From: "Salil Tripathi" <salil61-AT-hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: cricket
Date: Sat, 05 Jan 2002 11:12:14 +0000


Greg,

You are right; the first Australian side to tour England was the 
all-indigenous side, in 1800s. They did beat England. But it was not called 
an official side. Ramachandra guha's Picador Book of cricket has a nice 
piece about the team.

However, on quotas, the issue is not white standards v black standards. I 
don't mean to imply that black players have to rise to white standards. In 
WEst Indies, the issue is reversed. Other than Larry Gomes and Steve 
Camacho, one has to really try hard to remember the last time a white player 
made it to the team. Indians, from Kanhai, Kallicharran, and now 
Chanderpaul, have been able to break through the barrier. In H. Achong, at 
one point, a Chinese player played for West Indies.

Similarly with other countries: Sri Lanka includes Muralitharan, a Tamil; 
India has routinely had minority players -- Muslims, Sikhs, even so-called 
scheduled castes, PArsis, and so on. PAkistan once had a reserve wicket 
keeper who was a Hindu -- Anil Dalpat, and Youssuf Yohana, the great 
batsman, must grate the nerve of some Pakistanis, when he does the sign of 
cross, to thank the Lord after scoring a century for Pakistan! England, too, 
has had many members of minorities playing for it.

Australia has been the laggard here -- I don't want to impute motives here; 
I don't follow Australian politics closely. But Australia has had a long 
tradition of immigrant communities -- there are so many Sri Lankans in 
Australia. Surely, one of them could make it big? What about Martin Chee 
Kwee, a Chinese-Australian who I believe played for NSW? Indeed, the issue 
of indigenous population and their access to cricket is important, but in 
the intervening period, why is it that other than DAve Whatmore we have a 
problem coming up with the name of a single Australian of color in the team? 
I ask this with a sincere interest, not as a way of trying to portray 
Australia as racist.....

Salil

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