Money takes precedence over patriotic loyalty

Richard Dwight

The uncontrollable desire for money amongst present day cricketers, has probably pushed virtues such as patriotism and loyalty to lay subordinate. Money does appear to take precedence, to supercede all else, with the unquenchable thirst for more and more of it.

The evidence of this apparent fondness for money has reached a sad climax, with a set of cricketers being led to the extent to make it known, that they rather retire, than not play in the IPL matches.

If this situation was to arise, then it would be a case of history repeating itself. For the reason that some years ago, a group of rebel cricketers who defied authority to play in apartheid South Africa, were lost to cricket.

The current contemplated approach to retire from national cricket, may put the country’s cricket back, as it did on the earlier occasion, by so many years.

We do appreciate and recognise, that a cricketer as an individual has his own personality and character and, endowed with a frewill has the right to choose whether to play or not.

Whilst that is true, he must also be mindful that talented and skilful though he be, he did not come to the highly successful stage that he now finds himself in all on his own. On the contrary we are aware that he allowed himself to become a part of the planned cricket structure of his school.

He was given the opportunity of going through the junior, intermediate and senior levels of cricket and, gained much by representing the school in the different tournaments conducted by the SLSCA.

He was afforded the liberty of playing for one amongst other constituted clubs - in the competitions organised by the SLC and, eventually benefitted by playing for the country.

In a sense therefore, the cricketer derived much and found favour in all that was good, from the far reaching all broadbased cricket set up of the country.

We have laboured to stress that a cricketer at the highest level did not emerge on his own, but was helped along. And so he is obliged and duty bound to play for his country, but at the same time reiterate that as an individual he has the right to decide whether to play or not.

With the acquiring of money being the overriding factor, could we be blamed or be misunderstood - when on seeing a set of cricketers going out to field, at the back of our minds would be the thinking, that they are going out to play for themselves and the money they get, and not for the country.

This with time will make cricket less attractive, for interest and enthusiasm to wane amongst its supporters and, cricket to be relegated to a game of dice played with bat and ball.

In this highly commercialised, materialistic world money does count for much, and there doesn’t seem to be any harm if one having the ability of making money, sees to the welfare and future of himself, his kith and kin, relatives and yet other needy causes.

Our cricketers on this score have done well and have also financially assisted charitable institutions and yet others in want.

But what they must guard against is to allow money to rule their lives, become their obsession or God - which with time will make them distraught to lose their perspective on the things that matter. Contentment and within limitations must be the watchwords.

There are those who will dismiss this with a whiff and a cynical smear, when we say that the Great Teacher when he wallked upon this earth said “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal (not forgetting the abductors) but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven”.........a wag would quip that these things do not mean a thing to a good many these days. We do agree, “For where ignorance is bliss its folly to be wise”.