This is a reply to the article “England may want to be tough but Wickets and Runs are important” published by you on 15th August 2009. This article brought to light the reality surrounding sports. This article tells us about the teams which were strong till recently, had to face defeats because of certain faults in their strategies. The England cricket team is considered as one of the strongest teams in international cricket; but when it plays with team Australia, the team forgets basic lessons of cricket, which result in shameless defeat. This was explained in the aforesaid article.
Nowadays, sports catch more attention and it is a money-making device for many companies. To win a match, a team must know the opposite team’s strategies and accordingly devise plans to meet such strategies. A team must know the opposite team’s weak points and devise strategies accordingly. If the team lacks such skills, it may have to face defeat at the hands of opposite teams. The article tells us about the England-Australia cricket series. Though the article suggests that England needs to improve in different areas of the game, it does not speak clearly about the lack of spirit of the game in some of the players of both teams. Spectators are interested not only in watching a better batting, bowling, or fielding performance of their supporting team, but they also want to see that the players from both teams are upholding the spirit of the game.
England’s strategies need to be improved. One of the Australian batsmen mentioned that the English team lacked spirit. The article also suggests that the absence of accurate bowlers was also one reason for England’s defeat against Australia. This article also throws light on the force used by the Australian team to threaten English batsmen. Australia showed remarkable performance in all areas of the game which was the reason for their win against England. English batsmen were not able to withstand the bowling attack of Australia (England may want to be tough but wickets and runs are more important, 2009). The verbal duel using provoking words between players of both teams was common. This practice is not good for a game like a cricket which is known as the game of gentlemen. One of the Australian players said that the English team will regroup themselves only when pressure is exerted on them. The Australian captain was full of praise for his team.
For a game like a cricket, if the players and officials do not uphold the spirit of the game or do not show sportsman spirit, it will adversely affect the popularity of the game. “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.”
(Isle of Man cricket association code of conduct, n.d., p.1).
There are many examples of real role models who maintain the spirit of the game, such as Steve Waugh from the Australian side and Ian Healy from the England side. They always played within the true spirit of the game. That is the real cricket and that is the real sportsman spirit. Unfortunately, it is seen that the element of sportsman spirit is decreasing day by day owing to lack of campaigning or awareness.
The anti-sportsman spirit is seen not only in the players of Australia and England but in the players of the rest of the teams in the world too. Therefore, all the team management needs to take initiative to ensure that all the team members maintain the spirit of the game. “The success of the Spirit of Cricket initiative depends upon the willingness of players, coaches, officials, and administrators at all levels to embrace the concept and apply it in their approach to every game.” (Promoting the spirit of cricket, 2009, para.1). Some matches may be crucial for some teams, but in the urge for victory, the teams are not supposed to lose sportsman spirit.
Reference List
- England may want to be tough but wickets and runs are more important. (2009). Buzzle.com: Intelligent Life on the web.
- Isle of Man cricket association code of conduct: Preamble: The spirit of cricket. (n.d.). 1.
- Promoting the spirit of cricket. (2009). Lord’s: The Home of Cricket.