“THE APOLOGY IS IN” by Des Kelly

It is indeed a privilege to be writing this, on behalf of every Sri Lankan who knows & loves the game of cricket, in whichever form they prefer. It is doubly the “privilege” to be someone who, at the start of my life in Australia, got to shake the hand and actually “chat” with the greatest Cricketer who ever lived, and will always be the “greatest”, Sir Donald Bradman.

Globally, Cricket has been “the Sport” considered the most popular. Everyone who is anyone, has watched a game of Cricket, “somewhere”, it has been a game that has reaped benefits, too difficult to even contemplate, a game that is played everywhere, with “pol-athu” bats & cheap rubber or tennis balls, in the Ceylon I remember. On the other hand, huge “Cricket-Administrations” around the World, with the possible exemption of America, I think, have sought to make money, on the Sport generally known as

“The gentleman’s game”. THIS IS WHERE THE ROT SETS IN.

The apology is in, ladies, gentlemen & sports fanatics everywhere. As the former Captain of the Australian Cricket Team, Steve Smith has appeared on television in Australia, to tell the World about how sorry he was, for the decision he made, regarding the “ball-tampering” in South Africa. He did NOT have to do that, he has already been meted out his punishment by Cricket Australia & one of their legal-people could have been asked to make the apology on behalf of Steve, but, no, HE did the crime & he will “do the time”, & has been, in my opinion, brave enough to face the public, emotionally raw, as it was. This is a sure sign that this very young, highly talented Australian Cricketer, is already ” growing-up, my ONLY criticism of this “Captain”. Steve Smith, superb Cricketer, though he was, was TOO young to to be designated as the Captain of the “Side”.

To make a long story short, these three young Aussie Cricketers have copped a pretty decent punishment for a very silly decision to tamper with this cricket ball. This should NEVER have happened but then, years ago, one of the great Chappell brothers “bowled” an underarm ball at a New Zealander for one, simple reason. Australia wanted to WIN that match. It was not illegal to do it, Young Chappell did not tamper with the ball, his older brother who was the Captain of the team, at the time “ordered” his younger brother NOT TO risk “Rotator-cuff” syndrome and to do this, the final delivery of the Aussie squad was “underarm”. The reason?, For a long time, since the “Gentleman’s Game” of Cricketing Greats like Bradman & Benaud, (who also wanted Australia to win, of course), but were wise & experienced enough to know that this was not possible with every match played. Nowadays, a completely different story. It seems that they MUST WIN every game, no matter at what cost.

Apart from these three young Aussie Cricketers, the rest of the team, the “extras”, the “Coach”, & right up to the higher echelons of Cricket-Australia, were deemed blameless. “We did not know what the hell was going on out there”!, was the cry. What a lot of bull-dust. EVERYONE DID.

Cricket-Australia should STOP every “team” in the middle of their weekly training sessions, once a bloody week, every week to bring the players “in” and lecture them on the “social” qualities of the game. Spend an hour or two explaining that they cannot expect to win every game they are rostered to play in. “Do your bloody best, to win, but if you lose, try to understand that those other blokes were better than you, on the day”. All this “sledging” & “dirty looks” at opposing players should stop forthwith. Opposing teams are not always going to “smile & nod” back, as the Sri Lankan team does, (because they don’t understand what you say), others will react differently, and we are not out there to start a bloody war, we are out there to play a game of Cricket.Australia MUST realize that, although they are a great cricket team, there are others out there who are just as great as they are. “A fair go” is another popular Aussie saying, &, this being the case, let us give these three guys, a fair-bloody go, right ?.

Steve Smith, as the previous Captain of the team, has come out to publicly apologise for the ball-tampering episode that has COST him so very much already, as with Garner & Bancroft as well. NONE OF THEM ARE CRIMINALS

They have not committed any crime, whatsoever, just been “silly boys” to do what they did, not expecting to be caught out. Let us not hoot & jeer them, everytime we see them.

These are idiots who do this & my advice to them would be

“If you think you are that bloody perfect, go, look in a mirror & it will tell you exactly the same thing I have said. You are an idiot, mate, so don’t go throwing stones if you live in a glass-house. Leave these three Cricketers alone, now. Let them serve their punishment & come back as wiser Men.

“THE APOLOGY IS IN”.