{"id":24272,"date":"2019-02-18T10:22:47","date_gmt":"2019-02-18T14:22:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=24272"},"modified":"2019-02-18T21:00:39","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T01:00:39","slug":"commentary-shannon-gabriel-brute-of-a-smile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/commentary-shannon-gabriel-brute-of-a-smile\/","title":{"rendered":"COMMENTARY: Shannon Gabriel – Brute Of A Smile"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Rawlston Pompey<\/p>

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When\nrenowned cricket commentator Tony Cozier described an unplayable ball as a \u2018…Brute of a Delivery,\u2019<\/strong> it was\nusually one that had batsmen in all sorts of difficulties. Invariably, it was\nshort-pitched and on a pitch with uneven bounce, batsmen were more inclined to\ntake evasive action than scoring runs. Had he been alive today, with a chuckle\nand smile, he most certainly would have described English cricket captain Joe\nRoot 28, smile to a West Indian fast bowler as a \u2018…Brute of a Smile.\u2019<\/strong> Even with bat in hand, in the mind of a West\nIndian fast bowler, it may have been a smile intended to score anything else,\nbut runs. The person he may have seen as having trouble with the \u2018…Captain\u2019s Smile\u2019 <\/strong>would have been Trinidad\nand West Indies fast bowler, Shannon Gabriel 30. Thus, as with a deceptive\nlook, a smile, whether coy or sheepish, radiant or infectious or otherwise\nprovocatively suggestive, even when the intentions are unclear, it could arouse\nsuspicion, trigger feelings of animosity, as to provoke an inquisition or\nhostile reactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DESCRIPTIVE PHRASES<\/strong><\/p>

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While\nboxers psyched themselves up and sought to inject fear in the hearts of\nopponents, respecting the game of cricket, no team needs to psyche itself up.\nThey shall always be prepared, mentally and physically ready. Similarly, no\nbowler needs to boast of his \u2018…strength; …speed; …length and direction,\nand no batsman needs to speak to his batting techniques.\u2019 These are to be seen\nby the cricketer holding the ball or the bat and on the field of play. The game\nitself involves the commentators\u2019 description of what obtains on the\nfield-of-play, and as it happened. These phrases include inter alia, \u2018…scintillating r marvelous strokes; or\n…glorious shots; …magnificent cover drives; …spectacular hooks, run-outs,\ncatches and stumping; …unbelievable tumbling and diving saves.\u2019 <\/strong>Then when\nthe ball is airborne \u2018…Going!\n…Going! Gone! <\/strong><\/p>

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EYES ON BOWLERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All\neyes are therefore, focused on the quick bowlers and batsmen.\u2019 Cricket\nenthusiasts and followers may recall the most destructive pacemen; \u2018…Wesley\nHall and Charlie Griffith; and the fearsome quartet of \u2018…Malcolm Marshall; …Michael\nHolding; …Joel Garner and Collin Croft; and other speedsters \u2018…Sirs\nAnderson \u2018Andy\u2019 Roberts and Curtley Ambrose and Courtney Walsh.\u2019 In their\nheyday, they have delivered \u2018…Brute of Deliveries.\u2019 In spite of team-work,\nthough the batsmen often make the game exciting or dull, the pace men are\nusually the ones that make the game exciting. There is \u2018…extraordinary fast bowling.\u2019 <\/strong>On improperly prepared pitches, there\nis no batting paradise.This is\npronounced by rapidity of \u2018…fiery,\nuneven-bounced unplayable rib-cage deliveries.\u2019 <\/strong>Then when batsmen were\nunable to take evasive action, they had taken \u2018…a battering; …bruising or flattening.\u2019 <\/strong>Likened to an injured\nfootballer, injured batsmen are given a \u2018…stretchered-or piggy-back ride to\nthe pavilion.\u2019Then there is the processional\nfall of wickets, which invariably saw the game culminated in \u2018…fingernail-biting\nfinishes.\u2019 <\/strong><\/p>

