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Are we making our team selections more emotional than tactical?
A career in sports always has been a dicey proposition, with great markets against even greater payoffs. Unbridled riches and fame on one end and the fickleness of sporting oblivion on the other, the short lifespan of an athlete has more ups and down than a general The playing of the country in any sport means carrying the weight of expectations of a nation on your shoulders, a myriad suggestions and a million opinions which indubitably end up affecting even the upper echelons of team selection. This begs us To Ask if we are reacting To sporting events more emotionally than pragmatically?
Over the past year, the name of a certain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his questionable form had been dominating the Indian sports news, dividing fan opinion. He had a pretty forgettable 2018, struggled for form in the Asia Cup as well as the West Indies series And did not have a single fifty to his name the entire calendar year.
The Dhoni who nonchalantly smashed Nuwan Kulasekara for the six that won his team the World Cup in 2011, struggled to finish off even simple games last year. Several enraged observers called for the veteran keeper to be ousted from the team for his poor performances and the Selection committee ultimately obliged giving the 37-year-old a hiatus from the game for the T20 series against Australia.
However, MSD responded the way he knows best with the turn of the year ringing in a change of fortunes, scoring three consecutive half-centuries in the ODIs Down Under, becoming the oldest Indian to win a man-of-the-series award. Dhoni’s return to form once and for all silenced the critics but more importantly reminded that it is necessary to isolate one’s emotions and personal biases in order to different evaluation sports.
Picture this, you have an experienced employee at your workplace, someone who has won several ’employee of the year’ awards in the past and responsible for winning several accolades for the company. Unfortunately, he has been performed below par for a few days and Not as effective as the yester years. Would your immediate reaction by sacking said employee and replacing him with someone with negligible experience? Obviously not!
And when it is Team India’s best finisher and most successful captain who’s the said ’employee’, normal logic and stats just cease to matter. Dhoni has been the kind of person who has single-handedly won games for the country, with his calmness and Compesure second to none. His brilliant wicketkeeping and past track record are attitude enough for people to not doubt his capabilities over a few shoddy performances.
Even the greatest of sportsmen have had to endure lean patches during their career. Roger Federer does not win every Grand Slam he plays, neither does Usain Bolt every race he sprints. It’s not that sportsmen have a magic crystal ball that helps them to control their Outcomes, everyone is entitled to a few bad games and form lulls.
When a sporting stalwart suffers a patch of bad form, fans must look towards their illustrious past and track record, rather than resorting to hasty outbreaks unsupported by logic. Making any decision emotionally dissuades one from tackling the issue holistically. MS Dhoni may have let the Team down with a few bad performances over the past year, but does that negate the countless games he almost individually won won the the Men in Blue?
Special when it is in a World Cup year and the team, their most experienced and talented players for motivation. New Zealand recalled Daniel Vettori from retirement for the 2015 World Cup, and the southpaw helped them to get to the finals. Upon the retired Brad Hogg at a time of turmoil when they didn’t have a quality spinner, and the Chinaman spinner bailed them out., it seems almost absurd to side with the section of the media were calling for the selectors to drop the Man who delivered a fifty Over World Cup, a T20 World Cup and a Champions Trophy to the nation.
The following examples also explain why it is imperative for a team to have a wise head amongst their ranks for winning in crunch situations. Dhoni’s tutelage to the Indian spinners has already proved dividends in the past and will be called up when cricket’s big tournament comes along along Along along Along along .
Playing for the country in any sport means carrying the weight of expectations of a nation on your shoulders, a myriad suggestions and a million opinions. It is right for us as patrons to have high expectations and opinions from our sports players, but it is about Time we support these opinions with sheer and unbiased logic, rather than knee jerk emotions.
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Work still to do’ as Windies skipper Holder targets Test series win
West Indies captain Jason Holder insists that his team still “has a lot of work to do” to finish off a shellshocked England when the second Test gets underway on Thursday.
The Caribbean side stunned Joe Root’s men by a huge 381 runs in the first Test in Barbados with 27-year-old Holder memorably hitting a majestic, career-best 202.
