Thursday, January 27, 2011

OPPORTUNITY SHOULDN’T ‘SLIP’ OUT OF HANDS!



The most striking element in the 200th Test catch that Rahul Dravid took to dismiss Dale Steyn was the way it was taken. An absolute blinder which had flown past the keeper in a flash; he just managed to grab it at the last moment.

All eyes were on this magnificent slip-fielder throughout the series- due to achieve this feat. But it can be said with great conviction that none of them expected it to happen the way it did! Despite being one of the most senior players in the side, the catch reflected the exuberance of a debutant; jumping and diving at every ball that flew past the edge of the blade. With this blistering effort, he definitely has put himself in a position where no one else has ever reached.

Right from his debut against England, fielding had been one of his strengths along with his batting capabilities. His first catch was the dismissal of Nasser Hussein in his debut Test which marked his tryst with good fielding skills. Till date, it has been an eventful and a significant aspect of his cricketing career.  His performances have proven that time and again.
Dravid taking a catch off his safe hands


There have been others like him in the league too- proving their worth in the team by fielding well specially in the slips viz. Mark Waugh, Stephen Fleming and Jacques Kallis. Though he might not have been such an effective slip fielder in the beginning, he definitely has gained expertise in it. His fielding efforts showed stunning regularity and precision- which separated him from most of the veterans in this arena.  

He surely shows that fielding is his major forte along with his batting capabilities. On numerous occasions he has been the messiah for the team. This does prop up a question; having specialised field positions: a need for the Indian team? In this case, more than hundred catches have been taken at the slips!

Numbers speak for themselves; the highest number of catch takers apart from wicket keepers has been the slips. Dravid (200), Mark Waugh (181), Ponting (178), Stephen Fleming (171) and Jacques Kallis (166)- four out of the top five catch takers have been the slip fielders.
Resultantly, along with being a batsman or a bowler, it is a prime requisite to be a good fielder. Players like Mark Waugh, Kallis and Jayawardene etc. have been noteworthy contributors to their teams in their areas, but they were also remembered for their great fielding capabilities. At times, the latter stole the limelight more than the former.

Expertise in specialised field positions can be of great help to the team and help in effective co-ordination. Dravid rightly mentioned in one of his interviews-when John Wright was the coach, he insisted on having him at the slips for Test matches. Gary Kirsten also believes in the same and considers it to be an art which some people possessed while some developed it eventually. He suggested Dravid to stand on his instep- helpful to be quick on the feet. Ultimately, the goal was to grab all the opportunities. He developed and mastered this art magnificently in the due course of time.

In Tests most wickets fall off the spinners’ deliveries and the fielders close to the batsman stand more chances of taking catches. Highest wicket takers in Tests have been spinners. The leading Indian wicket-taker in Tests is a spinner (Anil Kumble). There would have been several occasions when the scoreboard would have shown “c Dravid b Kumble”.

Having a good fielding would be an invaluable asset and having a fielder with the highest taker of catches in that unit- certainly is an icing on the cake! 

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Australia- time to ‘urn’ some pride!


With the fifth and final test starting on Monday, Michael Clarke led Australian team would be looking forward to salvage some pride in this series. Though the ‘Ashes’ is retained by the visitors, a good performance by the Aussies will be a huge morale booster. They would attempt to level the series with England with a win at the SCG. This would surely ensure a good start to New Year.

Michael Beer and Pakistan-born Usman Khwaja are all set to make their Test debuts. Beer has been performing well as an orthodox spinner in the ‘few’ first class games played by him at the start of the summer. He was due for a call for the third Test at Perth. But Ponting’s decision to go ahead with four seamers on the bouncy track delayed his debut. But in this Test, he would be expected to contribute well with the given conditions there. 


Tom Parker, the curator at the SCG suggested that it will be a traditional track; spin will play a key role in this game. Weather will be another vital aspect to be considered. It is expected to rain on the first day with high possibility of showers in the days to follow.

Another significant moment in Australian cricketing history will be the inclusion of Usman Khwaja as a replacement to the injured Ricky Ponting. Ponting had injured his finger earlier in the series, but continued to play with it. Things got worse for him in the Boxing Day Test which has forced him to sit out for the next match. The Blues batsman has delivered exceedingly well in the first class matches with some match winning knocks. He would be the first Muslim cricketer to represent his national side at Sydney.



England would be looking to continue their dazzling performance at SCG too. Ex- cricketers like Michael Vaughan and Darren Gough from England claim that this would be the best time for England to go for the kill and be the number one Test team. Gough created a stir couple of days back when he claimed that the current team is capable enough to beat India ‘every day of the week’. He added that India performs remarkably well in home conditions but fails to carry that overseas. Graeme Swann hopes to do well as the conditions would ideally favour his bowling. Andy Flower wants the team to seal it 3-1 and then rejoice the feeling of having retained the Ashes.

Australian cricket declined miserably this year; they suffered their worst defeat in India and followed by this defeat. Such a phase has never been witnessed in the past 98 years. Speculations have surrounded that Ponting might have played his last Test as a captain when Clarke was chosen as the captain for this one. But Clarke came out strong at such speculations that Punter would make a comeback ASAP to lead the side.


But, with the momentum in favour of England, Aussies would go all guns blazing to win the test and ‘urn’ respect. 

A STRANGE LIGHT FROM THE WEST!




Albert Einstein once said, “All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.”

Australian board have made a note of that quote well indeed. With brilliant opportunity platform to players like Usman Tariq Khwaja, his value has certainly raised since his inclusion in the Test side. More importantly, it is the changing perception of Cricket Australia that has come into limelight. Khwaja becomes the first Muslim and Asian to get a call for to play for Australia. One of the major reasons to call it a revolutionary step; shows that merit more than the race is considered for selection.

First class level cricketing performances by him have been remarkable in the past few weeks capitalized on every window of opportunity that was insight for him. With a Bachelor’s degree in aviation, Khwaja is all set to take off his Test career.
In action in one of his first-class games

Any person of a foreign, especially Asians have NEVER made it to the Australian side. However, Khwaja seems to have broken through all these preconceived notions and managed to make a strong mark. Some of the finest examples of Asian-origin players being in the foreign teams can be Nasser Hussein, Vikram Solanki etc. Hussein went on to captain the England side later in his career. But this attempt denotes a good CHANGE from their perspective.

Acceptance on the part of the players to play for such countries is very important. In one of his statements issued in the media Khwaja says that he would never forget his roots i.e. Pakistan, but it has to be noted that it was Australia that gave him the major platform to do well and would never forget that. His maiden one day domestic hundred for New South Wales versus South Australia (121) showed a lot of commitment of this (Australian) cricketer.

The quality of viewing changes as an opportunity and not as a threat is defines the characteristic of an innovative person.


Going by this line, CA surely went that way which resulted into this budding player. It can be only hoped that he fulfils and cements his place in the Australian team in the times to come. The onus is now on Khwaja to deliver well and reciprocate the initiative.