Butt/Amir/Asif - Spot Fixing Trial

[GIMH]

There’s no profession in the real world I can think of where a convicted criminal is barred for life from employment. If a person does something illegal and then pays his dues (in prison no less!), then society generally allows him to have a second choice. There are murderers, rapists, drug dealers etc who get out of prison and are allowed to successfully integrate back into the world after serving their time.

I know we’re all passionate about the game, but in the end it’s only a damn game. This is not life and death. Why can’t someone who has paid his dues not have a second chance? You have a right to hate them and call them ****s, but I would hope no professional body would allow their personal feelings to get in the way of doing what’s legally correct – that the players should have a chance to be selected again based on merit.

I dunno, there are plenty of professions that run CRB checks and you're out if you've got a record. I remember worrying whether my Public Disorder Section 5 from 2005 was going to block my way into banking

 

[Fusion]

Alright, fair points, there are many professions which will bar you from employment if you were convicted for something job-related. There are also many that don’t. Heck, a convicted felon can run for the US Congress or even become President! More importantly, there isn’t a law in cricket that bars Amir or the others from playing cricket again. Amir is serving the punishment that’s prescribed under the law and he should be free to play once the punishment is over.

My main point is that we allow second chances in life. He hasn’t killed someone or ***ually abused a kid ffs. He was involved in a white collar crime relating to the GAME of cricket. If he comes back and plays cricket, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, or even cricket.

 

[Viscount Tom]

If they want to pick him its fine, but I think the batsmen should ask to have his foot checked each delivery.

He should also be reminded by the Barmies each delivery of his crime and by the slip fielders. Quite frankly he should have been banned for life as should spot and match fixers in general, they've not just committed a criminal offence, they've damaged the very name of the game.

Also he's not barred from been employed elsewhere so a life ban shouldn't be an issue its also not the requirement of the courts to ensure that he can make his way in the world following his crime.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

I for one believe in second chances, because it's unfair to disbar someone for a petty crime like Amir's. Amir's crime is more equivalent to a shop lift than being a paedophile, so let's not go OTT on that. I'm sure most professions would admit a shop lifter back in after they have served their sentence.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

If they want to pick him its fine, but I think the batsmen should ask to have his foot checked each delivery.

He should also be reminded by the Barmies each delivery of his crime and by the slip fielders. Quite frankly he should have been banned for life as should spot and match fixers in general, they've not just committed a criminal offence, they've damaged the very name of the game.

Also he's not barred from been employed elsewhere so a life ban shouldn't be an issue its also not the requirement of the courts to ensure that he can make his way in the world following his crime.

That's fair enough. He deserves all the heckling and abuse from fans and opposition for what he has done, but he should be allowed back in. If he was a world class talent in batting instead of bowling, it would have been much more difficult to bat surrounded by 11 other guys, sledging you. But since he is a bowler, he won't find it as hard as that.

 

[GIMH]

My concern is that already, whenever there is a collapse or a bad bowling performance involving Pakistan, people are suspicious. Imagine if/when it happens with Amir in the side.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

With him in the side he will be monitored all the time, so I don't think there is a possibility of cheating a second time. Plus it could be an advantage in that it will become harder for others to fix (who have got away with it) if the side is being monitored constantly.

 

[Quaggas]

Alright, fair points, there are many professions which will bar you from employment if you were convicted for something job-related. There are also many that don’t. Heck, a convicted felon can run for the US Congress or even become President! More importantly, there isn’t a law in cricket that bars Amir or the others from playing cricket again. Amir is serving the punishment that’s prescribed under the law and he should be free to play once the punishment is over.

My main point is that we allow second chances in life. He hasn’t killed someone or ***ually abused a kid ffs. He was involved in a white collar crime relating to the GAME of cricket. If he comes back and plays cricket, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, or even cricket.

What VT said. It's not like he's being held in solitary fro the rest of his life. He's only being (or he'd only be) banned from the GAME of cricket. Definitely not the end of the world.

 

[Scaly piscine]

My main point is that we allow second chances in life. He hasn’t killed someone or ***ually abused a kid ffs. He was involved in a white collar crime relating to the GAME of cricket. If he comes back and plays cricket, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, or even cricket.

