Global Cricket Consultancy

Los Angeles, California, USA

Cricket Diplomacy 101

The Oval Within

By Ted Hayes (March 8,2008)

The Grand ole’ Game of Cricket was founded on the premises of human beings learning to behave civilly towards each other in the heat and din of aggressive competition either on the field of play or/and beyond the boundary of the oval in which the super sport is practiced.

It was/is the intention of the founders of the King of sports to utilize this physical and mental exercise to develop the kind of internal character (that is, the Oval Within) where people can become greater citizens in their “civilian” lifestyles of society.

Advanced on village greens in rural England; played within the boundaries of an oval field; having vertical and horizontal lines called creases that defines the realm of play for two batsmen and a bowler flanked around by ten (10) other players, the weekly Saturday or Sunday afternoon match of Cricket became the center of etiquette for the rest of the week.

The Cricket culture was so popular and pervasive in the affairs of village, regional and national society that is certain aspects it complemented or/and worked in conjunction with the Christian church.

Only Cricket

Like no other sport, ironically, the center of each match was the social environment that Cricket stirred in the families of the villagers as fans, who would gather outside the oval boundaries visiting with each other and participating in “tea time” (an actual “halftime”) lunch break for the competing sides.

It is the etiquettes of the Grand ole’ Game which separates Cricket from any and all sports thereby making it a sacred culture and lifestyle like no other in the history of the world except for the Olympics when the latter is performed properly.

Along with the requirement to physically play the super game, a tremendous amount of strategic mental (intellectual and emotional) discipline, has earned Cricket the title of the Chess of Sports.

Such understanding and practice prepares the players and even spectators to live decent and civil lives by thinking their way through difficult challenges instead of seeking physical harm to others.

The Heart and Soul of Cricket - Each Participant Is Their Own Umpire

The etiquette culture of Cricket is the anchor of the authority sport ranging from respect towards each player, to the commands of the team captain under the auspices of the coach, to the ranking power of the umpire and ultimately that of the soul or heart of each player to be loyalty and honesty to the game.

Such practice inspires each player within the oval to trust the integrity of the other. 

In other words, within the soul or heart of each player is the authority of the umpire, and for those who believe in such, GOD Who is Light and utilizes the spirit of human beings as a candle within the soul.

Example: Laying deep within the foundation of Western civilization’s spiritual/religious beliefs is the idea of inward truths of the heart and soul are the sure the fountains of life. 

Note:  “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly (* knowledge of the truth).  Further, “The blueness of a wound cleans away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly (* discipline to act upon the truth).

The Hebrews Scriptures goes on to teach “Behold, You  (GOD) desire truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part you shall make me to know wisdom.”

“For the Word of GOD Is alive, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

It is this practice of such deep heart and soul searching, prompted by Judeo-Christian beliefs and ethics that reveals’ the mysterious transparency of Western societies and governments of freedom.  Hence, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”

Example: When a ball brushes of the edge of his bat, and the wicket keeper catches, the umpire calls the batsman out.  However, if the ball brushes or “cliks” the bat and is caught, but nobody in the range of play such as the bowler, umpire, slip or even keeper heard it, except the batsman felt the vibrations.

The spirit of Grand ole’ Game would be for the batsman to be disciplined to obey the internal Umpire and alert the highest authority on the field of the truth of the matter.

Such willful vulnerable public admission encourages competitors to trust what is in the heart and intent of opposing players, whose purpose is to uplift the quality of Cricket.

Here lays the beginning of Cricket Diplomacy as in the case of the Northern Ireland Peace Process in which the Homies & POPz conducted a peace gesture between the negotiators which among other things involved the exhange of sporting gear such as bats and balls of Cricket - British sport and Hurley - Irish-Gaylic.

In Cricket, players revere the word of the umpire as sacred and his person to be respected, whereas in other athletic competitions, the highest authority is snubbed, rebuffed and often verbally and physically assaulted.  That is not Cricket!

As all other negotiations at the tables of brotherhood between apparent belligerents, beginning with the Oval Within each player, Cricket diplomacy establishes a level of trust by which negotiators can take a chance in hope for expected results of peace prosperity for all concerned.

Competing sides do not win, they loose with Grace, whereas, Cricket emerges victorious.   Know and see the virtues of loosing.