5 revelations made during the Spirit of Cricket speech over the years

The MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture is delivered every year by legendary stakeholders in cricket and it is useful in getting to know the opinions and perspectives of players.

The lecture is organized by Marylebone Cricket Club, England, during the summer and is named after Mr. Colin Cowdrey, one of the past presidents of the club who fought vociferously for the inclusion of 'Spirit of Cricket' as the Preamble to the Code of Laws of cricket.

The series started in 2001 and in 17 years, the speakers have made some highly interesting revelations in their lectures that have stirred the cricket world. Brian Lara's revelations during this year's speech have continued this tradition and in light of Lara's statements, we take a look at five other revelations made over the years during the Spirit of Cricket speech.

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#5 Brendon McCullum apologizing for his acts, questioning ICC and remembering Hughes' death, 2016

Brendon McCullum was known for his 'all-or-nothing' attitude while batting and he stuck to that while delivering the spirit of cricket lecture in 2016. The former New Zealand captain conceded that he was anything but a sport during his initial years and in fact loved being called brash and arrogant.

He also recalled his controversial run-out of Muralitharan against Sri Lanka in 2006. Although the run-out was in accordance with the rules of the game, many at the time felt it didn't comply with the spirit of the game.

Looking back, McCullum confessed that what he did was morally wrong and he offered a sincere apology to Kumar Sangakkara, who was batting on 100 at the other end.

He also reserved stern words for the ICC and questioned the board's failure in addressing the ways the anti-corruption unit performs investigations. He gave the example of Chris Cairns and elaborated on how his own name was unnecessarily dragged through the mud in the entire matter. He also questioned ICC's decision to ban Lou Vincent for life even after he "co-operated fully and accepted responsibility for his actions."

However, the most touching part of the former New Zealand player's lecture was the way he narrated the impact Phil Hughes' death had on cricket. He said his teammates wept uncontrollably when they heard the news and weren't in any position to take the field.

"Cricket was meant to be a game, not a life or death struggle," he said. “There was also the realization that it could have been any one of us. None of us ever anticipated that someone could die from a cricket ball, not in this day and age."

McCullum pointed out the void Hughes' death had created by saying, "...no one wanted to be playing cricket. It had lost all meaning."

#4 Brian Lara recalls being Richards' chauffeur, embarrassed by tactics used by his team-

Brian Lara recalled his initial days as a cricketer

During his Spirit of Cricket lecture in 2017, Brian Lara, one of the legends from West Indies expressed his views about his own team and courted controversy for showing the Caribbean side in a negative light.

He began by shedding light on the treatment he had received during his initial years in international cricket. Lara said that during his first tour to England in 1991, he carried bottles in every game but didn't get any chance to play.

He said the great Viv Richards had asked him to be the driver of his new car and Lara humorously added, "After that I knew all the roads in England as I became his driver, the only strip that I wanted to drive on was the 22 yards on the cricket field but I never got a chance to play on that tour."

#3 Ian Botham taking a jibe at the IPL in 2014

Ian Botha courted controversy with his statement about the IPL

One of the most controversial lectures in the Spirit of Cricket series was delivered by Sir Ian Botham in 2014 when he demanded the Indian Premier League be scrapped as it was 'too powerful'.

Botham said that the BCCI lured the best players in the world to participate in the IPL without paying the respective cricket boards. The legendary England cricketer also stated that the Indian domestic T20 league was highly dangerous and bad for cricket.

The most controversial aspect of his speech was the use of the term 'slaves' for the players who played in the IPL. Several pundits and cricketers took offence to this and demonstrated how cricketers featuring in the IPL were anything but slaves.

The England all-rounder received plenty of flak for taking a jibe at cricket's most lucrative and popular product -the IPL.

#2. Kumar Sangakkara exposing the impact of politics and corruption on the game, 2011

Sangakkara held nothing back in his speech

Only two lectures delivered in the Spirit of Cricket series received standing ovations. The first time was for South African, Bishop Desmond Tutu and the second time, in 2011, it was for Kumar Sangakkara's multi-faceted and highly enriching speech about the untold story of cricket in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan player recalled the terror attacks on the Sri Lankan team during their tour of Pakistan in 2009 and gave a first-hand account of the chaos and fear the team went through.

He was vocal about the culture and rich tradition of cricket in Sri Lankan and spoke passionately about the involvement of politics and corruption in the game. He explained in detail how corruption maligned Sri Lankan cricket and also about the increasing involvement of politicians in cricket.

Due to his straightforward approach, Sangakkara's speech was scrutinized by the ruling party in Sri Lanka. However, they found nothing seditious in the speech and no action was taken against the Sri Lankan player.

#1. Tony Greig asks India to embrace spirit of cricket, 2012

Tony Greig had a message for the BCCI in his speech in 2012

A few months before his death, Tony Greig delivered the Spirit of Cricket lecture in 2012. In his lecture, he elaborated on the role the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) plays in international cricket.

The former England player accused the BCCI of being selfish and said, "India's power is being used to undermine the credibility and worth of the ICC." At the time, BCCI had refused to accept the DRS system and Greig quoted this example, adding that this approach was not beneficial for the game.

According to Greig, Indian cricket had become obsessed with money. He said, "Unfortunately, India is pre-occupied with money and T20 cricket and sees its IPL and Champions League as more important than a proper international calendar."

The England cricketer urged the BCCI to accept the fact that the spirit of cricket is more important than generating billions of dollars and requested the Indian cricket administrators to "accept their responsibility as leaders of the cricket world".