The 'way' to play the game

THE TEAMS participating in the recently concluded Champions League, though not national sides reflect a lot on the way the game is played in their nations. The Australians (read New South Wales) won the inaugural tournament and outplayed Trinidad & Tobago in the crunch game.

South Africa was aptly represented by the Cape Cobras, who despite being very good, ‘choked’ in the semi-final. The county sides from England lacked teeth, more of a reflection on the England’s international performance in the shorter versions of the game. The Indian sides did not capitalize on the home advantage and failed to even make it to the semi-finals.

This article is about the way the game is played, it is not the technique of batting or bowling that matters, it is the temperament, style and the approach towards the game. Let us look at the countries first. South Africa and New Zealand are two teams with exceptional fielding ability, above average individuals and great teamwork. It is said that in South Africa, a young cricketer is first taught the basics of fielding and he then moves on to learn batting or bowling. No wonder some of the best fielders come from the rainbow nation.
New Zealand is a team known to make up for their average lineups or team injuries by intelligent tactics, fielding abilities and simply good game sense. The teams from the Caribbean have their own style of playing - cool, hard-hitting but their unpredictable and hard to read expressions always make them a threat and so they were. The Australians play their cricket in a style of their own but they stick to it. They understand that their best cricket comes out when they sledge and admit it openly; prime examples, Shane Warne encouraging his team to sledge during their recent Ashes defeat or Mitchell Johnson sledging to get back in form. Though, probably not the cleanest way to play a sport but they play tough and have their basics in place. They always play the crucial games and the big moments well having already been tried, tested and well groomed in their domestic arena.

Big matches call for big players and Australians have always risen to the occasion. Shane Watson in the business end of Champions Trophy, Adam Gilchrist in WC 2007 final, Ponting and Co. in 2003 WC final are some examples.

Read More >> Airtel T20 Champions League, Champions League T20 Latest Updates