Wahab Riaz, who is not implicated in the scam, bowls for Pakistan the day the news broke. Photo credit: Graham Hartland

The three Pakistani cricket players facing allegations of deliberately under-performing in exchange for cash have a lot to answer to, ICC claimed.

Three Pakistan cricketers have been charged with corruption following an undercover sting operatation by The News of the World that uncovered an alleged match-fixing scam. According to the report, several of the team’s stars allegedly under-performed in exchange for payments from bookmakers, who would place bets on no-ball bowls. The trail led to team captain, Salman Butt, after cash was found in his hotel room and locker at Lord’s; the money, believed to be part of the £150,000 handed over by an undercover reporter, is currently undergoing forensic tests.

The alleged scam has rocked the cricketing world and emotions are running high: Australian cricketing legend Shane Warne told The Sun that the players, some of the team’s best, “should be banned for life.” The International Cricket Council (ICC) have said that it will likely take months to seal the players’ fates.

The Guardian mounted some defence of the players, reporting that the Pakistan team receive relatively meagre pay in comparison to players in India and England. “[This] has been offered as one possible reason for why they might agree to take part in ‘spot fixing’ scams. Pakistan have not played international cricket at home since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore last year.” But Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the chairman of the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit told the paper, ”Whatever they are paid or not paid is no excuse for criminal or corrupt behaviour.” And Martin Samuel at The Daily Mail agreed, noting caustically, “Poverty might promote an eye for a good deal, a fast buck, even a nice little earner, but it is not a free pass to life lived without integrity. The idea that Pakistan’s cricketers have a history of cheating because they are unsatisfactorily rewarded by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is an insult to those who strive each day to live honestly within their means.”

But while some seem willing to accept that the players are guilty, some doubt the veracity of the News of the World‘s allegations. High Commissioner of Pakistan Wajid Shamsul Hasan told the BBC that there was no date or time on the videos of the apparent fixes and therefore they were unreliable. The Independent contacted the News of the World about Hasan’s remarks: ”A News of the World spokesman said the newspaper will ‘refuse to respond to such ludicrous allegations’. His further advice was to ‘watch this space’ – an intriguing hint perhaps that more allegations may be in the offing to be published this weekend.”

Former captain Imran Khan was less interested in the “did they or didn’t they” debate, and more concerned about the wider implications to the game itself. “The players were caught in a sting operation. This is exactly what happened with Hansie Cronje [the late South Africa skipper] — caught by chance. Cricket fans must be wondering how much of this is going on,” Khan said to the Hindistan Times. Khan, however, disagreed with suggestions that Pakistan should be banned from cricket as a nation.”Why should Pakistan cricket be banned? What has Pakistan cricket got to do with this? If an Indian cricketer indulges in shoplifting, would you ban the whole team?”

Rob Bagchi from the Guardian went out on a limb amongst all this, looking for and finding some hope. “If there is one consolation from this benighted series,” he said, “it is that England’s fielders are among the very best we have ever had.”