Cricket is an unpredictable game and therefore, from its very inception, has been an attractive sport for gambling and betting. However, one gets amazed today to see the depth and extent to which the bookies and match fixers go to make it more predictable for them.

In the past we have seen individuals, teams as well as umpires getting involved in match fixing. But few heard of curators, grounds-men or malis – those who prepare the all-important 22-yard strip -- getting embroiled in such controversies.

Personally, I felt sad when a former cricket colleague of mine, Pandurang Salgaonkar, was caught through a sting operation earlier this week. The former Maharashtra seamer-turned pitch curator was caught on camera agreeing to manipulate the pitch on the eve of the second ODI between India and New Zealand in Pune on Wednesday by a TV crew impersonating as bookies. This shows that the channel which carried out this operation had an inkling that fixers had penetrated into the very heart of a cricket match -- the playing arena. The BCCI suspended Salgaonkar with immediate effect and put in charge of the Pune pitch a member of the board’s Grounds and Pitches Committee

The lure of money and good life can be quite an attraction for most people, and I guess cricketers are no different. However, when names of players whom one has spent so much time with, both on and off the field, come out as being corrupt, one does feel hurt and depressed.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has a lot to think about how to stay ahead of the match fixing and betting syndicates. Every single area of the game needs to be looked at, not only the players and officials, but also how to prevent bookies from getting access to information and data regarding a match. ICC must devise full-proof security systems to control each aspect of the game. At present, the unscrupulous nexus of fixers are finding every possible loophole with regard to the game.

The curator’s job is one of the most important ones in cricket. He controls the very base, the pitch, on which a match is played. He hands over the track to the umpires only after the toss. Till that time, he can doctor the playing area in whichever way he wants. This is precisely why captains and coaches have arguments and misunderstandings with the curator. Quite understandably, the home team wants the wicket to suit them. Therefore, playing away from home, be it internationally or at the domestic level, has always been considered challenging.

A few years back, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) realised the advantage home teams were deriving out of wickets especially curated to suit them and decided to hold all first class matches at neutral venues.

However, the scheme proved to be a disaster, not only due to the arduous travel involved with it, but also because the preparation of the wicket was left in the hands of the ground staff, who personally did not care much, as the home team was not involved in the match.

Over the years, cricket has become professionalised in most areas of the game. But the area that requires maximum focus — the wicket — has not yet been given due importance. The role of a curator is still not so prestigious -- both financially and in terms of respectability. There are no specific certification courses and so most people either take up this profession entirely out of personal interest or just to earn money. Therefore, various cricket associations appoint persons, in most cases past cricketers, who are part of their close-knit group, as a favour.

In India, the BCCI should have an independent curator at each international stadium. The person should be responsible for the ground and wicket all through the year. He could be a local person, but should be in the payroll of the BCCI. The game now needs certified agriculturalists and people who understand the composition of the soil etc. as the days of an amateur learning the trade through experience is now passé.

The laws pertaining to the preparation of the pitch and the ground too need to be tweaked by the ICC to suit each country. In our country, the regulation to cut the grass daily during a match is a joke, as in India one is confronted at times with a bald strip even to begin with. This law may be acceptable in England, but it makes no sense in dry hot Indian weather. Furthermore, the grounds man or curator can control the length of the blade used to cut the grass, as there is no foolproof monitoring procedure to measure it. The other bizarre operation a curator can undertake to tamper with the wicket is while brushing or cleaning the pitch during every interval. In India, a ground staff or a sweeper does this job in the same manner as AB de Villiers executes a sweep shot. A few hard strokes would sufficiently erode the top layer gradually, which could be useful if a side needs a bit of advantage in the latter part of a match. Although this is done in the presence of an umpire, the strength and weight put behind the job is very subjective.

The recent episode of a curator getting caught with his hand in the till is a wakeup call for everyone administrating the game. The profession of a curator needs to be taken more seriously. A good pay package for qualified and experienced individuals could be a starting point in this context. The job of an Indian curator has to be a prestigious one.

(The author is a former India cricketer)