Topic: Spot fixing in cricket matches.
1. Introduction
Spot fixing in sports is the practice of fixing a specific segment within a match. It usually involves a player agreeing, prior to the game that he will perform in a particular way. In cricket this might involve a batsman agreeing to only get a certain number of runs, or a bowler bowling a consecutive number of wide balls in a particular over, etc. Spot fixing stands in contrast to match fixing which refers to the practice of fixing the result of an entire match rather than the performance of one or more individual players within it. By its very nature then, spot fixing is a more discreet manipulation of a game, making it much more difficult to detect than match fixing.
Spot fixing in cricket has rapidly increased for the last few years. It’s becoming impossible to detect as well. “Spot-fixing, the manipulation of individual incidents within a match which may not affect the result, is a more insidious crime and one which can be impossible to detect.” (Mehaffey,2012). The players are becoming addicted to it as it is less risky and also it will help them to earn more money within a short period of time. Spot fixing is becoming a great threat. Betting houses and gamblers are aware of it and they are putting more money on cricket. It’s not the only concern for cricket but also the money that has been earned through betting are used to illegal activities such as buying arms for terrorists etc. So it’s very important for players and other cricket officials to discourage this.
2. Background
The expression spot fixing has emerged by analogy with the gambling term spot betting. Spot betting is the practice of betting on particular aspects of a sporting event, and since the likelihood of making accurate predictions about details is slimmer than it would be for guessing an overall result so that winnings can be much higher. Spot fixing is therefore the criminal
References: 1. David, C. (2012, May 18). Spot-fixing, corruption and other weeds in the IPL. 6. Page of shame series: Match fixing and spot fixing taints cricket. (2012, October 27). Retrieved from http://cricketcrowd.com/cricketcrowd-article.html