One of the biggest reasons for Cricket to be a sensation is acceptance. People accept and cherish the game as it reflects their reality. Stars were once like all of us. One became the world’s best finisher after serving railways and another got a century after losing his dad.
There are women who would practice thrice a day and give everything to Cricket. These stories inspire people, they trace a part of themselves in the heroes. However, one must not romanticize. The flaws of society flow into the game as well.
Recently, one of the big names of cricket gave way to controversy and invited a backlash on his comment on print media. Geoffrey Boycott said that only “expert” commentators should cover test matches. He wrote that “men” who have played test cricket should be entitled to commentary box in test matches. As expected, this comment by the veteran invited a variety of responses.
The most vocal of these responses were from former Australian cricketer and now a commentator – Lisa Sthalekar. The former Aussie skipper was seen fuming and has responded to the controversial column. Boycott says that one has to know the pressure, emotion, and techniques to relive the game. These skills, according to him, cannot be learned by reading a book or playing club Cricket. He added women’s cricket to his tally and commented that though women’s cricket had improved, it is far behind in the pace and power of men’s Cricket.
Lisa Sthalekar took on him sharply and said that he shall leave commenting. She went a step ahead and pointed to the strike rate. They reveal that Geoffrey wasn’t as powerful as he wants others to be. Moreover, she said that cricket is an inclusive game where folks from different shapes and sizes are welcomed.
Lisa Sthalekar hits back over Geoffrey Boycott’s commentary claims. pic.twitter.com/AnpjjmpJmH
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) June 9, 2020
Boycott has been doing rounds in the news and was recently replied firmly by Navjot Singh Sidhu. He has highlighted what a lot of people feel about women’s cricket. They complain that the game seems slow and dull. However, this comes out of ignorance. The resources in female cricket are in dearth and need a structural overhaul to promote and encourage future stars.
Loves all things female cricket
