Is Test cricket the 'ultimate form of the game' or a symbol of British imperialism?

[NameGoesHere]

On 5/20/2020 at 4:22 PM, Khota said:

.....

 

A thumbrule for you to learn from. Smaller the ball more elite a sport is..

 

Mathematically:  Elite Sport is == 1/(Size of the Ball)

 

Golf: Very Elite, smallest ball.

Cricket, Tennis: elite sport.

Football: Large Ball , Game for masses

 

Ofcourse there are exceptions to the rule but it hold true most of the time.

 

Very interesting observation.  Never thought of it that way.  

Of course my perverse/ ungoodmind then would like to offer the most elite of small ball sports, played by one, and for an audience of one - that eternal favourite, non colonial, ever historical, bi partisan, ever green:

 

Pocket billiards. 

[Khota]

7 hours ago, NameGoesHere said:

Very interesting observation.  Never thought of it that way.  

Of course my perverse/ ungoodmind then would like to offer the most elite of small ball sports, played by one, and for an audience of one - that eternal favourite, non colonial, ever historical, bi partisan, ever green:

 

Pocket billiards. 

I have played pocket billiards many times. That is the only game I have always won.

[NameGoesHere]

5 hours ago, Khota said:

I have played pocket billiards many times. That is the only game I have always won.

Lol.  Well played sir.  Me too!

[Manny_Pacquiao]

On 5/27/2020 at 12:15 AM, NameGoesHere said:

I enjoy all forms of the game but it’s Test cricket any day of the week over these twitch and itch T-20s.  And India T-20 games over IPL any time.  I stopped watching even IPL finals after the third or fourth season.
 

Whether Test cricket will survive in the next 50 years is an entirely different question.  
 

On a separate but related note I find the article in the OP not very convincing.  For example it’s a pretty bold statement to make without any supporting proof that:

 

Originally the game of cricket was exported to all of Britain’s colonies for one very specific reason, as a way to reinforce a hegemonic cultural order in the face of emancipation of the relative slave populations

 

For that one specific reason? Wow.  
 

Or perhaps it was because a few English folk - as is the case everywhere - just took the game with them abroad, to play because they enjoyed it? The same reason that Indian students who go to America or non-UK Europe play cricket?  Or are we also reinforcing a kind of Indian hegemony? 
 

Generally historical analyses that are in absolutes should be read carefully. 
 

Think of it this way - if we had been colonised by the French, Spain or Portuhal

woild we be playing cricket? I’d bet we’d all be on the Indianfootballfans.com site today had our colonial masters been from any of those 3 nations.  And as a side note is football a tool that France/ Spain/Portugal/Holland etc deployed in Africa?

 

I’ll close by noting that I’m not a naive observer.  Cricket - the so called gentleman’s game- has been (as khota noted) historically connected to gambling, and cheating, and the so called higher virtues attached to it were probably through an upper class public school English affectation of the Mathew Arnold variety.

 

I think his rationale is as follows:

 

The idea was to facilitate contact between natives and rulers. The british empire eventually re-named itself as the 'commonwealth' for the same reason, and the commonwealth games serves the same purpose - to bring all former colonies of the british empire under one roof, in one large, celebratory event. It also allows colonial rulers to create the impression of fairness; "you can defeat us if you emulate us!" And they show their benevolence by 'allowing you' the honor of playing against them.

 

Of course, once the BCCI destroyed England and australia's hegemony over the game - remember, they once had veto power over ALL decisions at the imperial cricket council (now, the 'international' cricket council) - the english and australians have constantly tried to remind indians that TEST CRICKET IS THE ULTIMATE FORM OF THE GAME, as a way of 're-claiming their authority'.

 

I'll never understand the persecution complex of test cricket 'supporters' and the anglosphere's cricket boards. Why is it necessary to constantly tell everyone that TEST CRICKET IS THE ULTIMATE, MOST RESPECTED, MOST HONORABLE AND DISTINGUISHED FORM of the game?

 

It's nauseating evangelism, and it serves little purpose.

[Manny_Pacquiao]

On 5/21/2020 at 3:05 AM, Mariyam said:

I have a theory here.

The colonial powers were really devious. They designed sports and spread them to the colonized nations so that they could keep the people distracted from the freedom struggle.

Take for instance Test cricket. I am sure a 5 day game is better suited for the pleasant summer climes of the UK than a generally humid place like India. Having some Maharaja be a part of cricket club and have him jump around in a dusty ground in some town is a good way to make him feel 'included' and guarantee his services as a collaborator.

An entertained populace never revolts.

 

That's actually spot on!! The romans called this phenomenon, 'bread and circus'...fodder for the masses so they're entertained.

 

Sport and politics have always been joined at the hip. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/bread-and-circuses

 

Politicians love sport, it's the best possible distraction for an aggrieved population.

[Manny_Pacquiao]

I get the feeling that the indians who claim to be 'test cricket fans' don't actually watch test cricket. they just say that they do, to appear contrarian and 'different from the crowd'.

Edited June 2, 2020 by Manny_Pacquiao