Cricket is going through a crisis once again. There is smoke and there is fire. Pakistan might have become the 'butt' of all betting jokes - but to assume that it's Pakistan alone in this seems highly unlikely. Betting is more rampant than we think it is. And there seems to be a quite a few people batting for betting. Bowling no balls is the just the tip of the iceberg. Asif would would have got just a tip for that. The sad thing is not that there is betting and fixing spot and spot on. The sad and alarming thing is there is no idea who all are playing the game. As a result, it's causing a serious aspersion on the game. Now, all matches, all dropped catches, all run-outs would be doubted. How many times have we seen greed and money killing the spirit of things - be it business or cricket. These incident have come at a time when much of cricket being played everywhere is below par. The declining Aussies have meant that the bar has come lower. English have been going through highs and lows amidst the fixing. India has been playing way below par and it was very poor show at Sri Lanka. There are no great rivalries, no great moments, no great duels and champions league and IPL are being seen as the hope to revive the game. How unfortunate. There was more news on politicians Pawar and Howard than about quality of cricket. Cricket right now looks fragmented and in disarray. 20-20 world cups are adding to the woe. It's becoming a classic business school case study. I won't be surprised if viewership comes down for cricket matches. The focus has become money and not the game, and unless that changes - there will be no more money to be made. Cricket is losing its soul. Common Wealth Games again have become Wealth games.
Amidst all this dollar-grabbing, there is one sports story that's heart-warming. An Indo-Pak pair reaching the finals of the US Open tennis. Bopanna and Quereshi. Why is the idea of love so difficult when it is so simple? Hats off to the boys.
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