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Article by baggy_blogger -
For old and younger players there is a battle within that is never ending.
This is the battle for consistency within their respective games, where the competition never ends from the drive for continual improvement in their own game to the benchmarks set from the few elite players in their class. It is often good to try empathise with the players of this game to realise how fickle cricket is.
This summer has seen a return of players who were regular shows, having been dropped at some stage in recent times.
We’ve seen debutants in all forms of the game who have delivered the goods of promise and we’ve witnessed some incredible moments of senior players rising above all odds to put aside their inconsistency which put doubts over their longevity.
The thing that fascinates me is that in sport, especially with a rotation policy to ensure players don’t get exhaustion, a player is never established and his selection isn’t a given. He is never set with opportunity being a frequent occurrence in the current Australian cricket landscape and whilst his reputation may indicate this is so, a player knows this game is harsh and can turn on him in a few hours, even moments.
Let’s have a look at just a few players in the current setup to see these realities.
Ben Hilfenhaus was dropped after the Ashes where he was clearly affected by his knee injury which had seen a drop in self-confidence, weak technicalities within his bowling action and a loss of pace. After returning to rehabilitate and get back into the State cricket season to endure the long road to any chance of playing again for Australia, his opportunity came this summer and he delivered picking up 27 wickets, leading the bowling stats while also claiming his first 5 wicket haul in cricket. He ended up with two of these.
It was a successful comeback. Hilfy has showcased what initially put him on the scene and what he requires now is consistency. Consistency shows the supporters you offer unquestionable value but with the sudden increase in competition for bowling places in all forms of the game, this will be Hilfy’s major challenge.
Peter Siddle has been dropped before, like Hilfenhaus, and knows of the hunger to get back what you lost.
He was outstanding to watch in the recent Test series and gave it his all, regularly being called upon to get the breakthrough needed. He fights hard and after initially being a “one dimensional bowler” he now possesses more skill than most expected him to gain.
Given his style of bowling and his general skill set, this alone can bring about consistency as with Peter Siddle what you see is what you get.
David Warner has power and a freakish ability to brutally assault any bowling attack anywhere in the world.
It’s a special entertainment package he offers Australian cricket but he is also a batsman with skill.
You don’t get a Test selection call-up for being a Twenty20 cricketer. You get the call up if you are in actual fact a player with genuine ability, which he has shown in a few innings already.
His 180 at the WACA was breathtaking and this innings has been his showcase to ensure he gets selected as it’s common knowledge as to what he can bring to your side.
His issue is purely consistency!
He has been recalled to the ODI side. In the last ODI against Sri Lanka he looked good. Some of his drives were full of skill, perfect timing alone saw the ball rocket away to the boundaries.
If he can overcome this battle for consistency and string together more innings of higher value, which is more than capable of, he will be around for years to come and will become the most feared batsman.
Matthew Hayden is a player I see so much in David Warner’s game and attitude.
Ricky Ponting has been around for such a long time now that consistency is his battle to ensure he has establishment as his career starts to unwind.
It spiraled into something special this summer as Punter scored 544 runs in the Border-Gavaskar series with a double century at the Adelaide Oval (where the next ODI is to be played).
Consistency is what will keep his confidence levels at a high, given his records are pure indication of his value to the side. His ODI series has started off poorly and a big score is due soon but the lack of consistency can bring about doubt over place in the limited overs side and could force him to think of focusing solely on Test cricket.
This is not the case by any means at present as we’ve only seen two games played and Punter is an incredible batsman and such a tough, determined bloke! That is how he inspires people but within the context of this article, I am merely pointing out that consistency is far more fragile with where he is at with his cricket.
Michael Clarke has already achieved some special things as the Skipper.
His consistency exists within his own game but also his leadership, that is pressure! However his success this summer of monstrous proportions has ensured that he has far more support on his side and has gained the respect he was so desperate to gain from his supporters.
If he doesn’t have that yet, it’s a poor show from the supporters, but if the side were to beat South African in Australia next summer and win back the Urn from England, he’d be in a special place.
Given the brilliant performances he put in this summer, consistency would result in him achieving something record breaking which is an unrealistic expectation, but consistency to deliver series in series out is going? to be Clarkey’s battle as his leadership will continue to be tested but ultimate grow him as a player.
It is just as hard to go head to head with the battle for consistency when you’ve come off the greatest series of your personal career and lead your side to a low scoring victory with your own performance being match defining.
Matthew Wade has had a special start to his International career in Australia.
A half-century in his debut ODI innings in gripping style while also having taken 7 catches already (5 in the last game with a stumping) has showcased his skills as a keeper, which I never doubted.
He’s got the goods to be the best in the business, even if some of you may think that is early day speculation from me. He’s had a chance to get noticed at a young age which is due to opportunity at the expense of Tim Paine but Matt has shown his competitive instinct in doing so. Having seen a fair bit of him in recent years and the fact he has been given a few calls to represent Australia A, well that’s a bloke who is skilled to perform at the elite level.
Read the rest of the article here.
This article is from The Baggy Green Blog!
Thanks for reading this article written by Ian.
To comment on this article, click here.
