Sangakkara shows the way

By speaking his mind from a public forum like the ICC, Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara has set an example for some other cricketers to follow.

By R. Mohan
Kumar Sangakkara’s oration brings to mind at once the most famous quotation of the game – “What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?” - by the Marxist historian and Afro-Caribbean essayist C.L.R. James. It’s not often that cricketers speak out so boldly even of the game they know so well; far less do they speak in public with no holds barred on cricket in a social and political context.

The lawyer-cricketer dared to go where others would not. Even retired players hate to be so forthright. Sanga’s sensational delving into the troubled history of Sri Lanka as well as its cricket comes like a breath of fresh air even if the conclusions he draws on the ethnic conflict and the war that killed nearly half the Tamil population are simplistic.

It is a moot point whether anything will come out of the impassioned pleas that Sanga made for the game to be more honestly administered in his land as well as around the world. That such a prominent player chose to speak up represents a breakthrough in a game that is generally governed by the selfishness of cricketers who see their career as an end in itself rather than a part of the larger fabric of life.

While current players tend to fall back on their near narcissistic tendencies in praise of themselves and the hard yards they put in to get to where they have arrived in a world of total adulation, retired ones are far more susceptible to vent their frustration at a perceived lack of appreciation and recognition of their contribution to the game and the nation. 

Cricket, as Sanga pointed out so eloquently, has been a uniting as well as healing force in his island nation. What cricketers like Muttiah Muralitharan, also an intrepid tsunami rehabilitator who places humanity above ethnic distinctions, have achieved amidst such turmoil leaves us in complete awe of men who have risen far beyond the game that made them famous.

The discomforts of cavorting with a nation that destroyed so many of its own kind, albeit of different ethnicity, including by aerial bombing, are bound to become an issue sooner or later. The whispers have started in Australia if only because they had taken a stand on Zimbabwe before. But these are matters far beyond cricket.

Most of humanity lives by the code that sport ought to be sport and should never be mixed up with politics. But given the Sri Lankan background, as also that of much of Asia, it becomes nearly impossible to separate the two. The ICC has ruled somewhat boldly that politicians are not welcome in the administration of its sport but whether such idealism can be practically implemented remains a million dollar question. If Sanga got them thinking, we owe him a debt greater than his drives square of point.

Laced with such boldness as to praise Arjuna Ranatunga – now a somewhat forlorn figure not absolutely respected by succeeding generations of cricketers – at the hallowed home of cricket, Sanga took on more than anyone may have dared to in an hour of free speech. He has, quite understandably, raised the hackles in his cricket board, which is so riven with politics that changes come about far more often than general elections on the island.

Sanga’s rendering of the most awful moments ever to be faced by a cricket team touch the heart. The worst part of the tragedy is athletes became the target of terrorism, almost unheard of since the Munich Olympics nearly 40 years ago. The greater tragedy is like a great cricket innings, this thunderous speech by Sanga will be retired to memory, to be cherished by those touched by the magic of it. Beyond that, it may not amount to much. So cynical are the times we live in.