IT was within the stringent confines of the English public schools of the 19th century that the incessantly-invoked upon Spirit of Cricket phrase was coined. But the Gabba is no Eton or Harrow,where match referee Jeff Crowe should be donning the headmasters robe and rapping Michael Clarke on the knuckles for the ever-so-slight flouting of the sports ethos.
For,far nastier words have been spoken on a cricket field than what the Australian skipper had in store for James Anderson in Brisbane. And,forget warranting a fine,should get ready for a broken arm even count as an intelligent sledge or hurt opposition sentiments?
Threats concerning bodily harm are after all meted out even in backyard matches and forgotten soon after,just like they were after the first Test with Clarke and Anderson shaking hands.
This was the opening chapter of the Ashes. In Alastair Cooks words,the atmosphere was nothing short of a war-zone. And these were professional sportsmen desperate to not hand the opposition even a quarter. The verbal exchanges were only in the heat of the moment and inevitable.The only reason that Clarke even came under the scanner was because his words were caught on the stump camera,and heard by millions on their television sets,not to forget Crowe.
On Tuesday,Shane Warne jumped to his former teammates defence,insisting that he had merely reacted to Andersons alleged threat to punch short-leg fielder George Bailey in his face. Of course,the England fast bowler wasnt on record like Clarke. It wasnt reported either by umpire Kumar Dharmasena who was well within earshot of Anderson and Bailey.
It is time for the ICC to allow their players to let out steam. If anything,the Clarke-Anderson duel only portrayed the intensity of the competition while adding spunk to the contest. And there are always umpires in the middle to not let things get out of hand. Like Aleem Dar and Dharmasena ensured. The ICC will be well-served to take it easy with their off-field moral policing. To give the headmasters cane a break,not treat the likes of Clarke like errant schoolboys and let men be men.
Or why not just have cameras across the field,wire up all the players and turn the Test arena into reality TV.
Bharat is a principal correspondent based in Mumbai
bharat.sundaresan@expressindia.com
