Just Not Cricket

The sport of cricket is not a mere athletic entertainment but has so embodied fair play that "cricket" became its byword. One would hope that the game followed across the Commonwealth would still be sufficiently revered that the participants at the highest level would be immune from corruption. Sadly that does not seem to be the case as Pakistan, which is beset by Taliban terrorist attacks and fatal unprecedented flooding, now has to contend with match fixing claims and a betting scandal on her national side. If investigation confirms the charges, in addition to whatever criminal sanction is imposed, the guilty must be banned for life and have their names stricken from the record books as if they never existed. That is the appropriate sanction against those who sully a great game.