August 13, 2009

Posted by Cricinfo at in Crowds

Test cricket needs booing

	Ricky Ponting was booed by the Headingley crowd © Getty Images

From Simon Lewis, United Kingdom

The evening session on the fourth day of the third Ashes Test: England make the vital breakthrough while searching for the victory which would take them 2-0 clear in the series, sending Simon Katich back to the pavilion for just 26. With only 47 runs on the board, Ricky Ponting - the Australian captain - strolls out to the pitch with his usual air of confidence, however this time he makes the long walk out to the middle surrounded by something entirely different: resounding boos. Ostensibly, Ponting's brief stay at the crease - in which he amassed a meager five runs - was not to be memorable, but the antics surrounding his arrival, and subsequent exit, would not be quickly forgotten.

Ahead of the fourth Test, the boos from England's 'Barmy Army' had sparked a reaction from those in power, who asked that no booing should take place, stating that it showed no respect to the player, nor the game of cricket. However, this seems unrealistic, and given the current state of Test Cricket worldwide, wholly counter-productive.

Test Cricket is widely believed to be on the decline, with the ICC striving to think up new and inventive ways to 'freshen up' the longer format of the game, ranging from day/night Tests, to shortening the matches from five to four days. Given the stance taken by players such as Chris Gayle, who was quoted as saying that Twenty20 cricket was the way forward, it seems that something certainly needs to be done to rescue a form of the game which may otherwise be on a downward spiral. The time when cricket was a game for gentlemen to enjoy, is not gone, but it is certainly no longer the dominant view.

Attempting to ban booing closes off the world of Test cricket, keeping it for those who subscribe to the somewhat outdated view that cricket should be a way of having a quiet, sophisticated day out, when in fact, cricket needs to evolve and embrace the new breed of fans introduced to the game thanks to Twenty20: the so-called 'football fans'. In football, booing is simply part and parcel of the game, and gives the fans an opportunity to influence the outcome by intimidating opposing players; ask any player whether they would prefer to play in front of a quiet crowd, or a hostile one, and of course they would pick the former every time.

So, why not then in cricket? The game can no longer afford to cater for the upper classes alone, and must welcome the more vocal fans who would traditionally be more suited to Old Trafford than Lord's. Booing is not necessarily malicious, and in Ponting's case, this certainly seems the case. England's captain, Andrew Strauss, pointed out: "It's probably a sign of respect for him." Fans do not boo in order to show hatred for Ponting, but instead do so as a mark of respect, as they see him as a threat who needs to be unsettled in any possible way; just as opposing fans would boo a player stepping up to take a penalty in football in order to try and prevent him from scoring.

The facts are simple, every Test in this Ashes Series has been sold out, a state of affairs which all lovers of cricket, whether a simple armchair admirer or an ICC official, would wish to continue. It seems that in order to keep up crowd interest, and subsequently high attendances, this 'new-breed' of fan should be embraced, not shunned, otherwise Test cricket's future could be as short as some predict. Only when this crosses the line from banter to abuse does a problem arise, but this seems far from the case at this moment in time. So, far from being against the spirit of cricket, booing is simply part of growing fan interaction which can help to prolong the life of the pinnacle of the sport - Test cricket.

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