When Britain awoke on Monday, those beginning the working week with a copy of their favourite newspaper would have been forgiven for believing they had been transported back through time during their sleep. Fortunately the headlines reading “Cricket Australia demands apology from the MCC” were very much in relation to the 2nd Ashes Test match of 2023 and not the infamous 1932/33 “Bodyline” series down under. Mr Jardine’s spot on the stand was now reserved for a handful of MCC members who had enjoyed one too many a Châteauneuf-du-Pape at the Home of Cricket.
The events which subsequently overshadowed a wonderful Test match were not particularly surprising given the spicy nature of the 9 days of cricket preceding them. Though they did provoke many a question to the point it felt worthwhile writing it down.
In my opinion there is no sporting rivalry in the world bigger or better than England V Australia cricket. It’s intense and has that nice level of toxicity to it which means things are regularly heated but there’s never the worry that a line would be crossed on or off the field (like we have shamefully seen in this country with football). But the extremely diverse reaction on social media, despite us only being two tests in, has me questioning is it right? Are we watching and supporting cricket wrong? Is the suggestion that cricket is “a gentlemans game” an outdated myth?
Stuart Broad has recently very correctly pointed out that the 2021/22 series was void (can we void that shambles of a series in the Caribbean too?) so I’ll look back at the 2019 series as the most recent Ashes series. ‘The return of the cheats’ I believe it was dubbed as Steve Smith & David Warner returned to the test side for the first time since the sandpaper incident in Cape Town. The English crowd made sure they were reminded of their indiscretions. Whether entering the field to bat or simply moving out to the boundary they were met with relentless booing or a chorus of “Cheats! Cheats! Cheats!”. Not particularly original or intimidating but very amusing nonetheless.
When Smith was struck on the neck by a bouncer at Lords and suffered a concussion, the Aussies jumped to the assumption the spectators would put an end to it. Perhaps having a realisation that it is just a game. Couldn’t have been further from the truth. When he returned to the field at Old Trafford a couple of weeks later the booing was, if anything, louder. On ‘The Test’ docu-series Justin Langer was gobsmacked by the reaction and I got the impression he wanted to say a lot more than he did. I don’t remember given it too much thought at the time but looking back it was arguably harsh. Certainly not within “the spirit of the game” but tensions were high and the series was on the line. I can say with absolute certainty that there is no malice behind it. I don’t believe any sane England fan would wish any serious harm to Steve Smith or anyone else over cricket.
Nothing in the following four years led me to believe the reception Warner & Smith would receive would be any different. Controversy was almost a certainty. What did surprise me was that the first major talking point was an incident between Ollie Robinson & Usman Khawaja. I love a good send off against the Australians but in hindsight shouting “**** off you ******* *****” to a Khawaja who was absolutely battering us was somewhat a left field shout. Naturally social media took less than a microsecond to blow up. From “Haha get in Robbo, you tell the convicts” to “Disgrace and should be banned from cricket” and everything in between.
I was pretty torn on this one. I’ve never been allowed to bowl in a competitive game of cricket but I get very excited on the field when we take a wicket. I always refrain from any extreme language but I can understand how it is heat of the moment and the relief of that wicket was so evident. Add in the fact that I also do subscribe to the view that against the Aussies a bit more leeway should be allowed (both ways) my initial reaction was more towards patting him on the back as opposed to digging in the boot. I think the decision not to discipline him was the correct one in the end. An allowance for the occasion but a reminder of how to behave going forward. Ten thousand miles away the reaction was somewhat less tolerant as Robinson featured on the front of every Aussie newspaper. The tone was well and truly set.
Onto Lords, the most famous cricket ground to ever exist, though not one known for providing a boisterous atmosphere. Test cricket did what test cricket does and provided unyielding entertainment with the usual twists & turns. One Glenn McGrath radio meltdown over a non-catch aside, day 5 came around without any real controversy. It was going almost too smoothly given how balanced the game was before the catalyst for chaos occurred.
There’s no need for a running commentary of the incident. It is still being discussed by every sports news outlet 4 days on and we’ve all seen it replayed 100 times. I was a wicket keeper as a junior and part time keeper briefly at senior level so I am fully signed up life member of the wicket keepers union. I would always attempt to throw the stumps down IF the batter was batting outside his crease or ventured out after playing a shot and I still expect keepers to do the same to me now. What I never did or never would support is throwing down the stumps to someone who has been batting in their crease, put their foot down and left to speak to the other batter between overs. It feels even more sneaky than a Mankad.
As bad as the action was the reaction is the big talking point. The Long Room and its incumbents draw many an opinion. Some would say it’s the epitome of elitism within cricket though I doubt anyone has ever accused them of hooliganism & violence. Before the Australians could close the changing room door at the lunch break, footage had been uploaded all over social media of their walk through the long room. There was so much shouting and name calling it was hard to make out exactly what was being said. As more and more footage was released it became apparent that Khawaja had been physically confronted and the fact that 3 MCC members had been banned by the end of the day suggests it was more than just verbals.
English cricket was now under the microscope in an unfamiliar place. As always the takes on the matter ranged from one extreme to another and it may not come as a surprise but I found myself having conflicting views. I’m still not sure I have an exact stance.
I am 100% in agreement that no one has the right to physically engaged another person against their will. Should the allegations that MCC members be found true and there was attempts to restrain or trip over the Australia players, they deserve a ban and any further charges brought. I am also 100% in disagreement with those suggesting the verbals shared in the long room were out of line. I absolutely adore spectator passion in sport. I love to see how much this sport means to people and I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t have been shouting “cheats” at Alex Carey & Pat Cummins in the long room. It was arguably the first and only time those in the Long Room and those in the “cheap” seats were one.
So after a lot of words saying not too much, my conclusion is that although the on field & off field behaviour is maybe not quite fitting with “the spirit of cricket”, it’s all coming from a good place and out of passion for the game. Many will disagree and will still want to pursue a utopia where every cricket match is played with smiles & back patting with no booing or verbals shared. As long as no one is being harmed or discriminated against then I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to watch or play cricket.
Onto Headingley…