Ramiz Raja wishes cricket had lie-detectors to catch corrupt

Ramiz Raja (IANS)

Lahore, May 12: Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja wishes cricket had a lie detector which could determine which are the players who could be involved in match-fixing in any form.

Raja's statements comes after Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) banned wicket-keeper batsman Shafiqullah Shafaq from all forms of cricket for a period of six years. Shafaq accepted four charges related to breaching of the ACB Anti-Corruption Code, the board had said in a statement on Sunday.

Speaking on his Youtube channel, Raja said: "I wish there was an instrument to calculate this intention, just like the temperature taking tools being used for the COVID-19. We could easily red flag players who could go on to become fixers.

"A lie-detector test could be used. Just as random samples are taken for dope testing, we should also conduct random lie-detector tests. We should do that in a regular season to find out if players have ever been involved in match-fixing.

"This is an outside-the-box idea," he further said.

"The solution to this problem is very confusing. We have rules, laws, regulations and player education programs but if a player is intent on fixing then no one can stop them," the former batsman added.

"Fixers can usually attack in two important parts of a career. They can attack at the end of someone's career because they have nothing to lose. They can also attack at the start when a player is starting out because their minds are impressionable at that stage."