“It’s great to be 1-0 up, but that’s history. We are happy to be leading in the series but we have our feet firm on the ground,” said Holder at North Sound on Wednesday on the eve of the second game in a Three-match series.
Randy Brooks/ AFP
“We are not focusing on what happened before in Barbados. We are looking forward to this match and what we have ahead of us.
“There is still work to be done — a lot of work still to be done — but we know as long as we continue to work hard we will get the results we are looking for. I want to see us come out again and Show that we can play well again and win again.”
Holder, who this week became the number one in the all-rounder world rankings, said all 14 members of the West Indies squad are fully fit and available for selection.
The only slight doubt surrounds fast bowler Shannon Gabriel who hurt his toe in Barbados.
Meanwhile, Joe Denly will make his England debut in the match, replacing out-of-form opener Keaton Jennings, captain Joe Root said Wednesday.
Denly, 32, comes into the team after Jennings managed just 17 and 14 in the first Test.
Root named a 12-man squad for the match at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium with Stuart Broad and Jack Leach also in contention having missed out on a place in the side for the first Test.
“It’s disappointing for Keaton, he’s done some good things and he will continue to work on developing his game and be a big part of this squad.”
Denly made his international debut back in 2009, playing in the one-day and Twenty20 sides but had to wait for almost a decade before winning a recall.
He marked that occasion when he took four wickets with his leg-spin in a T20 victory oer Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, England leg-spinner Adil Rashid has temporarily left the tour and returned home.
“Adil Rashid will leave the party during the second Test to return home as his wife is expecting their second child,” said the England team on Twitter.
“He will return ahead of the ODIs.”
Rashid bowled just 26 overs in Barbados, going wicketless in the defeat.
West Indies squad: Jason Holder (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Oshane Thomas, Jomel Warrican
England squad: Joe Root (captain) Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes, Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson, Jack Leach
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Windies on top as England collapse again
West Indies’ surprising dominance of England continued on the opening day of the second Test with the home side’s fast bowlers bundling out the visitors for 187 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Thursday.
Already 1-0 up in the three-match series, the Caribbean team’s openers negotiated 21 testing overs to the close and the pair of Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell will resume on the second morning at 30 without loss in reply.
Randy Brooks/ AFP
Thrashed by the comprehensive margin of 381 runs in the first Test in Barbados less than a week earlier, England again struggled to cope with the combined assault of the home side’s pacers.
As in the first innings of the first Test when they were routed for just 77, Kemar Roach again led the assault with four wickets.
He was ably supported by the fastest of the quartet, Shannon Gabriel (three for 45) while Alzarri Joseph and captain Jason Holder combined for the remaining three wickets as they honest exploited a green, sporting track to justify Holder’s decision to put England in on winning The toss.
Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow struck contrasting half-centuries to avert a complete and abject capitulation again by the pre-series favourites whose captain suffered most from the vagaries of an uneven surface.
Facing fierce criticism in the wake of his side’s abysmal showing in the series-opener, Joe Root was left in an even more rueful state midway through the morning session when Joseph produced a sharp lifter which looped from the handle of Root’s bat for a back- Pedalling Campbell at third slip to parry the ball upwards, allowing Shai Hope running around from gully to take a diving catch.
By then both openers had perished to Roach and Joseph, and when Holder chimed in with the wicket of Jos Buttler via a more comfortable slip catch to Campbell, England were in desperate need of resuscitation at 55 for four.
Bairstow offered a bit of breathing space towards the end of that first two hours’ play, counter-attacking impressively to reach 52 off 64 balls with nine fours and a six only to fall in the very first over after lunch, Roach trapping him leg- Before.
“I don’t think you felt in because you always knew there was a ball in there that might bounce,” said Bairstow of the batting conditions.
“You’ve got three guys that are well over six foot and I think that it’s something difficult to contend with when there is variable bounce in the pitch.”
