Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown

Following  international cricket through Twitter and Facebook is sometimes more entertaining than the action on the field. The battle on social media can match or even better the intensity displayed on-field by the 22 players. While the contest may be between two teams, the online interaction features participation from fans of non-playing teams as well. This makes for an all-inclusive forum where you get perspectives and opinions of all kinds and where debates can stretch for hours and days after the match has concluded. In this context, the reactions following England’s huge loss to South Africa at the Oval, made for interesting observation.

The South African fans were understandably overjoyed, but they were not alone. Indian and Australian supporters, who have bore the brunt of England’s dominance in recent times, were blessed with a host of topics to mock the English team – the ease with which the number 1 team lost to South Africa, the impotency of their bowlers, the ineptness of their batsmen on a flat track and a favorite target – the English media. Understandably, the English fans were more subdued, with reactions ranging from muted acknowledgments of South Africa’s dominance to frustrations over performances of certain players, and even anger over the celebratory reactions by the ‘neutral’ fans.

Here’s why the English fans shouldn’t be too surprised over it all: It happens all the time. Not just with England, it happens with all top ranked teams. When you’re at the top, everyone will be gunning for you. That’s the most important factor. It happened with Australia in the 90s and early 2000s. It happened with India between the period of 2008 and 2011. If you’re top of the table, you are fair game.

There are additional factors too. The Australian teams were not liked because their in-your-face attitude combined with crushing performances, made it easy to hate them. As for the Indians, the perception was that they were a bunch of superstars who had risen to the top with the help of their arrogant board and their indifference to DRS was harming the game. With England, most of the disdain is reserved for the media, who can sometimes be very condescending of the opposition while England is on top.

There are 3 simple facts, which stand true for any sport:

1) Except for fans of the dominating team, everybody roots for the underdog. South Africa were not technically underdogs in this contest, but after day 1, when a familiar feeling of English dominance started to seep in, it looked like South Africa were under the cosh. That’s what made their win that much sweeter for non-English cricket fans.

2) Nobody likes an arrogant winner. For a neutral, most of the English players are hard to like. While the likes of Broad, Swann and Bresnan are good players, they can come off as snobby thanks to some of their antics on the field. Not to forget the English media, whose gloating after day 1 is pretty much the best example I can think of their condescending and holier-than-thou attitude. So, it is not exactly surprising that the English are not getting much love, now that they are down.

3) It’s always lonely at the top. When a team tops the rankings, they cannot expect too much support outside their fan base. The Australian and Indian supporters know that feeling. Now, it is the turn of the Englishmen. Who knows….after this series, it could be the turn of the South Africans!

As for Strauss and his men, it is a long road ahead. When they were made to chase leather on Days 3 and 4, the complaints were ‘It is a flat track and it had nothing for the bowlers’. Thus, when they capitulated in less than 100 overs on the 5th day, they left themselves open to ridicule, considering the upcoming tour to India where they will face similar tracks against an opponent who will be hell bent on revenge. So, Andrew Strauss will have to keep the big picture in mind, even as he leads his men in a battle against a red hot opponent to preserve their hold on the top ranking. Two former England captains quit in tears after disastrous series against South Africa. Will Andrew Strauss be the third?

The SpeedFather – A tribute to Brett Lee

When Brett Lee announced his retirement from international cricket recently, it brought to end one of the finest careers a modern fast bowler could ever hope to have, taking into account all the injuries and breakdowns associated with it. A career which included being part of a World Cup win and three Ashes triumphs, and in one where he ended up with 718 international wickets, and leaving as international cricket’s tenth leading wicket taker of all time. Despite several injuries throughout his career, including some which kept him out of the 2007 World Cup and 2009 Ashes, he stayed resilient enough to trouble the best batsmen through a 13 year career. Most importantly, his retirement brought down the curtains on the career of one of that rare breed of sportsmen: a player who is respected by the opposition and loved by opposition fans.

