Obnoxious Weeds: In happier times
I’ve been indifferent to T20 cricket from the very beginning, apathetic even, unbecoming of my self-professed love for the game. But then, I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to cricket; give me test cricket any day. Hard grind, survival of the fittest and all that nonsense that seems so ill-fitting in this day and age where everything has to be packaged, branded and dumbed down to make it marketable.
The Indian Premier Leage (IPL), its rival Indian Cricket League (ICL) and the much talked about English Premier League (EPL) bore me to death. I couldn’t care less if Punbab XI get the better of Chennai Superkings or whatever the hell they are called. The Bollywood element has taken the vomit factor to unbearable limits as far as I am concerned. So, for the past fortnight, I was busy paying as much attention to the circus in India as I do to chaps in small cars racing around in circles at over 200 mph: which is around 100 points below zilch. I didn’t even visit Cricinfo during that time .
Until this who Slapgate incident came out.
I don’t know how late I am on the ball here, but I laughed when I saw that the two main protagonists were none other than the two most annoying cricketers I have ever had the misfortune of seeing. Both typify the new India beautifully: loud, brash, uncompromising yet little talent to speak of (with due apology to Mr Sachin Tendulkar, Mr Rahul Dravid and Mr Anil Kumble).
Okay so Singh once had the Aussies tied in knots, but Sreesanth’s greatest claim to fame was slapping (pardon the pun) Andre Nel for a massive six and doing a ‘pelvic thrust’ (to quote Sunil Gavaskar who had Harsh Bogle in stitches when he used that term) in front of the man (incidentally Nel gets the vote for the third most annoying man in cricket).
During last summer’s tour of Australia when the so-called Bollyline controversy exploded, Harbhajan was left facing a ban after he supposedly used derogatory language towards Andrew Symmond. Only the Board of Control in India (aka the richest most power hungry bunch of number crunchers in cricket) rescued their star with a combination of political bargaining and outright brinkmanship.
The rest of the world was ready to side with the Indians then, not interested in learning the facts of the particular episode. For this was, after all, a case of an Aussie getting sledged back and crying foul, surely?
This incident comes a mere month after Scyld Berry, editor of Wisden, wrote in his editorial notes that a physical confrontation in cricket isn’t too far in the future. Prophetic words they have proved.
The slapgate has shown that neither Harbhajan nor Sreesanth – for he is no angel despite his cherubic appearance -have the maturity to be involved in the highest form of the game. Happily, this happened in the midst of a circus and not during the hallowed proceedings of a test match. If it did, nothing less than a ban from all cricket would suffice. Right now, they are both laughing stocks of the cricket world – the Aussie media, as you can imagine, are having a field day at their expense – and so they should be. Hopefully, it serves them both a lesson.
It’s time to shut up and play the game. If you want to be melodramatic, I suggest Bollywood as alternative careers to both these obnoxious weeds.
Slapgate
8 Comments
April 30, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Personally i feel that Sreesanth deserver that slap.He should learn to behave to others.He is over acting and arrogant.First play the game and after that enjoy.I havent seen him so much talented, if u compare Harb and sreesanth , its like comparing an ocean to a clay pond.Remember Sree, oversmartness will receive the same fate always…
May 1, 2008 at 6:03 am
‘deserver’ ‘behave to others’ ‘over acting’??? where did you learn your English dude? Anyways…Sreesanth deserved what was coming…aggression is good in cricket…but it should be within reason…aggression just to look aggressive just does not help! Coz at the end of it all the media would rip you apart when the time comes!
May 1, 2008 at 9:42 am
Well I don’t think its right for the game to go slap him like a girl. Hit him with bat if you must!
Also I hate 20/20 cricket! Only just like one day cricket. Test cricket is the best and there is no better feeling like watching a good fast bowler coming in for delivery on a fast track with 4-5 slip catches in position. Thats is an awesome sight in my opinion!
about these two idiots.. i never really liked them.. they should be kicked outta the game!
May 1, 2008 at 5:51 pm
The ICL uniforms kill me! The colour combinations plus the gaudy cheerleader outfits? I will have a seizure as a result one day.
May 7, 2008 at 12:29 pm
The first picture is pretty homosexual.
May 7, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Sreesanth is the worst cricketer i have ever seen, he definetely deserves more than a slap, but definetely not from Harbhajan (Sachin, Rahul are eligible to slap). Sreesanth and Bhaji are the two embarrassments Indian cricket is sticking with.I always see Sreesanth watch the big screen whenever he is shown on camera. As someone suggested, he should get into bollywood on comic roles or super hero roles for kids.
March 4, 2009 at 2:45 am
Dude, added to my blogroll…
April 14, 2009 at 1:25 am
Lets see what they will do in this coming IPL 2009 Game