Cricket is a game
played at the international level by
almost 12 odd countries and it is rapidly emerging in many other associate
member countries. Like soccer, hockey
and basketball it is also a team sport comprising of 11 players and 3 or 4
reserve players. Uptill now I have mentioned only the obvious facts which are
known to all and sundry. The lesser known or lets say there are some
aspects and facets of the game which are
also known to all but never mentioned during any conversation amongst the
common fans and admirers of this great game. Through this article I would be making an honest and a humble attempt to
lay emphasis on these lesser talked about facts and the various parameters of
this game which set it apart from other global team sport.
The pitch and the playing conditions.
- unlike the other on field sports like soccer or tennis where
the playing conditions do have an impact on the sport, in cricket the actual
playing area ie the 22 yards strip is a
matter of great curiosity amongst the players and most often is prepared
catering to the strength of the home team. The playing conditions are so
diverse that a home team enjoys a huge
advantage while the same team when playing abroad the record is as different as
chalk and cheese. Just like in tennis where the players find it difficult to
adjust to clay court and grass court and only the truly great players win
consistently on these diverse playing surfaces, there is great sense of disparity between the home and
away records of a majority of teams in cricket. The mental side of a player is
tested when a tennis player plays a French open even though the basics of the
game remains the same and the quick ability to adapt himself to adjust to the bounce and the pace of the
tennis court is what separates him from
the rest. We often hear cricket pundits
and commentators attributing a failure
in the fast and bouncy conditions as a
lack of stomach for a fight and a distinct weakness in character, ( pretty strong words those though I have
often wondered what has character got to do with a technical and mental
deficiency to adapt to the rising ball ) on the contrary a failure in slow and low conditions in the subcontinent is attributed to a lack of skill factor and
the ability or the lack of it to play with soft hands against slow bowlers.
The prevaling atmospheric conditions –
believe it or not the prevaling conditions surrounding the ground dictate
the decisions of the captains to bat
or bowl first at the time of toss. In moist and damp conditions the
captain winning the toss invariably chooses to bowl first and make best use of
the conducive conditions especially in countries like England and New Zealand,
the toss can prove to be decisive if the conditions are damp on the morning of
the game. Even though the prevaling ground conditions do make an impact on
other sports like soccer or tennis but they
have a huge influence in deciding the playing XI. A ball tends to
swing prodigiously in damp conditions where as it tends to reverse a great deal
in dry and abrasive conditions.
Different bowling combinations – normally in conditions helpful
to swing and seam bowling the
captains select at least 3 genuine swing
/ seam bowlers in the side. The batsmen are tested in the initial 15 -20 overs
during a test match where they tend to play with a bit of caution and later when they adjust to the moving ball
and the fact that the bowlers need a bit of a breather after a long spell, the same batsmen throw caution
to the wind after being set in the middle.the batsmen are tested with a leg spinner / off break bowler where a
leg spinner usually turns the ball away from the right hander and in to a left hander, the offie does the
vice versa turing it away from the left
hander and in to a right handed batsman. As compared to other sports nowhere do
we come across a sportsman who has to
face such diverse and separate skill of opponents. There are very few batsmen who are good
against pace and spin bowling. Just like any walk of life, the truly great
batsmen always tend to be equally good of pace and spin.. The fielding captain
uses these bowlers in a combination to break the rythom of a well settled
batsman.
Different break intervals – soccer and
tennis are very fast and action sport where a soccer game finishes in less than 2 hours and a tennis game can take
3-4 hours, cricket is comparatively slower moving sport which takes atleast 7-8
hours during a n ODI and is played over 5 days during a test match. Especially during a test match it is
invariably seen that a batsman is seen cruising for a couple of hours and
immediately after a lunch or a tea
interval, his concentration wavers and the entire flow of his batting is
disturbed which leads to his dismissal and more than the bowler claiming his
wicket it is sheer fatigue or lack of concentration after an interval which causes his downfall.
Cricket is a unique sport where a bowler can make mistakes and he will be
punished by the batsmen for plenty of runs, where as a single mistake is more
or less enough for a batsmen to be dismissed back in the pavilion.
A game within a game – C.L.R James in his book cricket – beyond
the boundary, had aptly stated that cricket is a game within a game. Cricket it
is said is played 10% on the field and 90%
in the mind. On the whole it is a
fascinating contest between bat and ball but from deeper within, there are many
mini contests which are a very crucial aspect of the game. How else do we
explain that a particular batsman or a bowler enjoys playing against a
particular team or at a particular
venue. VVS Laxman was a magnificent player by any standards but always brought his top game against the aussies and
particularly at the eden gardens venue at kolkata he has an enviable record as
if he was playing in his backyard. Most
players have their favourite venues where they just feel good about themselves
and raise their performances. Inspite of being a team game, individual
performances are also of importance if
at all they add up to the team cause.
