Vivian Richards' 1983 Kotla Test LBW: Fixed or umpiring blunder?

Thirty years after a dubious leg before decision against him, Vivian Richards is smelling a rat. Did he get the first whiff of match-fixing in India during a Test match at the Feroz Shah Kotla in 1983?

In a sensational disclosure, the Caribbean master blaster says an anonymous person called him in his hotel room to warn about him about the umpire. In the early Eighties, match-fixing was unheard of or rather unthinkable in Indian cricket. But only just, it seems!

In an interview to Times of India, Richards says he vividly remembers the manner in which he was given out during the second Test between India and the West Indies at the Kotla played between October 29 to November 3, 1983 (October 31 was a rest day). The match, where three centuries were scored, ended in a draw but Richards made the headlines due to the wrong reasons.

Richards had smashed the dressing room after being given out LBW after a fiery 67 off a Kapil Dev delivery that apparently did not pitch in line with the stumps. The events leading up to his dismissal perhaps affected the temperamental Caribbean, who was known for his swagger and that audacious gum-chewing face that scared the toughest of opponents.

Three decades down the line, Richards remembers the sequence of events that led to his way back to the pavilion.

"Yes, I remember that one. It was a nasty LBW decision. Those days we didn't have neutral umpires," recollects Richards, who feels even Kapil was surprised with the decision.

The men in the long coats were two of India's most respected umpires: Dara Dotiwalla and Madhav Gothoskar. Between them they officiated 20 Tests matches, a decent number considering cricket calendars those days were not packed like todays and essentially involved Test matches. Plus, there were no selected elite panels to choose umpires from.

Richards has now questioned the honesty of the Indian umpires, both of whom are now in their Eighties. "I couldn't believe it when I saw the finger going up. Funny, the incident leading up to that whole stuff," said Richards.

Richards has made a sensational disclosure. "Someone called me up the night before in the hotel. Some anonymous call came in saying 'Mr Richards? You don't know me but if I were you tomorrow I'd be careful of the umpire."

Clearly foxed, Richards said: "That was scary. Those days you never heard of match-fixing and all that stuff. So someone called me that night and funnily the next day." Richards now reckons the LBW decision was pre-mediated because "(the ball) wouldn't have hit another set (of stumps)."

Richards' revelation is sure to bring the match fixing issue to the fore once again. Was it prevalent in the early Eighties then?

It was only in the 1990s, particularly after the case of former South African captain Hansie Cronje, match-fixing allegations culminated in several high-profile investigations till the 2007 World Cup. But now it seems, it's an even older 'germ' that inflicted both players and officials.

During the 1980s and the 90s, Sharjah became synonymous with match-fixing. During a period of political tension, the small emirate of Sharjah, just 15 kilometres from Dubai, acted like a "neutral" venue for quadrangular ODI tournaments having India and Pakistan as 'permanent' teams. But what was supposedly a cricketers' benefit fun series became branded as den of gambling under the aegis of a businessman named Abdul Rehman Bukhatir.

Interestingly, the former Pakistani fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz had opined that cricket betting started in 1979-80 when Pakistan toured India. The menace then spread to Sharjah from where it started on a larger scale.

Richards' revelation can now open a new round of investigations around unauthorized betting in Indian cricket in the Eighties. Is the ICC and the Delhi Police listening?