Mar 22, 2004 09:49 AM
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(Updated Mar 22, 2004 09:49 AM)
A deadpan treatment. But this is all tongue in cheek.
In view of recent match fixing allegations, we will logically prove that the losing team are the only 11 people in the world who can'enjoy' a game of cricket. Assuming that the match is NOT fixed. That is, in the best case scenario, there are STILL just 11 people in the entire world who will enjoy the game of profesisonal cricket. And they are the losers.
And we will prove this apparent paradox.
Assumptions:
1) Suspecting that the match is fixed, will lead to a decrease in enjoyment.
2) Matches can be fixed to be lost, never to be won. In other words, players can be'fixed' to play badly, never to play well, since playing well depends on the player's skill.
3) If you are a player, and if you have been playing'fixed', you cannot enjoy the game of cricket.
4) The match is not fixed;
it follows that no player is fixed to play badly without his or her own knowledge.
Proof: The proof is all apparent.
The general public cannot enjoy the game as soon as the match fixing allegation is made, which is anywhere between a few hours before to a few hours after each match. The public can never be sure. Considering assumption 1, hence, the public cannot enjoy wholeheartedly.
The winning team cannot be sure either. The financial and psychological gains that they derive after a win notwithstanding, they can never be sure, that the losing team did not throw it away. The winners have won the game, hence, by definition, (and relatively) they have played'well'. By assumption 2, they have not been'fixed' to win, they have played honestly. But they are still not sure the losing team did not throw it away. Hence, they can never be sure either. By assumption 1, again, they cannot enjoy.
Who then, can enjoy? Only the losers. Because they are sure, the winning team has not been'fixed' to win, by assumption 2. They are also sure, that THEY themselves did not throw away the match, by assumption 4, unlike what the public has been led to believe. Only they enjoy. This horrible reality will eventually lead to a crisis which is mathematically apparent.
The team that loses, will begin to enjoy the feeling, that they are the only people who can actually enjoy the game. Enjoyment of the game, is such an awesome feeling, that it dwarfs the feeling of victory. What can then be forecast, is that the losers, will want to lose, in order to enjoy the feeling of genuineness about the game of cricket. However, as soon as they begin to do that, the match will be'truly' fixed, and by assumption 3, the losers will not be able to enjoy the cricket either. Additionally, our assumption 4 will be negated, and this proof cannot predict what happens then.
Hence, we have seen, that in the best circumstance, only 11 people can enjoy the cricket. Best circumstance is defined as a genuine match taking place, with no fixing.
p.s. In the worst circumstance(assumption 4 not valid), nobody can enjoy the game of cricket.