There are lot of pace bowlers on the international circuit, but there are very few who put the ‘fast’ in fast bowling. Lee was one of the few bowlers who consistently bowled at the same frightening speeds throughout his career. He never compromised on pace, which made him a terrific player to watch when in full flow. Along with his signature high jumping and heel clicking celebrations after taking a wicket, he was a true entertainer who had the performances to match.

This combination of an exciting player and wonderful human being is what makes Brett Lee so special. He entered the scene at a time when the Australian team was on top, but was not generally liked for their abrasive behavior. Slowly, but surely he wormed himself into the hearts of all cricket fans, endearing himself to many as a quintessential fighter who never gave an inch to the opposition but off the field very friendly with many of these same opponents.

Of course, just being a nice guy is not going to promise you a successful career. Lee had the skills to succeed in all formats of the game; in Tests, he was an able support to the likes of McGrath and Warne in the early part of his career, and after their departure, he took up responsibility for leading the attack. In T20s, he has contributed more to domestic successes in BBL, IPL and the Champions League; but it was in ODIs where he was a true world class performer. While he was initially profligate in the first half of his career, he soon improved to become one of the best bowlers in ODI history.

There are too many memorable moments from Binga’s career to recount here; but two stand out in my memory. One is that unforgettable Edgbaston match in 2005, where despite a defiant unbeaten 43, Australia fell short by 2 runs. The image of Flintoff consoling Lee was a reminder of the spirit which those two competitors shared. It is worth mentioning because it is rarely found these days. The other memory is when later that year, in a series against South Africa, he hit Kallis on the helmet with a bouncer and immediately ran over to him to check if he was alright. Next ball, a yorker crashes into the stumps. That incident showcased everything about Lee: a top human being who was also in complete control of his game.

Finally, it leaves the question of what kind of legacy he leaves behind. When he made his debut, he joined a bunch of ruthless star performers who maintained Australia’s hold on the top ranking. Now, he leaves behind a team struggling to fight its way back to the top. Still, if there is one positive going for the Aussies now, it is the promise displayed by the likes of Pat Cummins and James Pattinson. If Lee so desires, he can still play a major role in Australia’s resurgence by mentoring the young fast bowlers. Given Binga’s nature, that is not improbable at all.

Rahul Dravid Is The Great Indian Dad

Reblogged from Ducking Beamers: A Cricket Blog:

There's an interview-stream-of-consciousness thing from Rahul Dravid on Cricinfo, and every cricket fan should take five minutes and read it. There's a lot of great insight in his comments about the game, but the main theme revolves around Dravid's "intellectualism." That is, Dravid claims he was not a natural player with loads of God-given talent; instead, he felt like he had to think and practice and reflect and think and train (and so on) to rise to the top.

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A beautiful mini-dissection of a recent observation by Rahul Dravid regarding the perception of talent in Indian cricket...

Mark Boucher – He is Legend

Anything to do with Mark Boucher will never be straightforward.

He made his international debut thanks to a finger injury to incumbent keeper Dave Richardson.

He contributed to South Africa’s tragi-comic record in World Cups, when in the 2003 edition, he defended the last delivery of the final over in a rain-affected game, thinking that SA had done enough to qualify for the next round. They had actually needed one more run.

In 2006, he hit the winning runs in a record chase of 434 against Australia.

And most recently, he was forced into early retirement when a bail struck his eye and ruled him out of his final series.

In between, he has saved and won games for South Africa, played 75 consecutive Tests at one point and has taken a record 999 international dismissals as keeper.  More than all these, he has been a cherished team-mate, respected opponent and a loyal friend to many for the past 15 years. He was one of the last good guys in international cricket and with his retirement, the game has lost one of its most loved players. Here’s wishing him all the best for all his future endeavors.

Fighter. Champion. Legend. Mark Boucher.

Don't believe the lack of hype, South Africa are playing England in a Test series

Reblogged from cricket with balls:

If you listen intensely you can almost hear the hum of a huge Test series coming up. That is if you have an ear trumpet and it’s aimed at Somerset this week. South Africa’s opening press conference is where the hype usually kicks off, but instead most of the England’s reporters were watching the inevitable result of Australia losing at Chester-le-Street.

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Dhoni’s bored Facebook update