spread out on a coffee table was a reminder of how easily money, a loan from god to be used for good purposes, can itself become a god and misused for personal gain, and so soiled and tainted.

In this most recent case, Pakistani cricketers are under scrutiny for possible corruption, and it is ironic that millions of pounds have been given by the British people, and other countries, of course, to help the Pakistani people in need of help now. Some of the donations are in cash.  A pile of coins and notes given with a compassionate heart looks very different from a wad of notes rewarding ill-intent, doesn't it?