THE deplorable behavior by sections Of Spectators an & match in which the Pakistanis lost in England has immediately attracted attention from the highest quarters and: already there are reports of what methods are to be applied to guarantee eradication of what is nothing else except hooliganism:
There are numerous occasions on which cricket in India has been interrupted and players deliberately injured but precious little criticism of such incidents has been evident on the part of the media.
It is very fortunate that swift action is being taken in England where soccer has brought disgrace to the game and’ has resulted in repercussions which have lowered the prestige of the country. It is because of this vast rowdyism that the government has stepped in and now, before similar troubles arise out of cricket, England is on the job.
The tragedy is that many of cricket playing countries have come to look upon the game more as symbolic of national prestige as the most elegant of sport. It is mainly due to the stress laid upon victory or defeat in cricket by most of the” media that has brought about the present total misunderstanding of what the game is all about.
It appears the incidents in England degenerated into racist brawls and once such emotions are aroused cricket will become a positive menace to the public peace.
Have stressed the folly of so arranging the one day cricket tournaments in the Gulf that inevitably Pakistan and India meet in the final match because this is nothing except catering to the political partisanship which exist among the Indians and Pakistanis in the Gulf and who between them comprise ninety per cent of the house full. In actual fact it is no use avoiding the truth that such matches are really looked upon as between Hindus and’ Muslims, not Indians and Pakistanis. The dangers: of this clever commercial cricket will surely one day putanend to these limited overs competitions at Sharjah.
Now, however, we see huge national flags all over a cricket ground and this display in itself betrays the approach of large sections of spectators to a match of international status:
Perhaps the first step which might be of much use would be for the ICC to lie down that there shall be no national flags permitted at any ground on which a representative match is being played.
More policemen, television cameras, and other means of spotting troublemakers is in order and so, perhaps, is the possibility that alcoholic drinks shall be banned from being sold at a cricket ground.
Butin the case of the growing number of cricket unconscious Indians and Pakistanis who go to watch their teams to win only, the best thing to do is to make sure they cannot identify themselves by the waving of national emblems which, in any event, never had any place on a cricket ground.
Am aware neither of the two Cricket Boards of the sub-continent are likely to agree to this proposal because, in the final analysis, if must be admitted those who gave the world the joys of cricket never will allow the game to be transformed into a spectacle of sorrow.
Till next week.
Sportingly yours,
R.S.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 24, 1987
