Cricket can conceal grim reality
The Age
Saturday March 12, 2011
Sri Lanka versus Zimbabwe was a happy occasion that belied certain truths. SRI Lanka's convincing victory over the Zimbabweans in Pallekele indicated the state of play in both cricketing dispensations but said little about the countries themselves.At times, sport can conceal as much as it reveals.Here were two deeply traumatised nations playing a proud match in front of an exuberant crowd on a patch of ground once owned by one of the participants. It was a happy occasion.As far as Sri Lanka itself is concerned, the cure is in some eyes worse than the disease.On the surface, two things stand out, the number of soldiers on the streets and the cleanliness of those streets.Well-informed friends insist that the peace is a facade hiding a government that allegedly fixed the elections with the help of IT experts from Iran, promptly imprisoned the leader of the opposition, the general responsible for crushing the Tamil Tigers, and then set about controlling the media and fiscus. Certainly critics and journalists have a perilous time hereabouts.As far as the cricket is concerned, Sri Lanka's victory took it into the quarter-finals. It was achieved with the sort of bold but essentially orthodox batting that has been the hallmark of this tournament.Although breaking numerous records, the Lankan openers meandered along at their leisure, an approach that frustrated colleagues so much that orders were sent to take the powerplay without further ado.Both openers looked limited against spin. Irritation led to the middle order throwing its bat and the late rash of wickets was a reminder that these hosts lack power down the list.The Zimbabweans seemed capable of putting up a fight only to mess up against spin.Fearing a repetition of the heavy dew seen in the previous contest, Kumar Sangakarra has omitted two of his tweakers. Finding the ball swinging, his speedsters over-pitched and was punished by a competent opening pair. Muthiah Muralidaran changed the mood of the match and bad batting and Tillakaratne Dilshan did the rest.Murali once owned this land and has always wanted to build a stadium. Eventually, the board bought the land off him. It was his last match for his country in his home town and his first at Pallekele.Expectations had been high that the arena would be named after him but the board has proved more grudging than the national or provincial governments. Perhaps it is waiting for someone to take 1000 Test wickets?Zimbabwe's defeat condemned it to an early flight home. It has been a disappointing campaign for it. Ireland has looked a more mature side and, indeed, sits higher in the rankings.At times it has been a case of boy/men against men. But, then few of the Zimbabweans are at the peak of their careers.At present, Zimbabwe's inclusion in these events is justified. Having spoken to soldiers who have committed rape and torture on behalf of the ruling party and voted umpteen times as well, aware of the massacres committed by the "Liberation" party and knowing many people who have died young, and all of it blamed upon sanctions that barely exist, it's hard to be objective about the country.Politics has no place in sport but tyranny is not so easily brushed aside. Still the various parties have joined together in a unity of sorts and it's their call. Accordingly cricket can be played. On that account, progress has been made and nowadays the large budget provided by the ICC is going to the right places. For now, shonky (and hotly denied) deals and jobs for the boys are things of the past. Suddenly Zimbabwean Cricket has enough money to fund its activities.Not that transformation has been complete. Money was squandered on Brian Lara and nepotism and suchlike linger. Moreover, some of the recent appointees are profoundly compromised, or would be in a world that cared about conflict of interest. Standards of governance are so low in cricket that it is rapidly becoming a banana republic, albeit with a lot of bananas.On the bright side, Zimbabwe has started a franchise system containing five first-class teams and a 2nd XI competition has been set up. Overseas players take part without dominating, which suggests that standards are rising. Numbers of black players are also going up now that the game has been taken into the high-density schools. Even in the darkest days of corruption and racism, Zimbabwean Cricket was right about one thing cricket had to be a game of the people or it was doomed.Zimbabwe has a vital part to play in cricket. Elsewhere in Africa, the game is struggling to take hold. Kenya thinks mostly about soccer and athletics. Cricket South Africa is enduring its own wrangle after ousting a chairman who had drawn attention to large undeclared payments made by IPL to local administrators.All the more reason to hope that cricket flourishes in Zimbabwe. Ultimately, though, its success rests on events beyond the game's reach. In the end, it depends on the reformation of a brutal, greedy, nasty, selfish, anti-democratic and irresponsible political party. It's never just about cricket.
© 2011 The Age