PARAGRAPH, WORDS AND MEANING
PARAGRAPH OF THE DAY –
Scuff and buff: on the ball-tampering controversy –
Cricket is a sport, but it is also a code of honour. The phrase ‘it’s not cricket’ refers to any act that is not fair. That it has been called ‘a gentleman’s game’ suggests that it is held to high standards. Yet, like a few other things wrong with the game, ball-tampering remains one of its murkiest secrets. The seemingly innocuous application of saliva and sweat, and more interventionist acts such as pressing chewed lozenges, throwing the ball hard on the surface, the use of nails or abrasive dust from the turf, and in some cases the use of bottle openers have plunged a knife into the game’s heart even as they enhanced many a fast bowler’s ability to extract reverse-swing. This past weekend, Steve Smith’s Australian team went one step further on that road to infamy, prompting its opening batsman Cameron Bancroft to scuff the ball with a yellow tape laden with dirt-granules from the pitch during the course of the third Test against hosts South Africa at Cape Town’s Newlands Ground. The act, caught on camera, and the subsequent admission of guilt by the fielder and Smith have tarred them and their fellow accomplices in the leadership group, including vice-captain David Warner and coach Darren Lehmann. The entire episode has also raised questions about the manner in which a powerhouse such as Australia goes about playing its cricket.
The fracas highlights the perils of wanting to win at any cost, an unfortunate ‘call-to-duty’ that now finds favour in most cricketing units. In fact, ball-tampering has been attempted by most international teams. Responses from ‘guilty’ players have ranged from injured-innocence to grudging acceptance of complicity. In this case, Cricket Australia moved fast, forcing Smith and Warner to step down from leadership roles. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull publicly questioned the team’s approach to the game. And Rajasthan Royals replaced Smith with Ajinkya Rahane as its captain for the forthcoming Indian Premier League season. The International Cricket Council, for its part, imposed a one-Test ban on Smith, and fined him 100% of his match fee. Bancroft got a 75% fine. But is this enough? Clearly no. Not surprisingly, the overwhelming feeling among the game’s greats and the larger cricketing community is that these measures are no more than a gentle slap on the wrist. Bancroft’s act wasn’t a spur of the moment initiative; it was a pre-meditated action thought up during lunch break on Saturday. Smith, Bancroft, Warner, Lehmann and whoever else orchestrated this despicable move deserve firmer punishment. Sadly, a series which South Africa currently leads 2-1 will now be remembered for trash-talk and a nefarious attempt to alter the shape of the ball. Whatever this is, it’s not cricket.
WORDS AND MEANING –
Murkiest
Meaning: Obscure or morally questionable.
Example: “A government minister with a murky past”
Synonyms: Questionable, Suspicious
Antonyms: Innocent
Innocuous
Meaning: Not harmful or offensive.
Example: “It was an innocuous question”
Synonyms: Harmless, Safe
Antonyms: Harmful, Obnoxious
Interventionist
Meaning: Favouring intervention, especially by a government in its domestic economy or by one state in the affairs of another.
Example: “An economy currently dominated by state ownership and interventionist policies”
Chewed
Meaning: Bite and work (food) in the mouth with the teeth, especially to make it easier to swallow.
Example: “He was chewing a mouthful of toast”
Synonyms: Masticate, Munch
Abrasive
Meaning: (Of a substance or material) capable of polishing or cleaning a hard surface by rubbing or grinding.
Example: “The wood should be rubbed down with fine abrasive paper”
Synonyms: Grinding, Rubbing
Plunged
Meaning: Fall suddenly and uncontrollably.
Example: “A car swerved to avoid a bus and plunged into a ravine”
Synonyms: Crash, Plummet
Infamy
Meaning: The state of being well known for some bad quality or deed.
Example: “A day that will live in infamy”
Synonyms: Notoriety, Disrepute
Antonyms: Honour, Anonymity
Prompting
Meaning: The action of saying something to persuade, encourage, or remind someone to do or say something.
Example: “After some prompting, the defendant gave the police his name”
Synonyms: Encouragement, Reminder(s)
Scuff
Meaning: (Of an object or surface) become marked by scraping or brushing.
Example: “For kids who play rough, shoes that won’t scuff”
Granules
Meaning: A small compact particle of a substance.
Example: “Coffee granules”
Synonyms: Grain, Particle
Accomplices
Meaning: A person who helps another commit a crime.
Example: “An accomplice in the murder”
Synonyms: Abetter, Accessory
Fracas
Meaning: A noisy disturbance or quarrel.
Example: “The fracas was broken up by stewards”
Synonyms: Disturbance, Quarrel
Perils
Meaning: Serious and immediate danger.
Example: “You could well place us both in peril”
Synonyms: Danger, Jeopardy
Antonyms: Safety, Security
Grudging
Meaning: Given or allowed only reluctantly or resentfully.
Example: “A grudging apology”
Synonyms: Reluctant, Unwilling
Antonyms: Eager
Forthcoming
Meaning: About to happen or appear.
Example: “The forthcoming cricket season”
Synonyms: Imminent, Impending
Antonyms: Past, Current
Overwhelming
Meaning: Have a strong emotional effect on.
Example: “I was overwhelmed with guilt”
Synonyms: Overcome, Move
Spur
Meaning: A thing that prompts or encourages someone; an incentive.
Example: “Wars act as a spur to practical invention”
Synonyms: Stimulus, Incentive
Antonyms: Disincentive, Discouragement
Premeditate
Meaning: Think out or plan (an action, especially a crime) beforehand.
Example: “Premeditated murder”
Synonyms: Planned, Intentional
Antonyms: Accidental, Unintentional
Orchestrated
Meaning: Plan or coordinate the elements of (a situation) to produce a desired effect, especially surreptitiously.
Example: “The situation has been orchestrated by a tiny minority”
Synonyms: Organize, Arrange
Despicable
Meaning: Deserving hatred and contempt.
Example: “A despicable crime”
Synonyms: Contemptible, Loathsome
Antonyms: Admirable, Noble
Firmer
Meaning: Strongly felt and unlikely to change.
Example: “He retains a firm belief in the efficacy of prayer”
Trash-talk
Meaning: Make boastful or insulting remarks in order to demoralize or humiliate a sporting opponent.
Example: “Westering’s players do not swear or tussle or trash-talk”
Nefarious
Meaning: (Typically of an action or activity) wicked or criminal.
Example: “The nefarious activities of the organized-crime syndicates”
