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dated February 21, 1958: Spirit of cricket

Former international cricketer H.L. Hendry lets off steam on February 17 against modern cricketers, who he alleges over the past 20 years, have purposely misconstrued the true spirit of cricket for selfish and personal glory. In a letter to the Sydney Telegraph, Hendry says that practically all leading players to-day are experts at playing for themselves and their averages at the expense of their team’s interest and entertainment to the onlookers. “Spirit of cricket – friendly rivalry – with the team scoring most runs winning the match has been killed by these tactics,” writes Hendry. “So wrapped is the players’ conception of their part that the opening batsmen on the first day of the fourth Test in Johannesburg in ideal conditions went out with the sole objective of playing for a draw – before the first ball was bowled. The subsequent result of this Test did not alter this fact. No wonder cricket is dead.”

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