Bacher wants ethics code for cricket

DURBAN: Dr Ali Bacher was particularly close to Hansie Cronje. When Cronje got involved in the murky dealings of the fixing business, there was no one more shattered than Bacher, the man who oversaw South Africa's return to the international scene after years of being banned.
Naturally, the latest revelations about spot-fixing have shocked him, so much so that he has called for the immediate establishment of an ethics code.
"The biggest problem from these revelations is that cricket is now seen to be corrupt by spectators, TV viewers, radio listeners and the general public," Bacher told a local paper. "Now there will be a sense of suspicion towards the game. If a player fluffs a catch or plays an atrocious shot to get out, people will wonder if it was a genuine mistake or whether there is something more to it."
He is, of course, right. Not just after a bad shot or a dropped chance, because eyebrows are raised even when captains adopt unorthodox strategies. Bacher says it is thus paramount that an ethics code be established.
"I would like to see the immediate establishment of an ethics code by the full member countries of the ICC. This will reinforce upholding the integrity and honesty of the game. I would like to see each and every one of the contracted international players from all the countries made to sign this code annually in front of the media. By doing so they would reinforce their commitment to the public that they would not be party to match fixing."
In a way, Bacher is saying that it is time the players took the onus on themselves to rid cricket of its greatest menace.
He also called for the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit to reassess their way of operation. "It is obvious that the bookies and match-fixers have found a way around the caretakers of the sport."