Cricket is a game played by 11 fools and watched by 11,000 fools.
– George Bernard Shaw

In the 1800s, before the days of mowing machines, sheep were allowed to graze on the field to “prepare the wicket”. Today, we have the most advanced mowing machines prepare the track to perfection. The disappointing part, however, is that the preparation doesn’t end there. It seems that whatever happens on the track – between the wickets – is also prepared, immaculately planned and executed to perfection. And what’s the role of the sheep today? Well, as Bernard Shaw had rightly said, all the sheep either gather in the stands of the stadium or in front of the TV sets at homes and watch the performance unfold on the pitch.

Three weeks ago, match-fixing in cricket once again resurfaced in India, as the spot-fixing plot unfolded in the IPL. S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan turned out to be the villains this time around as they stuck to script and delivered – loose balls that is, and conceded the number of runs the bookies had stipulated in the over that was decided and also signalled to the bookies using “subtle” gestures. Wow, what a great performance by the lads! Well, not so great for Chandila since he forgot to give the signal to the bookies. That’s criminal. Pun intended. These boys are far from being gentlemen of the game, but more on that later. For now though, let’s look at the hero that did the damage and helped draw our attention to the staged performances – the towel.

Unfortunately, no amount of towels can help clean up the mess that these boys have made. It seems they’ve done enough damage to have tainted the image of cricket as a “gentleman’s game”. Well, at least that’s what I’ve been hearing on debates on news channels, on Twitter and even comments made by politicians and celebrities in print.

Oh, what a pity. Cricket isn’t a gentleman’s game anymore. The entertainment, the money, the clubs, the betting…the game just isn’t what it used to be. Or is it? If you ask me, nothing’s changed. Cricket is still very much a gentleman’s game. Let me try and explain why I think so.

Two years ago, I was on a stadium tour of the historic Lords cricket ground, soaking in the vintage charm, wooden stairs creaking beneath the weight of my feet as I made my way up to the dressing rooms that seemed frozen in time. Our tour guide had sealed his place in history as well – the moment he shook Sachin Tendulkar’s hand when he had walked off the Lords’ pitch after having played his final innings. Lucky gentleman. But it was this old gentleman that shared with the small group a little bit of history which according to me disproves the notion that cricket is not a gentleman’s game anymore. He told us that before the Marylebone Cricket Club was founded, cricket was played as a betting game between two Gentleman’s Clubs owned by two Gentlemen (of course) of the highest stature. As simple as that. The game of cricket, played between two teams representing two Gentleman’s Clubs and the owners incurring plentiful gains and losses – a Gentleman’s Game. All this goes way back to the 1700s. No, I’m not spinning a yarn. It even says so in the first paragraph on the official Lords page:
http://www.lords.org/history/mcc-heritage/mcc-history/

“Marylebone Cricket Club was founded in 1787 – a fact gathered from a poster for a cricket match in 1837 announcing MCC’s Golden jubilee.
Before then, however, aristocrats and noblemen played their cricket in White Conduit Fields at Islington, London. Like shooting and fox-hunting, cricket was considered a manly sport for the elite – with plenty of gambling opportunities to boot. (Around £20,000 was bet on a series of games between Old Etonians and England in 1751!)”

It’s incredible how much cricket has evolved over the years. Today, we have games being played between clubs and these clubs are owned by the wealthy elite who incur massive gains and losses. Oh, we also have betting that’s taking place, both legally and illegally! Why do I feel like I’m repeating myself? Anyway, all the elements that the game began with are still very much present, only now there are plenty more gentlemen and many more clubs in contention for the spoils – and not to mention, some ladies in the mix as well. Betting has also been taken to the next level transcending international borders. See.

So, you see the game has evolved. It has become a more inclusive gentleman’s game. Yes, we the viewer, the spectator, the sheep have also been included, more so than ever. We are being entertained. So, hang in there to cheer and applaud, and let our fallen heroes and villains hear the thundering claps and chants ringing in their ears. For the day will come, when this cacophonic noise will be drowned by the deafening silence of the sheep that do eventually evolve. The game is here to stay. The viewers will need to evolve. This is a clean-up act and we have the towel. Either we throw in the towel or we get smart and make sure that the towels on the field aren’t leaving us high and dry. Let’s give it a shot, how hard can it be to fix this? Oh, right…