Of sinners, saints and cricketing tales (Book Review)

New Delhi, Sep 17 Was the 2018 ball tampering case involving David Warner, Cameron Bancroft and Steve Smith more diabolical than the use of Vaseline, hair oil saliva mixed with sweet sandpaper, trouser zips metal or Pakistanis using other methods to induce reverse swing? What makes these questions and many more even more horrendous is that we are talking about cricket, supposedly a 'gentleman's game' that in reality has thrown up more sinners or saints or tales that warm the heart.

John Hansen, a judge of the New Zealand High Court, succinctly summed up the state of the game in the modern era when he remarked: " That is his view, I hope it is not one shared by all the international cricketers. It would be a sad day for cricket if it is."

What provoked this remark? It had begun innocuously enough with Indian tailender Harbhajan complimenting

Brett Lee for a "good ball" during the third Test of the 2007-08 Australia series that rival skipper Ricky Ponting

just had to win to equal Australia's run of 16 victories. That led to a verbal spat with Andrew Symonds during which the word "monkey" was apparently used and a hearing necessitated.

Did Symonds have an objection to being Lee being complimented? "My objection was that a Test match is no place to be friendly with an opposition player is my objection," Symonds retorted.

"Only one team was playing in the spirit of the game," rued Indian team captain Anil Kumble at the end of the series, "a throwback on Aussie skipper Bill Woodfull's comment during the infamous Bodyline series of 1932-33 and it strung the Aussies to the quick," writes veteran sports journalist and author Vedam Jaishankar in "Courage, Conviction, Controversy And Cricket"

( With inputs from IANS )