His demise brought Ali to the crease and while he saw Ben Stokes succumb to Gabriel at the other end, the off-spinning all-rounder found an able partner in Ben Foakes, the wicketkeeper-batsman contributing 35 useful runs and featuring in an 85- Run partnership for the seventh wicket to lift their team from the depths of 93 for six.
Fell away
Under pressure to deliver with the bat after failing to score in both innings of England’s humiliation in the first Test, Ali benefited from playing positively without being at his most fluent.
He reached his half-century just before the tea interval, slashing at another short ball from Roach to find the third man boundary.
However that sense of adventure got the better of the left-handed batsman as he miscued an attempt to heave the same bowler to the leg-side where Gabriel held the comfortable catch at midwicket.
The top four of the wickets fell for quickly nine years.
As anticipated, England recalled Stuart Broad to the final eleven after the senior seamer was surprisingly dropped for the first Test with leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who failed to have any impact in Barbados, making way for the holder of 433 Test wickets.
Joe Denly was the other England change from the first Test, the 33-year-old replacing Keaton Jennings at the top of the batting order.
However the manner in which his debut innings ended, caught behind chasing a wide long-hop from Joseph, seemed to typify another difficult day for the English on this tour.
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Sharma shocked as New Zealand humble India
Stand-in captain Rohit Sharma warned against complacency ahead of India’s World Cup fight Thursday after a resurgent New Zealand inflicted one of his side’s heaviest ever one-day defeats.
The New Zealanders cruised to an eight-wicket win in the fourth ODI in Hamilton as the dominant form that swept India to a 3-0 series victory disappeared.
Mcheal Bradley/ AFP
The tourists were skittled for 92 with 19.1 overs to spare — their lowest total in nine years — before the Black Caps chased down the modest total to triumph at 93 for two in 14.4 overs.
No opponent has ever defeated India with so many balls remaining in their innings and India has only scored as badly on six other occasions.
With the series already won, captain Virat Kohli sat out the dead-rubber fixture and MS Dhoni was sidelined with a hamstring strain.
Sharma took the skipper’s armband for what was supposed to be a celebration of his 200th ODI but Black Caps’ paceman Trent Boult crashed the party to take five for 21.
While Boult and the rest of the New Zealand attack benefitted from humid conditions that allowed them to produce swing for the first time in the series, Sharma said that was no excuse.
“We never expected something like this but sometimes these games can happen,” he said.
Sharma said the pitch remained “a great wicket to bat on” but his batsman had failed to apply themselves because they had already won the series.
He warned such an attitude could cost the second-ranked ODI team dearly at the World Cup starting in England in May.
“We’ve got this big prize ahead of us and we’ve got to keep ticking the boxes. The good teams do that.
“At times you need to grind it out and absorb the pressure but we failed to do that today and we’ve only got ourselves to blame.”
Boult ‘relentless’
While the performance will not cause India to hit the panic button ahead of the World Cup, there will be disappointment at how their batsmen fared without superstars Kohli and Dhoni.
Yuzvendra Chahal top scored for the tourists with 18 much-hyped debutant Shubman Gill failed to reach double figures, falling for nine.
Boult’s man-of-the-match performance resulted in the second-best ever figures for a New Zealander against India while all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme also contributed three for 26, his best ODI return.
“It was good the get out there and show what we can do,” said Boult, whose third-ranked New Zealanders had been rattled by their lack of competitiveness in the opening three matches.
Boult and de Grandhomme tore the heart out of India’s middle in a devastating spell that saw the tourist lose five wickets for seven runs.
New Zealand dropped opening batsman Colin Munro and promoted Henry Nicholls up the order in a bid to stop a string of slow starts.
The experiment worked as Nicholls made 30 not out, although fellow opener Martin Guptill’s poor run of form continued when he was dismissed on 14.
Black Caps bowling coach Shane Jurgensen said the conditions suited Boult.
“I feel like in Hamilton it always offers something for the bowlers here,” he said.
“It allowed him to work to his strengths. He’s come over, he’s come around and he’s been quite relentless really.”
