You cannot hang everybody: David Richardson

International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive David Richardson has expressed his disapproval on the on suggestions that match-fixers should face mandatory life-bans. Several former cricketers called for life band for match-fixers as Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir made his Test return at Lord’s on Thursday. The question of how the ICC deals with fixers is likely to remain a more immediate concern.

Yesterday, Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir made his first appearance in a Test since the infamous spot-fixing event against England at ‘the home of cricket’ in 2010.

Amir along with his new-ball partner Mohammad Asif deliberately bowl no-balls on the instructions of then captain Salman Butt and were caught in a newspaper ‘sting’ operation. All three received five-year bans from cricket and jail terms. Amir made a successful return to international cricket at the start of this year after serving the ban imposed on him.

“I am not uncomfortable with it at all,” Richardson, speaking at Lord’s, told BBC Radio’s Test Match Special when asked about Amir’s return.

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But the former South Africa wicket-keeper, a qualified lawyer, was less enthusiastic about compulsory life-bans.

“Each case should be treated on its merits. You cannot hang everybody,” he said. I think we have to stick with the principle that the punishment should fit the crime … (and) players who influence others should be treated much more severely than those who are influenced.”

“We must ensure the deterrent is sufficient … and we have bolstered our investigations so that they (can be conducted) more efficiently and quickly, Richardson added.”

The ICC is also working relentlessly in globalizing the game. It’s latest bid is to make T20 to become an Olympic sport from 2024.

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Richardson also said the withdrawal of so many top golfers from the Rio Olympics next month had made it harder for sports such as cricket, that were considering bids for Games status.

But with no prospect of T20 at the Olympics until the 2024 Games at the earliest,

Several leading golfers have pulled out from their sport’s return to the Olympics for the first time since 1904, citing health concerns related to the Zika virus in Brazil.

“It is not an easy decision, and golf is probably a lesson to be learnt,” said Richardson. It raises a question for cricket: ‘Is it really good for cricket? Will cricketers see the Olympics as the pinnacle, or would they rather play (in a World T20, or an Ashes)?,” said Richardson.

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“I still think the majority of (ICC) members think that if cricket were in the Olympics, it would do wonders for the globalisation of the game. If that is what we want, then we probably have to be in the Olympics.”

ICC is also set to introduce a two-division Test championship with promotion and relegation, If an agreement is reached later this year, the new system could get going by 2019.

“The beauty of Lord’s (for a Test final) is that, even if it was neutral teams, I’d imagine we’d still fill it out,” said Richardson. There’d be the interest, there’s the history.”

But whatever decisions are made, Richardson was adamant that change had to happen if Test cricket was to have a viable future.

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“Doing nothing is not an option anymore,” he said. In particular, that is because at the moment we don’t have an ICC event for Test cricket. Bilateral cricket is under pressure from ICC events … and domestic T20 leagues.”