Shakib has Sullied the Spirit of Cricket - By Michael Roberts

Shakib has Sullied the Spirit of Cricket – By Michael Roberts

Michael Roberts

In my experience from the late 1960s Errol Fernando of Trinity College & Peradeniya University was the fairest of men and one possessing considerable acumen (besides virtuoso fingers at organ and piano) ……

Errol Fernando to Lawrence Heyn, 6 November 2023

Dear Lawrence, Am I allowed to say that the ONLY game that has this thing called ‘Spirit’ is CRICKET? May I add that all other games merely have ‘rules’ but no spirit. Is there a spirit of rugby, golf, football, tennis – even gudu or marbles ?

Cricket has rules, of course, but what makes cricket the ‘greatest’ of games is that spirit that is far more important than rules. Anyone who disagrees with this should not be playing cricket. Alex Carey infamously abused the spirit at Lord’s. I am more than happy to say that Carey should not be playing cricket. I am just as happy to say that the captain of Bangladesh, Shakib, should also not be playing cricket.