We are all Hypocrites...

 

Spirit of the Game. Unlike any other sport Spirit of the game is still a relevant topic in Cricket, Some players might not care for the term but fans do care, At least they pretend to care. Even in IPL they give out a Fair play award (CSK won it all 7 times. If you say IPL is not fixed I may agree with you but don't try to convince me Fair Play Award is not). IPL caring about Fair play is like Satan worrying about me eating Chicken on Fridays. 

Sachithra Senanayake Mankadded Jos Buttler yesterday in the 5th ODI of the series. Sachithra warned Buttler twice about him backing up before Sachithra's delivery stride. Third time Sachithra took the bails off and appealed to the umpire. Umpire asked the Captain Angelo Mathews whether he wants to upheld the appeal. Angelo said yes, and Buttler was on his way out. This is what transpired Yesterday. 

Now, Legally speaking Sachithra did no wrong there and he did what he has to do. But then again this is Cricket, our Beautiful game. Why are we all acting like lawyers and looking at it from a legal point of view. It's all about how you want to play the game. Do you care just about the destination or do you also care about the journey itself. There is no right and wrong here. Some prefer Mourinho's Win at any cost no matter how it comes and some prefer Pellegirini or Wenger's try to win it the right way approach. Are you fine with your player diving to get a penalty? Or Materazzi politely enquiring about Zinadine Zidane's sister in the 2006 World Cup final? 

But then again, Buttler was gaining all important inches by backing up before the delivery stride. It played a big part in the previous match when Buttler and Bopara were converting all those singles into doubles. How do you stop him if he's not stopping even after all those warnings.  Sachithra did the only logical thing and ran him out. Rulebook says you don't even have to warn the batsman before Mankadding him. Sachithra warned him out of politeness and this is what he gets.

What's the solution then? As a bowler he should be concentrating on the player who's in the other crease not the non striker. By running Buttler out he spells out a warning that you may lose your wicket by backing up. Now Sachithra could just concentrate on the striker. 

In the Ideal world non striker wouldn't leave the crease before the delivery and bowler wouldn't Mankad anyone. Play it fair and square, You don't cheat and I won't Mankad.

My problem here is fans and journalists getting on their moral high platform. "This is not Gentleman's game and don't spoil our cricket" kind of talk. The same people who didn't utter a single word when Root didn't walk after gloving the ball to Sangakkara ( 2 hours before this incident) Or when Broad didn't walk after smashing the ball to slip cordon during Ashes. But then again we complained when Ashwin mankadded Thirimanne in that VB series. 

But, But Ashwin didn't warn Thirimanne for backing up.

 Is it where we draw the line, you can Mankad a player but you have to warn him before that. Sounds like an easy line to draw since "Warning" is the only difference between Ashwin and Sachithra.

We are all Hypocrites.

My friend in FB posted a video when New Zealand ran Murali out who went out of the crease to celebrate Sangakkara's century. Legally speaking that dismissal was correct too but the people who are running around in social media with MCC and ICC Cricket rules book didn't love following rules and regulations so much back then. 

When Mahela Jayawardane said "F*ck Off Maxwell" during that Australia series it was an act of passion and Maxwell was asking for it. However When Kohli showed his middle finger to Australian fans who were singing about his sister and mother, He is an arrogant prick. When Thisara Perera shouted at Maxwell's face in that very match after winning it was passion, but when Ashwin gave a flying kiss to Maxwell, Ashwin was cheap. (Why always Maxwell?)

We just look at everything from our side and create arguments to help the decision that we have already taken. When our players dive for a penalty we look for the faintest touches to justify the simulation. All the football fans think their club is the most unlucky team in the world and the whole world and Referees are conspiring against their club.

Almost all the fans get on Moral high platform when their team is on the receiving end, but not so much when the roles are reversed. 

We are all Hypocrites, Nothing more nothing less.  

*Mankadding - This type of dismissal got this name since Mankad dismissed an Australian the same way. (Bradman who was the Australian captain back then actually endorsed this dismissal and said there's nothing wrong in it)

 

 -Sutharman Paskaran-