By Pradeep Rajan
Australian cricket has always fascinated me.
Although I am a lover of the copybook cricket style, I admire the Australians, not for their clinical approach, but for their staunch respect for the game.
It is their reverence for the game that has taken the Australian cricket to stratospheric levels.
One would hardly find a great Australian player trying to portray a “larger-than-game-image”.
I was able to see that for myself when I met former greats like Richie Benaud, Ian Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Mark Taylor, while covering a Test and triangular one-day series involving Australia, India and Pakistan in 2000.
Strike up a conversation with one of these legendary players, they would speak of their achievements only after giving due credit to the game.
I have not seen any other team respecting its official cap like the Australians, who take pride in donning the Baggy Green (the coveted cap of the national team).
There’s an interesting anecdote that explains the spirit of the Baggy Green.
When Australia lost the Adelaide Test in 2003 against India, home coach John Buchanan sent an open letter to his players, telling them that their loss was “unbaggygreen”.
Such is the pride associated with the coveted Baggy Green.In fact, all that Australian captain Ricky Ponting needs to do is to stare at his men’s Baggy Green to perk up their game.
The man, who most recently, waxed eloquent about the prized cap was Justin Langer, who retired at the end of Australia’s 5-0 win against England in the Ashes series.
Announcing his retirement, Langer said: “You know what? It’s not just a game to me. I’ve had the same cap for 13 years. It’s the greatest game in the world. I love it, and I’ll be involved in it until my last breath.
“But it’s not just a game to me. It’s been a vehicle. I’ve learned how to handle success, how to handle criticism, how to handle failure, how to fight back from adversity. I’ve learned about mateship, leadership. It’s all because of the baggy green cap.”
The pride is the tonic for victory. The Aussie cricketers may be aggressive, chatty and bully, but they can be pardoned because they do it in their pursuit of victory.
Says Ravi Shastri, India’s new coach-cum-manager: “This is a sport and it has to be aggressive. Otherwise you wear bangles and play.
“I never had any problems playing against Australia. I played my best cricket against them.”
Shastri, in nine Tests against Australia, with six of them played Down Under, averages 77.75.
A keen watcher of Australian cricket, Shastri said that the Aussie have set high standards that is difficult to emulate.
“There is a constant supply line happening, which is good. What they do better than any other cricketing country is they realise when they should tell a guy to move on in life,” said Shastri.
He said this helps Australia to blood younger players at the right time instead making them sit on the bench.
“Otherwise a guy like Steve Waugh (former Australian captain) would have played till he is 45.”
Waugh retired in 2004 at the age of 37, even though many felt that he had some more cricket left.
Waugh’s team which dominated Test and one-day international matches from 1998 was called the “indomitables” and was almost in the same league of great Don Bradman’s “invincibles” team of the 1940s.
In fact, there is no prouder wearer of the Baggy Green than Waugh, whose 18-year-old cap looked tattered, frayed and faded when he called quits.
Waugh captaincy reflected his personality: aggressive, determined and a never-say-die attitude.
His mother Beverly Waugh told me: “When it comes to leading the team, he just blocks everything else. People say he never smiles but that is not true.
“He says to me that when he gets down there, ‘I have to focus’.”
Waugh’s brand of leadership revolutionised captaincy, leaving a strong blueprint, with emphasis on task awareness, for his successor Ricky Ponting.
Says Sandy Gordon, former Australian team psychologist: “We never talk about winning games but what we have to do to play well.”
With that kind of attitude, sky is the limit for Australian cricket.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Men in Baggy Green play for pride
By Pradeep Rajan
Australian cricket has always fascinated me.
Although I am a lover of the copybook cricket style, I admire the Australians, not for their clinical approach, but for their staunch respect for the game.It is their reverence for the game that has taken the Australian cricket to stratospheric levels.
One would hardly find a great Australian player trying to portray a “larger-than-game-image”.
