Friday, April 25, 2008

The changing face of cricket

Cricket. What connotations does this one word have for someone who has even a bit of idea about the game? Today, probably, the word will have different connotations for different people. But not too long ago, the one phrase that was synonymous with cricket was the "gentleman's game".

The game of cricket is centuries old. For sure, the game was being played on village greens as early as 16th centuries. The game was initially popular amongst the farming and the metal working community, and slowly evolved from there on. Like most sports, in the early days, cricket was a game played honestly by hardworking men almost as a social activity. The game those days was fueled on by their passion. In the early days, cricket teams flourished in the countryside under the patronage of the dukes and earls, in general the gentry. Blacksmiths and woodcutters, peasants and the occasional gentry would assemble together during a lunch break. Lunch breaks used to be more like net sessions with a bowler being allowed to bowl a certain number of overs and the batsmen being allowed to bat out a certain number of deliveries (irrespective of whether they got out or not).

International matches started much later in 1844 and slowly, the professional cricketer came into being - ones who played for money and prize and made a career out of the game. No longer was the game just a social occasion for the players (although till 1980s when there were limited number of matches, it still was a social occasion for the paying public). A match had to be won and the approach was to damn aesthetics and win the game. mostly, win it hard and fair. The early professional cricketer still had at their core some of the gentlemanly values - they wanted to win, but win fair and square and not "at all costs". Many of the professionals during this ear (late 19th century to mid 20th century) had regular day jobs - a famous example being Don Bradman. While they played for money, the money that they earned was not solely linked to cricket. Despite being professionals they could still afford to treat it not as a guerilla war but a battle of the more honorable kind.

With more and more international matches being played out between countries who were neighbors, or countries who were at loggerheads (India - Pakistan?), the games started getting a nationalistic tinge. Ian Chappell's growling Aussies surface in 1970s. Players, who purportedly played for national pride and so thought that winning the game was the be all and end all (so what, if later on many of them defected to Kerry Packer for money, pride be damned). They defended their actions under the thought "cricket is a game for grown up men. One should be able to take a bit of lip and stay focussed on the game, etc.". (aside: when did grown up men have to resort to childish snipes at each other and make petulant remarks?). But, at least, in the defense of Chappell's Aussies, despite the gladiatorial air with which they played the game, they still went out with their opponents after the match. Chappell's Aussies represented a transitional breed of cricketers.

The modern cricketer is a much meaner version of the Aussies. True, some of the comments exchanged on the field would leave you wondering whether or laugh or to fume, but an increasingly large number of comments were becoming personal, racial and abusive. Today, the cricketer's income is totally dependent on the game. They get sponsorships for their success on the field and equally importantly, for their eye catching ability and newsworthiness. In addition, advent of cricket leagues like ICL and IPL means large salaries directly from the game itself. The game of cricket is creating moneyed individuals. In itself, that is not bad. The professional cricketer reaches where he is by sheer dint of hard work and sacrifices from an early age. But, money after all is the root of all evils. With money comes an ego, the size of which in many (but thankfully not all) cases is directly proportional to the bank balances. In such an era, can someone afford to nurture the gentlemanly values at the cost of losing a match, losing publicity for himself and forgoing a few quick bucks? Slowly, more and more players are starting to answer this with a resounding "No".

Today, the modern pro plays the game in the gladiatorial ampitheater of Eden Gardens or Melbourne cricket ground with their teams having outlandish names like "Knight Riders" and "Daredevils". Money talks, as do abuses. Players cheat, because they believe they should "give no quarters because they ask for none".

Centuries ago, in the sepia tinted days, simple minded honest folks worked hard at the nets in bright sunshine in the village greens trying to perfect a straight drive or get their leg breaks to turn a mile. An era of camradeire abounded and cheating and abusing was not called for, nor tolerated. Just as the samurai perfected his breathing and the stroke of his sword with a sense of spirituality, the early practitioners of cricket tried to perfect their art not for fame or money, but for the sake of perfection. That, in essence, described the spirit of cricket. This is the spirit that is being abused by all and sundry related to the game. The spirit that has all but died out today.

Truth be said, cricket is a microcosm of the society we live in. Society has changed. So has the game.

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