The Miserable Tale of Flamboyance in Cricket

Over years, cricket has evolved from a mere exhibition of raw talent to display of deftly constructed skills. Throughout this wonderful journey, flamboyance has always found its place in the cricket glossary and is the one used by the commentators and cricket experts more than often. Cricketers who exhibited this quality have enjoyed more media attention, crowd support and what not in comparison to the ones who possess a calm demeanor both on & off the field.

For instance, take the case of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, one of the finest batsman West Indies has ever produced. But, ever think of why it didn’t make a big news when selectors had shown him the exit door, forget about a farewell match or a felicitation ceremony. On the other side, players like Chris Gayle who have put their national duties in backseat and travel across the world playing fancy T20 tournaments have won millions of fans and garnered so fame so much so that even an ugly banter with a media journalist gets trended all over the world. The answer is simple – probably Chanderpaul should have spent few of his thousands of batting practice hours in molding his swagger, flamboyance and the rest would have followed him.

New parameter on the block

The recent struggle for the spot in the Indian Test Team between Chesteswar Pujara and Rohit Sharma presents another classic example. It’s beyond anyone’s ability to rationalize how a player who had tons of first class runs to his name and comparatively better record on the international test arena had to fight with a player who is believed to possess volcano of batting talent, albeit with below par performance in Test cricket.The one thing to consider in this context is that the players playing in shorter formats are constantly in the public radar and garner more attention by the crowd in comparison to the one whose batting is a throwback to eras gone by that comprises a mix of grittiness, discipline and self-control. It’s a bitter truth that the stardust of shorter formats has started to influence selectors and captains as well while making choices for test team combination. The state of affairs is not to blame anyone and that’s how modern cricket has progressed.

Till the last decade, before the T20 hoopla has engulfed the game of cricket, discussion in the cricket circles is mostly confined to parameters like footwork, technique etc., and now fast forward to 2016, captains are taking the case of strike rate for omitting a No.3 batsman in the final eleven. Players like Dravid, Kallis, Chanderpaul contributions were never measured with strike rate as their yardstick, rather on their ability to hold the team batting together and lay a platform for more flamboyant players like Tendulkar, AB Devilliers to express themselves.

In a nutshell, for a flair player to flourish, he needs support from rock solid players who cement the foundation while the gritty players’ success is to be attributed only to their hard work and determination and its high time we appreciate their real worth and not to keep a knife on their neck. Their game is simple - Lots of hard work, composed, determined and disciplined. Lets not add another dimension and try not to add them into the existing coup and save the game sanctity.

"Six - forget, Miss – forget, Just Play" - Sehwagology

Simple thinking – “See the ball, hit the ball”, Simple technique – “No text book complication, just clean and class hitting”. Simple talk – “England is not Bangladesh, we have to play hard to get 20 wickets”. An amalgamation of all and it is Virender Sehwag for you. The Career that spanned breath-taking chutzpah and fearless batting has finally comes to an end.

He is the one who followed the primitive rules of cricket game in the finest way possible. It works on the simple funda that while the batsman tries to hit the ball and score runs, the bowler needs to get him out. Many developments have emerged as the game progressed over years and to be honest, the game of cricket has lost its original sheen. The cricket connoisseurs prefer the bookish cricket and even the new breed of cricketer’s skill-set is a result of nurturing through thousands of hours of practice. However, a typical cricket fanatic loves to watch the cricketers play in their true style and this is one of the reasons why the people love West Indies players most. They play in their own fashion and nobody can replicate that style and there is a lot of demand out there for this brand of cricket. Sehwag stays in the top list who have mastered this art of playing cricket in its true form.

While fans wanted him to be the next Sachin, he became one of his own kind. He craved a niche for himself with mind numbing brilliance. It is not the runs he scored, it was the brash style and attitude that made him stand out from the rest. The swagger and confidence has always put him on top of the game. Unlike many, Sehwag has written his own script throughout his career and executed it meticulously. While many cricketers tries to make their lives memorable, he tried to make it memorable for the cricket fraternity. He revolutionized the game of cricket and introduced a different brand of batting to the cricket fan. He changed the fortunes of openers in Test arena which was mostly filled with stay and survive mode till then. For a batsman with such ferocity, it’s difficult to imagine a mild mannered personality and this difficult combination taken its life through him.

