Cricket and cheating

A minor incident occurred in the first test match today between England and Australia.

In amongst all the action, England’s Stuart Broad got a big fat edge and was caught in the slips.

Everyone on the pitch saw it, including no doubt Broad himself, except the two umpires who deemed Broad not out.

It really was a joke decision, or rather lack of one, and the arguments are raging as to whether Broad should have ‘walked’ rather than leave it to the umpire.

In the heat of the moment, Broad decided to chance his arm and, as luck would have it, the umpire hadn’t been paying attention.  He got very lucky.

The Aussies, no ‘walkers’ themselves, were furious and there was plainly a bad atmosphere for the rest of the day.

Personally, I thought Broad should have walked.  He will certainly have known he had hit the ball and known he was out.  The argument that the Aussies never walk so why should Broad have walked is, I suppose valid if you accept, as I don’t, that cheating is an acceptable part of the game.

Take it a step further, to local cricket and even children’s cricket where everything is in the hands of untrained amateur volunteer umpires.

Do we tell our kids to try and gain every type of advantage?  Do we, basically, encourage dishonesty?

We have been holier than thou about football, decrying the likes of Suarez and Bale who go to ground at the earliest opportunity in order to seek an advantage, and now we have a cricketer doing the self-same thing.

Let’s not bring out the lynch mob for Broad who has made a decision, there and then, to preserve his wicket and help England win a cricket match.

But he was wrong and that has to be said.

If he was right, were Ben Johnson and Lance Armstrong justified in seeking an advantage by taking performance-enhancing drugs?  After all, isn’t it up to the officials to adjudicate?

Just say sorry, Chris, and be done with it.

Cricket will need to look at itself following this incident, one which has undoubtedly swung the match in favour of England and maybe it has affected the entire series too.  Momentum and all that.