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 PERSPECTIVE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 This commentary however, is not about the\ndescriptive phrases often used by commentators and heard by millions of people\naround the world- enthusiasts; …fans and followers.\u2019 Those who would have\nheard these regularly would have been the \u2018…English Army Balmy.\u2019 They have pride\nthemselves in following their teams across the globe, lending moral support. At\nthe same time they would have been having fun in the sun-drenched places where\n\u2018…Five-day tests; …50 overs and Twenty\/20 Cricket Matches\u2019 are played. This\ncommentary speaks to (a) \u2018… a smile: (b) …two curious questions; (c) …a\nresponse; (d) …a capturing microphone; (e) …disciplinary action; and (f)\n…suspension of a player.\u2019 While organizational discipline precludes behavior\nseen as an affront to human dignity, and a certain minority grouping abhors the\nplayer\u2019s behavior as offensive, members of the Christian community and wider\nsociety not so disposed to certain lifestyle, saw the punishment imposed upon Shannon\nGabriel as bordering \u2018…severity.\u2019 In spite of such view, that is another way\nof reinforcing good discipline, be it at home, in sport or in the wider\nsociety. <\/p>

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GENDER WARFARE<\/strong><\/p>

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For\nsome people, even a \u2018…Smile\u2019 could make them feel uncomfortable, edgy and\nunhappy. Shannon Gabriel, a West Indian cricketer and fast bowler and Joe Root,\nCaptain of the touring English cricket team shares no socialized commonality of\ninterest, other than cricket. Though not condoning the clearly insensitive\nbehavior, former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop argued that his punishment was\non the \u2018…harsher side\u2019 [Reuters: February 15, 2019]. In every sport, contact\nor otherwise, there has been \u2018…Gender\nWarfare.<\/strong>\u2019 While persons may determine who might be idolized, no person shall\nbe \u2018…despised; …criticized;\n…chastised; …demonized; …stigmatized; …victimized; …ostracized or\nbrutalized,\u2019 <\/strong>for loving or being themselves. This was a point made by\nsocial commentator, Michael Osuana \u2018Sugar Aloes.\u2019 Comparing him to fellow-calypsonian\n\u2018Baron,\u2019 he sings \u2018…Baron likes plenty Indians; …But I like nice things;\n…And I am being friendly; …Yes, it makes me happy; …I am just being me\u2019\n[Song: I Love Being Me: You Tube]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

DIFFERENT CULTURES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nwas not clear what Joe Root liked, but according to fast bowler Shannon\nGabriel, \u2018…He was smiling at me\u2019 [Reuters: February 15, 2019]. Though they\nmay have been encountering each other for the very first time, both Shannon Gabriel\nand Joe Root are from two \u2018…Different Cultures.\u2019 One, where there is\nintolerance to certain orientation, persuasion or preference to trending lifestyle,\nwhile the other embraces a lifestyle under the guise of \u2018…human rights and\nequality.\u2019 Even with existing \u2018…homophobic laws,\u2019 most of the nations within\nthe Caribbean are guided by a constitutional framework that not only speaks to a\n\u2018…Supreme Law,\u2019<\/strong> but also several\nconstitutional principles upon which the nations were founded. These include \u2018…Acknowledgement of the supremacy of\nGod\u2019 [ANU: CO: Principle A].<\/strong> Though none may claim to be a \u2018…paragon of virtue,\u2019<\/strong> most of the\nregion\u2019s people are guided by scriptural teaching that warns \u2018…If a man lie\nwith mankind as he lieth with a woman, both have committed an abomination and\nshall be put to death\u2019[KJV: Leviticus 20: 13]. Some nations have rejected this\nteaching and warning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CHRISTIAN SOCIETY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\npeople not only pride themselves as men and women in a \u2018…Christian Society,\u2019<\/strong> but also the majority holds high regard for\ntheir nation\u2019s laws, particularly laws restricting abnormal and unlawful sexual\nacts- rape; …incest; …sexual intercourse with minors; …Gross indecency\nand a particular act the scriptures declare as an abomination unto God.\u2019 Naturally,\nso scripturally edified, cultured and holding such belief, with such (i)\n…acknowledgement of supremacy; (ii) …enjoyment of freedom of conscience;\nand (iii) …recognizing and accepting that laws shall be restrictive as to\ncontrol aggression or the unpredictable nature of man and his behavior.\u2019 Most\nhave not only found certain behavioral exhibition abnormal or advances unusual,\nbut also reprehensible, offensive and outrageous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Irrespective\nof the type of sport, it has been part of human nature in taunting, teasing or\nprovoking opponents. In the field of boxing, legendary boxing champion Mohammad\nAli had used it skillfully, yet sometimes interspersed with derogatory remarks\nto opponents. In modern times, the money-taunting and boastful Floyd Mayweather\nJr, known for his loose, obnoxious, callous and reckless comments, has been\nplaced in a category all by himself. In the glory days, it was \u2018…Cricket!\n\u2018..Lovely cricket! …Exciting Cricket! From this view point, though a\ncompetitive sport, it also speaks to combat between bat and ball; …bowler and\nbatsmen or cricketer and cricketer. Then there is the conflict between\npersonalities. It often involved a \u2018…War\nof Words.\u2019<\/strong> Among cricketers, they have called it \u2018…Sledging.\u2019 <\/strong>In active combat, warmongers have called it \u2018…Psychological Warfare.\u2019<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