I was able to see that for myself when I met former greats like Richie Benaud, Ian Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Mark Taylor, while covering a Test and triangular one-day series involving Australia, India and Pakistan in 2000.Strike up a conversation with one of these legendary players, they would speak of their achievements only after giving due credit to the game.
I have not seen any other team respecting its official cap like the Australians, who take pride in donning the Baggy Green (the coveted cap of the national team).
There’s an interesting anecdote that explains the spirit of the Baggy Green.
When Australia lost the Adelaide Test in 2003 against India, coach John Buchanan sent an open letter to his players, telling them that their loss was “unbaggygreen”.
Such is the pride associated with the coveted Baggy Green.
In fact, all that Australian captain Ricky Ponting needs to do is to stare at his men’s Baggy Green to perk up their game.
The man, who most recently, waxed eloquent about the prized cap was Justin Langer, who retired at the end of Australia’s 5-0 win against England in the Ashes series.
Announcing his retirement, Langer said: “You know what? It’s not just a game to me. I’ve had the same cap for 13 years. It’s the greatest game in the world. I love it, and I’ll be involved in it until my last breath. “But it’s not just a game to me. It’s been a vehicle. I’ve learned how to handle success, how to handle criticism, how to handle failure, how to fight back from adversity. I’ve learned about mateship, leadership. It’s all because of the baggy green cap.”
The pride is the tonic for victory. The Aussie cricketers may be aggressive, chatty and bully, but they can be pardoned because they do it in their pursuit of victory.
Said Ravi Shastri, India’s new coach-cum-manager: “This is a sport and it has to be aggressive. Otherwise you wear bangles and play.
“I never had any problems playing against Australia. I played my best cricket against them.”
Shastri, in nine Tests against Australia, with six of them played Down Under, averages 77.75.
A keen watcher of Australian cricket, Shastri said that the Aussie have set high standards that is difficult to emulate.
“There is a constant supply line happening, which is good. What they do better than any other cricketing country is they realise when they should tell a guy to move on in life,” said Shastri.
He said this helps Australia to blood younger players at the right time instead making them sit on the bench.
“Otherwise a guy like Steve Waugh (former Australian captain) would have played till he is 45.”
Waugh retired in 2004 at the age of 37, even though many felt that he had some more cricket left.Waugh’s team which dominated Test and one-day international matches from 1998 was called the “indomitables” and was almost in the same league of great Don Bradman’s “invincibles” team of the 1940s.
In fact, there is no prouder wearer of the Baggy Green than Waugh, whose 18-year-old cap looked tattered, frayed and faded when he called quits.Waugh captaincy reflected his personality: aggressive, determined and a never-say-die attitude.
His mother Beverly Waugh told me: “When it comes to leading the team, he just blocks everything else. People say he never smiles but that is not true.
“He says to me that when he gets down there, ‘I have to focus’.”
Waugh’s brand of leadership revolutionised captaincy, leaving a strong blueprint, with emphasis on task awareness, for his successor Ricky Ponting.
Explained Sandy Gordon, former Australian team psychologist: “We never talk about winning games but what we have to do to play well.”
With that kind of attitude, sky is the limit for Australian cricket.
Australian cricket has always fascinated me.
Although I am a lover of the copybook cricket style, I admire the Australians, not for their clinical approach, but for their staunch respect for the game.It is their reverence for the game that has taken the Australian cricket to stratospheric levels.
One would hardly find a great Australian player trying to portray a “larger-than-game-image”.
I was able to see that for myself when I met former greats like Richie Benaud, Ian Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Mark Taylor, while covering a Test and triangular one-day series involving Australia, India and Pakistan in 2000.Strike up a conversation with one of these legendary players, they would speak of their achievements only after giving due credit to the game.
I have not seen any other team respecting its official cap like the Australians, who take pride in donning the Baggy Green (the coveted cap of the national team).
There’s an interesting anecdote that explains the spirit of the Baggy Green.
