It's Not Just Cricket
Today, one of the most pleasing English inventions chugs back into gear like a lawnmower spluttering for breath on its first outing of the spring. And with it comes an array of delightfully sensual experiences - the first whiff of freshly cut grass; the rattle of leather on willow; the sight of flannelled villagers scoring flashes of white across billiard-green pitches.
Cricket's sleepy charm is due, in part, to the fact that it pre-dates the modern, industrial era. As the Empire spread, it travelled the world and became iconic - setting a standard for 'fair play' far beyond the boundaries of an unusual arena in which you were trusted to 'walk' without awaiting the umpire's decision.
Today, market forces have encroached and sullied expansive outfields with eye-sore adverts, while players often sport garishly coloured 'pyjamas' and make battle with a TV-friendly white ball as they compete for spectators. Worst of all, the highest standard of fair play has, at times, been lowered as teams play more for cash than cachet.
Yet still, the humble sport represents something greater than the sum of its curious parts. It generates pride at home, of course, when an English team finally triumphs in the Caribbean. And it inspires wonder at the incomparable brilliance of Brian Lara's steepling response.
Cricket has provoked deadly riots in India and Pakistan when the two nations have played, yet this year it symbolised tangible hopes of peace for millions on both sides who united around a historic, thrilling series. England, meanwhile, must still decide whether a Test series in Zimbabwe will help or hinder the cause of a nation in crisis.
The Bible remains resolutely quiet about cricket's googlies and gullies, but in a fast-forward consumerist culture, the game might just help to reflect something of an alternative perspective.
In its purest form, whether playing or watching, it slows us right down. It does not always demand a result, but frequently produces an honourable draw - reinforcing the idea (at a local level, at least) that it's not always the winning, but the taking part that counts. And it reminds us to play with a straight bat through life itself.
We can sometimes underestimate the true value of sport. This particular one helps us to remember what it's all about. It's only a game, of course; but somehow, it's not just cricket.
Brian Draper
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