The fifth and final one-dayer will be played in Wellington on Sunday, followed by three Twenty20 internationals.
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No room for complacency, Australia skipper warns
Australia skipper Tim Paine warned Thursday there was no room for complacency after sticking with the same side for the second Test against Sri Lanka as the one that thrashed them in Brisbane.
The home team routed the visitors by an innings and 40 runs under lights at the Gabba and Paine pointed to their recent experience against India, where Australia won a Test in Perth only to be comprehensively beaten in Melbourne.
Ishara S.Kodikara/ AFP
“We touched on how we had a great win in Perth against India. I thought we turned up pretty poorly and really flat in Melbourne and started that Test match pretty ordinarily,” Paine said.
“And then you get a good side like India in front of you and we couldn’t reel them back in.
“It’s just been making sure our attitude to this Test is spot on and we’re leaving nothing to chance.”
On the back of the Brisbane thumping, Australia have opted to make no changes for the second Test in Canberra starting Friday against a Sri Lankan team struggling with injuries and off-field dramas.
That includes keeping the under-performing Mitchell Starc as a new-ball bowler.
“We’re unchanged which is nice,” Paine said ahead of the first-ever Test in the nation’s capital, at picturesque Manuka Oval on a track pursue as one of the best batting wickets in the country.
“Coming off a good win we are happy with our combination.”
Limited-overs specialist Marcus Stoinis was added to the squad after Brisbane as a potential fifth bowling option, but Paine said Marnus Labuschagne, who has been in good touch with the bat and can bowl leg-breaks, was preferred.
“This pitch is probably slightly different, we just think that we’ll be able to get more overs out of Marnus on a pitch like this,” he said.
The Canberra Test is Australia’s last before the Ashes tour to England in six months’ time and there are still pieces to the puzzle for selectors to solve.
– Scoring hundreds –
Pace spearhead Starc needs to find form again after a lean summer with his Test spot — once set in stone — now widely seen as under threat.
Despite his struggles, Paine backed him to deliver and said he would open the bowling as usual.
“We’ve used Starcy for a long time with the new ball,” Paine said.
“We think he is still our best new-ball bowler when he gets it right so we’ll always give him the first few.”
Josh Hazlewood remains injured and will not play in Canberra, with Jhye Richardson handed another opportunity after performing admirably in the first Test.
Selectors also manifest faith with the batting line-up, meaning Will Pucovski, one of the brightest talents in the country, misses out again.
Australia’s batsmen have struggled over the summer, including a series defeat to India, with none managing to score a century.
“We’ve talked for a long time about scoring hundreds and the impacts that can have on winning games of cricket and individual careers,” coach Justin Langer said on SEN radio.
“It would be great to see one of the guys, or six of our guys, score a hundred. They’re all working hard towards that.”
Sri Lanka have their own worries with pace duo Lahiru Kumara and Dushmantha Chameera both ruled out injured.
They have also been dealing with off-field disruptions, including coach Chandika Hathurusingha being stripped of his team selection duties after Brisbane.
“It’s always tough for us as players with so many things happening, but whatever happens off the field we need to keep aside and control what we can control,” said skipper Dinesh Chandimal.
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Centuries from Burns, Head put Australia in control against Sri Lanka
Joe Burns and Travis Head plundered Australia’s first centuries of the home summer Friday in a stirring fightback as they ruthlessly exposed Sri Lanka’s inexperienced attack in the second Test at Canberra.
Australian skipper Tim Paine won the toss at the Manuka Oval and put his side in on a flat track conducive to batting, a gambit that paid off after some early wobbles.
At stumps, they were a commanding 384 for four with Burns not out 172 and Kurtis Patterson, who was dropped first ball, on 25.
Saeed Khan/ AFP
Head fell for 161 after a 308-run stand with Burns — Australia’s first stand over 200 since Steve Smith and Mitch Marsh achieved the feat in the third Test against England in December 2017.
Vishwa Fernando was the best of the bowlers with 3-99.