When Australia lost the Adelaide Test in 2003 against India, coach John Buchanan sent an open letter to his players, telling them that their loss was “unbaggygreen”.
Such is the pride associated with the coveted Baggy Green.
In fact, all that Australian captain Ricky Ponting needs to do is to stare at his men’s Baggy Green to perk up their game.
The man, who most recently, waxed eloquent about the prized cap was Justin Langer, who retired at the end of Australia’s 5-0 win against England in the Ashes series.
Announcing his retirement, Langer said: “You know what? It’s not just a game to me. I’ve had the same cap for 13 years. It’s the greatest game in the world. I love it, and I’ll be involved in it until my last breath. “But it’s not just a game to me. It’s been a vehicle. I’ve learned how to handle success, how to handle criticism, how to handle failure, how to fight back from adversity. I’ve learned about mateship, leadership. It’s all because of the baggy green cap.”
The pride is the tonic for victory. The Aussie cricketers may be aggressive, chatty and bully, but they can be pardoned because they do it in their pursuit of victory.
Said Ravi Shastri, India’s new coach-cum-manager: “This is a sport and it has to be aggressive. Otherwise you wear bangles and play.
“I never had any problems playing against Australia. I played my best cricket against them.”
Shastri, in nine Tests against Australia, with six of them played Down Under, averages 77.75.
A keen watcher of Australian cricket, Shastri said that the Aussie have set high standards that is difficult to emulate.
“There is a constant supply line happening, which is good. What they do better than any other cricketing country is they realise when they should tell a guy to move on in life,” said Shastri.
He said this helps Australia to blood younger players at the right time instead making them sit on the bench.
“Otherwise a guy like Steve Waugh (former Australian captain) would have played till he is 45.”
Waugh retired in 2004 at the age of 37, even though many felt that he had some more cricket left.Waugh’s team which dominated Test and one-day international matches from 1998 was called the “indomitables” and was almost in the same league of great Don Bradman’s “invincibles” team of the 1940s.
In fact, there is no prouder wearer of the Baggy Green than Waugh, whose 18-year-old cap looked tattered, frayed and faded when he called quits.Waugh captaincy reflected his personality: aggressive, determined and a never-say-die attitude.
His mother Beverly Waugh told me: “When it comes to leading the team, he just blocks everything else. People say he never smiles but that is not true.
“He says to me that when he gets down there, ‘I have to focus’.”
Waugh’s brand of leadership revolutionised captaincy, leaving a strong blueprint, with emphasis on task awareness, for his successor Ricky Ponting.
Explained Sandy Gordon, former Australian team psychologist: “We never talk about winning games but what we have to do to play well.”
With that kind of attitude, sky is the limit for Australian cricket.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Fallen idols: can they rise from the ashes
By Pradeep Rajan
Fans hold their breath every time their cricket idols walk into the field to bat or bowl.
They pray for yet another century, a flood of fours and a shower of sixers – even a dropped catch, if their heroes happen to be the batsmen.
For bowlers, they would exhort the men, who charge in with the cherry in their hand, to hit the three erect timbers to scare the daylight out of the batsmen.
Expectations are sky-high on these players, who are considered the game’s gods. And all that is required for the cricketing idols to fall from grace is just one defeat or an act of misdemeanour.Cricket is a capricious game and it can be cruel to its demi-gods. The 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean has seen a few reputations being tarnished.
Sachin Tendulkar, the reigning deity of Indian cricket, is one of the biggest idols of the game, who brutally failed to weave his magic in the West Indies by scoring 7, 54 and 0 in three matches.
Short boyish-looking Tendulkar, who got into the Indian team at the age of 16 in 1989, is the only cricketer whom the Australian great, late Sir Don Bradman, compared to himself.If West Indian batting legend Viv Richards talked about his admiration for the batting genius, former ace Australian leg spinner Shane Warne spoke of his nightmarish experience bowling to him.
