CricketTomorrow's eMag January 2010 Inaugural Edition out now
Editorial: Positive Media essential tonic For Cricket.
In modern days of media evolution a positive media plays a significant role for nursing, guiding and injecting fresh life to world cricket. Cricket for different reasons is played more on media these days with more and more technology introducing into the kitchen sink of cricket privacy. Current players, retried super stars, leading cricket writers, match reporters, online bloggers all get into their acts as Cricket struggles its journey to become global commodity.
Only a few decades into history when cricket used to be played only in whites with less bookies and pokies poisoning the serenity and somberness cricket used to be poetic. No match fixing, no drug abuse, no cheer leaders. Cricket had all its glamour and grace. But after Packer commercialisation, so called globalization cricket has lost more than gain. It is true that media had positive role on some occasions, yet in some instances too many controversial write-ups at times have hurt the game. Some shallow visioned ex cricketers of some countries often unnecessarily came down heavily on minnows rather than suggesting ways and means to improve the game. A good player may not be necessarily be the best analyst of the game, may not be a good
administrator. Media often forgets that.
Advent of T 20 and more specifically the controversial IPL have rocked the traditional cricket foundation. Cricket has become Disco Dewayne for Hollywood, Bollywood show pieces. Cricketers are bought and sold like stocks. IPL-ICL deliberately created by business opportunist to hurt of game of all countries except the particular cash cow of world cricket. Some sections of media unimaginatively tried to over play T-20 aggression, some players started down-playing the continued role of traditional versions of cricket.
Too much cricket in too short a time took heavy toll on leading cricketers. Crowd attractions for longer versions got diminished. Still traditional rivals played some absorbing cricket series. Test cricket is the ultimate test of cricketer’s skill, technique and temperament. If T-20 is Michael Jackson Rap music then Test Cricket is Tagore Songs. Media must stand by traditional form of cricket whose appeal will last forever. The flavor of fancy cricket will evaporate soon but the romantic appeals of traditional cricket played in all whites will last forever. Let there be more Robin Marler, Let there be more Jack Fingleton, more Nevil Cardus. Cricket tomorrow is pledged bound to stand by positive cricket tomorrow and beyond.
Saleque Sufi
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