Why I am glad that Pakistan is winning again
AKA why cricket needs more strong teams
There is a west wind blowing in cricket and its blowing strong. A gale force of change, impossible to resist. The game has become faster, slicker and more commercialized. It has also descended into mediocrity. There are pockets of brilliance still remaining, some great players still hanging on, a few still in their prime. What surrounds them on all sides though, is insipidness. Never was the difference between the top 5 teams so insignificant. The batsmen are hacks and the bowlers over-worked. T20 has replaced skills with showmanship, class with insolence and exertion with short-cuts. Gone are the days when batsmen defended endlessly to spinners who spun a web of guile and deceit to go past them. Most of spinners wickets today come from batsmen playing rash shots. Also, consider this, how many of the wickets in the recently concluded test in South-Africa could have been avoided simply by leaving the ball alone? Once test cricket was a test of patience and skill. Today, it's just another matter of scoring more runs than the other team in as little time as possible. No time for epic duels, no time for thrust and parry
Let's take a look at the current test teams
England Years after they invented and played the game, the baton has finally come home. England leads the test rankings with some consistent performances. As a team, they have been steady. Jokes about imports aside, they seem to have many capable players. However, England's performance away from home, particularly in the sub-continent is still unproven. With South Africa and India, breathing down their necks, England will want to win everything put in front of them to stay ahead of the pack or, like India, they will find out that the mantle of number one does not sit lightly on one's shoulder.
South Africa South Africa has always been a strong team. And South Africa has always been missing the 'X' factor. Steyn is undoubtedly the best bowler in the world. But, even he has been unable to provide his team with that consistency which would enable his team to roll over other teams. Amla stands out as one bright spot and a future great player at a time when the tag of 'Greatness' is bandied about a lot with few deserving it. Despite all their talents, there is not much separating South Africa with the other top teams
India India reached the number one ranking with consistent performances over two years both home and away and then lost it with some inconsistent performances. Dhoni has been a standout captain in all formats but how long will he escape the selectors radar with his batting skills is still to see. A glimpse of what the Indian team will do without its seniors, particularly overseas, was provided when India toured England recently. Seniors failed and the team performed miserably. A cause of concern is that all of IndiaÃÔ recent overseas victory was on the back of the aging trio who won.t be around for long. Many talented youngsters are still untested in the international arena and they wouldn't have long to adjust to the quagmire of international cricket. Some upcoming fast bowling talent seems to be the bright light in the future, but India better pull up its socks or it will soon find out, that home performances are not good enough
Australia A team which once was. With the retirement of its greats, many of who were all time legends, the team finds itself between a rock and a hard place. Already reeling with the impact of retirements, how can it afford to drop its more experienced players for youngsters? And then again, how much leeway can one give even to aging super-stars who are out of form? Clarke's job is surely not one to be envied. Not much the selectors can do either as there seems to be, for the first time, a lack of star players in the Aussie domestic circuit. Expect the team to show some inconsistent performances for the next couple of years as they go through a rebuilding phase
Sri-Lanka If ever there was any doubt about how much one player can impact a team's fortunes, one can look at Sri-Lanka before and after the Murali era. With even home victories becoming scarce, one can wonder how long the likes of Sangakarra can pull the team, particularly with rumors of dressing room disunity growing more profound. In my opinion, Dilshan, with many discipline issues, was a bad choice as the Sri Lankan captain. One can just hope that Sri Lankan cricket, which suddenly rose from obscurity to become a force in world cricket, does not go back to the same depths. End of an era?
Pakistan Pakistan cricket must have been sent on earth to test the patience of its fans. Once it had the world beneath its feet. In the last few years, Pakistan cricket has gone through every scandal possible in world cricket and then some. Some like spot fixing, steroid abuses were its and its board fault. Others like Woolmer's death and terrorist attack on a touring team were circumstantial. Through all this turmoil the fans held true to the team and its players. Unfortunately, many of the senior players, much admired and revered, refused to stand up for the team in its most difficult times. They chose to walk away making things worse. Slowly but steadily, Pakistan teams seems to be playing within its limitations, going for stability over style and grittiness over flair, yielding steady results. Misbah brings calmness with him which might be just what the doctor ordered. If only the team can stay away from controversies and play as a unit, it will soon be in the top 3. Talent is something Pakistan never lacked. Hopefully, they will soon have an atmosphere where such talents can be at home and nutrtured.
West-Indies, New Zealand and Bangladesh - West-Indies, and surprisingly, New Zealand have been declining steadily for a while. West-indies provides the occasional glimmer of raw talent but the team atmosphere and the incompetent board means that they are not going to be a force in world cricket anytime soon. They might have an occasional mercurial performance, but they will be few and far between. Bangladesh never deserved a test spot in the first place, Zimbabwe deserve it more
With cricket being played amongst few countries, the importance of having enough strong teams is clear. I am very glad that Pakistan is back to winning ways. A strong Pakistan team might just be what the doctor ordered for test cricket
1 comments:
We are really appreciate to you. For maintaining your blog. This is really great job. Please post different news for catch the views.
Post a Comment