Play up! Play up! And play the game!
July 25th, 2008 by Michael Jeh in India, Sri Lanka, Technology, UmpiringThere’s a breathless hush in the close to-night
Ten to make and the match to win
A bumping pitch and a blinding light,
An hour to play, and the last man in.
And it’s not for the sake of a ribboned coat.
Or the selfish hope of a season’s fame,
But his captain’s hand on his shoulder smote
“Play up! Play up! And play the game!”
By Sir Henry Newbolt
Little did Sir Henry Newbolt realise that his great poem would finally be buried underneath a burning sun in Colombo in July 2008.
Today marks a landmark event in cricket’s proud history. It is the day when the referral system for contentious umpiring decisions makes it’s Test debut. It was a debut that was almost inevitable but for some traditionalists, there was still some faint hope that the finger in the dyke would hold back the tide. January 2008 – Sydney Test Match, Australia vs India. Dyke breached forever!
The fall-out from that acrimonious Test in Sydney has left many legacies. Amongst their number, we can point to India’s emergence as cricket’s clear superpower, a new shift in the debate about sledging and racism and a final nail in the coffin of cricket’s fight against taking the game from origins in British genteel society with quaint but outdated views on social ethics to the new world where Generation Y demands justice at all cost. At any cost.
As old-timers writhe in their graves, the ghost of Sydney 2008 is finally laid to rest. Andrew Symonds will leave a bigger mark on the game than just his prodigious talents. He is not to blame – he was merely following the rules of a sport that is no longer a game but a profession. Even those gentlefolk of Newbolt’s vintage were not above playing it hard and fast in matters of business and commerce. The Empire preached about fair play on the green lawns of British country homes whilst seeing no contradiction in wielding the colonial cane with hypocritical zeal.
Cricket used to be a metaphor for many noble things in life which included “it’s just not cricket”, a turn of phrase which has now transcended the game itself and has become a part of our language and ethics. It is a game that eulogised a moral code that applied to life itself – play with a straight bat and always accept the umpire’s decision.
Newbolt’s famous anthem stands lonely today, drowned out by the crowd’s chant as they wait for the referred decision on the electronic scoreboard. Written today on the 23rd of July 2008, with apologies to Sir Henry, a new version of those inspiring words might go something like:
There’s a breathless hush in Colombo
Tendulkar’s been referred upstairs
Will he stay or will he go?
A ‘no ball’ perhaps if it’s Darrell Hair.
One more run to eclipse Lara’s fame
A lone voice rings out as we wait
“Play up! Play up! And play the game!
He’s out! Pavilion’s that way mate”
July 28th, 2008
Play up! Play up! And play the game!
He’s out! Pavilion’s that way mate
August 10th, 2008
Michael,
Where did you find the Newbolt poem?
August 11th, 2008
Hi JT, I remember it from my childhood days and it stuck with me forever. I was always going to remember any poem that was about cricket! You can probably find it on the Internet under Vitae Lampada (don’t ask me why it’s called that!!).
September 7th, 2008
This poem has been etched in my mind since school days.Now at 85 years of age,and having played many cricket matches,and seen active service and a lot of living,still regard the message in it should be taught and learned by all.