The Spirit of the game

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I had a look on the ICC website for further news on the current Zimbabwe Debacle

On the website is the following mission statement:

"As the international governing body for cricket, the International Cricket Council will lead by promoting the game as a global sport, protecting the spirit of cricket and optimising commercial opportunities for the benefit of the game."

i am not sure this has been covered before but

How would you personally define the spirit of cricket?

and how does this reflect on the current situation?

[flanflinger]

It's a point Henry Olonga made last night...The ICC will come down on a player for standing at his crease, sledging another player, smashing his stumps and commenting on an umpire's desicison or a players action. This is against the "Spirit of Cricket", and I agree with much of it.

Yet it will blackmail a board to send a team to a county that activly prevents free speech, bullies and murders it's citizens and practices racism at every level, including racism in it's Cricket Board.

Only when commercial (Media) intrests were threatened (which of course means Money) can they waver from the rule that a tour cannot only be called off through direct political instruction or security reasons, they should add the other secret clause Commercial intrests.

Is it in the spirit of Cricket that a tour can be cancelled for commercial reasons and not Moral?

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FF

how would you define the spirit of the game?

I am sure we see cricket as a game played by people with who have a sense of fair play

after all we have the expression it is just not cricket

but what do you think makes cricket different and what words would you describe as being in the spirit of cricket?

[flanflinger]

Interesting question, and I don't think even the ICC knows. The ICC award for the "Spirit of Cricket" this year went to New Zealand, to everyone's suprise. Ask Graeme Smith if he thought their tactics, when the Kiwi's played the SA earlier this year, were within the Spirit of Cricket, and I am sure you will get a very intresting response.

[Zainub]

Spirit of cricket embodies for me the notion of playing cricket in a manner in which the sport's core value are reflected...what are the sport's core values you ask....honesty, fair play, respect (for oppositions players, match officials, fans and journalists etc) hard work sincierity amongst others things....

Flanfinger, a cricket tour cannot be abandoned on moral reasons because that would be in it self against the spirit of cricket - sport and politics should not mix, don't tell me they have already in the past, because two wrongs don't make a right.

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by Zainub Razvi

Flanfinger, a cricket tour cannot be abandoned on moral reasons because that would be in it self against the spirit of cricket - .

So in the spirit of Cricket you should play in a country where

1. Players are selected based on colour
2. The local media is supressed so that only the Governments side of the story is heard
3. Foreign media is seen as a terrorist organisation and is banned
4. People are starved and neglected by their Government
5. Minority people groups are persectuted and genocide is a Government policy

where does the spirit of Cricket, of fairness, good conduct and respect for the opposition not fit into that?

I am sorry but your statment is naive and wrong. Politics and sport do mix, and that is a fact...

[Zainub]

Originally Posted by flanflinger

So in the spirit of Cricket you should play in a country where 1. Players are selected based on colour
2. The local media is supressed so that only the Governments side of the story is heard 3. Foreign media is seen as a terrorist organisation and is banned 4. People are starved and neglected by their Government 5. Minority people groups are persectuted and genocide is a Government policy where does the spirit of Cricket, of fairness, good conduct and respect for the opposition not fit into that? I am sorry but your statment is naive and wrong. Politics and sport do mix, and that is a fact...

So now I am naive too? I can very frankly tell you that those things are happening not just in Zimbabwe but in a lot of other countries as well, and nothing seems to be said or done....there seems to some fixation with Zimbabwe for a bloody reason I can't understand because I'm that naive...And tell me honestly Ff, would not going there to play cricket change anything? Will it make a difference? Will the government because a bucnh 16 or so cricketers refused to honor them with there presence suddenly start lookiong after its people? Will genocide stop in Zimbabwe if England don't go? No. No. NO. I said before, and I might as well say it again:I don't have either the patience or the stamina right now to even try putting forward an argument against that, just because sports and politics mix, and its is a fact, it doesn't make it right...I pledge to not comment on anything related to Zimbabwe from now onwards. End of story.

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by Zainub Razvi

I pledge to not comment on anything related to Zimbabwe from now onwards. End of story.

I fully respect your right to make a comment on this subject. But you have to be very carfeul as passions are running very high on this issue. The idea that you can postpone a tour for moral reasons is very important to me and many other's in the UK.

I know that Cricket may not make a big difference, but there is a possibilty that people will die in Zimbabwe because of this tour. Only a possibility, but any loss of life would be tragic, for a Cricket game.

The fact also is that the England team touring - the old colonial masters coming to tour, will add potentila credance to a regime that is corrupt to it's very core. That is the problem.

Personnaly I would prefer if Sport and Politics did not mix, but I am a pragmatist, and know that it happens anyway.

[Alison]

Originally Posted by Zainub Razvi

sport and politics should not mix, don't tell me they have already in the past, because two wrongs don't make a right.

But what about places where there is a lot of political interference in sport? To my mind, by refusing to play somewhere where there is political interference in sport you would actually be standing up for the principle that the two shouldn't mix.

[Alison]

Originally Posted by Zainub Razvi

would not going there to play cricket change anything? Will it make a difference?

There's no way of telling that, but I would never have expected them to back down over the press issue, so it's possible that a boycott might have some effect, although realistically it would probably need everyone to boycott them.