What makes sportsmen go corrupt?

In the case of the Pakistanis accused of spot-fixing, the first responses pointed to their backgrounds - the culture of corruption, and poverty - but that doesn't explain everything

In the first week of January, as the last two days of the Ashes play themselves out and the South Africa versus India Test series comes to an end, Michael Beloff, English barrister and head of the ICC Code of Conduct commission, Justice Albie Sachs, a retired South African judge, and Sharad Rao, a leading Kenyan barrister, will find themselves in a room with Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir in Doha, Qatar, and begin to ask questions. Those questions will no doubt be factual, legal, contractual.

They certainly wouldn’t have been the very basic questions that flooded the minds of thousands who woke up one Sunday morning to see Mazhar Majeed and a stack of pound notes on their TV screens. Our questions were about guilt and innocence, reason and impulse. The ICC’s three-man tribunal’s findings may not answer them.

Michael Hussey told to ‘take some risks’

 

Michael Hussey has faced a struggle for Test runs over the past two years

Greg Chappell, the Australian selector, has encouraged Michael Hussey to play with freedom so he can continue to be a force at international level. Hussey has gained the support of Andrew Hilditch and Chappell this week, but has been battling for form over the past two years, averaging 37 in his past 35 Tests.

With the Australian squad for the first Ashes Test due to be named on Monday, Chappell offered Hussey some advice. “As you get older, the difficulty is that you are aware of the things that can go wrong and you’re aware of how hard it is to make runs at that level consistently,” Chappell told AAP. “Before you have all that experience, you tend to go out and you can play with a little bit more freedom.”

Bangladesh set to mark 100 days to go ICC World Cup 2011

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and Bangladesh paceman Masrafe Bin Mortaza share in Dhaka

Mashrafe Mortaza revealed his excitement as Bangladesh marked 100 days to go to the ICC CWC 2011 with a spectacular firework display and an unveiling of a countdown clock in Dhaka.

“The World Cup is the most anticipated tournament for me and I can already feel the buzz,” said Mortaza.

“There is no better place to play cricket than at home because our fans are the best fans and we will not disappoint them. If the team playes to its potential then we are going to have the most memorable World Cup.

“I can’t wait! The whole country is holding its breath. I am really excited because the World Cup is very near. We are playing some great cricket and we just want to continue with this momentum. We want to give the whole nation something to celebrate and we are capable of that.”

Stumpy – ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 mascot

Stumpy - ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 mascot

Stumpy

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 mascot is called Stumpy.

His name was unveiled by leading stars, including Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara, with 200 days to go to the start of the event.

The mascot, an elephant, has been named ‘Stumpy’ after an online selection process that drew proposals from thousands of cricket fans around the world.

Ponting says England will struggle with Gabba pitch

Ricky Ponting: "Our record in Brisbane is unbelievably good and we want to make sure we continue that o

Ricky Ponting has warned England they will find it “hard to come to grips” with the Gabba pitch despite their extensive preparation for the Ashes. The tourists will have had three warm-up matches by the time they reach Brisbane for the first Test on November 25, but Ponting does not believe it will help them deal with the pace and bounce of the surface.

“With just a normal Brisbane wicket, visiting teams find it hard to come to terms with just how different it is up there,” Ponting said in the Australian. England played in Perth over the weekend and start a match in Adelaide on Thursday, before their final warm-up in Hobart next week.

The tourists’ first look at the Gabba will come on the opening day of the series. “Our record there is unbelievably good and we want to make sure we continue that on,” Ponting said.