Match fixing menace has been bothering the game of cricket for quite some time now. Earlier whenever such incident occurred fingers pointed towards the players, but then a recent case that came out might catch umpires on the wrong foot.
According to a report in The Times of India, on Monday, private news channel unveiled a sting operation, conducted in July and August, which seems to reveal that umpires, who are supposed to protect the laws of the game, may themselves be up for sale.
The channel's sting allegedly caught six umpires from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka on camera 'agreeing' to give decisions on demand.
The umpires named in the sting operation are Nadeem Ghauri and Anees Siddiqui of Pakistan,Nadir Shah of Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka's Gamini Dissanayake, Maurice Winston and Sagara Gallage.
Meanwhile The Hindustan Times writes that, the channel said the programme was shot in the run-up to the World Twenty20, which was held from September 18 to October 7. Pakistan's Nadeem Ghauri, who is a former Test umpire like Shah, and Sri Lanka's Sagara Gallage are shown talking to undercover reporters posing as representatives of a sports management company.
The sting shows Gallage, who is a Sri Lankan premier panel umpire, agreeing to 'spot-fix' the Sri Lanka Premier League T20 matches. The channel said he officiated in the India-Pakistan warm-up tie, which India won. But, Gallage was only a reserve umpire with little role in the match.
Pakistan's Anees Siddiqui and Sri Lanka's Gamini Dissanayake and Maurice Winston are under the needle of suspicion for agreeing to 'spot-fix' for money.
None of the umpires officiated in any international matches from July to September during which the channel conducted its operation, but the sting strongly suggests that even umpires may not be immune to the lure of big bucks.
The ICC asked the channel to hand over footage and other evidence to probe the allegations. It pointed out that none of the umpires officiated in the World Twenty20 matches.