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Rethink Cricket-CPL failed on the bigger issues
Oct 03, 2023 Letters, Sports
Dear Editor,
The link in brackets ( https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02b1z3BdhSnrYjGbEhxsUKGjNUvySeCpNTKfRB1nCAK6tkTSbDdgVTkwD4Vy6RtBbxl&id=100055504101638&sfnsn=wa&mibextid=VhDh1V)) is loaded with ‘Topics for Cricket Talks,’ and I intend to make a few comments regarding it.
It reads: “Guyanese must now demand that Naim Chan is being hired as a commentator during CPL T20. Them bleddy CPL commentators behaving like they are being paid by TKR. Who vex vex.”
First, let me state emphatically that “Sport is a Great Divider.” So, it is rather unintelligent to ‘mouth off’ that cricket unites or can unite Guyana. I saw many pieces of footage of actual fights, right after the win by the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) over the Trinidad and Tobago Knight Riders (TKR). These fights are symptomatic of what inheres in our local and regional cricket. It is ‘territory for territory’ and ‘race for race.’ When the territory embraces a mixture, we choose our ilk within and support ‘our own.’ Let me illustrate.
In the 1st Test, of the India tour of West Indies, Georgetown, March 25 – 30, 1989, Kapil Dev bowled Viv Richards for 5. The end result was a ‘thumping slap’ on an East Indian for celebrating this dismissal, and that slap was from a former fast bowler, who played two matches for Guyana, and is infamously remembered a lone feat, bowling the New Zealander, Terry Jarvis, for a duck at Bourda, in the 1971/72 series between West Indies and New Zeeland. I need not enumerate myriads of such incidents. However, this one irked me to the bones.
Editor, unnecessarily, our callow politicians, even one who is a Minister of Government, and who has verbalised his aspirations to become President, did an infantile thing on Facebook; he intimated that if Clairmont Mingo were the scorer, TKR will win. I mean why scratch these sores? He is just one of the few who are so inclined. One ‘parked-up’ Minister seems to be enjoying too much money and time, and he is quite an exponent of this kind of thing to. I iterate for a millionth times that cricket ‘divides Guyana unhealingly.’
My second comment buttresses the first, but it devolves to the aspect of cricket commentary and especially the absence of non-Guyanese. I have to ask who selects the CPL panel. No regional tournament should be without Naim Chan. He outstrips the entire region of commentators when it comes to live coverage. The Trinidadian trio was silent and manifested hurt as the TKR were sliding to defeat. The match by the way petered out into a dull result, where the winners, the GAW, without a fuss, strolled to their first CPL title. Understandably their supporters were ecstatic. But play was basically, at best, quite ordinary.
Yet it brought to the fore a few things.
First, on the point on live coverage, one commentator was bawling needlessly. That kind of shouting was incongruent with what was transpiring on the day. That would have been suited for 9/11 in New York. I mean there was nothing exciting about the final, as Guyana cruised to victory. Understandably, their supporters were almost uncontrollably ecstatic. But are the commentators governed by the ‘party’ or the live game?
I hope that Guyana can have a big say in who covers the CPL in the future. I also hope that we will re-examine if cricket really unites anyone.
Regards,
Gaylord Riley
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