The old saying "set a thief to catch a thief" finally worked. The agent provocateur himself was forced to spill the beans in a sting operation. The police did a thorough investigation and took the most blatant exploitation of cricketers to its logical conclusion. Thus where the ICC and its highly expensive but ineffective agency, the Anti-corruption and Security unit (ACSU) had failed, Scotland Yard and a London sessions court succeeded.

The three Pakistani players Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammad Aamer were found guilty of acts of spot fixing and acceptance corrupt payment during incidents relating to last year's Lord's Test.

As covert activities have been going on for a long time with regard to involvement of Pakistani cricketers but also from other countries as well, this one case in the realm of criminal proceedings in a court of law, is only a tip of the ice-berg.

Former cricketers and past officials in Pakistan put all the blame on their cricket board. When the bizarre details of the making of spot fixing plans were first flashed through a sting operation conducted by the now defunct The News of the World under-cover agent, the PCB president Ijaz Butt had threatened to file a defamation suit against the ECB, the ICC and the Sunday newspaper. "These players are being victimized and we will go to any length to defend them," he had exclaimed. This has been the patent refrain whenever Pakistani players or the entire team has been under suspicion in fixing cases.

It appears that a powerful group of bookmakers and match fixers, not to mention the underworld, and not the PCB, that controls Pakistan's cricket. The erring and disgraced players get selected again and again after a brief period of suspension.

It looks like the tainted players cause great discomfort to far the clean and honest ones. This is the main reason for frequent dissensions in the team and the appointment of a new captain every time. There was a time when no one wanted to be captain.

Is there a powerful mafia sitting on the heads of Pakistani players? Could this also be the reason that the honest and the innocent do not want to speak of the goings on in the team?

Will the conviction of three players serve as a deterrent and the evil of match and spot fixing will end? Not by a long chalk. The only solution is for the International Cricket Council to impose stricter code of conduct for teams and individual players. If a player is under suspicion for any acts of influencing the happening in a match, his country's board must be made answerable. .