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| Image Credit: en.wikibooks.org Image Design: Bala Kumar |
Hello
Sports lovers,
June was an
exciting month with lots of sporting actions across the globe. Cricket lovers
witnessed beginning of a new season of
international cricket post completion of IPL. It was a much awaited test series
against the Englishmen that kick started a new era in Indian test cricket under
newly appointed captain Shubman Gill. Though the start to his leadership journey
wasn’t fruitful as his team suffered a heavy loss in the opening test match
despite a strong batting performance. Another
subcontinent legend Angelo Mathews bid goodbye to test cricket during the first
test against Bangladesh. Though Angelo’s cricketing journey could have been a
much glorifying one if he wouldn’t have to deal with consistent injury blows
throughout his career. Nevertheless he seemed to be content with his test
cricket journey as he ended up as the third highest run getter in test cricket
for Sri Lanka behind legends Sangakkara & Jayawardene.
In another
new beginning Roston Chase, the newly appointed West Indies men’s test captain
started his journey against the mighty Aussies though he too had a
disappointing start. Newly crowned World
Test Champions South Africa started their journey post championship win with a
relatively new look team against Zimbabwe. In women’s cricket Indian women had
a great start to the T20I series when they beat England in the opening match
courtesy a brilliant hundred by captain Smriti Mandhana. In terms of franchise
cricket the USA continued to witness a
surge in its love for cricket when a new season of Major League Cricket (MLC)
ensured guaranteed entertainment through some fascinating T20 matches.
In another world the tennis lovers are eagerly waiting for the most popular tennis tournament in Wimbledon starting at the end of the month. But our this edition of Sports Talk Of The Month is definitely going to feature the story that kind of brought together an entire country that witnessed its biggest cricketing success at the global stage in a long time.
South
Africa’s victory in the recently concluded World Test Championship final
(2023-2025 cycle) is a story of resilience, passion & indomitable
spirit. This is their first ICC title in 27 years after their ICC Champions Trophy win back in 1998. Over the years they have come close to winning global cricketing titles many a times but all
those occasions eventually turned out to be heartbreaks for the players &
fans. Their disappointing performances in knockout games of world cups have
earned them the embarrassing chokers tag. But at the same time it’s a fact that
they have been a real force in international cricket all these years irrespective of the format. Some
of the legends of the game have played the
game for this passionate cricket loving nation including Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn, Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Allan
Donald to name a few. But sadly the glory of winning a world title eluded all
of them. Now finally they have broken the jinx by defeating arguably the most
fearsome opponents as far as ICC tournament finals are concerned.
Since the
Proteas booked their ticket for the WTC final earlier this year criticisms kept on
pouring regarding their place in the final. It was mainly due to the fact that they
haven’t beaten top sides like India, Australia or England during the cycle. But
the team has hardly anything to do with that since the itinerary is planned by the board. The format of WTC
cycle is anyways under the scanner since its inception due to the discrepancy
in the number of games played by all the teams. It’s a fact that South Africa
played lot less games than India , Australia or England in the last cycle but
that is something needs to be taken care by ICC. Barring the big three (India,
Australia, England) rest of the countries kept on harping for more number of
test matches but ICC is yet to find a way out that can strike a balance between
the number of matches played by different teams.
Coming back
to the Proteas’ triumph, it was definitely a moment for a lifetime. They didn’t
just fight hard for this victory rather gave it their all. But let us be well
aware that this win was not a fluke as there have been many opportunities
created by this team in last couple of
years to suggest that they were nearing something spectacular. Their fans wouldn’t
have forgotten a recent heartbreak when they lost the T20I world cup final last
year after being in a dominant position to seal the title. Another year back
they were knocked out by the eventual champions Australia in the semis of ODI
World Cup. At the test match arena they have been stable for a while now &
are in the process of building a rock solid team for the future. This victory
will surely work as a catalyst to such aspirations. Even in terms of financial
aspects this win is of greater importance as it would infuse a new lease of
inspiration to the African countries who have been struggling financially for a
while now. Now let’s have a quick look on some of the major factors behind this historic win.
Strong
Leadership Group
Behind any
big success there are always some strong minds. This historic win was no
different. South African men’s team is blessed to have a well-coordinated system
between the players & coaching staff. In head coach Shukri Conrad they have
a tactically sound figure well supported by batting coach Ashwell Prince who
himself was a terrific performer in red ball cricket. Among the players designated
vice captain Aiden Markram, experienced
bowling duo of Rabada & Maharaj were always there with valuable inputs to
guide a rather young unit in the right direction. Last but not the least Temba
Bavuma, an ever underestimated captain
& player has been instrumental in getting this team to where they are now.
Bavuma might not be the most flamboyant individual on or off the field but he is someone who is well aware of his strengths & weaknesses and works within that. Tactically he is one of the best and he has exhibited that in previous tournaments too. As a batter again he might not be one of the modern day legends with some dazzling stats but definitely a proper team man who can adapt very quickly as per the situation. His 2nd innings knock under immense physical pain during the WTC final was one for the ages & real testament to a leader’s character.
He keeps things simple and backs his on
field resources immensely. Same can be said about his deputy Markram too who
is a calm character & delivers when it matters. He might have been adjudged
the player of the match for his fantastic century in the 2nd innings
but for me he created an even bigger moment in the 1st innings when
he got rid of a well settled Steve Smith. That wicket had a real big impact on
the overall game situation. All in all it is fair to say that with two calm
on field leaders & a strong coaching group behind the scenes this inspired group
is well set for bigger milestones.
Consistency
is the key
Consistency in selection is a key ingredient for the success recipe of any team. We have seen how teams in past have got the results for backing certain players or even a core group through all ups & downs. Current South African men’s red ball setup is a young yet dynamic bunch. They have players who might not have tons of experience at the highest level but has the zeal to perform. If we look at their playing eleven of the WTC final except Rabada & to some extent Markram they didn’t have any well known face or a crowd favorite legend in their team. But still that team was good enough to beat a star studded Australian side. They backed this group of players for a while now and now they are getting the results. In fact their backing of Rabada for the final despite his recent involvement in unauthorized drug intake case has brought fruitful results. Key players’ test retirements or backing out of central contracts hasn’t affected their long term goal of building a successful team. That’s what all the great teams do. They keep on marching despite all the obstacles. Seems like the Proteas are well & truly on their way of achieving their true potential.
That’s all for now. With lot of sporting actions lined up stay tuned here for more interesting stories.
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