GLORIOUS\nUNCERTAINTIES          <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nhas been repetitively said that cricket is a game of \u2018…Glorious Uncertainties\u2019 <\/strong>[former commentator Tony Cozier]. This\nis premised on the fluctuating fortunes of a team. On the one hand, having the\nupper hand of its opponent, then with a processional fall of wickets, the game\noften tilted in favor of the opponent. Then as wickets tumbled, the fan-base\ngrumbled. Anxieties and tension then stepped in as cricket captains and their\nteams are overwhelmed. They are hoping that a stubborn batsman makes a false\nstroke or a bowler got a well-pitched ball that may uproot stumps or remove\nbails or nicked an edge through the slip-cordon, or beaten for pace, the\nofficiating Umpire may raise the dreaded index finger confirming a \u2018Leg before\nWicket\u2019 (LBW) dismissal. Players become agitated and the will is weakened. Then\nas \u2018…Tolerance Ebbed Low,\u2019<\/strong> they\ntaunted and charged each other. They are ready to engage themselves in a fist\nfight. Before this, there is a war of words. Invariably, the situation\ndeveloped into friction. A cricket bat or a stump is ready to be used by those\nthat felt that it might be time to end the charade. Today, the game is played\ncompletely on \u2018…Rules of Play\u2019 and a Code of Conduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UNPROVOKED SLEDGING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After\ntwo heavy defeats at the hands of the West Indies Cricket Team, the English\nteam rebounded, drubbing the host to lose the near one-sided Series 2-1. The\nsignificant feature was the \u2018…humiliating 232-run defeat inside four days\u2019 [St.\nLucia: February 13-17, 2019]. Then marring the Series and spirit of the game\nwere allegations of \u2018…Unprovoked Sledging.\u2019<\/strong>\nA smile intend for one cricketer and \u2018…two searching questions, described as \u2018…homophobic or gay slur,\u2019<\/strong> and a\nspontaneous response have seen West Indies pacer Shannon Gabriel 30, incurring\nthe \u2018…Disciplinary Wrath\u2019<\/strong> of the\nInternational Cricket Council (ICC). He was not only suspended from playing in\nany of the four One Day International cricket matches between the English\ncricket team currently on tour in the Caribbean, but also suffered penalties of\n75% match fee and demerit points for \u2018…abusive behavior.\u2019 In fact, though\nannoyingly inappropriate, he had only posed two questions to his opponent; one\npolite, and the other impolite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GOVERNING BODY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\n\u2018…Governing Body\u2019<\/strong> ensured that the\nrules were stringently applied and that offending cricketers are dealt with\nexpeditiously. On the field-of- play, Umpires shall enforce the Rules as\ncircumstances dictate or as situations demand. Even so, they shall be\nimpartial, fair and just, as their decisions could either be adverse or\nadvantageous to the contesting teams. Invariably, dependent where the game was\nbeing played, a team may have thirteen in numbers, (i) …the picked\n11-members; (ii) …the 12th<\/sup> man; and (iii) …the officiating\numpires.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TECHNOLOGICAL\nINNOVATION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nadvent of, and introduction of technology to the game, has made it somewhat\neasy for officiating Umpires. For instance, that which had often escaped the\nhuman eyes or ears, can easily be picked up by a camera positioned to capture\nwhat may have transpired on the field-of- play, either with bat and ball and\nwickets or between  players. Then there are\n\u2018…Third Umpires\u2019 to see what the standing umpires had missed or cared not to\nsee or feigned not to have seen. He is aided by technology with a \u2018…microphone strategically installed\nbehind the stumps.\u2019<\/strong>  This \u2018…Technological Innovation\u2019<\/strong> captures\nboth sounds and expressions. With the aid of such technology, research has\nshown that several cricketers had been penalized for \u2018…non sportsman-like\nconduct.\u2019 These range from gestures to inappropriate or foul expressions to\ndissent of decisions not favourable to cricketers or their teams. The\nInternational Cricket Council (ICC) has published a litany of offences and\nnames of \u2018…Bad Boy Cricketers\u2019<\/strong> at\nits website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

