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As one who saw his first Test match in January 1961 I think I qualify
to be an old timer. Fortunately for me I have seen cricket when it was
truly a gentleman’s game, when the bowler applauded if a batsman made a
superb stroke, when fielders generously applauded if a batsman crossed
a significant landmark, when the batsman walked away on being given out
without a glare at the umpire or a murmur of protest and when the
bowler’s appeal was not rude or arrogant but a quiet, almost
unobtrusive, `howzat’.
Over the years I have unfortunately been witness to the falling
standards in players’ behaviour. Cricketers openly questioning the
umpire’s decisions, players virtually coming to blows on the field,
bowlers and fielders pointing the batsman to the pavilion after he has
been given out, bowlers kicking at the stumps or barging into umpires
during their run up, sledging, excessive appealing and wild
celebrations on getting a wicket and open squabbles on the field of
play have taken much of the old charm associated with the game. I know
of many cricket fans who have given up following the game because they
find players’ behaviour intolerable. Former Australian captain Lindsay
Hassett for whom the game was never a matter of life and death left the
commentary box in 1981 after a long and distinguished career saying
that he could not stand modern players’ behaviour any more.
These thoughts come to mind in the wake of the issue regarding Monty
Panesar’s excessive appealing that saw him being pulled up by umpire
Aleem Dar during the third Test between England and West Indies at
Manchester. The left arm spinner is reckoned to be one of the
characters in the game and he displays his exuberance rather openly –
too openly for some. Whenever he takes a wicket he is quite a sight
with his wide eyes, jaw open almost in a war cry, leaping all over the
place, running all over the ground. All this certainly wasn’t there in
the good old days but as an old timer let me say we didn’t miss it a
bit. Give me anytime the scene where the bowler dismisses a batsman,
behaves with quiet dignity and perhaps gets a pat on his back from his
captain and teammates.
Panesar’s theatricals as I said may be unacceptable to old timers. But
then excessive appealing and out of sync behaviour is something that is
unacceptable even to today’s spectators and TV audience – and certainly
to the umpires. That is why Panesar was spoken to by Dar who told him
to observe cricket etiquette by appealing to him first before charging
down the pitch to celebrate a wicket. The spirit of the game must
always prevail.
Under the ICC’s Code of Conduct, players risk being fined or even
suspended for excessive appealing. Under the Code it is considered
unsportsmanlike to appeal excessively, appeal in an intimidating manner
towards an umpire, or appeal under the knowledge that the batsman is
not out.
Panesar of course is not the only bowler guilty of all this but he
certainly is the latest. Over the last three decades and more many
players have been guilty of displaying over exuberance or appeals
exaggerated for effect. Perhaps Dar was also trying to rein in
Panesar’s high spirited approach but it was commendable that the
experienced umpire had a word with him for he certainly can cross the
line at times. But then so do many other players in the game today and
this is where the umpires and the match referees have a key role in
curbing player misbehaviour and upholding the game’s dignity and old
world charm. Under the circumstances the officials would not be in the
wrong if they are a bit strict in adopting the guidelines. Unedifyingly
excessive appealing to the point of being intimidation needs to be
curbed. Such players should also realize that unacceptable behaviour
will only alienate the umpires.
With all this it was not exactly amusing to read that England captain
Michael Vaughan has told his star spin bowler to carry on appealing,
saying that any attempt to curb Panesar’s enthusiasm risked diminishing
one of modern cricket’s leading characters. Since when does rude and
excessive appealing, wild celebrations, leaping all over the field and
running all around the ground constitute a ``cricketing character’’? Is
not Virender Sehwag, as imperturbable as ever even as he is hitting
bowlers for fours and sixes, a character? One does not have to be over
demonstrative to acquire the image or reputation of being a leading
``character’’ in the game.
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More Views by Partab Ramchand
