The Oval, the final test. the final chances.
Can the little master do it? Can he after all the trials and tribulations that have gone on in the past few weeks conquer that final ledge, that Hillary and Tenzing moment.
Well I for one hope so.
Do I want England to win, yes absolutely, but I want cricket to win more. I want to see a fine match, played hard, but fair and an England victory with a Sachin hundred.
In Indian philosophy karma reigns supreme and some may say that India would have been better with the referral system not favoured by Sachin, so karma came back to deny him the final hooray. Well the series is won and now it would be right for that score to be notched. I wish him well.
Let Jerusalem play loud, let the crowd join in celebration and let the match begin.
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
Monday, 15 August 2011
Of sporting behaviour not of greed and malice
Congratulations to England on becoming the world's top test team. I have waited so very long to hear those words and I am delighted for Andrew Strauss, Andy Flower and all the players,coaches, backroom staff and of course the faithful.
A friend of mine wrote on twitter about how Shane Warne had apparently switched thoughts and jumped on the band wagon and how it had amused him. I can see his point but I'd like to add a different dimension on things if I may.
I have grown up loving sport form being a young child. I have been fortunate to play my beloved cricket at a high level, not the highest unfortunately but I have represented my country even if only at a Varsity Level, and a long time ago at that. I have also played badminton to a county level once even ranked, which to look at my body now you would not believe, and became a scratch golfer before my accident. I have also played football, rugby and hockey to a reasonable standard, was no pushover on a squash court and even though I swam like a brick I would still have a crack and enjoy the competition. I can safely say that sport runs through my veins.
And that is the point, sport has shaped my life. It has taught me so very much.
So to the weekend and two very different situations. Birmingham, battered by rioting hosted the England v India Test Match and amid death and destruction there was joy and friendship with supporters of both nations enjoying a wonderful days cricket.
And then to St James Park in Newcastle where 'bad boy' Joey Barton deliberately feigned injury so as to get an Arsenal player sent off. This is in stark contrast to MS Dhoni a couple of weeks earlier who had played by the rules of the game but showed tremendous courage when calling back Ian Bell because he believed the spirit of the game to be more important.
And here in a nutshell we can see the problem with our society.
Sport is a barometer in many ways and the most high profile sports such as football, cricket and rugby are a reflection of our society.
No one disputes that Rio Ferdinand had a tough upbringing and he is without a doubt one of the most eloquent of footballers but he plays for a manager who doesn't rebuke his players for rowing with referees and in many ways has encouraged that. I don't dislike Sir Alex, what he has done on a positive level is indeed admirable, but I do dislike him allowing his players to act like thugs on the field. The late great Brian Clough would speak to referees about his players and make sure that if any of his players showed dissent to an official they would have him to deal with. Rio could take a positive lead in this but often in the past he has been there with the loudest voice. A referee is a referee and as a human being they will inevitably make mistakes but they are there for a purpose.
The FA are also responsible for this because they do not rule the game anymore, money rules the game, FIFA is highly corrupt, and the media court the celebrity fanning the flames. There is none of the Sir Stanley Matthews attitude but lots of the George Best.
Reflect that back to cricket, rugby, hockey and many other sports. When did you see a rugby player have a go at a referee? When Stuart Broad showed only the smallest of dissent he was hit rapidly in the pocket. And although we all know of the Freddie Flintoff, the morning after the night before, incident following the Ashes victory of 2005 it did not lead to mass headlines other than he's a jolly good fellow. Following that things calmed down and cricketers were once again being praised or derided for their sporting ability not their occasional misdemeanour.
Sport teaches us how to be. It teaches us how to act. The sad thing is that over the years sport has been removed from our nation's schools because competition is bad. Even sports days have become a bit of a joke because there cannot be competition! We have dug up our school playing fields to sell for housing estates or industrial development. And that is because short sighted politicians have only thought about the next election not the future of a generation.
Changing our attitude to society can be done through changing our attitude to sport. As Bill Shankly once said "football is not a matter of life or death it's more important than that."
Well I would say that sport is not a matter of life or death it is more important than that. You do not have to be good at sport to enjoy it but it can go an awful long way to showing a better way. And if you do not like sport that is okay too because there are many other things that can do the same but our so called superstars and celebrities must start to show us some positive role modelling and soon!
