The Mysterious appeal of the men in white- Part I
A decade of the 21st century is just about to wrap up and the year saw some great sports. Whether, it was Paul the physic octopus or the two unknown men that made history to set the record of the longest Wimbledon match. Then there were the mighty
Englishmen who won the World Twenty20 trophy in cricket.
There were records breaking left, right and centre and then there were scandals brewing all around. Pakistan dominated the corruption scandals internationally whereas India highlighted the shady works of high powered people in domestic circuit.
There was also the mighty fall of Test cricket, some terming it as the death of the original cricket format. It had its share of rains with most of the series and matches ending in stalemates or being called off without any ball being bowled. However, on
some rosy days when the men used to strut their stuff on the pitch, the ladies used to howl their heart out.
Yes, now the heart beats faster when a batsman strikes with the bat with his strong arms and when the bowler spins the ball magically and the fielder swishes across the pitch. The ladies don’t fall for poster boys like David Beckham or Boris Becker anymore.
They do not scream when sweaty, chunky-faced Rugby players run around. They do not pay attention when eleven men in shorts run after one ball in a football ground. It just isn’t appealing anymore.
The real thing that appeals the women is the way grown and strong men sashay around the green field with the only armour they have is a bat and a red, beautiful ball. The game is exhausting in itself but the fact that the men in white clothes seem angelic
even if they break a sweat once a while, is enough to melt the heart.
A typical Test match will last around four or five days, depending upon the fact that which group of men work their magic. The cricketers have their dodgy hats in white colour all out and their noses and lips are often jewelled in coloured paints to help
them save from sun-burn. Yet, all this sound much more appealing than the alcohol soaked fest of Football and Rugby where men display ugly legs and resort to rugged adrenalin to show-off the machismo they have.
Instead, the cricketers display the most genteel way of contact ever. There is hardly any contact between the players even if the men are on the same team. There is not a hint of brutality as one can regularly see on a rugby play where men literally act
violently to win a game. But the cricket people only have to hit the ball with a bat and run between two sets of sticks. The game is regulated by two funny men known as umpires who have a very cool gadget in their ear and their pockets where they can refer
to a third umpire when a tricky situation arises.
Then there is the way the umpire dance through the game to signal fours, sixes, and no balls. It is just so much fun and romantic to fantasize about anyone related to cricket.
The men in white are so mysterious and they ooze the true meaning of the “gentleman’s sport” and it can never be explained why women drool over these men but there is this air of a shining armour when a cricketer winks at the camera.
And it is not only the women enjoying the play; the cricketers themselves enjoy the attention.