A cricket match takes place in Pakistan today between Pakistan and India, two of the most populous countries on the planet, who have been in a state of war or armed hostility for many decades and which have nuclear arms.
As the son of a good cricket-player I have never understood the game and always felt doomed to disappoint my lovely father. Nevertheless in order to help the equally ignorant members of this list let me explain that cricket is a grand and appropriately long drawn out ritual of male dominance and submission. It allows teams to compete from different towns, and it allows admiration for the performance of individuals which can transcend team rivalries. It can embrace the class traditions of an English semi-manorial village, and the imperialist and sub-imperialist contradictions of the old British Empire. Now today behind this important ritualised trial lies the context that the national bourgeoisies of India and Pakistan have decided it is in their economic interests to promote a free trade area and some sublimation of the extraordinarily dangerous potential for war. Other sections of national capital have won out over the sections associated with the arms economy. The push is for regional capital and for south Asia to have its place in the sun. So while the culture may have residues of the ango-Indian culture of the old British Empire, the form of the game of cricket is being used to promote a regional economic bloc to resist and compete in a larger US hegemonic Empire. The secret agenda is that probably between them and aided by fairer weather than in England, India and Pakistan have the best cricketers in the world. May there be many "Jolly fine shots". They are better than nuclear explosions. And give something to talk about over business lunches between entrepreneurs of the two countries. But don't ask me actually how to play the game. I always went paralytic. Chris Burford London
