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- Jan 13, 2010
Article by AngryAngy -
Goddamn Bradman
Once upon a time there was a portly blond 23 year old from St Kilda. He averaged about 52 for Victoria and was picked to play the Test against India. The rest, as they say is history. Well, of course, ignoring that he got caned by India. And later by Sri Lanka.
It’s not really a pretty picture when you frame it this way, is it? The success is glossed over, because it’s yet to come. However, that’s the position Australians face whenever someone particularly new is called up. We don’t even do the courtesy of watching a guy play before prejudging him. It’s worth asking whether a Warne could even flourish if selection bayed to such scrutiny.
Still, stories have to start somewhere. Generally speaking, the happy ending isn’t at the start.
You’d think there’d be a few less blowhards in the ‘bring back Warnie’ camp now after his BBL season, but there are still enough. And they’re vocal, because Australia doesn’t have a lot of spinners. It’s even got injured spinners at the moment. It’s very easy to get behind Warne, even if it is pointless. The methods for picking spinners over recent times haven’t been the most orthodox, though to be fair, there are not many spinners left in Australia who haven’t had a gig at some point. That said, if we consider Lyon to be a successful selection, then the best policy might be to take lots of risks until you find one you can tolerate for more than a couple of series. Indeed, that one shining example from history was one of the more speculative picks. And it certainly wasn’t because Tim May was inconceivably horrible.
I doubt so many were right there with Warne when he swept into the Test team. Everyone knows how good Warne became after playing Tests for a year or two, but few care that he came in as a nobody. Even the English were like “who?” in 1993, by which time he’d had a couple of good games. Many want to tell you how good the champions of yesterday were, few can tell you the methods of finding or training such players, or what it was like to see them develop.
All I’m saying is, if a young fella lands an exceedingly good position because a few keen eyes think he looks the part, then it really doesn’t hurt to have an optimistic eye. Players of all ages can surprise. And what’s a good story without a few twists?
More...
Goddamn BradmanOnce upon a time there was a portly blond 23 year old from St Kilda. He averaged about 52 for Victoria and was picked to play the Test against India. The rest, as they say is history. Well, of course, ignoring that he got caned by India. And later by Sri Lanka.
It’s not really a pretty picture when you frame it this way, is it? The success is glossed over, because it’s yet to come. However, that’s the position Australians face whenever someone particularly new is called up. We don’t even do the courtesy of watching a guy play before prejudging him. It’s worth asking whether a Warne could even flourish if selection bayed to such scrutiny.
Still, stories have to start somewhere. Generally speaking, the happy ending isn’t at the start.
You’d think there’d be a few less blowhards in the ‘bring back Warnie’ camp now after his BBL season, but there are still enough. And they’re vocal, because Australia doesn’t have a lot of spinners. It’s even got injured spinners at the moment. It’s very easy to get behind Warne, even if it is pointless. The methods for picking spinners over recent times haven’t been the most orthodox, though to be fair, there are not many spinners left in Australia who haven’t had a gig at some point. That said, if we consider Lyon to be a successful selection, then the best policy might be to take lots of risks until you find one you can tolerate for more than a couple of series. Indeed, that one shining example from history was one of the more speculative picks. And it certainly wasn’t because Tim May was inconceivably horrible.
I doubt so many were right there with Warne when he swept into the Test team. Everyone knows how good Warne became after playing Tests for a year or two, but few care that he came in as a nobody. Even the English were like “who?” in 1993, by which time he’d had a couple of good games. Many want to tell you how good the champions of yesterday were, few can tell you the methods of finding or training such players, or what it was like to see them develop.
All I’m saying is, if a young fella lands an exceedingly good position because a few keen eyes think he looks the part, then it really doesn’t hurt to have an optimistic eye. Players of all ages can surprise. And what’s a good story without a few twists?
More...
