Cricketers and Politicians have made headlines over the past week, following former Minister of Sports Mahindananada Aluthgamage’s shocking allegations of match-fixing at the 2011 Cricket world cup final between Sri Lanka and India.
On an earlier occasion, during a function for Sri Lanka cricketers in September 2004 in England, late Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar had highlighted the difference between a cricketer and a politician.
“Let me see whether politics and cricket have anything in common. Both are games. Politicians and cricketers are superficially similar, and yet very different. Both groups are wooed by the cruel public who embrace them today and reject them tomorrow.”
“Cricketers work hard; politicians only pretend to do so. Cricketers are disciplined; discipline is a word unknown to most politicians in any language. Cricketers risk their own limbs in the heat of honourable play, politicians encourage others to risk their limbs in pursuit of fruitless causes while they remain secure in the safety of their pavilions. Cricketers deserve the rewards they get; the people get the politicians they deserve. Cricketers retire young; politicians go on forever. Cricketers unite the country; politicians divide it. Cricketers accept the umpire’s verdict even if they disagree with it; politicians who disagree with an umpire usually get him transferred. Cricketers stick to their team through victory and defeat, politicians in a losing team cross over and join the winning team. Clearly, cricketers are the better breed” elaborated the late former Minister.
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