It just wasn’t cricket.
Even as salaries soar and stakes mount, professional cricket has clung to the notion that it is a game for gentlemen and ladies, with players held to a higher standard of sportsmanship.
Ball-doctoring and betting scandals have taken some of the shine off the traditions of the game, but the sense that fair play is the highest goal still hangs on, especially at Lord’s, the London venue that is the traditional home of cricket.
But an incident on Sunday in the Ashes series between England and Australia led to a fierce dispute among partisans of both teams, a comment from a prime minister and even some ugly scenes in the hallowed grounds of Lord’s.
England trailed the five-match series, 1-0, and the second match was coming down to the wire in its fifth and final day.
Organizations:
England
Locations:
Lord’s, London, England, Australia