Pata
03-11-2007, 06:09 PM
The modern games demands 300 per cent effort and commitment. Some players are falling woefully short.
When players go on to the cricket field, they are not clocking in and out. Virender Sehwag (India) and Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) need to realise that they represent a nation that expects them to contribute. With the Sri Lankan skipper, I still cannot understand what happened to the once gritty performer and concerning Sehwag, I will keep my mouth shut.
This article is not about individuals, rather about their status as "unpaid" employees who turn up, clock-in, play some shots and clock-out, and that's it. They do the clock-in and clock-out procedure efficiently, but forget that nine-to-five employees should stay at the office for the stipulated time. Without being too harsh, we should ask whether these players deserve the amount of adulation they get from their respective countries.
I have no personal axe to grind, but, when I see Sachin Tendulkar giving 300 per cent on the field (100 per cent for batting, bowling and fielding) and Sehwag not giving 100 percent for anything, I start to think 80-20 concept - where the majority of work is done by a few people. And it's no good saying that if a batsman fails, he can fill in with some bowling. That is true only in the case of few players (read, all-rounders). For example, Sanath Jayasuriya is a player who will put in maximum effort - if he goes cheaply rest assured that he will bamboozle the opposition with his bowling or sharp catching.
When I start watching a particular match, I already know a certain number of players who will perform in spite of the pitch/ tempo/ mood/ importance of the game. The interesting thing is that players who time and again prove their value, never complain about the also-rans, while one-match wonders drone on about preparation, meditation, concentration, family issues, opportunities - everything except cricket.
Here is my list of '300 per centers':..
Paul Collingwood, Darren Gough, Andrew Flintoff, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Stephen Fleming, Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kuamara Sangakarra, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan.
Now comes the list of 'one-hit wonders' who might score a double century or take a five-for in a match and then do nothing for 20 games...
Shoaib Akhtar, Virendar Sehwag, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Sami, Ashish Nehra, Brett Lee, Michael Clarke, Brad Hogg, Mitchell Johnson, James Anderson, Herschelle Gibbs.
The moral of the story is, if you are clocking in, then do a proper day's work.
Link (http://www.sportingo.com/cricket/crickets-time-wasters-like-sehwag-are-ruining-their-countrys-chances-of-success/1001,2664#comment)
When players go on to the cricket field, they are not clocking in and out. Virender Sehwag (India) and Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) need to realise that they represent a nation that expects them to contribute. With the Sri Lankan skipper, I still cannot understand what happened to the once gritty performer and concerning Sehwag, I will keep my mouth shut.
This article is not about individuals, rather about their status as "unpaid" employees who turn up, clock-in, play some shots and clock-out, and that's it. They do the clock-in and clock-out procedure efficiently, but forget that nine-to-five employees should stay at the office for the stipulated time. Without being too harsh, we should ask whether these players deserve the amount of adulation they get from their respective countries.
I have no personal axe to grind, but, when I see Sachin Tendulkar giving 300 per cent on the field (100 per cent for batting, bowling and fielding) and Sehwag not giving 100 percent for anything, I start to think 80-20 concept - where the majority of work is done by a few people. And it's no good saying that if a batsman fails, he can fill in with some bowling. That is true only in the case of few players (read, all-rounders). For example, Sanath Jayasuriya is a player who will put in maximum effort - if he goes cheaply rest assured that he will bamboozle the opposition with his bowling or sharp catching.
When I start watching a particular match, I already know a certain number of players who will perform in spite of the pitch/ tempo/ mood/ importance of the game. The interesting thing is that players who time and again prove their value, never complain about the also-rans, while one-match wonders drone on about preparation, meditation, concentration, family issues, opportunities - everything except cricket.
Here is my list of '300 per centers':..
Paul Collingwood, Darren Gough, Andrew Flintoff, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Stephen Fleming, Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kuamara Sangakarra, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan.
Now comes the list of 'one-hit wonders' who might score a double century or take a five-for in a match and then do nothing for 20 games...
Shoaib Akhtar, Virendar Sehwag, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Sami, Ashish Nehra, Brett Lee, Michael Clarke, Brad Hogg, Mitchell Johnson, James Anderson, Herschelle Gibbs.
The moral of the story is, if you are clocking in, then do a proper day's work.
Link (http://www.sportingo.com/cricket/crickets-time-wasters-like-sehwag-are-ruining-their-countrys-chances-of-success/1001,2664#comment)