The Spirit of Cricket and All That

by Dinesh Chelvathurai

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes, and cricketing controversies. From the beginning of time, Man has attempted to cheat death, but to no avail. According to Greek Mythology, Sisyphus cheated death twice but was punished by the Gods by having to roll a boulder up a hill in Hades. Avoiding death has been mythologized in culture, but science is no closer to helping humans live forever.

Taxes are yet another necessary evil. The recent scandal involving PWC shows the extent to which companies are willing to go to avoid or minimize taxes for themselves or their clients while large corporations pay tax advisors large sums of money to help structure themselves to be tax effective. If we accept that the fundamental principle of taxation is the obligation of individuals to contribute towards the cost of running a country, should we castigate large corporations for actively trying to reduce the taxes they pay? Are they violating the spirit of tax laws even though they are not breaking them?

This brings us to “Stumpgate” – the most recent in a long line of cricketing controversies – where Jonny Bairstow was stumped by a quick-thinking Alex Carey when he left his crease thinking that over had been called. England’s Coach Brendon McCullum was quick to criticize the action saying that it went against the Spirit of the Game. The same Brendon McCullum who ran out Muthiah Muralitharan when he left his crease to congratulate Kumar Sangakkara on reaching a century. Ben Stokes stated that he would have recalled the batsman if he was in the shoes of Australian skipper Pat Cummins. Would he have done so if the Ashes were on the line with Australia nine wickets down and needing one run to win? The incoming batsman Stuart Broad goaded Alex Carey by saying “You’ll forever be remembered for that” and that it was the worst thing he had seen in cricket. The very same Stuart Broad who will forever be remembered as the batsman who edged Agar to slip and chose not to walk when the umpire gave him not out.

Cricket has had more than its fair share of controversies.

Dr W.G. Grace, the Father of Cricket was notorious for cheating and often refused to leave the crease when dismissed because “people have come to see me bat”.

The Bodyline Series in 1932/33 threatened to derail diplomatic relations between England and Australia following the tactic devised by Douglas Jardine and England to combat the brilliance of Don Bradman by aiming at the body of the batsman with close in catching fielders on the leg side.

The Mankadding incident in 1947/48 was another such instance when the Spirit of the Game was called into question. Vinoo Mankad ran out Bill Brown at the non-striker’s end without warning him although he did warn the same batsman in a previous game on the same tour. Sir Don Bradman in his autobiography defended the actions of Mankad stating that he couldn’t understand why his sportsmanship was under question as the batsman was trying to gain an unfair advantage by straying outside his crease.

So how do these actions sit within the Laws and the Spirit of the Game?

As a preamble to the laws, The Spirit of the Game is meant to co-exist within the laws and should not be seen as being separate from the laws. Playing within the framework of two separate sets of rules – the spirit- related rules and the laws of the game – causes unnecessary complexities and players need to be clear as to what is permissible and what is not. The Laws of Cricket provide that framework and the Spirit of the Game should be seen as a Code of Conduct by which that framework is adhered to. In considering ethical dilemmas, players must consider their duty of responsibility to their various stakeholders such as their teammates, opponents, employers, fans, and the game itself. Perhaps, as the employer, the Cricketing Boards could clarify their stand and then support their players in some of the ethical gray areas to reduce the burden on the players who have to make split second decisions in the heat of battle.

MCC’s Preamble to the Laws states that the game should be played not only according to the Laws, but also within the Spirit of Cricket. The Spirit of the Game refers to the following tenets:

· Respect is central to the Spirit of Cricket.

· Respect your captain, team-mates, opponents, and the authority of the umpires.

By questioning the integrity of their opponents and also questioning the authority of the umpires, England did not act within the Spirit of the Game.

·Play hard and play fair.

Every team plays to win. The 11 players representing their country are expected to play hard and play fair. That is exactly what Alex Carey did, having noticed that Jonny Bairstow had a tendency to leave his crease. Similar to the financial wizards at large corporations who are paid to structure their affairs in the most tax effective manner and minimize taxes for their stakeholders, it is Alex Carey’s duty to his team and to his country to ensure that he takes every opportunity to dismiss a batsman within the laws of the game.

· Accept the umpire’s decision.

Mitchell Starc had his catch disallowed on the grounds that he did not have control over the ball when the ball touched the ground. This was met with disbelief by some experts but to the credit of the Australian team, they accepted the decision of the third umpire and moved forward. The same cannot be said of the action of England in accepting the Bairstow verdict.

· Create a positive atmosphere by your own conduct and encourage others to do likewise.

· Show self-discipline, even when things go against you.

These two points reflect the area of greatest concern. By expressly voicing their displeasure at the decision, the England team ignited the fury of their supporters culminating in the abusive behaviour of some of the MCC members in the Long Room. The Australian players were specifically targeted, and it was a sad day for the game when the behaviour of some of the fans at Lords – the spiritual home of Cricket – sadly did not reflect the Spirit of the Game. It is also concerning that the England team instead of dousing the flames are actively encouraging the fans at Headingley to continue hostilities towards the Australians. Shades of Donald Trump goading his supporters to storm Capitol Hill to protest his defeat and to thwart the appointment of Joe Biden as President?

· Congratulate the opposition on their successes and enjoy those of your own team.

· Thank the officials and the opposition at the end of the match, whatever the result.

Brendon McCullum’s comment that “I can’t imagine we’ll be having a beer with them any time soon” is both surprising and sad and goes against the last two tenets of the Spirit of the Game. Yes, the Spirit of the Game was violated in the second Test at Lords, but it was not Australia who were the violators.