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From the Press Box by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Cricket is a wonderful sport when it is played according to its rules and traditions, and Sri Lanka over the years have done their utmost to uphold it.

However at Brisbane on Wednesday, certain things that took place on the field in the one-day international against Australia, made us want to ask the question whether our cricketing ambassadors are moving away from the traditions of the game which had been followed by those before them.

What was quite evident when Sri Lanka batted first was the deliberate running on the pitch when taking runs by the batsmen, thus causing damage to it and altering its condition when Australia batted second. The two umpires were seen cautioning the batsmen not to run on the danger areas and telling them to run alongside the pitch and not over it. One wonders if the batting side was aware that a third warning by the umpires would have resulted in the fielding side being awarded five penalty runs.

The other notable incident that took place was when Sri Lanka fielded. When key spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was injured and was forced to leave the field he should never have been allowed to return. It is true that he came back to bowl his remaining two overs and captured a wicket, but at what cost. He was out of yesterday's crucial game against England, which Sri Lanka had to win to be in the running for a place in the finals, and the team management is optimistic that he will recover in time to be fit to take the field for the finals (if Sri Lanka qualify) and the World Cup in South Africa.

It was poor thinking on the part of the management to send Muralitharan onto the field again. Knowing Murali he would be mustard keen to get into the thick of action regardless of his physical condition, but the management should have insisted that he stay back and allowed someone else to complete his remaining overs.

Allowing Murali to bowl again after a thigh injury is selfish thinking on the part of the management and shows that someone is desperately keen to make Sri Lanka win at all cost even to the extent of crippling our key bowler.

In recent times Murali's had a run of injuries on the cricket field and was forced to miss the first three matches of the current one-day tournament due to a hernia operation.

Sri Lanka badly felt his absence and lost all three matches. His return sparked off a turn of fortune for his side when they beat Australia and then, England in successive matches. He is our match-winner and should be preserved and handled carefully. Was there a hint of desperation and selfishness on the part of the team management to sacrifice Muralitharan and try to win against Australia at all costs in order to make it to the finals? There is no doubt the writing is on the wall for certain team officials if Sri Lanka fails to perform in Australia and more importantly, in the World Cup.

Another notable aspect is that anyone switching on the television set during the latter stages of the match would have been baffled who was captaining the Sri Lanka side. There were at least six others besides the appointed captain who were trying to run the game.

It was more than a comedy that was taking place before the eyes of the spectators and the cricketing world and, only went to show that the captain was not in full control of his team.

But what was more damning than anything else, was how Sri Lanka wasted time on the field and bowled only two overs within the space of about 15 minutes to allow Muralitharan to return to the firing line. The laws of the game say that any bowler, who retires off the field and returns, will have to stay on the field the time he was off it before he can resume bowling again.

Why Sri Lanka should resort to such tactics to win is rather sad. They can do without such frivolities and still emerge winners.

What the cricketers should understand is that all their actions on the field are being watched by millions of television viewers, which includes a large audience of children who try to emulate or copy what they see on the screen as their heroes.

Why cricket is such a wonderful game is because it is also a way of life. It brings out the qualities of each individual and certain principals in life. It should be played according to certain rules, which makes the game as fascinating as it has been over the years. It is only in the game of cricket that the phrase "it's not cricket" is used whenever someone breaks the tradition or goes against the rules of the game.

In no other sport do you find that kind of phrase being used. So it is imperative that we keep it that way. The great Sir Donald Bradman once said: "All those who are involved in the game of cricket, be it a player, an umpire, an administrator or ground staff, are all custodians of this great game of cricket. They should ensure that the high traditions of this game is maintained at all times".

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