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| Sunday, 7 November 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Cricket's amusing moments by A. C. de Silva Cricket at times can be dull and dreary, especially when runs are not flowing freely or the ball is not doing all sorts of tricks. Many dull moments however, have been relieved by several incidents which have brought an end to the monotony of the glum faces of cricketers and spectators alike.
In some cases their pranks have been responsible for their having to give up or being forced to give up cricket earlier than they, or their admirers, would have wished. One such victim - Sid Barnes of Australia holds the view that pranks and more pranks and showmanship are needed to brighten up the game and relieve the monotony of the day-long play. Barnes was a star-class entertainer in his day - no cricketer or follower of the game in the past who would dispute that statement. In Don Bradman's testimonial match he produced a toy bat and took his stance at the wicket. The umpire hesitated before giving him the guard but there was nothing that he could do to prevent him from using it. It came within the only dimensions laid down - that a bat shall not be more than 38 inches in length and 4 1/4 inches in width. Barnes played one ball with it and then with his usual bat went on to score 89 fine runs. Then there was England's Wardle, who was equally famous for his antics. He also took out a toy bat with him once. In one of M.C.C.'s matches in South Africa in 1957, Wardle was the 12th man. When a batsman wanted a new bat, Wardle walked out into the middle with two men walking beside him. They carried an outside bat meant to be preserved in the museum with the autographs of the players. When the batsman looked dazed, Wardle pulled out of his pocket a toy bat and offering it to him asked him to make his choice. Without in any way impairing his efficiency in cricket, Wardle was able to amuse the players and spectators alike. In the first Test at Johannesburg on that tour, South Africa's No. 3 batsman came in at the fall of the first wicket to face Wardle. The umpire gave the batsman guard and 'knelt over the stumps and signalled Wardle to bowl. (In the good old days the umpires used to bend over the stumps unlike in the present day where the umpires stand erect). The batsman being ready to receive the ball, Wardle began his bowling run. But when he bowled, no ball came out of his hand. Like everyone else, the umpire was also bewildered before he realised that immediately after the fall of the wicket he (the umpire) had poked the ball and not handed it back to the bowler before asking him to bowl! Sometimes dogs come onto the field and cause some laughter among the spectators - this has been witnessed in Sri Lanka and in other countries too. Beside dogs, ducks too have played their part in cricket. Mention of ducks, and cricketers of the past will remember Australia's Lindsay Hassett presenting celluloid ducks to India's Mankad, Rengnekar, Vijay Hazare and Rangachari when they failed to score against Victoria during India's maiden tour of Australia in 1947-48. Hassett who led the Services XI on their tour of India in 1945, has enriched cricket, not only by his cricketing abilities but also by his sense of humour. Asked to sign a photograph of his on one occasion, he noticed that his chin looked dark. It is on record that he promptly wrote: "Always use Watsonia blades" underneath the photograph and added his signature. Past cricketers and the game itself will not forget the deeds of the big-made champion cricketer, Dr. W. G. Grace. He was big enough to take upon himself several stories that went the rounds. Spectators must have collapsed with laughter when while batting, the ball got lodged in his pads and he ran to the boundary so that a fielder may not remove the ball and claim a catch! There was another possibility in this incident - it was not clear whether Grace himself claimed 4 runs. Or would it have been a six, because the ball crossed the boundary line without touching the ground? W. G. Grace was a legendary figure in cricket, he had his way firmly but light-heartedly. Who else could have left a cricket match in the middle to complete in and win a sprint event? Who else could have replaced the bails, after he was clean bowled, and continued the innings, reminding the bowler that the people had come "to see me bat and not you bowl!" In the 1930s Australia had a champion cricketer in Arthur Mailey who used to dish out deceptive slow ones in his heyday, he took out an Australian team to play in the United States and Canada in 1932. In a match against a Negro XI, the 54-year-old Australian wicket-keeper got hurt off a ball from McCabe as it rose nastily. The Aussie fielders crowded round the wicket-keeper to help him. They did not realise that the Negroes were making every effort to add to the score. The rule regarding 'Dead Ball' was not in force then and before the Australians realised what was happening, the batsmen had run seven leg-byes. |
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The presence of men of humour on the ground has helped to make the game
all the more enjoyable. It is a pity that some of these entertainers have
had a chequered career.
