Cricket can be a harsh sport for the players. The common perception of the game disallows any such notions. It is generally believed that sports like football and the other field games are rougher sports. However, the reality is a bit different. Cricket integrally demands a great amount of character from the individuals. In fact it is the only sport in the world that is governed by a spirit of the game along with the encoded laws. The spirit of the game as developed through the ages and especially formulated by Colin Cowdrey and Ted Dexter in the late 1990s is enshrined in the laws of cricket as : "Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its Laws but also within the Spirit of the Game. Any action which is seen to abuse this Spirit causes injury to the game itself.The major responsbility for ensuring the spirit of fair play rests with the captains".
It is normally held that the spirit of the game is playing in accordance with the rules of the game and more importantly in the correct manner as is perceived right traditionally. The onus of ensuring its presence rests, as stated in the laws, on the captains, but practically on the players - each and every one of them. The connotations of the word spirit indicate the non-material aspects of life. At the individual level, it connotes the permanent feature of one's self that separates one from the physical existence. At a larger level, spirit denotes the mood or attitudes prevailing in particular areas at particular times. I am a firm believer in searching for the complete truth that is formed of facts, knowledge, history, experience and foresight. It is a tough ask of an onlooker or a theorist of the game, leave alone the players. Thus spirit of the game ensures drawn out inner struggles for a thoughtful player and more so for a captain. There can be countless dilemmas in a game of cricket. I think the following are important questions on any given day in a game of cricket:
a) Should a captain opt for a draw, which means no result, when the odds are against him or should he force a win?
b) Should a batsman aim to improvise and develop new shots or stick to the traditional routine of shots?
c) Should a bowler bowl bouncers at the tailenders?
d) Should a fielder be a passive receiver of the ball or be an active follower of the ball even if it means intrusion into other fielders' fielding areas?
e) Should a wicketkeeper be allowed to hold the final word on making a bowling change and field placements, given his vantage position?
The above are just a few of the valid questions which a player of cricket faces every match day. They are important questions because all of them involve thought out and sometimes quick decision-making. In other sports too questions arise of some or the other sort. But because of the sheer amount of self-involvement of the individual in the team sport of cricket and the amount of time for which the sport is played, the number of such questions increase by a large volume. The spirit of cricket has to be upheld at all costs.
Right Gentlemen?
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