By Scott Heinrich

Is Odumbe just one who got caught or a key victory for anti-corruption?

The spectre of the late Hansie Cronje hung over the verdict that found former Kenya captain Maurice Odumbe guilty of links with match-fixing.

Despite his protestations of innocence and foul play, Odumbe met his inescapable fate on Tuesday and was banned for five years for receiving money from bookmakers.

He is the first player to be suspended for fixing-related offences since 2000 when ex-South Africa skipper Cronje was given a life ban.

It was to be a short sentence as Cronje was tragically killed in a plane crash two years later.

But ramifications from the so-called "Cronje-gate" scandal lived longer than the man, forcing the International Cricket Council's hand in setting up an Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.

Full story: Odumbe found guilty after ICC hearing

Odumbe's conviction can be viewed in one of two ways.

One view is that having claimed Odumbe as its first victory, the ACSU is doing its job, and this is an important step in the fight against corruption.

The other is that fixing is still a real threat to cricket, despite the unit's bold aim at its inception to "cleanse the game of corruption". This second view suggests the affair is a setback for cricket.

The Cronje scandal rocked the world of cricket to its foundations

Either way, Odumbe is a reminder that corruption in the game has not gone away - indeed the ASCU now talks of the scourge being suppressed to an "irreducible minimum" level.

In short, even the watchdogs charged with eradicating corruption admit that as long as cricket is played there will always be a crooked fringe element. Like crime in life, it is an ongoing battle.

So what more can the ASCU do?

Despite its remit, the unit has surprisingly little muscle. It has no legislative power, cannot carry out searches and cannot arrest people. It must do its work by investigation.

And then there are the factors over which it can realistically do nothing - certainly, the threat of the illegal bookmaking business is ubiquitous.

The who's who of players linked with corruption - Ajay Jadeja, Mohammad Azharuddin, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma, Cronje and now Odumbe - all associated with Indian bookies.

In 1994, Australians Mark Waugh and Shane Warne admitted taking money from one to provide pitch and team news, while even ex-England captain Alec Stewart was forced to clear his name after being accused by an Indian bookmaker of accepting money.

The problem is not confined to India, but with millions of pounds being wagered through illegal bookmakers in the vast country each year, the situation is nigh on uncontrollable.

To counter factors out of its control, the ASCU has in recent times stepped up its education of professional cricketers, warning them of the dangers and pitfalls of being associated with corruption.

But no matter the ASCU's increased profile and its endeavours to chase corruption out of the game, there seems to be no escaping it.

Malcolm Gray, the former chairman of the ICC, spoke of fighting a losing battle when he left the post last year, while Pakistanis Javed Miandad and Rashid Latif have accused the team of rigging results at various times in recent years.

The ASCU's resignation on the matter is as deflating as it is honest, but as the unit's chairman Lord Condon knows, before you beat your enemy you must first know your enemy.