On a cool, overcast day, Burns and Head dug Australia out of a hole after they lost Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne cheaply to be in trouble at 28 for three.
After weathering the storm and as the new ball lost its shine, the pair started cashing in on Sri Lankan attack missing their top bowlers and fieldsmen who put down a host of chances.
“We knew the first hour was going to be tough, bit of grass on the wicket, so despite losing the three wickets we just knew we had to absorb the pressure,” said Burns.
“We also knew they were an inexperienced bowling attack that was going to present scoring opportunities if we got through those tough periods. Hopefully we can come out tomorrow and do much the same.”
Back in the side after being overlooked for series against Pakistan and India, opener Burns survived a dropped catch on 34, but was otherwise invincible and brought up his fourth Test ton off 147 balls with a single.
His 172 surpassed his previous high score of 170 against New Zealand in 2016.
Burns’ knock was the first century for Australia since Khawaja’s 141 against Pakistan in Dubai and October and only the second an Australian has scored since the Fifth Ashes Test in Sydney almost 13 months ago.
Vice-captain Head soon followed suit, reaching his maiden hundred off 155 balls in his eighth Test, capitalising on Dilruwan Perera dropping him on 87.
It puts the pair in prime position to be selected for the Ashes series later this year, with the Canberra Test — the first-ever in the nation’s capital — Australia’s last before their tour of England.
Dire start
Their partnership followed a dire start against a team they had beaten by an innings and 40 runs in the first Test at Brisbane.
Pace duo Lahiru Kumara and Dushmantha Chameera picked up injuries in that rout, with the inexperienced Kasun Rajitha and Fernando taking their place in Canberra.
And in a big blow, Suranga Lakmal, their best bowler in Brisbane, was ruled out on the morning of the Test with a stiff back, with debutant Chamika Karunaratne stepping in.
The three newcomers have only five Tests of experience between them, but they initially rose to the challenge.
“First hour the ball moved a bit and our bowlers were hitting the right areas,” said Karunaratne. “But after the first session… almost every over we gave a boundary. We have to stop that.”
Harris fell for 11 with a poorly executed square drive off Fernando caught at point by Karunarante.
The out-of-form Khawaja soon followed, lasting just three balls before being caught at slip by Kusal Mendis for nought, leaving Australia on 15 for two.
The gloom continued when Karunaratne struck with his fourth ball in Test cricket, removing Labuschagne with an excellent angled delivery for six, caught behind by Niroshan Dickwella.
Burns watched the carnage at the other end and dug in, playing only the loose balls as he bided his time and waited for the bowlers to wilt.
Head did the same with both men accelerating the run rate once the pressure of scoring centuries was past. Head was finally undone by Fernando, who snared him lbw.
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De Kock assault sinks Pakistan in series decider
Opening batsman Quinton de Kock launched an assault on Pakistan’s bowlers to set up a series-clinching win for South Africa in the fifth and final one-day international at Newlands on Wednesday.
De Kock slammed 83 off 58 balls as South Africa chased down a target of 241 with seven wickets and ten overs to spare to seal a 3-2 series win.
Rodger Bosch/AFP
“Quinny made it easy for the rest of the batters,” said South African captain Faf du Plessis, who said he was “extremely happy” with the way his team had played.
“Our best performance came tonight in a crunch game,” said Du Plessis. “The bowling was excellent and the fielding was really good. And when Quinny plays like he did tonight he’s extremely difficult to bowl to.”
While man-of-the-match De Kock sealed the win with his dazzling strokeplay, South Africa’s bowlers played a significant role by restricting Pakistan to 240 for eight despite an aggressive 70 by Fakhar Zaman.
While Zaman was at the crease, Pakistan were on course for a big total. He was fourth out after a 73-ball innings when the total was 128 in the 25th over. But the scoring rate slowed after his dismissal, with only 49 runs scored in the next 15 overs.
“Our top three batters got starts and we wanted them to capitalise,” said Pakistan stand-in captain Shoaib Malik, who has temporarily taken the role from Sarfraz Ahmed after the wicketkeeper was banned for making a racist remark about Andile Phehlukwayo.
