Every Mule Has Its Day

The final Test is on, the teams have retired for tea on the first day, Australia is on the back foot, it looks they are set to lose this match and thus the series and the Ashes. Whether Australia wins or loses does not bother me nor the possibility of England’s victory leaves any impression in my mind. The only thing I am grateful about is the exciting cricket that we got to watch from time to time. It was a relief to see England playing positively and not deliberately trying to slow things down, something that they are very good at doing. No wonder spectators in England kept away from cricket. Many must still be remembering the countless number of people who kept confessing to the TV camera that they were not aware that England was hosting the World Cup, several among them did not even know that cricket had a world cup and all this a day prior to the start of 1999 World Cup! It was the same World Cup where Pakistan lost to Bangladesh and that match continues to be under investigation. Six years later, playing in England, Australia lost to Bangladesh but there are no whispers this time.  

English cricket will continue to show improvement for another two years. Give it to the English their tenacity. They are like the mule; short on brain but strong on persistence. They always had a well-networked domestic cricket structure that started at the school level in the villages and went all the way up, there were spotters, spotters-cum-coaches and coaches. At the grass root these were usually the schoolteacher or the ubiquitous postman who went around spotting talent, most of the time they found none as the children were busy playing football or rugby or some other interesting game, very few got attracted to cricket. However, they persisted in their work, someone spotted a Flintoff, another found Hoggard and someone else found a Harmison. To this pool were added the immigrants Strauss, Pieterson and the like. Incidentally, no one owns up as having spotted Giles, he strayed into the team and stayed on in the absence of a better alternative. These players are yet to peak, which is a good sign and that is why the performance of the team will continue to improve for another two years. The English players are not an intelligent lot, though. Look at their bowling, it is the same stuff bowl after bowl and over after over; you will never find them trying to get a batsman by out thinking him. Don’t blame them; it is all in the genes you see.

In characteristic braggadocio English players, fans, media and administrators have started to claim that the ten years belongs to England, good luck to them but there is a team called Pakistan and a captain named Inzamam-ul Haq.