The New Nation - Internet Edition

We heard during our boyhood that cricket is gentleman's game and costly as well. As a result, there were limitless thrills when two Test playing nations met each other. The organisers, cricketers, umpires and every one also tried to prove the matter true by their ideal outlook. In this connection we may refer to the test series between the West Indies and Australia in 1960. On the day of the departure, thousands of Aussies fans assembled in the streets to bid farewell to the West Indies team.

But now cricket has become the game of conspiracy, intrigue and moneymaking. The motto is: Win by any means. The umpires play the prominent role in this regard as we observed in the second Test between Australia and India. Decisions given by the umpires were out and out crime against cricket and civilisation.

We are at a loss to understand how does an umpire gives decision hearing from the Aussies team captain? How long will the ICC keep its eyes shut to the tyrannical attitude of the umpires? We think time has arrived to rethink over the future of cricket and we suggest to scrap the result of the second Test between Australia and India. We also suggest to Bangladesh team to review their remainder part of the series with New Zealand. Like India; Bangladesh too has been victimized by super bad umpiring.

By all counts, the game of cricket is now an affair of big money deal by way of TV rights, product endorsement, advertisements etc (not to mention the tales of bookies). If cricket is to be made again the game of gentleman, then the ICC must reform itself first, revise its outlook and give more priority to skills and morals than money.

Khaled

Lalbagh, Dhaka