Читать книгу No Win Race. A Story of Belonging, Britishness and Sport онлайн

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In the eyes of the media and English public, it always appeared as if the West Indies were never worthy winners. They won because so many of their players developed their talent in the English county cricket system. They succeeded because of natural athleticism. They were successful because they cheated. Implied. Never really said. The bouncers unfair, the slow over rates an unsportsmanlike tactic. They made the game boring, they were boorish. The criticisms became a perverse obsession, lacking critical thought. The criticisms had frequently been vile. Often laced with what many would see as racist or stereotypical undertones. Usually delivered by the white establishment’s recognised names.

‘Until we can breed seven-foot monsters willing to break bones and shatter faces, we cannot compete against these threatening West Indians. Even the umpires seem to be scared that the devilish-looking Richards might put a voodoo sign on them!’ from a letter published in Wisden Cricket Monthly.⁹

‘The summer game, it had become something else. It had lost its romance, it had lost its sportsmanship, it had lost its lovely edge; it was now a place where people got frightened,’ said David Frith, editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly.¹⁰