Could Cricket be the Healer; Again?

It was the healer in 1999 when the hopes of a billion people lay on a man going through a personal upheaval. It helped him & the nation recover from the shock. The recovery might not have been very smooth, but sure the chosen path ultimately helped the flickering flame glow, and glow with all its might.

The match-fixing issues that marred Cricket and caused in the minds of its religious followers a rare thought questioning their belief systems, was also dealt with properly. There were no casualties to the sport and the followers have just grown with time. Any answer to Bad cricket has been only one – “Good Cricket”. “No Cricket” has never been, and I suppose will never be, an option.

While Cricket had overcome challenges in the past, presently it’s facing its biggest challenge till now. Nothing could have been more tragic than death on a Cricket field. And if the first three days of the first test after Phil’s death have shown any signs regarding the days to come, these have been mixed, to say the least. While it has shown the willingness of everybody involved in the game to move forward, few incidents have reminded us where the minds of Aussies really are, and what are the real issues going on in their head.  

It took 19 balls for the elephant to come out, a perfectly directed bouncer from Aaron at Warner to which he stayed away, that prompted the commentators to declare the starting of the test. For the balls have been bowled, boundaries scored, but the test could not have started until & unless the batsmen felt the scent of a 90 mile cherry whizzing past the nose. The Adelaide crowd rightly clapped, welcoming Test Cricket & the "beleaguered one" with open arms, signifying the desire to accept and move on. Moreover, when Ian Healy excitedly started the proceedings of commentary with the bouncer, for me that was the first round victory for Cricket in an emotional bout with Human nature & emotions. But, this fight will be long and draining, for Cricket will require winning all the rounds to be deemed as winner.

Forget the 50s, 63 has become the new landmark, at least for some days or tests. I quote it from Cricinfo “If 87 is the Devil’s Number, 63 has become Cricket’s Number”.  Warner, Smith & Clarke all showed their respect & love for Phil upon reaching the mark. In the case of Clarke, the emotional hurt overcoming the physical one to score a classy tribute to the person whom he referred to as “his little brother”. The moist eyes and the scenes when each of them scored the century showed what it meant to them. Those were moving, to say the least and a good way to fondly cherish  the memories of a dear friend.

Clarke on reaching an emotional century

Warner receives the applause & Hug

However, the test has also shown the side of the Aussies which cricket fans have rarely seen on the Cricket Field in a very long time. Steve Smith was battering Indian bowlers at his will when a powerful straight drive of his could have smacked Aaron in the face had he not deflected the 200 kph travelling cherry with his hands. Smith adjusted his helmet & offered an immediate apology to the bowler. I mean you don’t expect it from a Aussie even when they are at fault, which was not the case here.

Smith's Hand went up as soon as he hit it

The elephant again came to the limelight when a Mitchell Johnson snorter hit Kohli on the helmet. The cheering Adelaide crowd which was egging Johnson to have a go while he was in the run-up became silent. The world listened to that sound with rapt attention and unease. The sound of the noise was a very familiar one to some of the players on the field. It was the sound that had made them go through one of the worst nightmares of their life. Cricket could not afford another casualty here, any minimal one even. The pictures show all the Aussies players quickly coming to him to check Kohli, because now everybody knows what can happen with the cherry.

What lies in the back of their Mind? Only time will tell

Johnson was not the same bowler after this delivery. The venom was missing in his deliveries. Whatever the legends may say about getting on with the bouncer, the fact remains that if a person like Johnson is apprehensive of bowling the short ones, it shows what lies in the back of the mind of every Australian bowler. This shows that the feeling that somebody can be killed because of you is intimidating for everyone. The demons associated with the short ball won't go away easily; the thoughts of banging it short will unconsciously bring the thoughts of the extreme that can happen with it and more often than not, one will end up pitching full. This is what happened with Johnson today and this can happen with any Aussie or any bowler.

However, these are not encouraging signs for the game of Cricket. Bouncer belongs neither to Devil, nor to God. It belongs to cricket and Test Cricket will never be the same if there remains any apprehension in the minds of bowlers. This new challenge for the game of cricket should not continue to haunt for a long time. The solution needs to be found out and found out quickly. Cricket has healed many a wounds in the past, this wound shouldn't take too long.