The question of a blue plaque

It was interesting to read Mike Selvey's article in today's Guardian. Although he mainly dealt with the burgeoning run rates in ODIs today, there was something at the end which caught my eye.

Writing about the attempts by a gentleman named Christopher Douglas to put up a plaque at 21 Bentinck Street in Marylebone commemorating a certain Douglas Jardine.

"The Panel felt that Jardine was not equal standing to those already commemorated under the scheme (WG Grace, Jack Hobbs, CB Fry) and that there are figures not yet suggested by the public such as Len Hutton, Peter May and Dennis Compton who might be considered more worthy of plaques. Just for your interest, Learie Constantine and K S Ranjitsimhji [sic] have recently been shortlisted."

It is indeed amusing to learn that the panel is actually considering Learie Constantine, who (with all due respect to him) did not do much for English cricket - nothing at all if I can remember right! Agreed, he broke a lot of barriers in cricket - much like Jackie Robinson did in baseball in America.

Douglas Jardine evoked a sense of respectful fear in me back in the late 80s when the Bodyline TV-series was shown on Doordarshan. Back then I liked the Aussies (they had just won the World Cup in 1987), and the sheer 'brutality' of the Bodyline series made me gnash my teeth whenever I heard the words Jardine or Larwood.

But over the years I have read so much more into the whole series and the characters behind it. It reads a bit like a soap opera, but yet, I guess the Englishmen never forgave Jardine (nor Larwood) for whatever happened. It is indeed ironic that Larwood settled in Australia, where he was warmly received. Agreed, he probably was a pawn in the whole scheme planned out by a 'thinking' captain and he unfortunately paid a heavy price for 'obeying orders'. But I would say he did it with honour.

Today, we deal with bowlers who bowl intentional beamers (rather hurl) and the intolerance of spectators who resort to a variety of tactics to thrown the opposition off balance. I'd say the Indian crowds whch throw bottles and a variety of other garbage (verbal too) at opposing teams are on par with the Aussie larrikins who heap the opposition with racist abuse. It is sad to see the game degenerate to this level.

But someday I'd like to see Jardine get the respect that is due to him. As a shrewd tactician, as an English captain (a list that also includes a gent called Monkey Hornby and the 3rd Baron Tennyson, among more illustrious names), and (in this day and age) as a man who brought the all-conquering Aussies to their feet. Let's face it, Bodyline was a bit of an annihilation compared to the nail biting stuff that was dished out last summer!