That's just not cricket, Amnesty International!

There have been reports recently that AI - the human rights watchdog - has been attempting to "educate people about human rights" by handing out cricket balls at World Cup matches with comments which put the Sri Lankan government into disrepute:
Angry Sri Lanka blasts Amnesty International for human rights cricket campaign - International Herald Tribune
Normally (and I do mean normally, not just rhetorically), I would just shake my head and feel embarrassed about my country's continuing downward spiral, but AI has crossed a very thick line in my book.

Perhaps Apartheid-era South Africa deserved to be treated like a leper when it came to the world of sports, for denying a majority of their population from taking part. However much Sri Lanka is to fault though, this is uncalled for. Cricket is pretty much the only good news Sri Lanka has received over the past few years, and with our team doing rather well (if I do say so myself), it would be sinful to disrupt their concentration. Anything other than a win in the final, with the knowledge that Sri Lanka are world-beaters in one at least one avenue of life, would result in a collective state of mental depression. We're not much for effigy-burnings or big protests if we lose, just the odd letter to the editor and an aggravated pundit.

The Sri Lankan team is perhaps (crossing my fingers here) a symbol of national unity, with players from different parts of the country and different ethnic backgrounds working together towards shared goals. There are scandals of corruption, of politicising the board, of dealing with criminals - but the team is something to feel passionate about.

I'll also wager that if we weren't playing so well at the moment, and left after the group stage - like say, a certain Zimbabwe - this wouldn't be happening. I didn't seem to hear anything about the Zimbabwean team having such a campaign against them last month.

So if you're reading this, AI, this is my plea: just let us at least have a chance at trying to win this thing!