Tendulkar, who has bound a cricket mad nation, has dominated the sport in a way no other sportsman has done in India's history.In a tribute to his cricketing prowess, The Week magazine once wrote: “Sachin Tendulkar’s persona has an inspiring incandescence: it lends hope and meaning in life for millions of Indians who rejoice in his triumphs and console themselves – whenever he fails - that he would surely do better next time. It is a cathartic experience for them.”
With a string of poor performances in recent times, he is facing a censure from fans, who booed him during a match in his hometown Mumbai last year.
It may be difficult to fathom how fans discount the abilities of a man who has scored more 25,000 runs and hit 59 centuries in both Test and one-day games.
Cricket has been like this: star-value or past laurels don’t count. The edict is simple: Perform or Perish.
In the case of Tendulkar it was his cricketing performance that has brought down his stock value, but another idol and former England captain, Andrew Flintoff, as fallen from repute for his love for the spirit.
Allrounder Flintoff's drunken night out at the World Cup saw Unicef dropping him from a charity visit to school children in St. Lucia in the Caribbean.
Flintoff, who was England’s hero in their Ashes campaign against Australia in 2005, was stripped of his vice-captaincy, dropped from the group stage game against Canada and also fined.
Flintoff later said that his actions were “completely wrong” and will “accept the punishment”.
Considered the talisman of the English team, “Freddie” Flintoff has tossed away that marquee status.
Former England great Bob Willis lashed out at him. “I think Freddie has been making a fool of himself since the celebrations of the 2005 Ashes. This is not the first time it has happened and I fear it might not be the last. He can't behave like that,” warned Willis.
Cricket being the game of “glorious uncertainties”, idols such as Indian wicket-keeper Mahender Singh Dhoni have learnt that stardom cannot guarantee airtight insulation from reality.
Dhoni, who earns more than US$1 million from brand endorsements, had fans destroying his under contruction house after he scored two ducks against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
With a string of poor performances in recent times, he is facing a censure from fans, who booed him during a match in his hometown Mumbai last year.
It may be difficult to fathom how fans discount the abilities of a man who has scored more 25,000 runs and hit 59 centuries in both Test and one-day games.
Cricket has been like this: star-value or past laurels don’t count. The edict is simple: Perform or Perish.In the case of Tendulkar it was his cricketing performance that has brought down his stock value, but another idol and former England captain, Andrew Flintoff, as fallen from repute for his love for the spirit.
Allrounder Flintoff's drunken night out at the World Cup saw Unicef dropping him from a charity visit to school children in St. Lucia in the Caribbean.
Flintoff, who was England’s hero in their Ashes campaign against Australia in 2005, was stripped of his vice-captaincy, dropped from the group stage game against Canada and also fined.
Flintoff later said that his actions were “completely wrong” and will “accept the punishment”.Considered the talisman of the English team, “Freddie” Flintoff has tossed away that marquee status.Former England great Bob Willis lashed out at him.
“I think Freddie has been making a fool of himself since the celebrations of the 2005 Ashes. This is not the first time it has happened and I fear it might not be the last. He can't behave like that,” warned Willis.
Cricket being the game of “glorious uncertainties”, idols such as Indian wicket-keeper Mahender Singh Dhoni have learnt that stardom cannot guarantee airtight insulation from reality.Dhoni, who earns more than US$1 million from brand endorsements, had fans destroying his under contruction house after he scored two ducks (zeroes) against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Fans also tore and smeared paint on billboards depicting him, forcing advertisers to pull back all their campaigns.
The World Cup in the Caribbean saw Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq end his one-day career quite unceremoniously.
He announced his retirement after Pakistan, like India, crashed out of the tournament in the group stage. The Pakistani run machine’s retirement was overshadowed by coach Bob Woolmer’s death. Also, his retirement didn’t stop the criticism being hurled against him.
Many former Pakistan players said that Inzamam should have quit before the World Cup.
In the run up to the World Cup, the Pakistan team had its share of embarassing controversies.
