The English Don’t Get to Decide What’s Cricket and What’s Not

Earlier this week, a game of cricket turned into a diplomatic incident. England is involved in a five-match series with the touring Australian team. The second of these matches concluded on Sunday with an Australian victory assisted by the controversial dismissal—or “out,” as it would be in baseball—of an English batsman. Most informed commentators agreed with the game’s umpires that the dismissal was legal, but many onlookers felt it was unfair.

“Cheat! Cheat! Cheat! Cheat!” the crowds on the bleachers at Lord’s cricket ground, in London. Even the in the exclusive Marylebone Cricket Club pavilion jeered the winning team off the field. Setting aside the technical details of a game frequently dismissed as either boring,