Charge that wasn’t probed at all

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 2

About a week after Lalit Modi's e-mail to the ICC, wherein he shared his doubts about three players having accepted bribes from a Mumbai builder, surfaced on Twitter, two of them have denied the accusation and have threatened to explore their legal options.

“I have never been involved in any wrongdoing and all allegations against me are false. Playing cricket is my passion... I'm figuring out my legal rights,” said Raina, in a press release issued by Rhiti Sports, the company that manages his commercial interests. Surprisingly, the company didn't issue a clarification on behalf of Ravindra Jadeja (the third player named in Modi's e-mail), who too is managed by them. Is his position somewhat different from that of Raina? 

Dwayne Bravo, the West Indian all-rounder, too, has called the allegations baseless. “I just want to make it clear I've always played the game fair, clean and honestly. I love this game, it has given a lot. I would not do anything to jeopardise my sport or my career by indulging in any wrongful activity. These allegations are untrue,” Bravo told a Mumbai tabloid.

The players are of course very much within their rights to deny the allegations in whatever manner they deem fit. But maybe a little more detailed explanation, especially in the case of Raina who has allegedly been given a flat each in Delhi and Noida by the builder, would have been more apt and reassuring. After all it shouldn't be difficult to prove that he doesn't own any property at the given locations, even if he does, it has nothing to do with the builder in question. That, instead of an emotional rant, would have cleared the air once and for all.

The only significant takeaway from the two denials is Bravo's assertion that he was never questioned in this regard by the ICC. That's significant because the BCCI secretary, Anurag Thakur, had categorically stated a few days back that it was the ICC's responsibility to investigate the matter as the players in question were international cricketers. While that claim already looked unconvincing, Bravo's assertion has punched more holes into it. Assuming Bravo is telling the truth, it's clear no action was taken on the information. The ICC, which is on record saying that it received the mail, didn't even question or get in touch with the players. The BCCI, on the other hand, washed its hand of all the responsibility by claiming it falls under the ICC's jurisdiction. 

If this is how the information of any possible wrongdoing is going to be treated, not many in the future are going to report any approaches from shady characters. Already, the BCCI hasn't done anything about a Rajasthan Royals player reporting an “approach” to fix the games. The player reported the incident at the start of the IPL this year but the BCCI has yet to make any announcements in this regard. This lackadaisical approach on the part of the administrators raises doubt if they are at all interested in rooting out corruption from the game. Many would have their doubts, given how the latest issue has been handled.