Perhaps over the years we’ve been brainwashed into thinking it was a game oblivious of unsavoury incidents and where honour and sporting ethos were basic principles on which our great sport was founded. Sadly, the truth is that the history of cricket has been coloured by a number of unsavoury incidents and poor sportsmanship that have brought the game into disrepute, perhaps even tarnished its image, but at no time threatened its existence.
Perhaps this needs to be said, after a week when Bermuda club cricket appears to have gone to war, England used every act of gamesmanship they could to waste time and salvage a draw in the 1st. test, the West Indies test team betrayed their home fans and boycotted a test match with Bangladesh, and in local cricket, Taito’s bat arrived on the boundary before him, after his dismissal. On the ladder of shame the popular Downpatrick player’s moment of madness is small fry set against some of the other more sinister and deplorable incidents that unfortunately go hand-in-hand with modern cricket.
The Bermuda cricket war zone was not restricted to one match but at three different venues, so something is seriously wrong with the spirit of cricket on the island. Time for the ICC to step in and set some standards in place and time for the clubs to take internal action to restore some integrity to the game, as the image of Bermudacricket has taken a very serious knock across the international cricket scene.
And what ofEngland’s schoolboy time-wasting tactics in Cardiff? Totally outclassed, the Strauss ensemble was given a lifeline by the weather and then stooped to gamesmanship to hold out for an undeserved draw. Admittedly the Aussies would have done the same, so I suppose when all’s said and done, “what goes round comes around.” Does anyone remember that infamous underarm last ball bowled by Trevor Chappell?
Bad sportsmanship at its worst!
And finally to the pampered, overpaid and egotistical West Indies players who put their own selfish interests in front of the region’s national sport and sentenced a once proud cricket nation to the ignominy of defeat byBangladesh. Anyone who has followed this debate over the last two years will easily find fault on both sides, as the ability to self-destruct appears to have no bounds, either on, or off the field. But when the West Indies Cricket Board published the amounts of money that have been paid, against the amounts of money that are being demanded by the players, all public sympathy disappeared in a region where poverty and economic depravation still plagues many areas. Sir Allan Stanford’s infamous actions were nothing compared to the walkout orchestrated by Chris Gayle and company. Little wonder the Caribbean cricket community is now asking the West Indies Cricket Board to stand firm and rid itself of these overpaid non-performers and bring this former great cricket nation back to its roots and to its core values. Many have resigned themselves to start afresh, and although this 3rd or 4th string looked lightweight in quality, they gave 100% commitment, and played like a team that wanted to win for their country and their people. The same could be said for Bangladesh, and the way they celebrated their second win in sixty tests, showed how much it meant to the players and their nation. Money was not an issue, and if anyone feels the two cricket nations are miles apart, then look at the West Indies cricket record over the same period, as it is not that much better, IPL stars et al.
Finally, who were the gentlemen at Dundrum when Cliftonville were bowled out for a paltry ten runs on Tuesday night? No dispute there, as it was the Cliftonville players, who took it on the chin and stayed behind for a few drinks with their opponents because it’s only a game and they’ll bounce back. As Davy Hamilton so rightly says, they’ve faced adversity many times before and bounced back.
Go for it lads, that shows character.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
