POLITICS RUINING THE SPIRIT OF CRICKET

As a result, England g cancelled its 1968-69 tour. The cancellation of the tour led to South Africa’s isolation from international cricket and grew into a ban on international sporting ties with that country. The boycott came to an end with the dismantling of the system of apartheid in that country in 1991

- By Shirley Candappa

Cricket, has long been seen as a great leveller among men/women. It eliminates social, economic, or physical distinctions, rendering everyone equal -- a game where elite players can emerge from any background, overcoming social or economic hurdles and is devoid of external interference.

The great equalising influence of cricket is best exposed in the development of several Sri Lankan and Indian cricketers who have risen from humble backgrounds to achieve great international success. Among them are Lasith Malinga, the son of was a bus mechanic. Malinga initially played softball cricket.

The great Sanath Jayasuriya, hailing from Matara, rose from a “rural boy” to be a national captain who revolutionised the one-day international version of the game.

Several Indian Test cricketers too, overcame extreme poverty to reach the pinnacle of the sport. Examples include Jasprit Bumrah who lost his father at age five. He has spoken of having only a single pair of shoes and t-shirt during his early days. Others, include Ravindra Jadeja (son of a watchman), today one of India’s great all-rounders.

Cricket has also acted as an agent of change helping dismantle man-made differences between people, and in the process successfully withstood pressures of power politics at the highest level of the game.

As mentioned earlier, cricket has played a major role in breaking down man-made structures which attempted to artificially create superiority between men/women based on race and colour. It successfully challenged the system of apartheid. The event took place over sixty years ago in the run-up to the South Africa vs.England series of 1968-1969.

The series was to be played in South Africa where apartheid was institutionalised. It even demanded teams touring South Africa ensure the non-inclusion of coloured people. Matters came to a head during the selection of England’s cricket team which was due to tour South Africa in 1968-69.