Cricketers fall from grace

Sharm de ALWIS

CRICKET: Despite the lofty ideals that cricket has reached and kept it is in the nature of the participants to frequently show they are but flannelled fools when it comes to the crunch issues of high moral ground.

The rumbustious Grand Old Man, Dr. W.G. Grace, Himself was often guilty of crossing the Rubicon and attempting to have his own way by stating, when he was out, "the crowds have come to see me but and not you umpire".

On another occasion when his bails were upset by a good ball, he nonchalantly replaced the bails and muttered "windy day, isnt't it ump?"

There was even the rare moment when the Don's feet of clay were exposed as he stayed put in his crease even though the gentlemanly Englishman Jack Ikin held on to a full-blooded drive an action that infuriated Walter Hammond and even the Don's own team mate Keith Miller.

There was a time when Greg Chappel ordered his brother Trevor to ball the last ball under-arm to deprive the New Zealander tail ender from attempting to hit a six to win the match. The records show that Australia won, not how.

There was a time when Stephen Fleming plucked the ball out of Kalu's pads where it had lodged after a stroke and the free-scoring Kalu came a cropper on the appeal.

There were times without number when heroes have proved they were villains, selling their team mates and their country down the river for a fistful of dollars.

Some of them have been restored on their pedestals by all-forgiving and adulating mock messiahs much in the manner of the death sentence not being implemented.

Oh, well, there were the days when Kumar Sangakkara would sledge even the gentlemanly West Indians but the piece de resistance of his barbs was when he sledged Shaun Pollock the incumbent batsman.

Not able to take it any more Pollocks walked up to the leg umpire to complain, suddenly realized the banter was from the first drawer of Oscar Wilde and other wits, had a change of mind to return and tell Sangakkara, "You are Bloody good."

Cricket had cut its molars very early in its lifespan and would occasionally snarl a horrific smile. The spacious days of C.B. Fry, Denis Comption, Jack Ikin who didn't throw the ball to the keeper when the batsman slipped and fell in an Ashes match. Keith Miller, Cecil Pepper and Arthur Morris were over and the Sunday-game-in-the-park attitude was no longer in vogue.

Amal Fernando could appeal for a blatantly bumped catch off Jeevana Handunge in a tennis ball game and the appeal turned down would despair that the effort at leat should have been honoured with the umpire's up-raised finger.

Though a Joker at the batting crease whose antics those in the pack of cards will not consider acceptable. Murali is a seasoned player and would have done very much the same had the positions been reversed.

There is no point in being coy and cavil when excessive liberties are taken and the errant boy is given his cuts.