New York Times: Cricket's Message To Blacks (Oct 95)

The New York Times carries a short article on Cricket in the South African Townships. In the International section, under Soweto Journal: Cricket`s Message to Blacks: Your Turn to Bat, Donald McNeil Jr. wrote this piece. Some excerpts.....

"Ahh, cricket. Delightful game. Definitely not for the tractorpull crowd, but absolutely spot on if you find your your self stuck sometime on a vast empty lawn with a broken canoe paddle, a rock hard spaldeen and 21 other chaps in white ducks with four days to spare."

"South Africans are largely seggregated as sports fans -- soccer for blacs, rugby for Afrikaners, cricket for English and Indians. All races agree only on wearing Chicago Bulls caps."

"The teachers were thrilled when South African quickie Meyrick Pringle pulled off a hat trick that brought back memories of his past glory by leg-before-wicketting two Englishmen and yorking the third. (That sentence is quoted nearly verbatim from a local sports writer. Those Americans seeking an explanation are requested to emigrate)"

"Mr Day said: If South Africa is to be a cricket powerhouse, it needs black players. Black players, he said, are more willing to try the unorthodox and even a few baseball shots."

"And, he added, who was it who said `Cricket is baseball on Valium? Maybe now, with the African connection, we`ll take the Valium out of cricket."

Source :: New York Times