Purists do not consider T/20 as cricket. Some of the greats, Sir Viv Richards and Michael Holding in particular, have clearly said that this form of the game will bring about the ultimate demise of the gentlemen’s sport.
But beyond the ‘glorious uncertainty’ there seems to be a growing apprehension that the sport is no longer one for gentlemen. Money and brawn has taken over in an irrevocable fashion so much so that the base pillars that were held in awe are clattering with an alarming regularity.
Designed to woo back the spectators shying away due to the clock-driven mechanical life, it has brought with them the unsavoury elements of betting and match-fixing that simply will not go away. Incident after incident of players and officials being bribed to influence results are emerging and due to a lack of any binding laws, they get slapped with reprimand fines and at best are barred for the game. Most have little difficulty in accepting the ignominy simply because the cash rewards that can’t be taken away are so good.
And those nearing retirement or just not bothered to adhere to all guidelines now have a new luxury, to play the masters tournaments where’s out-of-shape legends of the past cohort with not-quite-so legendary players. And even if galleries are empty, television revenues spurred by nostalgic indulgence of home watchers fill the coffers readily enough.
Former cricketer and now a seriously amateur golfer Shakil Kasem whose pen moves like a feather on silk, makes no bones about it when he says, “Cricket was never meant to be played in pyjamas.” Dale Steyn, arguably the best proponent of fast bowling, fears for the future of the discipline and rightly so.
The rules are such, the demands are such and the adaptation of batsmen is such that fast bowlers tend to go for plenty. Increasingly, pitches are designed so as to provide as little help as possible to the fascinating art of swing bowling and short-pitched stuff that can test the batters.
And looking at the recent pitches such as Eden Gardens where the ball was spinning like a top making stroke-play nigh impossible, says little about the ICCs ability to provide sporting wickets.
But then, the organisation lost its teeth since the infamous coup d’etat of the Big Three. Which is why when India lost to New Zealand, beaten in their own web of spin, the country may have mourned but the world danced on the coffin.
England, out-muscled by Gayle force winds, threw caution to the winds in overhauling South Africa’s massive score they proved a point even as the uncomfortable ‘choker’ word returned to haunt the Proteas.
But it has been the behind-the-scenes activity that is hurting cricket and its image. The ICC was willing to take the unheard of step of removing umpire Steve Bucknor over decisions during an India-Australia series in the face of an Indian pull-out from the tour. Umpires Aleem Dar and Billy Doctrove allowed the 2007 World Cup final to end in shambles where players could not have seen the ball in miserable light, and spectators unable to make out the players. Shortly before the 2015 World Cup Sunil Narine and Saeed Ajmal were both banned from playing – thereby disarming West Indies and Pakistan of their most potent bowling weapons.
And now the ridiculous situation of Bangladesh being deprived of the services of Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny for suspected illegal bowling actions. It would appear that the umpires during the World Cup and Asia Cup were going around with blinkers. Frankly, considering those abominable mistakes during the India-Bangladesh quarter-final World Cup match, maybe they were in a grey frame. Several bowlers with actions that put the Golli cricket chuckers to shame continue to thrive and be acclaimed and the rules that are being bent have been twisted to lengths where the original idea and spirit of it all has all but disappeared. There’s a lot to learn from FIFA where player suspensions are designed so as not to cut the nose just to spite it.
Source: Prothom Alo
