For as long
as I can remember, my younger son has been a great Steve Smith fan. He would
follow Australian Cricket not for Australia, but for Smith.
There is a
particular way Smith blows air into his hands, my son would imitate that. To
our dismay, he would copy Smith’s batting while playing gully cricket. I and my
elder son would keep telling him, please move your feet, but Smith’s influence
was too powerful for us to change the way he played.
When we
went to IPL matches or international matches, my son’s eyes would be solely focused
on Steve Smith.
Every Smith
century would make him smile with glee. Every failure of his would disappoint
my son.
So much so
that, my elder son thought that the best birthday gift his brother could get
was a birthday greeting from Steve Smith. He sent a personal tweet to Smith requesting
him to wish his younger brother on his birthday.
As a
batsman, Smith had scaled heights that were considered unthinkable. He scored
runs against every opposition in every condition.
In recent
years, he drew a rightful comparison to the Don.
After a
surgical dismantling on England in Australia, the world was laying out its red
carpet to the Australian team. Were we going to see another Aussie team that
could call itself the invincibles?
But,
sometimes, fate wills otherwise.
To use a
Sanskrit quote, “Vinaasa Kaale Viparita Buddhi”, loosely translated, it means –
“when it is time for doom, the intellect/ sixth sense misguides you”.
For the
Aussie skipper and team to think it could get away with a crime like ball
tampering in the era of spider cams was the most demented thought.
The idea of
ball tampering – disgraceful and abominable.
This is not
an 18 year old Pakistan bowler Mohammed Amir committing a crime because
possibly he was too young to understand its ramifications.
This was
the Captain of the Australian Cricket Team, a team that possibly won more
matches than three other teams put together, a team that won as many world cups
as two other teams won together.
A team with
a hoary past and some of the greatest players to have ever graced the game.
In one
stroke, Smith and team have let down the game, their country and their fans.
There
should be only one way of dealing with this intentional premeditated crime.
Steve Smith and all those involved should be suspended from the game for at
least two years.
This is the
only way we can tell fans like my son, how so ever big or good you are, you
cannot play with the game.
