Cricket and the American President..!
Robert Clements
Saturday, April 09, 2011 - Get me the Pakistan PM, I want to speak to him! shouted Obama from his office at the Whitehouse. “I can’t get him Mr President!” said his Secretary of State. “Why not?” asked the President irritably. “He’s in India! ”
“In India?” asked the American President doing a double take, “What’s he doing in India?” “Talking peace with Manmohan while watching the cricket match!” A few days later in the same office the American President asked to be connected to his Lankan counterpart and got the same reply, “He’s in India, talking with the Indian President while watching the cricket finals!”
And that was when poor Obama realized that the only way to talk to Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis was over a game of cricket. “Explain cricket to me!” said the American President to an ex- Pakitani cricketer who had emigrated to the US, “I need to know the game!”
“Mr President!” said the former cricketer, “You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Sir, each man that’s in goes out, and when he’s out he comes in and the next man goes in until he is out” “Whoa! Whoa!” shouted the confused President, “What kind of game is this?” “Sir, when they are all out, the side that’s been out comes in and the side that’s been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out.” “Jeese!” exclaimed Obama.
“Sir, when a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out, he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in.” “You sure you’re not trying to fool me?” asked an exasperated Obama. “But do continue..” “Mr President, there are two men called umpires who are out all the time, and they decide when the men who are in are out.”
“Is this cricket just an in and out game?” whispered the President looking quite pale as he tried to figure the game out. “Sir, when both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice, after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game, simple isn’t it sir? Sir! Sir!”
The secret service rushed in to revive Obama, who looked like he’d fainted with the strain, “Who taught you this game?” asked Obama hoarsely. “The British sir!” “Thank God we kicked them out two hundred years ago, otherwise we’d be still be going in and out like you guys!”
“But sir,” asked the ex-cricketer, looking squarely at Obama, “Isn’t that exactly what you are doing in Iraq, Afghanistan, and soon in Libya? Going in, then wondering why you are in, and getting out?”
—Email: bobsbanter@gmail.com
“In India?” asked the American President doing a double take, “What’s he doing in India?” “Talking peace with Manmohan while watching the cricket match!” A few days later in the same office the American President asked to be connected to his Lankan counterpart and got the same reply, “He’s in India, talking with the Indian President while watching the cricket finals!”
And that was when poor Obama realized that the only way to talk to Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis was over a game of cricket. “Explain cricket to me!” said the American President to an ex- Pakitani cricketer who had emigrated to the US, “I need to know the game!”
“Mr President!” said the former cricketer, “You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Sir, each man that’s in goes out, and when he’s out he comes in and the next man goes in until he is out” “Whoa! Whoa!” shouted the confused President, “What kind of game is this?” “Sir, when they are all out, the side that’s been out comes in and the side that’s been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out.” “Jeese!” exclaimed Obama.
“Sir, when a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out, he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in.” “You sure you’re not trying to fool me?” asked an exasperated Obama. “But do continue..” “Mr President, there are two men called umpires who are out all the time, and they decide when the men who are in are out.”
“Is this cricket just an in and out game?” whispered the President looking quite pale as he tried to figure the game out. “Sir, when both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice, after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game, simple isn’t it sir? Sir! Sir!”
The secret service rushed in to revive Obama, who looked like he’d fainted with the strain, “Who taught you this game?” asked Obama hoarsely. “The British sir!” “Thank God we kicked them out two hundred years ago, otherwise we’d be still be going in and out like you guys!”
“But sir,” asked the ex-cricketer, looking squarely at Obama, “Isn’t that exactly what you are doing in Iraq, Afghanistan, and soon in Libya? Going in, then wondering why you are in, and getting out?”
—Email: bobsbanter@gmail.com
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