March 23, 2007

A wood and leather game..

My heart goes out to Mr. Robert Woolmer and his bereaved family and hope god gives them the courage and strength to manage this huge loss.

Long long ago, there was a sport played by men who wanted to bake out in the sun for full 6 days. An awesome game which attracted people so so much that, even when there was a lot of sun, they preferred to play for 5 days. Then they played it for a day!
the game became so popular that in one day you can witness exquisite batting, exceptional bowling, thrilling run chases, dives, jumping, flow of adrenaline in the veins, i loved it! everyone loved it!
It's players weren't prodigies of the game! there were demi-gods!!
Wristy shots, Straight drives, Cuts, pulls were sights to see and Yorkers were weapons of mass destruction!
Then came a match-fixing-saga which told me, they are faking at it. It's all drama!!
One denied..one accepted and many found guilty.
World asked, " am i watching them play or watching a play?"
My demigods again told me that we would fight this and salvage the pride of this game, back into its glory. for years it looked it!
Come WC 2007, Cricket world witnessed some of the most heinous crimes in the history of any game,
two players were protected by Cricket board fearing "Nandroline" in their blood by avoiding them to the squad...
One player was in touch with a bookie in a Nagpur match
The game of cricket was no more a game of wood and leather
it was about players and coaches
it was about sledging
it was about racism
it was about ticket sales
it was about drugs
it was everything except Cricket
Winning a game was guessed on odds to one and talk about advertisement revenues
losing it meant burning effigies breaking houses and presidential discussions...

then...a group of prodigies emerged from a small country called Ireland and dictated to the world, this game is called cricket and its a game which anyone can win on any day!
I loved it again!
The loyals of cricket and cricket businessmen were told a fact and they found it surprising...
So much surprising that the coach of a losing country might have been actually killed due to this!
Purist, probably he was, saw this game still as a one with willow and leather!
Losing to a group of nothing might have just hurted him,
but it probably bankrupt some,
Who saw everything but sport in it!
then the coach is killed(yeah killed!)
A death under these circumstances might lead to a serious allegations that someone who already had killed this game, might now had killed him..

If cricket could be fatal....why play?

If leather and willow are used for money...i would rather be watching a cobbler at work!

I am still hoping that Bob died due to non-cricketing reasons, else my next post would be an obituary for this seriously injured game....

Homage to bob!

Get well soon cricket!!


Smiles Lost,
Balaji