I have several friends who are serious cricket aficionados and they are meticulous in sending me almost anything to do with the sport that comes their way. As a result I see a range of commentary, much of it from established sports writers, and it struck me after a recent riposte by a well-known Jamaican sports writer that sometimes we are seeing a very narrow view, or perhaps a blind side, in otherwise reputable persons.
One example of it is the ongoing controversy in the sport that sees arguments raging between followers of the much revered Test match format and the new shorter forms, including T20 which is drawing huge crowds, on the one hand, while being roasted by the tradionalists as “not being real cricket” and … well, you know the litany as well as I.
Frankly, I find the attacks on T20 often display the narrow view, or blind side, and I’m often taken aback by the shallowness involved. One example came this week from an established Caribbean sports writer, bemoaning the decline of Test cricket, in which he made the astonishing statement that if Test cricket got the financial and promotional attention that T20 gets, “it would be okay”. I had to read the statement twice to be sure I got it right.
Hello? The evidence is before us
