Death of a Gentleman, a documentary addressing how the game is in possible turmoil because of the Indian, English and Australian cricket boards, should be seen by those who truly love the game
Cricket has seen its ups and lows for several years. With the advent of T20 and its ever-increasing popularity (despite the overkill at the moment), people have wondered whether Test matches would be scrapped as a format. This is despite the fact that players and commentators say that playing the longest format of the game is a cricketer's ultimate high.
Cricket journalists Sam Collins and Jarrod Kimber, who for the longest time have been worrying about the future of Test matches, decided to work on a documentary where like other journalists, they would ask players, commentators, journalists and cricket historians whether Test cricket would ever die. During the course of the 104-minute long film Death of a Gentleman, Collins even went on to say that people felt that the game would die in 1877. It's been nearly 140 years since then. So why the worry now?
What started as a documentary to look into reason for the decline of Test cricket turned into a chronicle of factors that both Kimber and Collins feel are the biggest threat to the sport today. At the centre is the Baord of Control for Cricket in India, which was at the time of the documentary's filming headed by N Srinivasan.
The cement baron's influence and power, the documentary says, has also impacted Cricket Australia (CA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). These three organisations, termed as the Big Three, have taken over running of cricket for their own financial gain at the expense of other Test playing nations, especially the associate nations seeking Test status.
The findings of the documentary led both Collins and Kimber from England to Australia to India and finally to Dubai, the headquarters of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The film also shows how the former BCCI chief 'bullied' other members of the ICC, which eventually saw the sacking of Tim May and Haroon Lograt, who did not share Srinivasan's ideologies.
Collins and Kimber also show us a web connecting Srinivasan to other senior members of the ICC and how they 'owe him' favours. It ends with Srinivasan becoming ICC chief, right after his son-in-law Gurunath Meyappan was caught placing bets during an IPL game in 2013. While the filmmakers were initially confused over how Srinivasan was elected, they went back to the web and saw Srinivasan — and in turn the BCCI - ruled international cricket.
The film, which is available online on TVF's homepage for Rs 99, is an honest attempt by two people who love the game and are heartbroken to see the way it's heading. Interviews with former ECB chairman Giles Clarke and Srinivasan, which had pretty monosyllabic answers, shows that the two journalists struggled during the course of the film.
However, interviews with Lalit Modi former ICC legal advisor David Becker revealed the role played by the Big 3, even though Modi's comments appear to be a case of sour grapes.
Having said that, certain sections of the film stand out — a segment that traces Australian cricketer Ed Cowan's debut and his final Test match. Interestingly the documentary has parallel story lines — one depicting the investigation and the other begins with Cowan's debut and ends with his 0 and 14 at Trent Bridge during the 2013 Ashes.
If you are a cricket fan, do watch Death of a Gentleman. It gives you that jolt and makes you wonder about the future of Tests.
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