Cricket's ugly side exposed at Lord's

Sportsmanship takes a hit as teams run for cover

As rain played hide and seek, interrupting England’s nervy chase on Sunday, the desperation of both sides to win was apparent. With India in a winning position according to the Duckworth-Lewis rain rules at the first rain break, the visitors quickly deserted the field. Upon resumption after a brief delay and a over later, England found themselves on top and followed India’s suit when it began to rain again. Though the match eventually ended in a tie after the third disruption, the events of the last few minutes of the match once again raised questions about the spirit of the game.

“You just expect the rain to go away and somehow you want to get on the field. There’s nothing much that I could have done about weather. Basically, we tried to get to the dressing room and wait for the shower to finish,” Dhoni replied when asked about his team leaving the ground on the first instance.

Pointed out that Indians stayed on the field in sharp showers the second time around, the Indian skipper was more forthcoming. “Frankly speaking, we just saw the ugly side of cricket,” he acknowledged. “Whichever team has the upper hand doesn’t want to play and the team not on the winning side will stick around and even play football if the result is changing. I think that’s part and parcel of cricket. That’s what people do and that’s what both the sides did today,” he pointed out.

The whole drama started when a sound drizzle intervened to stop the play with the home team, chasing India’s 280/5, stuck at 233 for five, two less than the par score of 235. Sensing possible victory, Indians dashed off to the change room when the umpires called for covers even as English batsmen Ravi Bopara and Graeme Swann reluctantly walked back. The home supporters were obviously not amused and began to boo Dhoni and company.

Much to the English delight, the drizzle didn’t last long and the play resumed with England having opted for the batting power play in the 45th over. The hosts collected nine runs in the immediacy of resumption and moved to 242 for five, two more than the par score of 240 for five.

And this time it was England players’ turn to leave the ground as it began to rain heavily and Indian fans’ chance to return the complement. Dhoni and company, though, just hung around hoping the clouds to pass off quickly, which didn’t materialise. Just when it appeared that England might just sneak a win with the cut-off time fast approaching, the weather relented to allow India make another bid.

England were sailing along smoothly at 270 for six in the 49th over when they lost both Bopara and Swann off successive deliveries coinciding with the third and decisive interference of rain. It was the par score at that moment resulting in a second tie between the two sides in four completed games, since a similar outcome in Bangalore during the World Cup.

“It is human nature,” said England’s skipper Alastair Cook, echoing the sentiments of his Indian counterpart. “When you are ahead of the game and you have got to go off, you are obviously going to be happier than the other team. It was quite clear when we came out the first time, we wanted to go back out because we were behind and when we came off for the second time we were ahead. If we had all been honest, we would’ve quite liked it to rain for another hour and we wouldn't have had the last few overs. That is because the desire to win is so huge in both sides.”

If only one side had been ‘guilty’ of this act, maybe it may have snowballed into a major controversy but with both the teams employing the same tactic, whenever it suited them, the issue of sporting morality died its natural death.