England's Bowlers Tried To Bowl The Team Back Into The 2023 Cricket World Cup
The cricket fan's heart must surely feel for the English cricket team. The current World Champion in ODI Cricket looks nothing like the side that has given 'Bazball' to Test Cricket. With the loss in the Ind vs Eng World Cup 2023 round-robin phase match, England's chances of getting into the semi-finals have almost vaporized.
One of Cool Chilli's pet peeves about this second most followed game in the world (after football) is the weightage given to batters especially in deciding the Player Of The Match (at least in men's cricket).
Rohit Plays A Captain's Knock But...
Rohit Sharma played a Captain's knock to help India set up a total that would still be far short of their initial objective. The sky is the limit if we have the zest and time favours us. But even SKY (Surya Kumar Yadav) has his limits and though he & KL Rahul contributed well to improve India's total, they also perished in the process.
But If Not Shami Alone, Why Not Shami-Bumrah Jointly As 'Player Of The Match'??
One of Cool Chilli's pet peeves about this second most followed game in the world (after football) is the weightage given to batters especially in deciding the Player Of The Match (at least in men's cricket). Funny that an overwhelming majority of these awards are given to batters. The data needs to be validated, but it could be almost two-thirds to batsmen. If the judges felt that Shami had not been singularly outstanding, maybe they could have given the award to Shami & Bumrah together.
Boom Boom Bumrah Opens The Gates To England's Doom
The first couple of overs in England's innings gave no indication of the trouble in store for them. They began merrily enough thanks to Siraj. But Bumrah infused life into India's bid to stop England by removing Malan and Root off successive deliveries.
English Batters Left Shami-faced
Despite Bumrah kindling hope for India's chances, it was Mohammed Shami who seamed the match India's way. Shami tore the heart out of the English innings by neutralizing Stokes & Bairstow quickly and Moeen Ali a while later when Rohit handed him the ball. Ali and Livingstone had been building a good partnership that could have turned this Ind vs Eng world cup tie the other way.
One may say Bumrah possibly even frustrated Surya Kumar Yadav at the other end by holding on to the strike when it was absolutely not expected of him.
Cricketing Sense As Critical As Batting & Bowling Ability
Batting, bowling and fielding skills are non-negotiable of course, but mental toughness and good cricketing sense help turn the tide in a team's favour. This often makes the difference in a match, whether we bat or field first. Ashwin shows a fair bit of this. Battle toughened warhorse Mohammed Shami could easily be one of the top five (currently active) bowlers in one's list. But the way he took a single off the last ball of the over when he had just come in to bat (and only to perish in the next over) is telling.
Bumrah Is A Great Bowler But...
Bumrah is a great bowler but who betrayed his lack of cricketing sense while batting yesterday. Especially with a well set SKY at the other end, he need not have held on to the strike for the number of balls he did. Chances of him scoring a 30+ over as he did in a test match against England are best taken when the batsman at the other end is not an established batter.
With pure cricketing skills not really a big differentiator between mature teams and with newer nations (in the ICC) increasingly closing in with their improved hard skills, India would anyway do well to ensure cricketing soft skills are not sidelined.
Teams Worthy Of Championships Need To Plug These Seemingly Little Gaps
One may say Bumrah possibly even frustrated Surya Kumar Yadav at the other end by holding on to the strike when it was absolutely not expected of him. These tendencies may even force an established and well-set batter at the other end to be more indiscrete when he does get the strike. The pressure of making up for lost time/ overs is on the more recognized batter.
In Ending...
India looks the most formidable team in this edition of the World Cup, even eluding the law of averages thus far. But the law will prevail. The die-hard Indian fan may hope sooner (before the knock-out stages) or later (after the World Cup). But with pure cricketing skills not really a big differentiator between mature teams and with newer nations (in the ICC) increasingly closing in with their improved hard skills, India would anyway do well to ensure cricketing soft skills are not sidelined.