UNWELCOMED SMILE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Equally\nas much, match umpires are ready to act decisively, warning Captains and\nplayers alike of the inevitability of consequences that are constantly looming.\nNot only was the home team\u2019s crushing defeat sent fans almost into a frenzy,\nbut personal trouble started when the England Captain Joe Root reportedly\nflashed what appeared to have been viewed as \u2018…an<\/strong> Unwelcomed Smile\u2019<\/strong>\nat the apparent physically fit Shannon Gabriel. Likened to a cat being overly\ncurious, the pace bowler admittedly asked, \u2018…Why\nare you smiling at me? …Do you like boys?<\/strong> \nIn an apparent spontaneous response, the \u2018smiling Captain\u2019 was reported\nas saying \u2018…Don\u2019t take this as an insult, but there is nothing wrong with\nbeing gay\u2019 [Reuters: February 15, 2019]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALL-MALE\nNIGHT CLUB<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Cricketers showing reckless abandon are often\ncited for either doing or saying the wrong things. It was obvious that the fast\nbowler may have confused himself with the field-of- play and what may be\nobtained in \u2018…an All Male,\u2019 Night Club? Whatever may have operated in his\nmind, Cricket\u2019s governing body, the \u2018International Cricket Council (ICC)\u2019\npromptly intervened, unhesitatingly and admirably expedited the matter and\ndecisively dealt with the offending cricketer. In understanding the reasons for\nthe \u2018…Disciplinary action and\nSuspension\u2019 <\/strong>of the fast bowler, it necessitates clear understanding of the \u2018…ICC\nCode of Conduct\u2019 for international cricketers. The \u2018ICC\u2019 has made it\nsufficiently clear that its Code of Conduct \u2018…is part of its continuing\nefforts to maintain the public image, popularity and integrity of cricket, by\nproviding \u2018…An effective means to deter any participant from conducting\nthemselves improperly on and off the field of play or in any manner that is\ncontrary to the spirit of cricket.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DISCIPLINARY\nMACHINERY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More\nimportantly, is its \u2018…Disciplinary Machinery\u2019<\/strong>\nthat speaks to a particularly \u2018…robust disciplinary procedure pursuant to\nwhich all matters of improper conduct can be dealt with fairly, with certainty\nand in an expeditious manner\u2019 [ICC Website].As it affects organizational\ndiscipline, with the leadership of a certain Police Service \u2018…dangling like a\nparticiple,\u2019 this might be particularly helpful to a Police Service  Commission (PSC) that appears to be harboring\na belief that \u2018…robust and expeditious\nhandling of disciplinary matters\u2019<\/strong> means the dangling suspension of a Police\nCommissioner for 10 months [ANR: April 5, 2018], with dangling uncertainties\nover the head of \u2018…an acting Commissioner with no apparent determination or end\nin sight.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MOOD OF MAN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dependent\nupon the \u2018…Mood of Man\u2019<\/strong> or his\nintention, if an end satisfies a means, man continues to use various ploys to\nachieve his objectives. As with the \u2018…Kiss\nof Deception\u2019<\/strong> planted on the cheek of Jesus Christ by Judas Iscariot [Luke\n22:47], a \u2018…Smile to a Cricketer,\u2019<\/strong>\ncould easily be given a meaning of something not considered or intended. Judas\nwas up to something that scriptural teaching edifies as an act of treachery. In\na general sense, a smile is more welcomed than a frown of animosity.  In modern society, a smile is considered to\nbe for no other reasons than mutual respect, appreciation or an acknowledgement.\nHowever, a male flashing a smile to another male,\u2019 based on current trend or\nlifestyle could incur the wrath of man. For such smile could communicate\nmessages not intended. This may have been the experiences of \u2018…England\u2019s Captain Joe Root and West\nIndies pace-man Shannon Gabriel.