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Journalism of Courage
LONDON, MAY 18: Before the tournament began, organisers of World Cup 8217;99 thought they might have a problem attracting crowds. They don8217;t. The grounds are full to overflowing, but so is the liquor intake of the average supporter. And this heady combination is threatening to affect the safety of the players.
In three games so far, crowds have invaded the field near the close of play, posing a serious danger to players and forcing them to scamper to get back to the safety of the pavilion. Two of those games involved India and Pakistan.
At Bristol, Caribbean supporters were loading up on Jamaican rum, but fortunately they were so outnumbered and their team was so outplayed by the Pakistanis that there were no 8220;incidents8221;. If past record is anything to go by, the Indians can expect more trouble 8212; especially if they lose 8212; at Leicester, where they play the next game against Zimbabwe tomorrow.
Some two hours8217; travel north of London, Leicester has a substantial Indian population. The younger bully types have often troubled Indian players in the past: Ravi Shastri and Chetan Sharma were said to be involved in scrapes here on previous tours. The Indian team was based there for the warm-up games and already some players have been heckled by tanked-up youth. It8217;s not the innocent autograph-seekers who are such a bother, but businessmen with dubious intentions and inebriated fans who feel they should have free voice and access to say whatever they want to the players. That includes abuse.
Questions are now being asked as to why these games were held in small centres that clearly cannot accommodate the huge numbers of immigrant supporters of the two sides or the booze-heightened enthusiasm of the rowdier elements. India8217;s first game on Saturday, in Hove, was at a ground that barely holds 7,500; at Bristol, the capacity is 8,500.
Both matches were sell-outs; thousands of cricket aficionados moseyed around while scalpers slithered through the disappointed asking for their pound of flesh 8212; actually, several hundred pounds as a 60 pound ticket sold for anything between 200-400 pounds. Both grounds have historical connections with the game; Hove was home to the great Ranjitsinhji and Duleepsinhji, and Bristol to the legendary W G Grace. It8217;s a history lesson lost, however, on the ethnic Asian cricket fan of today who just wants to see his team play; let the English have their history, they say, give us the bigger grounds at Birmingham and Manchester.
However, the traditional British sporting hooligan, the bane of football clubs throughout Europe, is alive and kicking. Scottish fans watching their national side take on 8212; with trademark Scottish pluck 8212; potential champs Australia at Worcester on Sunday singled out leg-spinner Shane Warne for particular attention. They waved an inflated whale at him and sang 8220;Who ate all the pies?8221; while barracking the team, provoking Warne into showing them his finger. Pretty mild abuse by footballing standards, but strong enough for the more sedate cricketing world.
Players may be justified in asking how much they are expected to take from the crowd. At Hove, a photographer said an inebriated Indian spectator was cursing so crudely and vulgarly that several women quietly left the stands. Ah, they used to call it the gentleman8217;s game. Evidently, not any more.
