Broad, England and the spirit of cricket
Agar to Broad: Short and pitched wide, comes back into the left-hander and Broad trying to work it against the spin gets a thick outside edge and Michael Clarke at slips makes no mistake. Exactly the way Broad got out but not to be as umpire Aleem Dar failed to spot the edge and since Michael Clarke had already wasted all his reviews there is nothing much Australia could have done with it, so the decision of the on-field umpire stayed on and Broad lives to fight another day.
A group of people are of the opinion that Stuart Broad should have walked and there is no reason not to agree with them. There is something called the spirit of the game and more than that whether the player is being fair to himself and his side. The answer to both the questions is NO as Broad did not even show a glimpse of disappointment or regret.
There is nothing wrong if the player is waiting for a decision when there is a loud shout against him for a leg-before and that’s how the game is being played for centuries but to stand your ground and pretend that you have not nicked it even when he has got a healthy edge is not only unfair but cheating.
The incident reminds me of what happened a couple of years ago when India were touring England and Ian bell was run out in the most outrageous manner that anybody can think off. Bell played the shot thinking that it will go all the way to the fence but the ball stopped just before reaching the fence and the fielder threw down the stumps. Bell was short of his crease and when the Indians appealed and he was given out, the England team were jumping up and down claiming that it is against the spirit of the game.
What is right and what is wrong is subjective. Mahendra Singh Dhoni called Bell back to bat again which Ian Chappel described as 'stupid'. To take things for granted and not to run is colossal stupidity and Bell should have paid the price for it.
It is the same team which had so many things to say about the spirit of the game and how it is a gentleman's game. Whatever said and done, it would be interesting to see what the match referee RS Madugalle does with this incident. If a fielder claims a catch knowing that he has dropped it can be suspended or penalised, then this case is no different.
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