ethics in sport are virtually gone

Cricket once was a gentlemen's game. Players have to appeal for certain dismissals to be given, no dissent can be shown toward the umpires etc. But yesterday's incident at The Oval showed how much the game had changed. NZ batsman Grant Elliot was flattened by the bowler Ryan Sidebottom, accidentally yes but that is irrelevant, and then run out at the other end. An utter disgrace. Firstly for the players to continue through with the play to remove the bails, but then for the captain Paul Collingwood not to call the batsman back to the crease. If England gained any advantage out of the collision, then they should not have ran the player out. Ethics in sport are gone.

Collingwood admitted he was wrong later, but so what - it was over then and the result could have been decided by this incident (NZ won the match on the final ball).

This ranks with Viv Richards running out Dean Jones off a no-ball (Jones was bowled off a no-ball, didn't hear the call, started his walk to the pavilion and Viv Richards ran him out) and the Greg & Trevor Chappell under-arm incident.

Cricket is one of the last bastions of fairness on the sporting field. It is one of the few sports that can have proper role models for kids. Please don't let it be ruined like other sports all in the name of winning a meaningless match.

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