A THORNY ISSUE: Damage already done
by Andi Thornhill
WHEN THE pot calls the kettle black it’s a clear case of hypocrisy and denial. It’s the depth of self-righteousness that puts you so far out on the limb that you can’t pull yourself back from what seems a certain fall. And in the words popular Jamaican artist Anthony B it hardly makes sense saying sorry after the damage has been done. This is perhaps the message being sent to the man in the mirror. I am sure that in the heat of Sunday’s emotional outburst at Kensington Oval there would’ve been no time for such sober and humble reflection but alas the damage has already been done. It wasn’t the perfect account of the true Barbadian. It was shameful. In fact, the throwing of bottles on to the field to protest Sherwin Campbell’s controversial run out was more damning than the crowd invasion of the field in Guyana four days earlier. We were very harsh in our commentary about that matter and the Guyanese people were vilified for what in deed a stupid act. We reacted in such a way as if no such thing could ever happen here. We certainly went the extra mile to prove ourselves wrong about that and we did it with great flair. Don’t get me wrong. I do believe a poor decision made in the middle led to the acrimony but we shouldn’t have gone to that extent to circumvent law and order. There’s no doubt in my mind from viewing the television replays that Julian did in fact block the path of Campbell and in response to Campbell’s query the assistance of the third umpire should have been requested. I believe if this was done the crowd might have responded better to the incident. In the heat of the moment I believe the same response would’ve been forthcoming at any other ground in the world especially if the person at the receiving end was a hometown boy. However, two wrongs never made a right and our response wasn’t civil at all. In fact, it compromised the keeping of the peace a very serious way. The Australians had no option but to leave the field and they had no option than to return to the field because there’s no telling what would’ve happened if Campbell wasn’t reinstated. The mood of the crowd suggested that something much more sinister could’ve occurred if anything different had happened. In fact it seems as though that is what prompted the reinstatement of Campbell. It’s the kind of gesture which could lead to total anarchy in the future because it says that once you’re not satisfied with a decision you could stop any game and that’s not right. The umpire’s decision whether we like it or not, is final. Even so, players of every shade from every country on occasion get the benefit of the umpire’s doubt when it’s not deserved and they don’t show any dissent. Therefore, they should simply walk when showed the dreaded index finger. In essence, though, if Bourda was bad, Kensington was worse. It’s now for us to live with the consequence of the actions after the damage has been done. 
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