Cricket at its Nadir

[vamos_rafa]

I always thought that year 2000, when the whole fixing saga came up, was the time when cricket hit the trough. Before May 2000 , I worshiped idolized the cricketers of the world for the efforts and the hard work that they put in. And whenever they failed I used to think that "Come on they are just human and they are bound to fail" or "On its just a game". But 2000 made me realize and believe that all failures were not necessarily because of their humane nature. In essence yes, they failed because they were human but the similarity in what I used to think and what the reality was actually ended there. They failed because they thought they could make money out of the failures. They found a new amazing way where by they could make money and fulfill their greed not only by excelling on the field but also by excelling at not excelling on the field. After the saga I realized that its not always the game. But,being the true cricket fan that I was, and I still am, I moved on. I understood that only a few eggs are rotten and the whole basket isn't(in short I said ALL IZZ WELL,unknowingly though). And so I continued with my hero worshiping and the uninterrupted love for the game. But what has transpired in the last week or so,has really made me feel so iffy about the game again. Its remarkable that,in the past 2 decades whenever the decade is in its fall the game seems to be hitting new lows. The last week or so has been one of the most terrifying one's for an ardent lover of the game like me,one who used to watch a macth b/w B'desh and Zim with an interest equivalent to the one generated during a federe-nadal match or a WC final. Spot-fixing, Match-fixing,Sting operations,Rape cases,makes me wonder where is this beautiful heading towards?? Cricket, certainly has never stopped to such lows in its wonderful past. A game is made by the people who play it. And the kind of people that we are witnessing these days makes me wonder is it after all the simple game played between the bat and the ball?? They say Cricket is played in the mind. Infact Cricket is considered to be the toughest sport in terms of the mental aspects of the game. But I think the phrase "played in the mind" seems to have taken a new meaning for its preachers. I know I am sounding like a cynic right now. I know these are just a few crooks in the otherwise nice and clean cricketing fraternity.But this is coming from a true follower of the sport like so many out there,who have followed the game in some way or the other. I don't know how many more cats are going to come out of the bag and tarnish the image of this wonderful game. I know its a game and it would live through but who would follow it if the results are not credible?? Because I would prefer saying "It's just a game" after a match than doubting the whole proceedings.

[Sachinism]

I too am feeling iffy about the game. I really hope a major clean up is done. Reading all these articles over the last week and a bit I wonder what other teams and players are involved. I'm sure its not only these few Pakistani players. I'm sure I don't love the game as much anymore coz there'll always be a doubt in my mind when some strange incident happens

[Roshanrocks]

yes, last nights T20 game between engerland and packistan also looked suspicious to me, thats the effect of this spot fixing drama

[riwi999]

I feel the same. On one level, I shrug it off saying it is just a game. And it is. Like they often say in such situations "Look, nobody died!". On the other hand, the belief of millions in the game of cricket died. The game belonged to all of us, the public, but a few rotten apples have ensured that, in their greed, they have sold it to the mercenaries who have made it now their private business. The game does not belong to the public anymore. At least it is not the same game. What right do they have to do this? The game gave them a livelihood, it gave them respect and status, it gave them the honour of representing their country, it gave them a fan-following that they owe entirely to the game. And they sold all this. Spot-fixing may sound a less serious offense compared to match-fixing but it is just as much cheating of the public. Many who follow the game lead rather wretched lives, struggling to eke out their living. But they still look at their cricketers as messiahs of hope for something to be proud of. They look at cricket as the sport which allows them to forget their life's problems for a while. What gives these guys the right to snatch these moments from these cricket fans? When it first exploded in 2000, I was shocked beyond belief. I could just not accept that something like this could happen. It was like a very bad dream that I hoped would go away when I would wake up. It took me a while to get back to the game. Yes, life goes on...and cricket goes on. Slowly, I got back to it. But now a bit wiser. I still did not question things happening in matches though, I put that down to "the glorious uncertainties of the game". Maybe because I wanted to believe that things were on the mend now. I did not want to watch cricket with the constant thought running in my mind that this could be fixed, that could be fixed. That is not how you watch a game. That is not fun by any stretch of imagination. When this incident came up last week, I was more sad than shocked. That says a lot already about my compromised mindset. All I can say is that the mercenaries have won again. Mercenaries 1 Lovers of cricket 0.