Canadian Cricket -Truth and & reconciliation revisited?

There is "No Future Without Forgiveness," says Desmond Tutu's new book.

Cricket and cricketers keep courting disaster, it seems. No sooner has one potential catastrophe been addressed that another seems to arise! Or is that manufactured? When it is not Shoaib Akhtar, it is match-fixing or it is the apparent `threat' to Globalization by local or regional demands?

Cricket is a team game and the team must always come before the individual. National pride must always overrule avarice and self-promotion. Cricket is in our opinion, the greatest game in the world. People who cannot play by the rules and within the law should be playing some other sport. Our role models and heroes must be men of stature and substance. Feet of clay must be left to kindergarten play figures.

Canadians are justifiably proud of our international reputation for diplomacy and for third world aid and assistance to the needy. In another event this evening, Toronto area residents were both honoured and their investment returned multiple-fold by the visit of The Most Reverend Archbishop Desmond Tutu at Le Royal Meridien King Edward Hotel.

The South African Women for Women donated $ 130,000 to the Archbishop and to Professor Cecil Abrahams, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Western Cape for needy students. There are millions more worldwide who can be helped by sports involvement, including cricket of course, and by promotional activities compared to base avarice or self promotion.

Archbishop Tutu received honorary doctorates on successive days in Canada. Cricketers need to adopt his advanced philosophical outlook. We need it to survive, to stop the blood letting, to achieve an international cricket truth and reconciliation.

"Each of us has the capacity for evil- Do not shy away from that fact." South African Commission (TRC) indicated that ordinary church going human beings have been perpetrators of evil." As Dr Tutu states, " There but for the grace of God, go I."

`The capability for the most enormous cruelty is not the most important truth about us, but our extraordinary capacity for goodness." Rather than being ready to bay for blood, we must be ready to forgive. We are none of us perfect, it seems.

`Consider Nelson Mandela's extraordinary magnanimity. After 27 years of incarceration, he invites his jailers to his Presidential inauguration and he subsequently invites his prosecutors to lunch.' To do otherwise destroys us, and we are too precious as " God carriers" to be needlessly destroyed.

Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi are obvious choices. " Their preciousness cannot be computed. Hitler, Amin, Mussolini might be more difficult to understand. Even people of this ilk, however, will one day come recognize that we are all family and children of one father or creator!" Martin Luther King Jr.'s " I have a dream"echoes Rodney King's," why can't we all get along?" Cricketers and cricketing nations must all get along. Hansie Cronje and others alleged to have made mistakes must tell the truth to and attempt reconciliation with cricket! Can we handle this? Time will tell.

Archbishop Tutu concluded with the tale of an African farmer. The farmer found an odd-looking bird that resembled a chicken. A neighbour took the bird believing it to be an eagle. He took it to the top of a mountain and at sunrise turned the bird to face the rising sun. With the words Fly Eagle Fly, he launched the "chicken". The bird lifted off and soared and soared onto the sun.

Cricketers we are not chickens. We too are eagles. Let us spread our wings and soar above the baser areas of life. Cricket's beauty and joy will transcend all attacks. As life began in Africa, let us also follow the lead of the UCBSA and their investigations to clear the air. The truth is needed and is cleansing. Forgiveness and reconciliation are preferable to division, hate and recrimination. Team goals must overrule personal gains.

" The difficult takes a long time. The impossible takes a little bit longer." We must try. Good luck South Africa, Good luck Full members, ODI and all Associates in your promotions and endeavours to promote our sport. Fly Eagle,Fly!

Sponsors included: Air Canada, The Canadian Bar Association, the Law Society of Upper Canada, T.W. I. Inc. et al.