Innocent until proven guilty?
Obviously not a concept the ICC agree with if reports are accurate that they have asked Pakistan not to include the 3 players under suspicion (Kamran Akmal seems to have been ruled out of wrong-doing for now). This despite the PCB rightly asserting that the players are innocent until proven guilty and therefore only withdrawing them under duress.
11 comments:
What could Kamran Akmal actually fix, he seems so unpredictable in terms of his keeping and batting that he would be a massive risk to bet on even if something was expected to happen.
perhaps he could be a world beater if he tried the whole time?!?!?!
I reckon if Akmal tried to drop them he'd end up catching them instead!!
The sensible decision is to drop Butt, Amir and Asif for the next few matches until there is a verdict.
Irrespective of whether they are perceived as innocent or guilty it justs takes a bit of heat out of the situation whilst the games go on.
Also I don't think it helps that there are plenty of people representing Pakistan but saying different things - such as whether they would play or not (Ijaz Butt v Yawar Saeed), or whether the video was doctored (the High Commissioner Wajid Hasan).
For their own PR, they need to be singing from the same proverbial hymnsheet.
It's true that they are innocent until proven guilty, and the ICC acknowledged that in their statement today. Nonetheless, in the same way that someone accused of a crime can be held in custody until his trial, it is probably wise to withdraw the players. Is it worth tarnishing any more matches? The negative attention on each appearance wouldn't help anyone. It's the diplomatic thing to do, and if they are innocent, missing a few one day internationals won't be the end of the world.
I don't disagree that it was best they didn't play, but only because the surrounding furore would have lessened Pakistan's chances of winning. So I thought it should have been a PCB decision rather than an ICC one. It's all a bit irrelevant now that the ICC have suspended them - if they knew that was imminent then it the previous discussions pressuring the Pakistan management not to play them were all pointless....
Miz - you can't be held in custody without being formally accused can you - you can only be questioned? I don't think a dodgy English tabloid desperate to up sales counts as "formal", but the games' governing body does.
They have been formally charged by the ICC though, and it is the ICC handing out the suspension. This is separate from any criminal proceedings. My point was just to draw an analogy.
What does concern me is that the ICC are diving in before the criminal investigation is resolved, or at least becomes clearer. Surely the outcome of any criminal investigation would be a valuable source for the ICC tribunal? More worrying is the possibility that either ICC find guilt, and the police do not, or vice versa. The governing body would then have a hard time defending their case, and it would undermine the whole process. Why not see where the criminal investigation goes first? Probably because the media and fans are demanding action now, but it's risky.
Didn't the PCB announce they were being dropped/ had been asked not to play because they weren't in the "right state of mind" for international cricket BEFORE the ICC suspended them?
They did sam, but only under duress from the icc - their public statements made it clear they didn't want to take that course of action....
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