There are these areas bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the warlords rule, where the symbols of freedom are fiercely defended, where loyalty is the last word for morals. Commonly accepted rule of law concedes ground. That’s how you get a feeling of the region, of the people who live nearabouts, of those who grow up on a steady diet of heroic tales.

Such fierce passions, such views of freedom and independence filter through to the cricket field. Expect no different from the team, no less pride in whatever they do.

The problem lies in the fact that many of these high moral attributes are wrongly utilised. Too much emotion remains pent-up in highly talented heads and bodies, and that’s why it is usual to see altercations, flirtations at the edge of the rule-book, and even downright on-field affronts. They play it hard, they play it their way.

Kingston’s essay is a little different. The complicated politics of the country came into the picture and queered the pitch. In between, coach Bob Woolmer was the victim, so was Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq. It doesn’t speak highly of the administration, or the credibility of the system in trying to keep out elements that do not and should not mix with the game, and the shining pride, used to fighting every paragraph of the way through history books.

It also doesn’t speak much of the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit. For all practical purposes, it has been a spectacular flop.

... contd.