Apart from his batting heroics, the one thing the stands out is his calmness and humility. He takes the highs and the lows in equal fashion. You can spot him looking disinterested after smacking the ball hard over the ropes and on another day he wears a smile after playing the worst shot. He served as a great ambassador for cricket by sporting humility and gamesmanship both off and on the field. He has always been in good books with media, sponsors etc.

Once retired, we quantify the cricketer’s journey in numbers which does the justice to some extent. The same cannot be applied in this case as the journey is more of an experience than anything else. His career is much more than any explanation and it was something special only for who had witnessed it in real time. The upper cuts and flashing square cuts will dearly miss him.

Post retirement, he is not an individual who questions himself about his contributions, the doubles & triples, or the match winning knocks. All he concerned about is “If he has entertained or not?” 

The Curious Case of Shane Watson

It is seldom that someone bid adieu to his test career and the game lovers still find his journey indecipherable. A career which was filled with more of a promise than delivery, more of a criticism than accolades and that is Shane Watson for you who had been always a mile behind from what had expected of him, especially in test cricket.

An unfilled promise

Talented, Debatable, Promising, Frustrating. Those four words sum up his career to a large extent. For much of his career, Watson was misused by the Cricket Australia, be it asking him to open knowing his discomfort with incoming deliveries or demanding long spells overlooking his injury prone body. While the management has seen him as an all-rounder of kallis level, he could do little justice to any of them.

Despite boasting an athletic figure and often looks like a right handed disciple of Mathew Hayden, Watson had to first beat his fragile body to withstand the demands of international cricket. His resilience was commendable all through his career despite his body threatened him to break up. It is tempting to say that had it not been for his persistent injuries, he might have been one among the greats. It’s not simple though, as his batting was plagued by his incomprehensible inability to handle the in-swinging delivery, and his bowling, even at its best, couldn’t match the likes of kallis and flintoff.

Watson offered an important bowling option that made him a curious case. A front-line batsman not pulling his weight with the bat, but easing the team’s burden with the ball. There were significant contributions but of little substance. Owing to his injury prone body, he should have modeled Steve Waugh, but tried to be a fast bowler, bowling faster than the mechanics that his body can deal with, may be at the behest of cricket Australia, which had hindered his career completely.

Leg Before Watson

Of late, it has become a standing joke that Watson plays round his front pad, the ball crashes into it at pace and the umpire raises his finger. Watson reviews it, almost for a laugh. He can no longer hold his spot when players of much better potential waiting on the fringes. A right decision at wrong time? May be or May not be. He will be forever remembered as perennial underachiever at test level.

Now he has two options at his disposal. Either, the sturdy, six-foot all-rounder can focus on ODI & T20I’s and hope to do some justice in the fag end of his career or focus on domestic Twenty20 cricket, to secure lucrative contracts around the world. Unfortunately, for a man with as blemished an injury record as Watson, the latter may seem the more feasible choice.

Some players are remembered as world cup winners, some as world record holders, but Watson will forever be remembered with LBW written after his name.

Mastered in the Art of Finishing

Michael Bevan, Michael Hussey, Yuvraj Singh, Lance Klusener, MS Dhoni. Having a gaze at this list, one can easily comprehend the job at which they are at very best. Starting slowly, building the innings with minimum amount of risk and then ending up in their own style is the common algorithm what they follow.

The best finisher in the game has to know when to take the risk and when to minimize it. You must have the ability to rotate the strike and play the shots as well. You have to know how to absorb pressure in tight situations.

The extraordinary exploits of India's 'Captain Clobber' M.S.Dhoni with the bat in ODI cricket of late has raised the debate about whether he is indeed the best finisher in the game’s history. Watching Mahendra Singh Dhoni bat in a chase is a learning experience — the way he builds an innings; the way he calms the nerves of the other batsmen; the way he makes them contribute; the way he gives the opposition no chance at all. The template of his innings is normally a slow start as he settles in, lots of singles and then he builds to a crescendo.

