Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Le Pen vows to appeal political ban, calls verdict a 'denial of democracy'    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 2,719 as rescue efforts continue    Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes    Putin orders Russia's largest military call-up in over a decade    Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



A cricketer and a gentleman
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 10 - 01 - 2016

There is no better way to bring in a new year than to cheer a man who can be honest about himself without slipping into the hypocrisy of false humility or delivering a sermon to tell the world what a good boy he is.
So raise a bat to Hashim Amla, now the former captain of the South African cricket team, who resigned from a dream job when there was no demand for departure. Amla left because he decided that his contribution to his side as a batting backbone was being affected by his responsibilities as a captain.
Most cricket captains are batsmen. This is not because batting belongs to some superior caste in the game; bowling is much harder work, with more pain and less glamour. There have been great bowler-captains: Richie Benaud of Australia and our own Kapil Dev come to mind. [All-rounders like Ian Botham or Imran Khan are in a different category.] But if selectors mostly prefer batsmen it is for a good reason. A batsman tends to have a better vantage view in the overall management of the long game. A captain is only properly tested in a five-day Test. In the 20-over variety a captain is about as useful as a captain of a football team; relevant, but not essential. As for the one-day match, we could make a good case that the captain should preferably be an all-rounder. But that is another story.
Cricket is a slow game at its finest level, and creates space for tactical variations as well as strategic decisions. A Test captain needs to analyze the progress of a game continuously, intervene every three or four overs or so when fielding, and try and control the pace of runs when his side is batting. Hashim Amla was a thinking captain as well as a thoughtful human being, judging by the manner in which he played from his debut. He has always walked, and built a deserved reputation for integrity. But it is the long walk he took from the captaincy, in the middle of a tough series against England, which will define his memory.
South Africa has had a poor run under his leadership. Controversies about the pitch could not quite hide the fact that the Africans were mauled during their recent series in India. In any case, using the pitch as an alibi is a curious argument. Both sides, after all, have to play on the same pitch; so if it is bad, it is bad for both. No one "accuses" an English groundsman of "doctoring" when a green-top helps pacers, so why do commentators go curvy when a brown-top does its bit for spinners? It is pertinent to note that Hashim Amla did not indulge in gratuitous excuses when he lost the India series. His problems were compounded by the fact that his own scores were dismal.
The pattern continued when England won the first Test of the current series in South Africa, outplaying their opponents in every department, and then piling on a mammoth first innings score in the second Test. The game was as good as lost when Amla came to bat. His double century not only re-established his value as batsman; his leadership rescued his credibility as captain. Do not ever believe that a captain has nothing to do when he is sitting in the box while his side bats. He defines the role of every player through the innings; he is the shepherd with a silent nudge.
Hashim Amla resigned at the precise moment when he had cleared doubt. He left when he was back at the top, both as player and leader. If selectors punished captains for a bad trot, no captain would survive more than two or three seasons - at the outside. Even viciously competitive football owners take their time over failing managers. Amla was not being pushed. He took the call on his own, in what he deemed to be the best interests of his national side. You do not get many such examples. Let us not mention names but captains hang on to the power they have, for this power brings overt and covert financial rewards.
It would be serious exaggeration to insist that cricket remains what is quaintly described as a "gentleman's game". Cricket now has as many gentlemen, or ruffians, as any other. This is neither good nor bad, just inevitable, in a republican age when values - or the lack of them - are not class-specific, and serious money goes to those who can sell products. But when a gentleman does turn up in sports, it is reason for celebration. Destiny can offer anyone a role, but it is up to an individual to become a model.
M. J. Akbar is an eminent Indian journalist and a national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Write to him at: [email protected]


Clic here to read the story from its source.