Another day of shame (26 April 1999)

26 April 1999

Another day of shame

Tony Becca

THE YEAR 2007 is a long way from now and by then the world may have forgotten what happened at Kensington Oval yesterday when the fans threw bottles onto the field and all but destroyed the final game of the one-day series between the West Indies and Australia.

As the bottles sailed out of the stands and onto the field at Kensington, however, the members of the West Indies Board must have wondered what will happen to their bid to host the World Cup eight years from now.

On Wednesday the fans, for no reason whatsoever, invaded the field at Bourda on two occasions. Yesterday, in a protest following the runout of Sherwin Campbell, the fans hurled bottles onto the field in behaviour which can only be described as a disgrace to West Indies cricket and an embarrassment to the West Indian people.

If Wednesday's behaviour which led to the game being declared a tie was a disgrace, yesterday's was worse. Yesterday's behaviour left many West Indians hanging their heads in shame and asking, what next?

The incident occurred when non-striker Campbell went for a run, collided with bowler Brendon Julien, fell to the ground, and was runout.

According to the rules of the game, Campbell, like Michael Bevan during Australia's innings, was out - no question about it. Julien, like Henderson Bryan, was going to field the ball, and Campbell, like Bevan, ran into him, and while Campbell fell and Bevan did not, both batsmen failed to make it.

Bevan, however, accepted his fate and went off quietly, but Campbell did not. Campbell, who probably believed that he was deliberately blocked, sought the interference of the umpires before he left the field, and whether or not his action had anything to do with what followed, the fans who had cheered when Bevan was dismissed, erupted, threw bottles onto the field, force the players to leave the field, and chanted "no Campbell, no cricket".

One bottle just missed hitting Australia's captain Steve Waugh in the head as he walked off the field.

The behaviour of the crowd yesterday was a disgrace; but so too was the decision to allow Campbell to return and continue his innings when the game resumed.

According to match referee Raman Subba Row, it was a good gesture by Australia to allow Campbell to return, according to West Indies manager Clive Lloyd, it was good for the game, and there may have been good reasons, including the possibility that the fans may have really gone wild had the match been abandoned, for both men to believe so.

Was it a good gesture by the Australians to agree to Campbell continuing his innings? May be so. On the other hand, the Australians, surrounded by thousands of angry fans, probably believed that they simply had no alternative.

Whatever the reasons, it cannot be good for the game. In allowing Campbell to continue his innings, Subba Row and company, including the umpires, bowed to mob rule, and in doing so they have set a serious precedent in West Indies cricket.

West Indies cricket and the West Indian people were embarrassed and shamed twice yesterday - first by the fans, and then by those who bowed to the demand of the unruly fans.

Source :: The Jamaica Gleaner (https://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/)