Bill Bridge: Anti-corruption unit must share the blame for latest scandal to hit cricket

There were many, for example, who wondered why the sale of tickets among the Pakistani communities of West Yorkshire for the Pakistan v Australia Test match at Headingley was so poor, bad enough as it turned out, for the match to be a financial dead loss for the hosts.

We can now draw the conclusion that the cricket-loving young Asian men of Dewsbury, Keighley, Bradford and elsewhere suspected something we did not; that some of the team bearing the gold star on the green caps may have been playing a different game.

The knowing chose not to waste their money; not so lucky were those – including many from this part of the world – who travelled to Lord's for the final Test and the most shocking denouement of the many which have rocked cricket over the past decade or so.

The result of that match – and the magnificence of the match-winning stand between Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad – will now be forever clouded, as will the outcome of Test matches in Sydney and Hobart earlier his year when Australia were allowed to win games they should have lost by a distance.

As will New Zealand's victory over Pakistan in the World Twenty20 in May, the feat of Australia scoring 48 off three overs to win in the same tournament and a remarkable victory for England in the Caribbean when the game seemed beyond them.

The questions vastly outnumber the answers at this stage and the biggest question of all is what on earth has the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit being playing at? Ludo?

Tucked away in the luxury of Dubai, they have apparently been unaware of the way the game has descended into farce. We knew Twenty20 was open to cheating but never suspected that Test cricket could be similarly devalued; Sir Ronnie Flanagan and his team of alleged experts appear to have been oblivious.

They must share the blame with those responsible for running the game in Pakistan – and that country's High Commissioner in London who, after the briefest of skims through the allegations, declared his boys innocent of all wrong-doing and insisted that Pakistan cricket was beyond reproach.

He was not asked how it could be that Shahid Afridi, the man who has taken over the captaincy of the tourists for the one-day finale to their visit, was a fit and proper man to take charge of a team of innocents.

This, you will remember, is the same Shahid Afridi who was seen to scuff up the wicket with his boot during a Test and who later tried to take a large bite from a ball, presumably in an attempt to alter the surface and make it more likely to swing. With chiefs like him it is no wonder the tribe goes astray.

So what will happen? There will be bans for those found guilty and cold-shoulders for those who have helped the authorities with their inquiries. Those banned will doubtless be back in cricket within a few months; Pakistan does not have a good record for ensuring that justice is seen to be done.

Waqar Younis, one of their greatest players, was fined and censured by a judge following an inquiry into alleged match-fixing in 2000; Waqar is now Pakistan's coach.

Also fined and criticised by Judge Qayyum was spinner Mushtaq Ahmed who later played county cricket and now enjoys life as England's bowling coach, described last week by his boss Andy Flower as being "a great lad".

Unless we see actions to the contrary the only sensible course might be to regard anything to do with Pakistan cricket with deep suspicion and resolve that until all such suspicions are lifted that country should not be allowed to compete at Test or any other level of the game.

That will not happen; there will be bluster and posing; harsh words and knee-jerk penalties but nothing will change other, perhaps, than that the world's cricketing public may well follow the example of West Yorkshire's Pakistani community and not waste their time and money watching.

That will hurt more than any "sting" operations by newspapers or hubris among those who ought to be policing the game.

FOR a while – maybe until tomorrow night if all does not go well in Switzerland – Fabio Capello could sleep in peace,

England's European Championship win over Bulgaria was not a thing of beauty or a sign of a new beginning – the opposition were too poor to draw any such conclusions – but the margin of victory and the style of play gave some encouragement.

Wayne Rooney in a withdrawn role, Steven Gerrard given freedom to roam, Phil Jagielka showing signs of settling on the international stage and in Joe Hart a goalkeeper with the concentration to make valuable saves after long periods of inactivity were all indications that Capello is heading in the right direction.

A slight setback in Basle might restart the chorus of disapproval but we must give him more time to develop his fluid formation and to bring in more young players. As Gerrard said of Capello last week, he is the best – the only – man for the hardest job in English football.

and another thing...

OVER a week has passed and still the debate over the selection of Europe's Ryder Cup team rumbles on but the remarkable thing about the chatter is that the key issue has been largely overlooked.

It matters not whether Padraig Harrington speaks to vice-captain Sergio Garcia – they have hardly passed a civil word in years – or whether Paul Casey can stem the flow of tears at missing out. We may see Ian Poulter flounce out of the team room if he is not given the partner he wants; the presence of so many first-timers is an obvious weakness for Europe.

The real concern for Captain Monty is Lee Westwood, who is still suffering from a problem with his calf and is unlikely to be able to play five times – as you would expect of your No 1 – over the weekend at Celtic Manor.

The last bulletin from his manager suggested that Westwood will not play a tournament between now and the Ryder Cup and that his only outing in public will be in a pro-am in Scotland.

Forget Casey and Justin Rose; if Westwood is not right Europe have no chance.