Time was, cricket was synonymous with the lofty ideals of fair play, the sportsman spirit, never using foul means for winning, courtesy even with opposing teams and not being a sore loser. When they said it’s just not cricket it meant that someone was being unsportsmanlike in the game specifically but life in general. A new cricket documentary, Death of a Gentleman, however highlights how cricket is far from the high minded sport it was earlier envisioned as. The documentary by Sam Collins, Jarrod Kimber, along with Johnny Blank looks at how cricket is mismanaged; and how everything is subservient to money, power and politics in cricket today; why cricket is no longer a gentleman’s game:
How often does this happen?
Traditionally such a guard of honour would be given to a player from the other team on a particularly significant achievement, on retirement and so on. How often do we see this?
Sledging is par for the course today
Sledging is perhaps Australia’s gift to world cricket (Merv Hughes pictured above and below being one of the progenitors); the antithesis of the all that is envisioned for “gentlemanly conduct” in cricket.
The hostility and the aggression
The hostile pace of the West Indians, the Pakis lifting the seam of the ball, the Aussies doing whatever it takes to win… cricket? Now yes, then no!
Playing for the team? Not so much
Crowd expectations, the need to protect one’s place in the side and the desire to reach personal milestones often means that players play for themselves and not the team. Players such as Rahul Dravid… alas a dying breed.
Politeness? Courtesy? What are those?
That’s our feisty, fashionable and super talented Virat Kohli flipping the birdie. Not quite the gentleman, eh?
The commercialization
With the enormous amount of money in cricket, the game has become a crassly commercial money spinner.
Then there is this guy
No one perhaps epitomizes the rot in world cricket as well as N Srinivasan. His name is enough said.
The scepter of match fixing
Nothing cast as big a shadow on world cricket as reports of match fixing and evidence of the involvement of some top players in it.
The business of the IPL
The IPL may be based on a sport but make no mistake it’s a business. It is about money. And Bollywood. And parties. And match fixing…Sigh!
Cricket? Not quite
Slapping a team mate, the team mate then crying for all the world to see… say it with me, it’s just not cricket!
Meanwhile here is the official trailer of the documentary Death of a Gentleman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8nCBMuuPeg
Author – Reena Daruwalla
