Might have been a bit over the top this time...

UNCLE TOM OUT OF HIS CABIN

There are just too many Uncle Toms in the International Cricket Council.[P6:] These black and brown men seem to be in a race among themselves to keep the white man happy. Not that the white man expects such flattery, but servility is in the genes of some people. [P6: ]

And why all the drama?

The decision of the former West Indies cricket captain Clive Lloyd, the match referee for the recent India-Pakistan one-day match at Eden Gardens, reeked of ignorance of the spirit of cricket. He punished India for slow over-rate by suspending the Indian captain for two tests. According to the letter of the law, Lloyd was correct. But then, cricket is not about printed laws alone. There is a far more important issue — the issue of the spirit of the game.

Lloyd, in his hurry to punish the brown man, did not use his judgment in the manner a quality judge would. He failed to see that the extra time played on that night was not “time wasted” but “time lost”. “Time wasted” would imply a deliberate wastage, whereas “time lost” would mean time spent owing to factors beyond human control. What can a human being do, if nature decides to take charge?

Every cricket-lover and the media observed on that day that the match ended late because of the unprecedented volume of dew on the field. After each delivery, the ball had to be wiped and dried. The slippery outfield made running risky. So, for the sake of safety, the soles of the boots of the fielders and bowlers had to be cleaned quite often.

Unfortunately, Clive Lloyd could not see beyond the rims of his spectacles. He went by the word of law instead of using his discretion to view the circumstances involved. This shows that a top-class player need not be a top-class judge. The responsibilities of a judge are obviously different from a player’s.