Some observations from the T20 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka:
The West Indies celebrate their T20 World Cup success
West Indian Success Fantastic For Cricket? Well, Maybe
After two decades of alarming decline, there was something special about watching the boys from the Caribbean back on top of the world. While their individual flair was never in doubt, their ability to fuse it together as a team certainly was. That’s why captain Darren Sammy is worth his place despite his modest personal record. He forged an atmosphere in which egos were suppressed, replaced by a spirit which recalled the cornered tigers of the past. Show the world you’re not just a ragtag bunch of cash-obsessed mercenaries with a single arrow in your quiver, he might have intoned. It certainly lacked the raw power of the racism and discrimination which motivated their forebears to immortality, but their wild celebrations betrayed their sense of vindication.
Let’s not get carried away though. The sense of togetherness did not extend to all having the same sponsors’ logos on their shirts, and when things briefly went wrong in the field the suggestion of an uneasy truce was never far away. Most pertinently however, will this give cricket the shot in the arm it so desperately needs in the Caribbean? Perhaps, but probably only in terms of T20. The short form might have been created to the sound of calypso rhythms and the triumph may serve to further estrange the region from the Test match game. Marlon Samuels, whose experiences have given him a sense of perspective, talked in warm terms of getting back into whites, but it is doubtful this enthusiasm is shared by too many of his colleagues. If this is a launch pad, the rocket could yet be headed to a very different star.
I Still Don’t Get Sunil Narine
Batsmen don’t either, and I guess that’s all that matters. When I see Narine amble into the wicket, high arm waving like a palm tree in a draught, I still expect him to be hit out of the park. The knuckle ball, which spits the wrong way off the pitch, is his deadliest weapon, but is this a classic case of smoke and mirrors? He seems to trade more on reputation, the promise of mystery which you know to be fake but you just find irresistible, the gypsy who reads the tea leaves. In England on his Test debut, albeit in unfavourable conditions, he was innocuous. Here, he was once more the riddle which frazzled batsmen in the IPL. I wonder. He bowls with a scrambled seam which makes him devilishly difficult to pick, and his accuracy demands unerring concentration. He is still in his infancy as an international spinner. Opponents have not yet worked him out and in T20 do not have sufficient time to subject him to the appropriate scrutiny before scoreboard pressure forces their hand. If we are witnessing the start of a remarkable career, the game will be much the richer. Like many of those facing him from twenty-two yards though, I’m still not quite so sure.
Lasith Malinga: How does he do that?
Keep The Coaches Out Of Sri Lanka
As Narine makes his way in the game, another beguiling purveyor of trickery appeared in a puff of magic dust in the sparrow-like frame of Akila Dananjaya. The idyllic island of Sri Lanka is such an incredible haven of unorthodoxy, and it appears they have unearthed another thrilling prospect. The youngster aroused the attentions of skipper Mahela Jayawardene whilst bowling in the nets and was fast-tracked into the squad. They showed immense faith and he repaid it, each delivery something different, a selection box of treats. And he did seem like the proverbial kid in a sweet shop. Just like Murali. Elsewhere, much of this carefree effervescence would be stemmed by over-coaching but here it is allowed to flourish. Where else would you find the glorious improbability of Lasith Malinga’s bowling action, perfectly straight but almost horizontal at the point of release? Although his uncharacteristic profligacy in the final cost his team dear, it is a crying shame that his freakish skills appear lost to the five day game. There could only be one winner, but the hosts are always box office. Long may it continue.
Wonderful Watson Appreciated At Last
The Player of the Tournament accolade went to one of the finest talents on the current scene. Shane Watson is always involved in everything; runs, wickets, catches, any form of the game you like. He was imperious and hauled a limited Australian side to the semi-finals, thoroughly deserving the recognition for which he is often overlooked. Blighted by injury in his early days, he is now a lynchpin of the efforts to wrest back the Ashes. Underestimate him at your peril, England. It is worth noting though that his one failure with the bat spelled curtains for his team’s chances. That is because the rest of them, by and large, were just not very good. A flaky middle order was shielded all the way to the last four, while their much heralded attack conceded two of the three biggest scores of the whole event, both to the West Indies. And the decision to allow Xavier Doherty to bowl that fateful last over said much about the captaincy of George Bailey. Of course Clarke and Ponting were watching from afar, but wrap Watson up in cotton wool boys, you’ll need him.
England Get The Formula Wrong
Only one team entered the competition without any of their regular Test batting line-up. That team was despatched summarily; they also happened to be the defending Champions. Ok, let’s not go into the Pietersen thing again, but when they won it they also had Collingwood as an integral part of the top order. Neither was available for selection this time but Ian Bell was. The new Test captain Alastair Cook has long since been jettisoned from the T20 sphere, but has been England’s most substantial scorer in fifty over cricket this year, and was also ignored. Class transcends all; the very best can adapt their game accordingly. The young batsmen could have done with a steady hand on the tiller to assist the specialist Luke Wright. Furthermore, the Sussex man’s experience of international jamborees such as the Big Bash was clearly beneficial to his stature. Might it not be counter-productive to deny our best players the chance to hone their roles in the feverish maelstrom of the IPL? Oh, I imagine this one will run and run.
England’s Sarah Taylor is the world’s best female batting talent
Women’s Game In Good Health
Rigid thinking might have scuppered England here too. Charlotte Edwards’ team were the best around all the way to the final, but bowling first after winning the toss was probably their undoing against a capable Aussie collective. Yes, they prefer to chase but, as the men’s game subsequently confirmed, runs on the board were the key. Despite falling disappointingly four short, they can be proud of their efforts. In Sarah Taylor they possess a batter who is a joy to watch; good feet and a clean striker, she would walk into plenty male line-ups. Add her glovework behind the stumps and you have a supremely resourceful cricketer. Lydia Greenway’s fielding continued to raise the bar, while Katherine Brunt’s brisk pace has echoes of Darren Gough. The skipper led by example with a quiet authority as the younger players, the organised left-armer Holly Colvin and the infectious all-rounder Danni Wyatt most prominent, progress nicely.
Aside from Australia, there is still a lack of depth in the women’s game but this was undoubtedly an important showcase which will hopefully yield future dividends on that front. The lesser emphasis on brute force brings technique into sharper focus and this is no bad thing, but a couple of minor amendments might enhance the spectacle. The crowd like to see fours and sixes so bring the boundaries in further. And why not dispense with the powerplay? As the girls tend not to hit over the top quite so readily, having so many fielders inside the circle actually retards the flow of runs in the early part of the innings. That way we will see better value for good cricket shots, and this in turn will assist the development of talent with both bat and ball. It wasn’t to be for England this time, but then we’re familiar with that feeling.
SAGE OF THE NORTH 