Dope-tainted Star Fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were dropped just before the start of the tournament.
In 2003, it was a failed drug test that saw Australia’s bowling genius Warne being sent home in disgrace from the World Cup in Johannesburg.
Warne, after a 12 month ban, however, went on to become the World’s highest wicket taker.
In cricket it is said that form is temporary, while class is permanent. This belief should be enough for some of the idols to rise like a sphinx from the ashes.
Fans also tore and smeared paint on billboards depicting him, forcing advertisers to pull back all their campaigns.
The World Cup in the Caribbean saw Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq end his one-day career quite unceremoniously.
He announced his retirement after Pakistan, like India, crashed out of the tournament in the group stage.
The Pakistani run machine’s retirement was overshadowed by coach Bob Woolmer’s death. Also, his retirement didn’t stop the criticism being hurled against him.
Many former Pakistan players said that Inzamam should have quit before the World Cup.In the run up to the World Cup, the Pakistan team had its share of embarassing controversies.
Dope-tainted Star Fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were dropped just before the start of the tournament.
In 2003, it was a failed drug test that saw Australia’s bowling genius Warne being sent home in disgrace from the World Cup in Johannesburg.
Warne, after a 12 month ban, however, went on to become the World’s highest wicket taker.
In cricket it is said that form is temporary, while class is permanent.
This belief should be enough for some of the idols to rise like a sphinx from the ashes.
Fans hold their breath every time their cricket idols walk into the field to bat or bowl.
They pray for yet another century, a flood of fours and a shower of sixers – even a dropped catch, if their heroes happen to be the batsmen.
For bowlers, they would exhort the men, who charge in with the cherry in their hand, to hit the three erect timbers to scare the daylight out of the batsmen.
Expectations are sky-high on these players, who are considered the game’s gods. And all that is required for the cricketing idols to fall from grace is just one defeat or an act of misdemeanour.Cricket is a capricious game and it can be cruel to its demi-gods. The 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean has seen a few reputations being tarnished.
Sachin Tendulkar, the reigning deity of Indian cricket, is one of the biggest idols of the game, who brutally failed to weave his magic in the West Indies by scoring 7, 54 and 0 in three matches.
Short boyish-looking Tendulkar, who got into the Indian team at the age of 16 in 1989, is the only cricketer whom the Australian great, late Sir Don Bradman, compared to himself.If West Indian batting legend Viv Richards talked about his admiration for the batting genius, former ace Australian leg spinner Shane Warne spoke of his nightmarish experience bowling to him.
Tendulkar, who has bound a cricket mad nation, has dominated the sport in a way no other sportsman has done in India's history.In a tribute to his cricketing prowess, The Week magazine once wrote: “Sachin Tendulkar’s persona has an inspiring incandescence: it lends hope and meaning in life for millions of Indians who rejoice in his triumphs and console themselves – whenever he fails - that he would surely do better next time. It is a cathartic experience for them.”
With a string of poor performances in recent times, he is facing a censure from fans, who booed him during a match in his hometown Mumbai last year.
It may be difficult to fathom how fans discount the abilities of a man who has scored more 25,000 runs and hit 59 centuries in both Test and one-day games.
Cricket has been like this: star-value or past laurels don’t count. The edict is simple: Perform or Perish.
In the case of Tendulkar it was his cricketing performance that has brought down his stock value, but another idol and former England captain, Andrew Flintoff, as fallen from repute for his love for the spirit.
Allrounder Flintoff's drunken night out at the World Cup saw Unicef dropping him from a charity visit to school children in St. Lucia in the Caribbean.
Flintoff, who was England’s hero in their Ashes campaign against Australia in 2005, was stripped of his vice-captaincy, dropped from the group stage game against Canada and also fined.
Flintoff later said that his actions were “completely wrong” and will “accept the punishment”.
Considered the talisman of the English team, “Freddie” Flintoff has tossed away that marquee status.
