The Hindu : Sport : Gains of unity

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 06, 2006

Sport

Sport

Gains of unity

Neither ego nor nationalism was allowed to block the path

PETER ROEBUCK

If sport is to play any role in our lives beyond providing entertainment and occasionally stirring the spirit then it must show that it can still the dogs of war.

Now and then cricket does manage to reach beyond its casting as a mere recreation. Now and then it does justify the more outlandish claims made on its behalf. Sometimes it remembers its power, accepts its responsibilities.

By arranging themselves into a force capable of organising a World Cup, the four independent nations of this region have displayed a unity that has often eluded them. It is no small thing for two countries to join together to present a proposal. Australia and New Zealand could not manage it before the last rugby World Cup. When friends argue what chance can there be of harmony between enemies?

Full praise, then, to the officials of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh for realising that their differences appear puny beside their common interests. Admittedly these nations have, for a considerable time, been voting as a block, a strategy that has had a mostly constructive effect.

Good outweighs the bad

The `Asian Quartet' can be held responsible for the game's highhanded refusal to talk to players' associations about the absurdly packed fixture list, and for the failure to deal with rampant corruption in Zimbabwean cricket (apparently the long awaited audit is to be performed by a local hack). However the good outweighs the bad. Insofar as cricket is alive and well, it is because this region has provided funds and families devoted to the game.

Indeed the contributions of expatriate Indian communities increase every year. Recently several cricketers from sub-continental backgrounds have worn the English lion.

Last week Hashim Amla, an intelligent and devout Muslim, scored a hundred for South Africa. His elder brother has been invited to captain Kwa-Zulu Natal. Now the boards themselves are playing their parts. All of them must have been obliged to concede some ground. Otherwise an agreement could not have been reached among proud and independent nations whose representatives are answerable to easily inflamed supporters. Neither ego nor nationalism was allowed to block the path.

Doubtless `jiggery-pokery' also occurred but that happens whenever rival bids are presented.

No fears need be held about the success of the 2011 World Cup. Most observers regard the 1987 tournament, the first staged on the subcontinent, as the best ever. Certainly it was enjoyable as visitors were treated not to the mundanities of Birmingham but the exhaustion of Kolkata and the enchantment of Rajasthan. India rose to the occasion and Eden Gardens provided a vibrant backcloth to the final.

That the area's second World Cup was less enjoyable was due partly to the feebleminded refusal by Australia and West Indies to play in Colombo. Also the final was a damp squib because the stadium in Lahore was only half full. Sri Lanka's unheralded victory distracted attention from a lacklustre contest.

That the Asian block has secured the right to stage the 2011 tournament is healthy. Now it is a question of surviving civil wars and border disputes to give the game the fillip it needs.

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