Playing the Game the Right Way

At the moment I am reading a book called “Balti Britain” by Ziauddin Sardar (Granta, 2008). Sardar is a British Asian and the book takes him in search of his roots. I am finding it fascinating because it offers many links with my time in Birmingham and indeed that city is not infrequently mentioned in the book. The book is very much about identity. At one point Sardar recounts a conversation with his then 13 year old son concerning the boy’s love of cricket – and the dilemma of whether to support England or Pakistan. Sardar introduces this with a reference to what he calls the Tebbit test – pointing to the time when Norman Tebbit made the rather surprising suggestion that who you support in cricket indicates where your loyalties lie. 13 year old Zain Sardar suggested to his father – “What if I choose to support both England and Pakistan?” “That,” responded his dad, “would be a wise choice. But does that mean you will always be hoping for a draw?” “It means,” Zain replied, looking rather thoughtful for his age, “It doesn’t really matter who wins. What matters is how the game is played.” I hope you can make the link. Winning and success aren’t really church terms and yet, in a sense, they are what we so often want and are looking for. But what matters, and what we are called to, in whatever sphere our service may lie, is to play the game the right way.