Captain Cool must keep his cool

Cricket has ceased to be a Gentlemen's Game. Commercialisation, satellite TV and intense competition in addition to bookies considering cricketers as horses, have taken out most of the politeness, good manners and sportsmanship that was associated with the game. One day cricket has become a blood sport and is played with the idea of: 'win at any cost'. Despite pretences of older cricketing nations of possessing superior 'standards' of conduct and commitment to retain the purity of the game they have been found to be greater offenders than new entrants to international cricket such as Sri Lanka. Some of the 'Golden Boys' who tried to smear Pakistani cricketers with the charge of being in league with bookies, have been found to be accepting cash from bookies to 'give details of the condition of the pitch' and 'weather conditions'. The International Cricket Conference (ICC), the governing board for international cricket, we thought would have pointed out the best information about the pitch could be given by the ground boys and on weather by the Observatory but that was not to be. They got off very lightly.

With Sri Lanka cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga being found guilty on five counts following his argument with Australian Umpire Ross Emerson and leading his team to a corner of the field, these holier - than - thou cricketing nations will be delighted. Homilies will be written about the rules of cricket and the disgraceful behaviour of Arjuna Ranatunga.

Sri Lankan cricket fans, the world over will be furious with the ICC decision to fine Ranatunga and the suspended sentence imposed. They will point out to the circumstances that led to Ranatunga's protests. But they should realise that not only in cricket but in other fields of endeavour too,when Sri Lankans come into conflict with big names of better known or more powerful nations, they stand at a distinct disadvantage. The late Prof. Shelton Kodikara, a distinguished political scientist often recalled a statement made to him by a US State department official: 'Your country does not appear on our radar screen'.

Sri Lanka did not appear on the 'radar screen' of international cricket for long years even though the game was played here for over 100 years. But after we were admitted to the ICC, we burst on the scene and won the World championship in one day cricket. Even though our commentators keep saying 'We are World Champs' the older cricketing nations do not grant us that status We are still 'upstarts', 'a Johnny -come- lately' and our victory, a flash - in - the - pan. They don't like to be beaten by the Lilliputians. It is essential to recognise these realities when we attempt to lock horns with the big brothers.

Despite many threats and humiliations Sri Lankans kept their cool till at Adelaide, when Captain Cool lost his cool. Whatever justifications Sri Lankans may offer, Ranatunga forgot the most fundamental rule all boys are taught when they don pads for the first time: Umpire's word is law. Any person, with even a nodding acquaintance of any game will say that the referee or umpire of any game cannot be questioned on his decisions while the game is on. If that is possible, there can be no orderly game.

Indeed the ICC seem to be purblind to other offenders of the game in question. Experienced cricket commentators like Tony Greig and Ian Chapel pointed out that that not only Ranatunga but Umpire Ross, England Captain, Alec Stewart, Mahanama and Gough should have been summoned before the inquiry. Alec Stewart had declared that he found Ranatunga's behaviour 'appalling' but his attempt to shoulder out Mahanama, clearly seen on TV, is similar to the behaviour of a Cockney skin head on London Streets. Undoubtedly there will be many skirmishes in the future when Sri Lanka plays the big brothers of the game and we hope lessons have been learnt from the Adelaide experience. Cricket is of great importance to Sri Lanka because it is only in this field of endeavour that we have been able to come right to the top. The stupid cricket official who threatened to walk out of the three-day-tournament after the Ranatunga incident should have known better that had we done so, we would have walked out of international cricket.