Cricket - Not Just "Any" Game!!!

A sport that needs no introduction whatsoever. The game has had its share of controversies like match-fixings, betting scandals, ball tampering and a whole lot more that we probably haven’t heard all about yet and the present World Cup already seems to be following the tradition and taking it to a whole new level altogether, with coach Bob Woolmer’s death and some shocking wins and losses and also a tie!!!

Cricket is like a religion in the sub-continent and for the millions of people and many fanatics if I should say that puts the game on a very different pedestal. Players are not mere players but are given a Demi-God status. For every cheer, compliment or bouquet that comes a player’s way when he hits a boundary, a sixer or a century, he receives probably ten times or even more brickbats when he does not deliver the goods. Such is the passion for the game that work and life can come to a complete standstill when we know we have an exciting match on our hands.

The constant pressure to perform well, to keep your place in the team, being in the limelight and last but not the least living up to your own expectations as well as those of the millions of fans takes a toll on a player’s ability for sure but I believe keeping your cool and staying put is a much bigger task at hand when compared to all the above.

When the coach of a team passes away under suspicious circumstances after a shocking defeat and a banner in the stands says “Get to Barbados or stay back in Trinidad”, (some angry fan there!!!) the essence and fun of following a game are put into perspective.

When any game, be it cricket, soccer, tennis and many more are played not just for the competitiveness and the passion for it but for the endorsements and the money, it surely loses the excitement it generates. As a fan of cricket, I sincerely hope the game is played with a true sense of commitment and continues to hold the same interest for many more years to come.