Sometimes you can watch something that doesn't quite seem real no matter how real it is. A clip from a T20 tournament in the UAE is exactly that and it's no wonder it's been looked at by the ICC.
All sports have their issues whether it's a drugs scandal, a problem with head injuries, bribery, betting scandals or anything else nothing is perfect. For cricket the main issue over the years has been match fixing.
Hansie Cronje agreeing to throw a game for South Africa, as captain of his country, to earn himself some money is the most infamous example but Pakistan's Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt colluding to bowl no balls also lives long in the memory.
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As blatantly obvious as those no balls now come across watching them back nothing has been more questionable when seeing it for the first time as a recent example from a T20 league in the UAE.
A video from the Ajman All Stars League has gone so viral that the ICC are investigating it for corruption. Not a single one of these wickets looks legit.
In the match Sharjah Warriors made 136 runs but their opponents made just 46 runs with five stumpings and three run outs in Dubai Star's innings as all 10 wickets fell.
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ICC Anti-Corruption Unit general manager Alex Marshall said in a statement, "There is currently an ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) investigation underway in relation to the Ajman All Stars League held recently in Ajman, UAE.
"The ICC Anti-Corruption Unit works to uphold integrity in cricket and in keeping with that role, we are talking to players and officials and will not make any further comment at this time."
ACC secretary general Shaji Ul Mulk added, "We found the Ajman Oval breaching the code more than once and hence we have suspended their affiliation. We have a zero tolerance policy towards corruption and are cooperating with the ICC in their ongoing investigation."
The incident is genuinely unbelievable and the lack of effort by most of the batsmen make it look extremely suspect.
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