Dhoni always has a lot of scoring options. He knows how to rotate the strike and at the same time is capable of hitting the big shots. He is very flexible in his approach and can stay calm at pressure situations. As soon as he entered the scene the calculator in his head starts working, the compass directed him to gaps, and his strong legs starts charging couples to complement the odd boundary in-between.

Starting his career as an unrefined slogger, he slowly transcended his batting style to being more responsible. This was a mature decision on his part and more responsible in keeping with his status as the skipper. You do not really see the rocket shots from his blade and super pacy innings these days. His 183* against srilanka, 148 against Pakistan were brilliant examples of what we call ‘Ball Bashing’. Completely agree that he cannot bat like the way he ravaged many oppositions in the yesteryears, since he is the anchor of the team. The Avatar of a slow and steady finisher suits him well. Picking the gaps, running hard and knowing the right moment - and place - to hit a boundary were the hallmarks of his success. It is this style of his game that made his name among the very best finishers in the ODI format. The Crowning Jewel in his ‘Taj’, the 91* in the World Cup 2011 final was reached in the same style.

It is becoming a hallmark for Indian cricket team, Dhoni using his unorthodox batting style with great effect and winning matches. It is becoming a regular scene, a helicopter shot, a wry smile, often suggesting – do not mess with me, I am a cool customer. He sometimes tends to be stuck in a rut and comes up with disasters occasionally. Well, you might say it is because he is the skipper and has to be responsible but in being responsible, he tends to go into a shell and misses scoring opportunities. There is one of those off days that he needs to be careful about where he messes up his reputation as a finisher. 

Many are dragging comparisons with Michael Bevan. No doubt, he plays crucial part in Australian team one-day outfit for a decade, especially when orchestrating calm chases in crises that often ended in last-over or last-ball heroics. However, Bevan and Dhoni have not played in the same era, which makes the comparison even difficult. I would say Greg Chappell’s grandma was a better batswoman than SRT. The point here is how can you compare batsman or for that matter cricketers from different eras? Different equipment, different playing conditions, different rules etc.

As of now, he is serving the team India with his uncanny ability to finish off the game with a flourish. Let us see if he ends up his career keeping his name at the top of the chart.

All it needs is a meaningful Valedictory

India has produced many Batsmen’s ranging from the Legendary Veteran Sunil Gavaskar to Upcoming Star Virat Kohli. Among them Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman stand out not just because of their batting skills, but the impact they have had. 

India’s partly Dominance is gradually waning. India is currently on a horrendous streak of loses. There are innumerable reasons to specify. We have just not groomed new batting talent over the last decade and that is why the team is now getting moribund. It is only when Sachin decides to take a break or someone is injured, the likes of Chesteswara Pujara and Abhinav Mukundh come to the arena. It is impossible to develop yourself as a Test batsman if you are going to be in and out like that. India should gradually include new Blood to the current roster, who can serve in the long run. If India has to lose, it makes sense to lose with players who have a future than players whose best is far behind them. 

Almost Every series it seems as if it was their last tour, but they have all endured and touring again, driven not by divine power but by sheer desire and derive. Considering the emotional attachment to the ‘Big Three’, the process to replace them is not easy. Nevertheless, this painful step will have to be taken with the future of Indian cricket in mind.

 
As Dravid, Laxman and Tendulkar have orchestrated countless perfect innings; perhaps they can now work out how to script the perfect farewell. The recently drubbed tours of Australia and England will not diminish the luminance of their glorious careers. Every Indian is anticipating that these three to uncork the magic one last time.

It is important that the ‘Big Three’ are phased out gradually and not around the same time. The sudden absence of all will make India face a long period of readjustment. This will also ensure that at least one stalwart is present who could guide the youngsters drafted into the side. The Indian cricket needs to realize the importance of getting back that winning-cycle. One positive step towards attaining that cycle will be to infuse young blood in the side and groom them from the next series. With a number of home series lined up in the next two years, it would be easy to forget the humiliation abroad and go back to the familiar sight of our idolized middle order notching up century after century on flat tracks. Instead, we should let new talent develop just as we did in one-day cricket.