Former England great Bob Willis lashed out at him. “I think Freddie has been making a fool of himself since the celebrations of the 2005 Ashes. This is not the first time it has happened and I fear it might not be the last. He can't behave like that,” warned Willis.
Cricket being the game of “glorious uncertainties”, idols such as Indian wicket-keeper Mahender Singh Dhoni have learnt that stardom cannot guarantee airtight insulation from reality.
Dhoni, who earns more than US$1 million from brand endorsements, had fans destroying his under contruction house after he scored two ducks against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
With a string of poor performances in recent times, he is facing a censure from fans, who booed him during a match in his hometown Mumbai last year.
It may be difficult to fathom how fans discount the abilities of a man who has scored more 25,000 runs and hit 59 centuries in both Test and one-day games.
Cricket has been like this: star-value or past laurels don’t count. The edict is simple: Perform or Perish.In the case of Tendulkar it was his cricketing performance that has brought down his stock value, but another idol and former England captain, Andrew Flintoff, as fallen from repute for his love for the spirit.
Allrounder Flintoff's drunken night out at the World Cup saw Unicef dropping him from a charity visit to school children in St. Lucia in the Caribbean.
Flintoff, who was England’s hero in their Ashes campaign against Australia in 2005, was stripped of his vice-captaincy, dropped from the group stage game against Canada and also fined.
Flintoff later said that his actions were “completely wrong” and will “accept the punishment”.Considered the talisman of the English team, “Freddie” Flintoff has tossed away that marquee status.Former England great Bob Willis lashed out at him.
“I think Freddie has been making a fool of himself since the celebrations of the 2005 Ashes. This is not the first time it has happened and I fear it might not be the last. He can't behave like that,” warned Willis.
Cricket being the game of “glorious uncertainties”, idols such as Indian wicket-keeper Mahender Singh Dhoni have learnt that stardom cannot guarantee airtight insulation from reality.Dhoni, who earns more than US$1 million from brand endorsements, had fans destroying his under contruction house after he scored two ducks (zeroes) against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Fans also tore and smeared paint on billboards depicting him, forcing advertisers to pull back all their campaigns.
The World Cup in the Caribbean saw Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq end his one-day career quite unceremoniously.
He announced his retirement after Pakistan, like India, crashed out of the tournament in the group stage. The Pakistani run machine’s retirement was overshadowed by coach Bob Woolmer’s death. Also, his retirement didn’t stop the criticism being hurled against him.
Many former Pakistan players said that Inzamam should have quit before the World Cup.
In the run up to the World Cup, the Pakistan team had its share of embarassing controversies.
Dope-tainted Star Fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were dropped just before the start of the tournament.
In 2003, it was a failed drug test that saw Australia’s bowling genius Warne being sent home in disgrace from the World Cup in Johannesburg.
Warne, after a 12 month ban, however, went on to become the World’s highest wicket taker.
In cricket it is said that form is temporary, while class is permanent. This belief should be enough for some of the idols to rise like a sphinx from the ashes.
Fans also tore and smeared paint on billboards depicting him, forcing advertisers to pull back all their campaigns.
The World Cup in the Caribbean saw Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq end his one-day career quite unceremoniously.
He announced his retirement after Pakistan, like India, crashed out of the tournament in the group stage.
The Pakistani run machine’s retirement was overshadowed by coach Bob Woolmer’s death. Also, his retirement didn’t stop the criticism being hurled against him.
Many former Pakistan players said that Inzamam should have quit before the World Cup.In the run up to the World Cup, the Pakistan team had its share of embarassing controversies.
Dope-tainted Star Fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were dropped just before the start of the tournament.
In 2003, it was a failed drug test that saw Australia’s bowling genius Warne being sent home in disgrace from the World Cup in Johannesburg.
Warne, after a 12 month ban, however, went on to become the World’s highest wicket taker.
In cricket it is said that form is temporary, while class is permanent.
This belief should be enough for some of the idols to rise like a sphinx from the ashes.
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