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BATTERING AND BRUISING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was not clear, nor was it\nreported that Shannon Gabriel had intimidated the England Captain with a fiery\nspell of fast bowling. For the purposes of his selection to lead his team, with\na cricket bat in hand, he may have countered such bowling with magnificent\nstroke-play. Many may recall the experiences of former West Indies star batsman\nSir Vivian Isaac Alexander Richards. Having been persistently peppered with rib-cage\nbouncers by the fearsome twinned- Australian fast bowlers \u2018…Jeff Thompson and\nDennis Lillee, whose clear intention was \u2018…Battering\nand Bruising.\u2019<\/strong> Instead of running, frowning or wincing, he reportedly\nacknowledged their ferocious deliveries and terror tactics, not only with\npleasantries and smiles, but also accepted them as all part of the game of\ncricket. It was not clear or reported that Shannon Gabriel had bowled a fiery\nspell at the England Captain, who may have countered with magnificent\nstroke-play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRE-CONCEIVED\nIDEAS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In professional law enforcement\ntraining, personnel are told that they should \u2018…always keep an open mind.\u2019\nThe simple reason for this is that investigative personnel could miss a whole\nlot if they harbor \u2018…pre-conceived ideas.\u2019 Such ideas had often led to poor\ninvestigative results, particularly when the focus was placed upon an innocent\nsuspect. Invariably, this has led some investigators that harbor ideas in their\nminds that often threw them completely of the investigative track. Thus, the\ninnocent and truthful are often not believed and the wrong lead or person is\npursued, while the guilty perpetrator escaped pursuit and\/or detection.\nProsecutorially, since it is never known what answers might be given,\nprosecutors know that certain questions, where it is not particularly\nambiguous, shall be left to the Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INQUISITIVE QUESTIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 It was clear from Joe Root\u2019s response to the\nquestion posed by Shannon Gabriel, what may have prompted the \u2018…Inquisitive Question.\u2019<\/strong> Since he may\nhave been in no mood to \u2018…accept, return or give a smile to anyone not\ncapable of making distinction to his gender, he may also have been\npsychologically disoriented over Joe Root\u2019s smile. Conversely, he may have been\nprepared to \u2018…accept a smile from any female player or otherwise. Likened to\ndashing Jamaica and West Indies batsman Christopher \u2018Chris\u2019 Gale, he may have\npreferred an off-the-field rendezvous with any female reporter who would have\nbeen entertained by the mesmerizing spectacle of \u2018…his on-field stroke-play.\u2019\nSeemingly, while he may have been \u2018sledging\u2019 and Joe Root may have been\nsmiling, the England team was tightening the noose around the neck of the West\nIndies team, resulting in one of the heaviest defeats ever inflicted on the\nhome team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SMILE STALKING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nwas not clear what may have made Shannon Gabriel believed that English Captain\nJoe Root may have been\n\u2018…Smile-Stalking\u2019 him <\/strong>(coined for this commentary).In his explanation, he admitted asking two searching questions, (i) \u2018…Why are you smiling at me? <\/strong>The second\nvexing, if not ludicrously provocative question has been, \u2018…Do you like boys? <\/strong>Whether spontaneously or psychologically\nprepared, he appeared to have surprised him with the equally baffling answer, \u2018…Don\u2019t take it as an insult there is\nnothing wrong in being gay.\u2019<\/strong> Such may have confirmed Shannon Gabriel\u2019s\nsuspicion or reinforced a harbored belief that failing to bowl straight, a\nloose ball could have seen him being hooked off the field-of-play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JOE ROOT\u2019S RESPONSE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending\nupon what a man or woman was thinking when a \u2018…Smile\u2019<\/strong> was inappropriately flashed in their eyes and into the\nbrain, bad signals or wrong signals are often misinterpreted. Conversely, a\nfrown on the face could also tell someone that they shall stay clear of a\nperson exhibiting it. Now, drawing reasonable inferences from his explanation\nand \u2018…Joe Root\u2019s Response,\u2019<\/strong> it was\nobvious that the English Captain then\/batting at the wicket intended to score\nmuch more than runs off his bowling. However, whether