Dale Steyn - A Bowler of Perfect Blend

Nowadays, Global fast bowling stock appears to have deteriorated significantly with very few genuine pacers only playing. One cannot say people running from 30-40 yards and bowling military pace with an occasional fast delivery as Fast bowlers. 

“You can't make a fast bowler. You have to be born a fast bowler. You've got to have the rhythm and the coordination and everything else that it takes to bowl that fast. Strength, hard work and practice alone cannot make a fast bowler. It's not just physical - it's a lot of other things combined,"” said, the Jamaican fast Bowler Michael Holding.  

Fast Bowlers are on the verge of being endangered species. With the qualities stated above, large pool of currently playing bowlers will be cut off into a count of hardly 4 to 5 total across the globe. The Speed demons of this era include Dale Steyn, Lasith Malinga, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait.

With genuine fast and slightly raw who can move the ball both ways, Steyn is now a force to be reckoned. Dale Willem Steyn, the current “ROLLS ROYCE” of the South African Pace attack is the preeminent fast bowler in the world today and currently holds the No.1 test Bowler in ICC rankings. Ever after his debut at the age of 21, he occupies a prime position in Proteas bowling attack along with the likes of Shaun Pollock, Andre Nel, and Makhaya Ntini. Now, he along with Morne Morkel forms a venomous attack which can paralyze any batting lineup. 

He is frighteningly quick, Like the new-age bullet trains that ride on an air-cushion produced by the track rather than on the track itself, for this South African speedster, the surface doesn't matter all that much. He can bowl magnificently, be it on pacy pitches of South Africa, Flat Tracks of Sub continent, Bouncy Wickets of Australia, Swing Wickets of England. He is very street smart when it comes to subcontinent pitches. He has excellent rhythm in his approach, with abundant vigor and venom, all thunder and lightning like and electric storm.

His muscular body perfectly suits the pursuit of fast bowling. It is a privilege to watch his bowling stride, which gives the impression of most aesthetically pleasing bowling action in the world. He sprints to the wicket and hurls down the ball with aggression. He loves batsman ducking and weaving due to the pace in his delivery. He ensures that there is no respite to the batsman. for even a single ball. Along with the quickest possible delivery, he has many variations in his repertoire. He conditioned well to perform in adverse situations too. He is also a thinking bowler. He knows when to hold back, pull his pace down and bowl line and length, and when to attack with real speed and aggression. One gets the feeling that he can read the situations well. He can move the ball both ways and also cut it in both directions. He has an magnificent out swinger in his arsenal.

After the Australian Slump from invincible status, there are many teams ready with all ingredients to claim the supremacy. The title CHAMPION has swung like pendulum with no side with no side shedding the required domination. There is no doubt that there are many facets in making up a Dominant side. But with champion fast bowler like Dale Steyn to lead the Bowling attack, the chances of sustained success definitely be elevated.

Ponting: Rebound/Extinction?

He is considered as one of the finest cricketers in the modern era. He was involved in about 100 Test wins for his side. He has enjoyed many thumping wins, world cup triumphs and a lot more personal landmarks. He was compared with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara. But it all turned upside down in a span of 2 years. Just like a mirage, the test century is eluding him since the last two years; it’s been a 12 inning long stretch without making a half-century. His average which was among all-time greats slid a long way coming down from a monumental 56.68 to a mere 52.72 in just 23 innings. After having played so many innings to drop an average by 4 points in 23 innings suggests something is badly wrong.

He is none other than Ricky Thomas Ponting nicknamed Punter. He has many ardent fans to wait for his revival, but not much time has left for him as he is approaching the tail end of his career.

During his worst slump, Greg Chappell once said he wasn’t batting badly, he was just getting out. Ricky Ponting taken that sentiment to a new level, declaring himself to be batting the best he has in these two years. But unfortunately he doesn’t have much runs from his willow to support that.

