KEY POINTS:
Emotions have run high for quite some time following the Grant Elliot run out last Thursday morning. I know for a fact that some of the Black Caps were highly upset following a comment from myself that was not totally in their camp.
I wasn't overly surprised. Under John Bracewell, our national cricket team has been allowed to develop an 'us versus them' mentality when it comes to the media. In fact, Bracewell has encouraged it.
While this relationship with the media is counter-productive for New Zealand cricket, the same mentality should be adopted when it comes to competing with the opposition.
We all process some sort of 'us versus them' relationship with certain groups with whom we co-exist. School rivalries, club rivalries and whoever we side with all colour our perception of events. It is this group mentality at the heart of the Elliot incident.
Under the 'spirit of the game' ideal, Paul Collingwood was wrong not to withdraw his appeal. But, in the heat of battle and emotion, I'd suggest that ideal becomes clouded - just as morality does when judgment is clouded by rage.
Players playing for careers have made cricket less and less of a gentleman's game and realistically you can't expect anything less.
The Black Caps were wronged but don't expect them to see things just a little from Collingwood's side.
It's also hypothetical to predict what our team would have done had the roles been reversed. They would right now fervently deny that they would have done the same and that's to be expected - after all, in war each side believes God is with them.
Even knowing the highly competitive nature of some of the Black Caps' senior players, I'm not going to say that our boys would have taken the dismissal and, quite frankly, that's the type of ruthlessness I'd like to see more often.
Teams must play with emotion but when that emotion makes choices a little difficult, throw matters over to an experienced, temperate character: the match referee. Allow these ICC guardians to be pro-active.
I accept our players and fans feel they have been wronged but I do not accept the churlish and boorish behaviour that resulted.
However I'm telling you right now had I been present as a player, I would have been leading the charge on that balcony. But I wasn't. I was sitting in my living room watching with less vested interest and emotion and thus making better choices.
It's hard to see this incident modifying the rules around such run-out circumstances.
You already have the situation where batsmen run to place themselves in line with the throw, to protect their wickets. You don't now want to see them lining up a collision. This was a grey area left in the hands of Collingwood who quite understandably, under emotional pressure, made the wrong decision.
It will remain a grey area.
