OPINION
As the Chief-of-Cricket of Gisborne Boys’ High School during this eventful year, I’d like to venture an opinion on the game’s etiquette and protocol, and urge all clubs and our Poverty Bay citizenry to take an interest in it.
The Laws of Cricket must be obeyed and the Spirit of Cricket upheld. The etiquette of the game must be kept, or its charm, richness, history and tradition will be lost. That harms the game and diminishes it as an institution.
Adhering to etiquette requires a cricketer to know it, and that comes in part from the good example set by older players — men’s senior representatives to club cricketers, school first 11 players to colts players.
For example: at the practice nets, young cricketers using a lane next to adults must not disturb older players. Equally, no matter who a person is or their age, to walk in front of or across bowlers running in is dangerous, ignorant and arrogant. Those bowlers may make the offending party aware of that, sometimes in a forthright manner.
Whether in full uniform or not, whether on or off the field, where a cricketer is wearing an item of team uniform, he should wear it as tidily as he can and on the field, umpires ought to require of players that they wear it properly.
Though many cricket caps are made in the modern American baseball-cap style, they should never be worn backwards.
It is poor form for a bowler to leave his hat on the stumps or on the ground for an umpire to pick up before that bowler begins his over.
While the dressing room is a cricketer’s sanctuary, he shares it with teammates and misunderstands protocol if he thinks bad-mouthing umpires and raising his voice to the extent that he is heard well outside the room, by the public, is OK.
That has never been OK.
Traditionally the umpires take the field first, and then the captain of the fielding team leads his side out on to the field of play, followed by the batsmen. The captain of the fielding team may stop at the boundary and allow a deserving player to leave the field of play first, whether one of his own or an opposition player or an umpire — but still, that player — if a member of the fielding side — is followed by his captain. If it was a batsman, his partner may or may not follow him immediately, yet the gesture having been made, the fielding team should not mind the batsmen leaving as a pair, one before the other.
Etiquette is of immense value for two reasons: it speaks to a shared — and what should be universal — respect for the game. It allows opponents to show that without need of words or ceremony but visibly, so that the public might appreciate that common feeling also. In that sense, actions speak louder than words.
Secondly etiquette, though local and international in nature, allows us to promote a particular ethos: dignity, charity and decency. Cricketers do well to separate themselves from roughness and coarseness in their behaviour around the game. Rather they can elevate themselves and cricket itself by conducting themselves as gentlemen.
Occasionally there may be friction between teams and or players. Where the fielding side is of the opinion that a batsman has been fairly dismissed but not given out or has breached etiquette in some way — for example, in certain traditional circles, where the ball has hit a batsman’s bat accidentally on a run-out attempt by a fieldsman, the batsmen are courteous not to run again (though the law has always allowed it) — they may register their annoyance by withholding applause.
Bowler and fielders not applauding a batsman’s 50 or 100 where they feel he is guilty of “sharp practice” is a recognised show of disapproval — not of his success, but of his conduct.
That — and not any more obvious show of temper — is the only allowable criticism by them of that.
And to those who know the game well, it speaks volumes. While some cricket followers might wince at that withholding of applause, it is undoubtedly preferable to any more vulgar act.
Every practice in etiquette ignored or discarded, is a part of the fabric of the appeal and special magic of our game lost, and Poverty Bay Cricket chairman Isaac Hughes — a leader by example — is no doubt pleased at the excellent discipline of all senior club cricketers here at the weekend.
And if to err is human and forgive, divine, players standing a post at square leg to support an official umpire, help their club, and serve the game, is proof of their attachment to cricket and the game’s capacity to move forward.