in a practice session or\nin the test match, given his physical stature, bowling speed, concentration and\ndirection, Joe Root\u2019s middle stump may have been quicker uprooted than he would\nhave been given an opportunity to hook the apparent \u2018…straight-bowling\nShannon Gabriel\u2019 to any other place than the on-field boundary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SUSPICIOUS\nTROUBLE-MAKER<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\napparent overly curious Shannon Gabriel may have learned from the\n\u2018…inquisitive masseuse Leanne Russell\u2019 [Canberra Times: February 2015] who\nreportedly wandered into \u2018…Chris Gale\u2019s Locker room in search either of a\ntowel or a sandwich,\u2019 but alleged that the cricketer had flashed her that which\nhad made her frowned and cried. Surely, had she gone to Slinger Francisco\n\u2018Mighty Sparrow,\u2019 he may have given her \u2018…$2,\n000 for a sandwich and a coffee\u2019 [Lying Excuses: You Tube].<\/strong> She may have\nbeen smilingly happy. Given hisexplanation\nof what had actually transpired on the field-of-play, \u2018…a smile\u2019 and apparent\nmisconceived thoughts of what it meant or connotes, appeared to have prompted\nthe \u2018…controversial question,\u2019 <\/strong>resulting\nfuror and extensive media coverage that appeared to have made him a \u2018…suspicious\ntrouble-maker.\u2019 Even so, it was an apparently \u2018…Misinterpreted Smile\u2019<\/strong> that had cramped the fast bowler\u2019s style,\nsidelining him for the upcoming One Day International Series. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As\nthe furor continues and international agencies sought to exert influence upon\nthe region\u2019s people, the great majority appears steadfast in their\n\u2018…conscience; …beliefs and convictions\u2019 that sexual conduct or behavior\nthat appear smack of abnormality, it has no place in their respective nations.\nMost have given the impression that their beliefs and resolve are galvanized in\nthe founding constitutional principle that \u2018…acknowledges\nthe Supremacy of God.\u2019 <\/strong>According to Joe Root\u2019s apparent lifestyle\nphilosophy, while there may have been \u2018…Nothing\nwrong in being gay,\u2019<\/strong> in the eyes of the \u2018ICC\u2019 and other interest groups, it\nwas certainly not right to ask him about it on the field-of-play. Clearly,\nwhatever may have been known of, or heard about English Cricket Captain,\u2019 may not\nonly have aroused suspicion in the mind of  the West Indian fast bowler, but may also have\nallowed his imagination to derail his thoughts and expressions. Thus, given the\ngoverning body\u2019s \u2018…resolve and\nrobustness\u2019<\/strong> in maintaining strict disciplinary control on \u2018…loose cannon cricketers,\u2019<\/strong> many now\nknow that likened to that which has killed cats, \u2018…human inquisitiveness\u2019 also\nhas consequences for those that allow their imaginations to lead them down a\nslippery road to destruction. If only for information, homophobic cricketers\nmay wish to guide their suspicions, curiosity and expressions from a \u2018…Press Conference\u2019<\/strong> previously held\nby former United States President William Bill Clinton on the vexed issue of \u2018…Gays in the Military\u2019<\/strong> [February 27,\n2009: You Tube]. Moreover, on the field-of-play, likened to a delivery bowled wide\nof off-stump, suspicious smiles shall be left alone. <\/p>\n

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By Rawlston Pompey When renowned cricket commentator Tony Cozier described an unplayable ball as a \u2018…Brute of a Delivery,\u2019 it was usually one that had batsmen in all sorts of difficulties. Invariably, it was short-pitched and on a pitch with uneven bounce, batsmen were more inclined to take evasive action than scoring runs. Had he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":24335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-columns"],"yoast_head":"\nCOMMENTARY: Shannon Gabriel - Brute Of A Smile - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/commentary-shannon-gabriel-brute-of-a-smile\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"COMMENTARY: Shannon Gabriel - Brute Of A Smile\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Rawlston Pompey When renowned cricket commentator Tony Cozier described an unplayable ball as a \u2018…Brute of a Delivery,\u2019 it was usually one that had batsmen in all sorts of difficulties. Invariably, it was short-pitched and on a pitch with uneven bounce, batsmen were more inclined to take evasive action than scoring runs. 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