You may say, even Rahul Dravid also undergone this phase of their career. But noticeable thing is even when Dravid keeps on failing, Indian team is at its best which is not same in the case of Ponting. Australian Team is in a Period of resurgence and they are not in a position to give ample of time for him to restore his past form.

His Career seemed on the crossroads for this moment. Ponting has drifted well down from mediocre to liability now. Moreover, he's interfering with the grooming of talented youngsters. To make thing worsen, guys like Khwaja sit dumbstruck on the sidelines not knowing what they are doing wrong.

We've got to be sensible about whether the Ponting exit is going to be replaced by someone better and at the same time it should enhance for the team cause.

THE PRIVILEGE OF YOUNGSTERS

There was a time when every cricket freak felt apprehensive about the future of cricket once the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Michael Hussey, Kumar Sangakkara, Zaheer Khan, Brett Lee retires. The admission of Twenty 20 cricket also made the gentlemen game feels the heat. Fear reached its pinnacle when they felt a danger of losing the elegance and charm of the game. The ICC and many country boards tried their best for the requital of the fame and glory of the game. They have changed many rules, made some amendments but nothing improved drastically.  Whole world of cricket is in utter dismay.

In this time of deterioration, comes the player like Pat Cummins, Virat Kohli, Steven Finn, Brendan Taylor, Malcolm Waller, Junaid Khan and many others. One common attribute among all these is great temperament, to make the team cross that Victory line. They have made people believe that there is still lot of quality cricket left apart from T20’s.

Patrick Cummins

The world first noticed Patrick Cummins in preliminary final of KFC Big Bash 2011, where he bowled magnificently before finishing with 4/16. Within no time, at the age of 18 he was given the license to wear Australian colors. In his tour to South Africa T20, he performed well equally with the likes of Bollinger and Johnson, which ended up placing him in the Test squad in what was said to be a meteoric rise. 

Pakistan has always been a fast bowling factory and the assembly line of fast bowlers is not going to end its production any time soon. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akthar, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Tanvir Ahmed and the list goes on. I am sure no country has produced as much Pakistan has produced and no country has wasted as they did. The current Promising bowler for them is Junaid Khan who is very impressive in both the pace and swing departments. 

After winning the Emerging Player of the year Award in 2010, Steven Finn has a magnificent career. He has produced some crucial spells for the team cause. When all the English players struggled to contend the Indian batsman, Steven Finn bowled brilliantly to make them feel the heat. From years ago, there are many English players who bowled to the mark in their home conditions, who in turn failed miserably in Sub Continent pitches. In contrast Steven Finn looked very promising who need to be churned properly for bright future.

Given the right guidance, why shouldn't Cummins, Finn and Junaid continue to prosper – aside? Handled with care and honesty, protected from leeches and temptation, they can be every bit as good as we would love them to be. So long as those doing the guiding do so selflessly.

October 26, 2011 Zimbabwe enjoyed a splendid chase of 329 with the help of Malcolm Waller and Brendan Taylor. Brendan Taylor who scored two back to back centuries albeit losing cause has provided much required momentum to chase a mammoth score. But Malcolm Waller is the one who steal the show absolutely. He scored 99 of 74 balls by marshaling the tail to take the game down to the last two balls. He might have tried for an aerial shot which fetches him a century to remember forever, but he kept his mind cool and played for the team cause. As they lurched from defeat to defeat, victories like this will imbibe some amount of required confidence, belief in them.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is one of the notified performers who are currently enjoying a prolific run. In and outside India he has become a run machine in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Yuvraj Singh. It is very soon to call him as next Rahul Dravid for the team India, but he has made everything right till now to notch that position. 

From Vinod Kambli to Ajantha Mendis, scores of purported cricketing prodigies have turned out to be either profligate or prodigal. Winning the ICC Emerging Player award is fast becoming a guarantee of a brisk fade - witness Irfan Pathan, Shaun Tait, Ajantha Mendis and JP Duminy. Woe betides those burdened by stardom before experience has broadened their shoulders.