More...
For old and younger players there is a battle within that is never ending.
This is the battle for consistency within their respective games, where the competition never ends from the drive for continual improvement in their own game to the benchmarks set from the few elite players in their class. It is often good to try empathise with the players of this game to realise how fickle cricket is.
This summer has seen a return of players who were regular shows, having been dropped at some stage in recent times.
We’ve seen debutants in all forms of the game who have delivered the goods of promise and we’ve witnessed some incredible moments of senior players rising above all odds to put aside their inconsistency which put doubts over their longevity.
The thing that fascinates me is that in sport, especially with a rotation policy to ensure players don’t get exhaustion, a player is never established and his selection isn’t a given. He is never set with opportunity being a frequent occurrence in the current Australian cricket landscape and whilst his reputation may indicate this is so, a player knows this game is harsh and can turn on him in a few hours, even moments.
Let’s have a look at just a few players in the current setup to see these realities.
Ben Hilfenhaus was dropped after the Ashes where he was clearly affected by his knee injury which had seen a drop in self-confidence, weak technicalities within his bowling action and a loss of pace. After returning to rehabilitate and get back into the State cricket season to endure the long road to any chance of playing again for Australia, his opportunity came this summer and he delivered picking up 27 wickets, leading the bowling stats while also claiming his first 5 wicket haul in cricket. He ended up with two of these.
It was a successful comeback. Hilfy has showcased what initially put him on the scene and what he requires now is consistency. Consistency shows the supporters you offer unquestionable value but with the sudden increase in competition for bowling places in all forms of the game, this will be Hilfy’s major challenge.
Peter Siddle has been dropped before, like Hilfenhaus, and knows of the hunger to get back what you lost.
He was outstanding to watch in the recent Test series and gave it his all, regularly being called upon to get the breakthrough needed. He fights hard and after initially being a “one dimensional bowler” he now possesses more skill than most expected him to gain.
Given his style of bowling and his general skill set, this alone can bring about consistency as with Peter Siddle what you see is what you get.
David Warner has power and a freakish ability to brutally assault any bowling attack anywhere in the world.
It’s a special entertainment package he offers Australian cricket but he is also a batsman with skill.
You don’t get a Test selection call-up for being a Twenty20 cricketer. You get the call up if you are in actual fact a player with genuine ability, which he has shown in a few innings already.
His 180 at the WACA was breathtaking and this innings has been his showcase to ensure he gets selected as it’s common knowledge as to what he can bring to your side.
His issue is purely consistency!
He has been recalled to the ODI side. In the last ODI against Sri Lanka he looked good. Some of his drives were full of skill, perfect timing alone saw the ball rocket away to the boundaries.
If he can overcome this battle for consistency and string together more innings of higher value, which is more than capable of, he will be around for years to come and will become the most feared batsman.
Matthew Hayden is a player I see so much in David Warner’s game and attitude.
Ricky Ponting has been around for such a long time now that consistency is his battle to ensure he has establishment as his career starts to unwind.
It spiraled into something special this summer as Punter scored 544 runs in the Border-Gavaskar series with a double century at the Adelaide Oval (where the next ODI is to be played).
Consistency is what will keep his confidence levels at a high, given his records are pure indication of his value to the side. His ODI series has started off poorly and a big score is due soon but the lack of consistency can bring about doubt over place in the limited overs side and could force him to think of focusing solely on Test cricket.
This is not the case by any means at present as we’ve only seen two games played and Punter is an incredible batsman and such a tough, determined bloke! That is how he inspires people but within the context of this article, I am merely pointing out that consistency is far more fragile with where he is at with his cricket.
Michael Clarke has already achieved some special things as the Skipper.
His consistency exists within his own game but also his leadership, that is pressure! However his success this summer of monstrous proportions has ensured that he has far more support on his side and has gained the respect he was so desperate to gain from his supporters.
If he doesn’t have that yet, it’s a poor show from the supporters, but if the side were to beat South African in Australia next summer and win back the Urn from England, he’d be in a special place.
Given the brilliant performances he put in this summer, consistency would result in him achieving something record breaking which is an unrealistic expectation, but consistency to deliver series in series out is going? to be Clarkey’s battle as his leadership will continue to be tested but ultimate grow him as a player.
It is just as hard to go head to head with the battle for consistency when you’ve come off the greatest series of your personal career and lead your side to a low scoring victory with your own performance being match defining.
Matthew Wade has had a special start to his International career in Australia.
A half-century in his debut ODI innings in gripping style while also having taken 7 catches already (5 in the last game with a stumping) has showcased his skills as a keeper, which I never doubted.
He’s got the goods to be the best in the business, even if some of you may think that is early day speculation from me. He’s had a chance to get noticed at a young age which is due to opportunity at the expense of Tim Paine but Matt has shown his competitive instinct in doing so. Having seen a fair bit of him in recent years and the fact he has been given a few calls to represent Australia A, well that’s a bloke who is skilled to perform at the elite level.
Read the rest of the article here.
This article is from The Baggy Green Blog!
Thanks for reading this article written by Ian.
To comment on this article, click here.
More...
