It’s just not cricket: Sport of gentlemen rocked by fixing allegations after tabloid sting

Cricket hit by fixing allegations in tabloid sting

LONDON — It’s just not cricket.

Renowned for sportsmanship, good manners and genteel history, the sport got some unwanted attention worldwide Sunday when a sting operation by a British newspaper ended with police interviewing three players from the Pakistan national team over allegations of match-fixing.

This isn’t quite the Black Sox throwing the 1919 World Series, but the upshot is the same — a big-money sport followed by millions is plunged into scandal and self-analysis.

Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed summed it up this way: “Obviously, we are not delighted. Allegations are only one thing. They are all serious, whether they are small or big.”