“White-ball cricket is all about the first three batters.”
Malik congratulated opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq, who was named man of the series after scoring 271 runs at an average of 54.20 in five innings. “He is improving day by day,” said Malik.
Pakistan improving ahead of World Cup
Malik said he believed Pakistan were making good progress ahead of the World Cup in England and Wales, which starts on May 30.
“A good sign for Pakistan cricket is that we are fighting to the last ball. We are going forward.”
Imad Wasim, batting at number eight, gave the innings late impetus, hitting 47 not out off 31 balls. He struck sixes off Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada in the last two overs.
Medium-paced all-rounders Dwaine Pretorius and Phehlukwayo both took two wickets in a disciplined South African bowling performance.
The left-handed Zaman hit ten fours in making his first half-century after a sequence of low scores in both the Tests and the ODIs.
He was dropped on 20 when he slashed Rabada to Hashim Amla, who could not hold a sharp, chest-high chance.
Fellow left-hander De Kock went for his shots from the start of South Africa’s innings and had a let-off in the third over with his score on 12 when a mis-hit against Usman Shinwari looped to cover.
But after asking for a replay, umpire Gregory Brathwaite no-balled Shinwari for overstepping.
De Kock went on to hit 11 fours and three sixes before he was again caught off Shinwari, this time off a legal delivery, with substitute Hasan Ali taking a good running catch at deep midwicket.
With the required rate reduced to less than three an over, Du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen were untroubled in an unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership of 95, with both batsmen hitting half-centuries. Van der Dussen finished the match by hitting a straight six off leg-spinner Shadab Khan.
All five matches in the series were won by the side batting second.
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Uncapped Mitchell and Tickner earn New Zealand call-ups for T20 games
On Wednesday, the New Zealand selectors announced their squad for the T20 games against India with pacer Blair Tickner and batting all-rounder Daryll Mitchell earning their maiden call-ups to the national team. While Tickner is expected to join the squad only for the third game as a replacement for Lockie Ferguson, Mitchell will be available for selection in all three games.
Central Stags/Twitter
“Daryl has shown his value with the bat and also tends to bowl at some tough times for the Knights, and Blair is well-respected among his team-mates and opponents alike as someone who bowls a heavy ball at good pace,” New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said.
Mitchell boasts an impressive strike rate of 118 in domestic T20 games and has been in good form, having scored a blistering 61 off just 23 balls for the Northern Districts against Central Districts in the Twenty20 Super Smash last week.
Captain Kane Williamson returns to lead the side after sitting out the T20’s against Sri Lanka, with quickie Trent Boult being given a rest this time around. Henry Nicholls, who has been struggling for form of late, has been dropped with the squad along with Glenn Philips and Seth Rance.
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Sri Lanka suffer more setbacks ahead of Australia Test
Sri Lanka’s preparations for the final test against Australia suffered further setbacks Wednesday when coach Chandika Hathurusingha was stripped of his team selection responsibilities and their batting coach returned home for personal reasons.
Hathurusingha was officially removed from the on-tour selection panel, governing body Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said, although it is understood he still has a say on player decisions.
Ishara S.Kodikara/ AFP
“The majority decision of the manager, captain and members of the selection committee shall prevail on any selection made,” SLC said in a statement, without giving details about why the change was made.
It added that batting coach Jon Lewis was “on leave to attend a family matter”, with Avishka Gunawardena flying to Australia to replace him.
The news came as injured bowlers Lahiru Kumara and Dushmantha Chameera returned home after picking up injuries in the first Test in Brisbane.
Uncapped right arm fast bowler Chamika Karunaratne was picked to replace Kumara.
Sri Lanka are bidding to level the two-Test series in Canberra when it gets underway on Friday, after being thrashed by Australia by an innings and 40 runs in the first Test.
Sri Lanka recently lost their series against New Zealand 3-0 and face the prospect of being swept again.
