In hope

Change. Never stops. We all know that.
But sometimes change occurs so quickly and so drastically that you are often left wondering, "How could this happen?" or like "How could it come to this?".

Like in cricket itself, a game of skill, endurance and technique before we know it is a "who can hit the ball the hardest?" contest. Also a decade ago we would laugh at a guy who said that scoring (or chasing) 100 in the last 10 overs was possible. Today not only is it possible but is also branded "comfortable" by today's commentators and pundits. A lot of sports undergo changes. But nothing can compare to what cricket has gone through in the past decade. Whether it is for the good or not is a debate that is reserved for another day.

Another example of quick and drastic change is the West Indies cricket team. Before I say anything let me confirm that I am a big fan of West Indian Cricket. And to be frank who isn't? They are the one team that seem to be loved universally. Everybody likes aggressive batsmen, athletic fielders and tall and lethal fast bowlers. Except that, there don't seem to be any tall fast bowlers anymore. In fact the irony is that their tallest bowler (Benn) is a spinner. It is as though the average height of the West Indian fast bowler has decreased by at least a foot.(btw I have no stats to support that statement. It was more of a calculated(wild) guess.). But I would be stupid to suggest that the only thing that has changed in West Indies cricket over the past 15 years is the height of their fast bowlers.

When I think of the West Indies team 15 years back I recall the brilliant fast bowlers spearheaded by Walsh and Ambrose. Clever and aggressive batsmen like Richardson, Hooper and a young Brian Lara. Fast forward 15 years and you have team comprising Gayle, Bravo, Ramdin ,Edwards and the experienced Chandepaul and Sarwan. A talented team with a number of emerging stars in the ranks as well.

On paper both the teams seem well balanced but while the West Indian team of the 90's were a threatening bunch and always hard to beat, the team of today have become victims of the quote "They are better than what their performance suggests." And I couldn't agree more because they ARE better than that.There is no doubt that, the team on their day, can beat anyone in world cricket. There is enough talent, experience and depth in their squad to not only compete but also succeed in the international level. And not many, I believe will disagree to that.

So, the question has to be asked, Why aren't they as successful as they should be? To be honest, I have no idea why they aren't. But you get the feeling that having hit rock bottom, there is only one direction in which the team can move from here - UP. Maybe, just maybe, a resurgence is round the corner.

As I mentioned earlier, a lot of things have changed. But some things never change. Like the way in which the West Indians play their cricket. They always have a blast while they play and one thing that you can always expect while seeing them play is aggressive and attacking cricket.(that's two things actually). And they rarely disappoint, on both counts.
Long live the calypso cricket. Long live the Windies.

That Awesome Bat

Star Cricket is a TV channel owned by the espn star company, and as the name suggests is a channel completely devoted to cricket. I am a fan of the channel and its crew, which is quite impressive and needs another post. Among its various innovative programs and shows, one is the Australian Cricket Weekly, which tells you about the happenings down under. Of course, the usual course consists of the county fare, followed by some star reports and some such. But the week last, it took a turn towards the interesting.

Last weeks program consisted of a look at a dying industry as far as the sport is concerned. Handmade bats. The bat maker, showed us the painstaking process of bringing a piece of willow to life. He used primeval tools to shave and shape the bat not unlike those used by the hero in Surf's up. And finally told us what differentiates a handmade bat from a mass produced one. The wedge in the cricket bat is present only n handmade bats and the handle itself is a little asymmetrical to provide extra grip and balance.

The bat maker was the provider of weapons to such renowned bat smiths such as Brian Lara, Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist. Nowadays the bats are from huge brands, industry made with exactly cylindrical handles which provide no cutting edge. And more importantly they are no more personal. To top it all off the hand made bats are cheaper....

All this reminded me of my cricketing days. Of the commonly owned team bats, terms such as seasoning and oiling. The need to play in uniform conditions... I was a proud owner of such a bat. I got to be the owner de facto as I was the single largest contributor. The pains we took to service the bat.. The sports shop guy would apply the oil and give it to us. And I would everyday bat with it, hitting the old ball in the sock a billion times to season it and develop the sweet spot. It was an unimaginable crime if somebody played tennis ball cricket with a seasoned bat as it was supposed to ruin it. And no more could somebody throw the bat in frustration..

In the times where the bat is all sweet spot like this one, I think such sentimentalities of the bat have breathed their last. But one can only hope..


P.S: The mongoose has taken the term using the long handle to whole new levels. (sorry couldn't resist)