A friend of mine wrote on twitter about how Shane Warne had apparently switched thoughts and jumped on the band wagon and how it had amused him. I can see his point but I'd like to add a different dimension on things if I may.
I have grown up loving sport form being a young child. I have been fortunate to play my beloved cricket at a high level, not the highest unfortunately but I have represented my country even if only at a Varsity Level, and a long time ago at that. I have also played badminton to a county level once even ranked, which to look at my body now you would not believe, and became a scratch golfer before my accident. I have also played football, rugby and hockey to a reasonable standard, was no pushover on a squash court and even though I swam like a brick I would still have a crack and enjoy the competition. I can safely say that sport runs through my veins.
And that is the point, sport has shaped my life. It has taught me so very much.
So to the weekend and two very different situations. Birmingham, battered by rioting hosted the England v India Test Match and amid death and destruction there was joy and friendship with supporters of both nations enjoying a wonderful days cricket.
And then to St James Park in Newcastle where 'bad boy' Joey Barton deliberately feigned injury so as to get an Arsenal player sent off. This is in stark contrast to MS Dhoni a couple of weeks earlier who had played by the rules of the game but showed tremendous courage when calling back Ian Bell because he believed the spirit of the game to be more important.
And here in a nutshell we can see the problem with our society.
Sport is a barometer in many ways and the most high profile sports such as football, cricket and rugby are a reflection of our society.
No one disputes that Rio Ferdinand had a tough upbringing and he is without a doubt one of the most eloquent of footballers but he plays for a manager who doesn't rebuke his players for rowing with referees and in many ways has encouraged that. I don't dislike Sir Alex, what he has done on a positive level is indeed admirable, but I do dislike him allowing his players to act like thugs on the field. The late great Brian Clough would speak to referees about his players and make sure that if any of his players showed dissent to an official they would have him to deal with. Rio could take a positive lead in this but often in the past he has been there with the loudest voice. A referee is a referee and as a human being they will inevitably make mistakes but they are there for a purpose.
The FA are also responsible for this because they do not rule the game anymore, money rules the game, FIFA is highly corrupt, and the media court the celebrity fanning the flames. There is none of the Sir Stanley Matthews attitude but lots of the George Best.
Reflect that back to cricket, rugby, hockey and many other sports. When did you see a rugby player have a go at a referee? When Stuart Broad showed only the smallest of dissent he was hit rapidly in the pocket. And although we all know of the Freddie Flintoff, the morning after the night before, incident following the Ashes victory of 2005 it did not lead to mass headlines other than he's a jolly good fellow. Following that things calmed down and cricketers were once again being praised or derided for their sporting ability not their occasional misdemeanour.
Sport teaches us how to be. It teaches us how to act. The sad thing is that over the years sport has been removed from our nation's schools because competition is bad. Even sports days have become a bit of a joke because there cannot be competition! We have dug up our school playing fields to sell for housing estates or industrial development. And that is because short sighted politicians have only thought about the next election not the future of a generation.
Changing our attitude to society can be done through changing our attitude to sport. As Bill Shankly once said "football is not a matter of life or death it's more important than that."
Well I would say that sport is not a matter of life or death it is more important than that. You do not have to be good at sport to enjoy it but it can go an awful long way to showing a better way. And if you do not like sport that is okay too because there are many other things that can do the same but our so called superstars and celebrities must start to show us some positive role modelling and soon!
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
That's the spirit
Today as Birmingham recovers from a night of rioting two teams will face each other in combat. If England should win then they will be officially the best team in the world, if India should win they will keep their fingers around that mantle.
In reality it does not matter who wins for what they are doing by playing the game is making a bold statement of intent. They are saying for every honest man, woman and child in this world that decency and camaraderie and good things will continue despite the cowardly, wicked behaviour of a minority of mindless people.
Stand up for cricket, may the best side win and may the game go on, forever.
In reality it does not matter who wins for what they are doing by playing the game is making a bold statement of intent. They are saying for every honest man, woman and child in this world that decency and camaraderie and good things will continue despite the cowardly, wicked behaviour of a minority of mindless people.
Stand up for cricket, may the best side win and may the game go on, forever.
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