“It simply isn’t possible to say too much of what you think. But how can I possibly agree… How could I shake his hand?” Not all the cricketers in the Zimbabwean squad felt brave enough to speak out against Robert Mugabe, who was those days the President of Zimbabwe, as is evident from this quote cited in a piece titled “A Nation on a Sticky Wicket” in The Sunday Telegraph in January 2003. Some months later, the Cricket World Cup began. February 10. Harare. Opening match. Zimbabwe vs Namibia. Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower and Henry Olonga walked in wearing black armbands.

Talking Heads

Cut to Sri Lanka. Since April, some former Sri Lankan cricketers have been in the news for taking up a very public stand against the now former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. On May 9, Sanath Jayasuriya tweeted: “I never thought that this type of thuggery will be unleashed on innocent protesters at Galle Face in broad day and outside temple trees.” Galle Face Green is a promenade in the capital city of Colombo and now ground zero of anti-government protests. When Rajapaksa tweeted: “…I urge our general public to exercise restraint & remember that violence only begets violence. The economic crisis we're in needs an economic solution…,” Kumar Sangakkara wrote: “The only violence was perpetrated by your ‘supporters’ --- goons and thugs who came to your office first before going on to assault the peaceful protestors.” Sanath Jayasuriya condemned the police action against protestors. He said: “The police must remember they are here to protect the PUBLIC of this country not corrupt politicians. This is the end of the Rajapaksas (sic).” Roshan Mahanama was at Galle to show his support “towards the fight against the corrupt, power hungry leaders". So was Arjuna Ranatunga, who said, "Our fans are on the streets today because they no longer can bear the hardships. We must be with our fans when they need us most.”

A Sign

When Flowers and Olonga were told not to wear armbands, they came in wearing even more prominent wristbands, and eventually paid the price. But before it all, they released a joint statement. Like Rajapaksa, Mugabe too was responsible for an economy in shambles, widespread corruption and atrocities aplenty. The 2003 statement from the two cricketers read: “We cannot in good conscience take to the field and ignore the fact that millions of our compatriots are starving, unemployed and oppressed… We are aware that many people have been unjustly imprisoned and tortured simply for expressing their opinions about what is happening in the country. We have heard a torrent of racist hate speech directed at minority groups. We are aware that thousands of Zimbabweans are routinely denied their right to freedom of expression... Although we are just professional cricketers, we do have a conscience and feelings. We believe that if we remain silent, that will be taken as a sign that either we do not care or we condone what is happening…”