Amir ****ed over cricket big time, it doesn't get much worse than what he did. Why should he work in cricket again? Don't downplay what he did, it was a total disgrace. I'm struggling to think of any equivalents where he'd be re-employed in his profession after he basically did everything to destroy it. The only vague parallel is a thief or hacker being employed as security, that's the only way Amir should be allowed anywhere near the game he dragged through the mud purely because of his own greed.

 

[Jacknife]

Personally think that all cheats should not be able to play for their country again, it's the only way to eradicate them from the game. Don't won't his likes around international cricket again but by all means allow him to play locally in Pakistan but not for the national side. Like Brumby said, I'd like to think if it was a England player that cheated, they wouldn't even dream of picking them for England again.
At the end of the day this is sport and it's a privileged to get picked and play at that level, second chances are not a given and it's nothing like giving a bloke a job to make ends meat after serving a prison sentence.

 

[zaremba]

I'm with Fusion over this.

You reckon the kid won't have been punished enough? Banned for a large proportion of his potentially glittering career; the agonisingly public disgrace of letting down his family, his friends, his team and his country; and a ****ing prison term in a foreign country. I'd say that's probably enough punishment for a first offence for an 18 year old.

You reckon he'll do it again? I would very much doubt it given the circumstances. Anyone is a potential match fixer, including the people you'd think of as being purer than the driven snow. I'd put Amir very low down the scale in terms of a risk of repeat offending.

So yes, he must be allowed back once he's done his time.

 

[Scaly piscine]

He'd only be low down the risk because he knows everyone will be watching. It wasn't a one-off and he wasn't trying to buy some magic elixir to save his family member. He didn't need to do it, he had a very privileged life compared to most in Pakistan and he was nailed in to play for years and even though it wasn't his best format he could have made plenty of money in T20.

I have no sympathy for someone is in such a great position yet chooses to be a greedy because they think they'll get away with it. He got caught. Tough. How long the cheating turd got in prison was about justice. How long he got banned for should be about cricket. Only if you want to give cricket another good kicking do you allow Amir to play ever again. The decision of a 5 years ban is horrible for the game, it should have been life. I couldn't give a **** whether it's harsh on Amir or not.

 

[vic_orthdox]

I'm with Fusion over this.

You reckon the kid won't have been punished enough? Banned for a large proportion of his potentially glittering career; the agonisingly public disgrace of letting down his family, his friends, his team and his country; and a ****ing prison term in a foreign country. I'd say that's probably enough punishment for a first offence for an 18 year old.

You reckon he'll do it again? I would very much doubt it given the circumstances. Anyone is a potential match fixer, including the people you'd think of as being purer than the driven snow. I'd put Amir very low down the scale in terms of a risk of repeat offending.

So yes, he must be allowed back once he's done his time.

I'm with this.

He should be allowed to play, and if the Pakistani players don't want to play with him, then he shouldn't be picked. Don't really care what any other country thinks.

 

[morgieb]

No problem with him playing once his ban's over. He's done the time, he shouldn't really be punished much further.

Although I can see a probation period once the ban is over taking place.

 

[marc71178]

I for one believe in second chances, because it's unfair to disbar someone for a petty crime like Amir's. Amir's crime is more equivalent to a shop lift than being a paedophile, so let's not go OTT on that. I'm sure most professions would admit a shop lifter back in after they have served their sentence.

FFS, a petty crime?

Wake up and smell the coffee.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

It was a petty crime, maybe you need to wake up and smell the coffee. No one got cheated out of their money except the NOTW. He wasn't even the main culprit involved.

 

[marc71178]

So much fail in that post.

It was not a petty crime at all, and it doesn't matter if he was the main culprit or not, he deliberately cheated for money. Just because the NOTW was the only victim on this occasion means **** all in the grand scheme of things.

Should never be allowed to play cricket again and I hope that if he does get on the pitch (after his ban ends this time, rather than the whole playing when banned thing he got away with) he gets so much **** from the crowd and opposition that he realises that fact.

 

[Turbinator]

Wake up and smell the coffee.

Maybe you need to wake up and smell the coffee.

 

[Spikey]

yeah i suppose there's no way sponsors, grounds, broadcasters, audiences and even players were victims

 

[benchmark00]

Haha yeah, lol'd at this myself.