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Fans warned: ‘Do not disturb’
By Will last year, at the end of November, Comments
I have to admit this piece from Christopher Martin-Jenkins completely passed me by yesterday, so I’m indebted to Patrick for pointing it out.
How crass it was, therefore, for the team’s permanent travelling security officer, the mustachioed Australian Reg Dickason, genial and popular figure around the team though he may be, to take it on himself to justify his presence by building barriers between the open dressing-room area on the grass in front of the intimate little mahogany panelled pavilion at the Colombo Cricket Club and the tiny smattering of spectators who had come to watch.
That was not sufficient for the eagle-eyed protector. A block of wood was added to close a gap between one pillar of the gazebo and the boundary fence; a table was placed to bar entrance to further grassed steps directly behind the players and finally, la pièce de résistance, up went a handwritten notice in green ink: “STRICTLY NO AUTOGRAPH PLEASE: It is a disturbance to the players. Please understand.”
This may seem a small matter, but it is an important one. It might conceivably have been excusable had the players shown any sign of being disturbed. In fact, like most professional cricketers, they seemed happy to sign the occasional autograph and they are perfectly capable of courteously refusing one when needing to concentrate on the match.
Good to hear that Andrew Walpole nipped this particular example of ridicularse in the bud. Even judging by photos of the team and interviews, it’s clear there’s a buzz of excitement there which, in the last year of Fletcher’s reign, was waning. Peter Moores and the ECB need to start afresh, and I hope examples like the one above aren’t repeated too often. It’s pathetic.
CommentsEngland yet to decide on Karachi
By Will 3 years ago, mid-July, Comments
[via The Times]
England have asked for more time before agreeing to play in Karachi during the Pakistan tour this winter. The Pakistan Cricket Board wants to stage back-to-back one-day internationals in the city, which has suffered from terrorist attacks in the recent past, but the ECB is reluctant to play there more than once. Players have been guaranteed “head-of-state level†security at all venues.
A diplomatic nightmare to ensue?
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