AUSTRALIA - THE PERIOD OF RESURGENCE

The recently concluded Australia-Srilanka series showed dazzling signs of  comeback from Australia after a period of almost 2 years, which include two successive defeats ASHES 08-09,10-11, loss of World Championship status which they hold for almost whole the decade. There were speculations that Team Australia lost that energy & killer instinct once the likes of Glenn Mcgrath, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden retired. There was a strong criticism on the then Captain, Ricky Ponting too.

With pressure mounting on him form all sides, Ricky Ponting decided to step down as captain which was taken up by Michael Clarke. As soon as he took the oath to take his team back to the heights of pride, he kick started the process of revival in Australian Cricket.

The Kangaroo Cricket Bosses along with their new skipper initiated many changes, which include revamping domestic cricket with more number of teams and making it on par with English county cricket. It looks as if England were their inspiration to Bounce back from that pathetic situation. With foresee, they even sacked some veteran players in order to accumulate more youngsters, there by churning them and make the team stronger.

Cricket Australia in its resurgence Period.

But as those who have stayed up to the end along with them appear to have finally witnessed the behemoth awakening from its slumber, injected with some fresh energy and rejuvenated atmosphere.

There were equal parts of personal and team satisfaction as Clarke reflected on a tour during which Australia also won the ODI series 3-2. Of particular importance for Australian cricket was the emergence of a young group including Shaun Marsh, Nathan Lyon and Trent Copeland, who all debuted and contributed. Add to that the runs of Phillip Hughes, and there was plenty of progress made.

Even though 1-0 result does not signify the resurgence of the old Australian team, it will do their confidence a world of good considering that they have been facing criticism from all quarters.

With this sort of redemption from Australian team, Team India who already been dejected with 0-4 whitewash in England, will definitely gonna have tough time with them late in this year.

INDIAN TEAM SELECTION GAFFES

While injuries can never be predicted, the best of the sides is always ready to cover. But that's the area India are severely deprived in. Team India haven't had played a complete match with their full strength in the recently concluded INDIA ENGLAND Series. Though we cannot make Selection Panel and Team physio scapegoats for Team India's Debacle, they do hold some amount of the blame.

As far as the team batting is concerned, the opening pair in test cricket plays a predominant role in getting a good start, thereby giving a psychological edge to the team. But the Indian team completely failed to make any count in this segment. They started off with the less experienced Abhinav Mukund as an opener at Lord's followed by series of various combinations. Adding to the agony, Gautham Gambhir was injured which compelled Dravid to open the innings along with Abhinav Mukund at Trent Bridge. With Virender Sehwag not fully fit, the selectors played a gamble in playing him in the last two tests.

Zaheer Khan carried an injury into the series and had to pull out after bowling just 13 overs in the first Test at Lord's, thus throwing India's campaign out of gear right at the start. The BCCI delayed naming a replacement for the injured Zaheer Khan . When selectors picked an unfit and off-color R.P Singh as a replacement for Zaheer Khan, the anguish reached its pinnacle. It seems that selectors have completely forgotten Abhimanyu Mithun, Jaidev Unandkat, Umesh yadav, all young fast bowlers, tried and tested, only to be dumped.

How come these two players made it to the squad for England? Clearly, the selectors are at fault. If players can be sacked after a poor outing, then why not the same yardstick for the selectors!

Even, the decision to recall 38 years Rahul Dravid to the limited overs side for the England tour clearly exposed the poor planning of selection committee. Should we perceive that as a reverence gesture to the legend?? After all, its the Team that matters the most, not the individual. After the world cup triumph, the selectors need to start building for the next world cup. Dhoni said that they aren't demoralized, but Selection Panel already pressed PANIC button.

Even in the Emerging Players tournament, K Srikanth selected his beloved son Anirudha Srikanth who has a poor record in unlimited overs cricket. If people like him keep on misusing power, without proper planning for upcoming years, the future of Indian cricket will face severe predicament.

Till now the Selectors miserably failed to seek a perfect replacement for No.6 slot in Test cricket. What about replacements for Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman who are on the fringe of retirement?

The BCCI should go hard on the selection panel and make some necessary changes to ensure unbiased and healthy selection procedure with proper insight into the future.