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The Forum > Article Comments > Gentleman's game no more > Comments

Gentleman's game no more : Comments

By Irfan Yusuf, published 19/5/2008

Twenty20 cricket is a huge culture shock for Western players and even for Western commentators.

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First there was the Chinese torch invasion

and now the Indian Twenty20 invasion.

Bring the last one on I say.

I can connect to this type of cultural incursion.

The sight of cheerchickybabes is far preferable to bored sweaty blokes shining their groins with cricket balls or bowling maidens over.

Pete
Posted by plantagenet, Monday, 19 May 2008 9:30:09 AM
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20/20 is as subtle as a brick and just not cricket. It's got all the finesse of world wrestling. Some might enjoy watching chickybabes but others remember what the essence of the game is. Or was, at any rate.

There's no nuance and little chance for sportsmanship (in the traditional sense of the word) in the new format. Keep your game, Irfan, and good luck to the subcontinent when the sloggers enter the test arena.
Posted by bennie, Monday, 19 May 2008 11:07:43 AM
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Jeez Irf,

You brown sahibs finally catch up, you get so excited you think you're ahead.

Cricket, survived the takeover, in the 70's, by fat rich TV blokes, black, brown and white blokes with big egos.

Being gorked at by half naked european shelias, featured on TV close up has been a tradition, for us, for decades now.
You brown sahibs still won't allow yourself or your sari clad underwear absent memsahibs the pleasure of that particular western idiosm either. Maybe one day you'll actually advance far enough to allow equality too.

Our shelias play cricket in short skirts too but they don't play like sissy blokes wearing 'boxes'.

Cricket is still flourishing especially the Test Match 5 day games which now often only last 3 and 4 days with results.

Are you blind man?

Didn't you watch the last Test series in Australia where that brown sahib spinner was racist and all the brown sahibs jumped to his defence. Where the brown sahibs displayed a complete lack of sportsmanship after the flogging in the first test, and made such a fuss that they had that West Indian umpire sacked. Where the brown sahibs grizzled constantly about Aussie blokes attitudes to winning. Yet you brown sabibs still copped a flogging in the series and silently slunk away with the tail between chastened legs.

Maybe when you brown sahibs actually catch up with adherence to international conventions on human rights and racial descrimination, and apply true sportsmanship you might just have something to brag about.

Maybe you'll get so excited about that that you'll think you're ahead again too.

Think that it just might not be krikit that all your brown and some of your turbaned sahibs learn and use English without ever the hint of crass commercialism?
Posted by keith, Monday, 19 May 2008 12:43:06 PM
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It is great to see Australian and New Zealand players doing what they've done for years. Playing overseas for big money in the off season. They used to go to England. Maybe one day your brown sahibs might get good enough to do the same ...what da ya reckon eh Irf?

Now if Hindi and Urdu were used in Australia, South Africa, West Indies, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the lesser nations for home inter-provincial games I think you'd have something to truely gloat about. But gloating that using the national native tongue on a national TV broadcast that is bought by commercial pay TV and transmitted to the world is a bit silly don't you think? It happens all the time in other cricketing nations and we don't have a chip on our shoulder that makes us think that that is a great advance.

Jeez Irf ...why don't you get with it?
Posted by keith, Monday, 19 May 2008 12:43:11 PM
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Do I detect a bit of snobbery or elitism by this author? Maybe it is just a bit of racial elitism?

Firstly he posts an untranslated script. This to me demonstrates a high degree of rudeness.

Secondly he makes disparaging remarks about the way women dress.

<That dishonour is reserved for the gori mem (white mistress).>

There is a strong scent of racial prejudice here.
Posted by JamesH, Tuesday, 20 May 2008 2:37:45 AM
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C'mon Irfy C'mon, C'mon
(registered jingle - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C'mon_Aussie_C'mon )

Your short piece may have been on public display for humourous intent. Thats not hard, I suppose.

That's what first occurred to me.

But there are serious racist and sexist undertones at play Irf.

I'm pro-Indian (Muslim and Hindu) and bi(religio)curious myself.

But Irfy for the sake of your dwindling "fan" base (those who follow you out of quixotic curiosity) I suggest you enlighten us about what you're getting at - cuzzy-bro.

Pete
Posted by plantagenet, Tuesday, 20 May 2008 7:44:52 AM
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Keith said, “Yet you brown sabibs still copped a flogging in the series and silently slunk away with the tail between chastened legs.”

I know Irfan was a bit off the mark, but let’s try and get things into perspective.

A flogging?

If I remember correctly, the fifth Test in Sydney, despite some good cricket on the field, was overall an embarrassment for the sport. The match was decided more by strange umpiring decisions than by Ponting’s decision to throw the ball to the Aussie’s number 1 spinner, Michael Clarke.

After that, the Indians regrouped, won the next test, stopped Australia from winning any more (remembering that dead rubbers in Test matches only exist in the minds of Australians), and cleaned up in the One Day finals. Slinking off with their tail between their legs could be a better description for the Aussies; their image as sportsmen questioned by many within our own country.

Regarding 20/20, the few hours of it that I’ve seen were great. Test cricket, is of course, the great test, but if you’ve only got a few hours to spare, then why not?

Cricket is a competition between bat and ball. You get plenty of that in 20/20, as well as a promised quick result, a few thrills and spills, and I also saw some acts of sportsmanship.

By what Irfan said, I would question his eyesight, or perhaps how qualified he is to write on the subject. I saw cheerleaders of differing colours and shades, and also some men doing the cheerleading.
Posted by Dan S de Merengue, Wednesday, 21 May 2008 3:56:52 AM
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Irfan,
Good to see article from you and I enjoyed your shot at us. I think the underarm bowling incident was the most embarrassing thing we have endured. Am still ashamed and chappel is still not forgived.

As for the cheerleaders, I enjoy young shapely female bodies and don't care what skin tone they are. Am sure there are plenty of Indian girls that would look just as attractive.

The 20/20 is another dimension to the game and I hope it does well.

Haven't seen a great deal yet, but has to be better than most American crap.
Posted by Banjo, Wednesday, 21 May 2008 11:05:20 AM
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