“IT’S WHERE YOU LAY THE BLAME”

by Desmond Kelly ‘the Star of eLanka’

Two lines in a Country-Music song of the 80’s say it like this. “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s where you lay the blame” That one was a Country love song, of course, but the correct English Phrase reads “it’s not whether you win or lose, it is HOW YOU PLAY THE GAME”.

So, Australia won the “Ashes” this year by beating England & congratulations are in order for their effort in doing so. As I have said before, I am a Lankan/Aussie now, and so are my two eldest sons. In addition, I “added” to the Australian population, another daughter & youngest son, who are both “dinkum Aussies”. As such, we should ALL be “barracking” for Australian Sportsmen, Women & Teams, but, although most Aussies carry the “Cyclops-Syndrome” around with them, I don’t. Every reader of eLanka MUST know, by now, that this writer says it like it is. I do think that Australia, the World’s most prominent Sporting Nation has, by far, the best proponents in almost every “sport”partaken of, but it must also be remembered that being the most multicultural Nation in the World as well, many of these Sports-People, including Aboriginals, like Lionel Rose, for instance, are the reason that Australia tops the sporting ladder.

Getting back to the cricket, I am disappointed that recent Aussie teams EXPECT to win every single game they play.

They do not care how they do it. They are the masters of “sledge”, if their bowlers cannot hit the wickets of an opposing batsman, they try to knock his head off, they bowl bouncer after bouncer at even tail-end batsmen, bowlers “mime” choice epithets, batsmen don’t “walk” until pushed, fieldsmen curse their Captain silently when he keeps moving them around(especially when there is a R/H batsman at one end & a L/H batsman at the other) & he has to, of course. Aussie Umpires (with hair & without hair), try to STOP Murali’s balls, even before they are bowled.

It has got to stop somewhere. I AM in awe of great Australian Cricketers, especially when I was lucky enough to meet, shake hands & even chat with, certainly the greatest Cricketer in the World Sir Donald Bradman in 1962. Before he was knighted, Don Bradman was a Director of South Australian Rubber, in S/A., & “your’s truly was a Quality Controller at South Australian Rubber Mills, in Dandenong. Considering WHO he was, I found him to be the epitome of a “Gentleman”, in every sense of the word. THAT is what cricket is, boys, “A gentleman’s game” Play the game as it should be played. You win some, you lose some.

I will comment no further on the cricket, but let us switch to the “Tennis”.

He is a very good tennis player, is Nick, but personally, he is a pr–oops-prime example of a “poor-loser”. So far, he has done everything he should have been ashamed of. He has tried to make out that he was not interested in the game that has already made him a millionaire, he has ranted & “raved” at the ball-boys & girls on Court, argued with nearly every “Referee” he has set eyes on, smashed so many quality tennis racquets, I have lost count of them. He goes stark raving mad whenever he loses a match, but the teeth appear in a none too frequent smile, whenever he wins.

To be fair, he seems to be “trying to change” in his old age, but, as recently as yesterday, still had a go at his own staff, telling them that they had not “strung” his final match-losing game, as they should have. Nick, it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s where you lay the blame ?, isn’t it. Good luck with your next game, my advice to you is ” don’t smash any more racquets man, they are beginning to get even more expensive nowadays. Play the game, don’t lay the blame.

Desmond Kelly.
Star of eLanka.