They have come to watch my batting,not your umpiring

It is always nice to see Tom Alter. His presence is so soothing in any programme, on any issue. Alter was certainly a welcome inclusion in the episode of Cricket Controversies aired on NDTV on Sunday night.

Few interesting things that came out of the programme for general public, in the episode titled Is cricket still a gentlemen’s game, were:

-- It was never really a gentleman’s game. When given out, WG Grace once reprimanded an umpire, saying ''they (people) have come to watch my batting, not your umpiring!’’. So how can we blame today's players.

-- Instances of sledging and ungentlemanly behaviour also increase the TRP of Live programmes, Recorded Programmes, Web and Newspaper readership.

-- They help take the focus away from real issues. And the real issue today is that India is 0-2 down and in real danger of losing it badly (Though the initial ammunition here was provided by the umpires and the Australians, leaving the Indians with no option but to retaliate)

-- Even in sports like Chess and Tennis, where the intensity level is very high compared to relaxed time for some cricket players (Especially those in the close-in cordon between two deliveries/overs), instances of bad behaviour are rampant. (I rememeber reading that during the World Championship matches between Karpov and Korchnoi, there were allegations of attempts to hypnotise players (by some spectators sitting in the front row).

Blog's conclusion: In Cricket, ugly behaviour and sledging will continue because no one wants to lose. Even though Cricketing Doves like Alter may remember Sidhu more for his sixes (in the 1987 World Cup), than for his altercation with Aamir Sohail!
Meanwhile, here is a link from my another blog. Spiritualsolace.blogspot.com, on ''Is happiness just a state of mind.''
http://spiritualsolace.blogspot.com/2007/12/is-happiness-just-state-of-mind.html