England must play the game

Losing seems to be anathema to the England cricketers.

If this is not so how can one explain the sledging and the jellybean act, in an endeavour to unsettle and get the Indians to lose concentration and if possible deprive them of a victory that they richly deserved.

The drama took place at Trent Bridge, Nottingham where the Second of Three Tests between the two countries was being played.To be humble in victory and determined in defeat. That sport is the great leveller. Not to hit a man when he is down or below the belt. These are some of the great virtues chiselled into sportsmen when they are knee high to a bat.

Apparently the England cricketers would have been taught these virtues when they first donned pads. That the England cricketers are refusing or not willing to play the game the way it was intended to and was taught to them, is a sad reflection and also a sad indictment on their coaches.

Wicket-Keeper Matt Prior and opening batsman Alastair Cook are apparently the culprits who with their churlish behaviour have brought disgrace to their game.

Prior had done the chatter box act attempting to unsettle the Indian batsmen who were building their innings and taking them to a big score, from which they could not lose, and were going to win.

Then during the break for drinks, Cook is alleged to have dropped jelly-beans on the wicket. How nice would it have been had the Englishmen not resorted to this low type of play and instead tried for victory, playing the game in the true spirit and keeping it within the rules.

The Englishmen have always spoken ill of the Australians, who they accuse of being the ones to introduce sledging to the game, and that the Aussie style of unsettling opposing batsmen should not be tolerated.

We are not asking the England cricketers or the other cricketers to wear muzzles when playing. Accepted that there has to be a bit of chatter, otherwise the game would lose its cutting edge or could be a tedious exercise.

As long as it is not done to irritate the batsmen, well and good. But if it exceeds the boundaries, then the umpires and all those in charge of the game must step in and say enough is enough.

Apparently England would have been smarting after the rains cruelling deprived them of an easy victory in the First Test at Lord's. The weather in England is always fickle, and sadly it was their weather that went to stall them from pocketing an easy victory, that would have put them on a wicket from which they would have been nicely poised to probe for a series win and further enhance their game that is now on the up and up.

Those are the glorious uncertainties of the game and the England cricketers should have been alive to that. It was their lackadaisical batting in the first innings that had them second best throughout the Test. England must blame themselves and not attempt to belittle the grand effort of the Indians.

England have pride to protect because they introduced this wonderful game to the world. They must endeavour to play the game hard and clean, always keeping it within the rules and accepting that the better side will always win.

Let no other countries poke fun at them, saying that the only good thing they did was to introduce the game, while the other countries have to show them how to play a straight bat.

The Third and Final Test beginning on Thursday is going to be a stunner. It is hoped that both teams would keep it clean, keeping in mind that cricket is a gentleman's game.

Embarrassing the Sports Minister

Is the Interim Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket attempting to heap scorn and embarrass the Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge? That is the question that is being posed and answers sought for in cricketing circles. This is because some of those who have been nominated by the IC and whose names have been sent to the Minister to pick the cricket selectors, have not given their consent.

It is common courtesy to ask and get the consent of those the IC wish to nominate to first get their approval. Apparently the IC has not done the simple things right.

The Minister who is scaling all obstacles to get not only cricket but all other sports in the country to the promised land, must be livid and embarrassed to see some of the members he picks, pulling out saying that they had not been consulted or their consent obtained.

Apparently the IC must be smarting, because the Minister had ordered them to ink in the name of Asantha de Mel, in the names that they had conveniently preferred to erase from the original list they sent to Lokuge.

De Mel has done a magnificent job. What sin did he commit to be bowled out by the IC? De Mel as chairman of selectors is one of those who has to cop the flack when the team performs badly.

De Mel is not a 'yes sir' man. He will tread where angels fear to take the game to the zenith and his crowning moment was when the horses he picked obliged by cantering into the final of the 2007 World Cup final in the Caribbean. Had the weather not intervened, who knows Mahela Jayawardena's cricketing Colts would have breasted the tape first.

Some of the IC nominees are also embarrassed because other than for seeing their names in the paper or hearing them on radio and TV, they are blissfully unaware of their names being sent to the Minister.

The IC will be better appreciated if they pocket their pride and realise that Minister Lokuge is the captain and they are one of the components that go to make a team that encompasses all sports.

All sports will do well to realise that the bottom line is to strike gold. It is time for them to get on that track and savour success and not being the second best.

Mending fences, burying the hatchet and batting for success should be the idea. The recipe for success is team work.