Michael Jeh
Are Test batsmen maturing quicker these days?
Of late Rahane, Robson, Ballance and Stokes have all made hundreds in their first five Tests. Does that point to a larger trend?
Michael Jeh
22-Jul-2014
Has batting become a whole lot easier in the last decade or so? Or are batsmen entering the international game more battle-hardened and more ready for instant success than was the case in the past?
I contemplated this theory just this week when Ajinkya Rahane peeled off a masterful Test century at Lord's, hot on the heels of recent hundreds from Sam Robson, Gary Ballance and Ben Stokes early in their Test careers. I then did a quick calculation in my head and immediately came up with a few other batsmen who have scored Test centuries early in their careers (see below). So why is this? Despite the so-called threats to technique from ODI and T20 cricket, are Test batsmen maturing quicker these days?
So I looked at Test squads around the world to see if there's a discernible pattern. Looking at say the 15 players in and around the national squads, how many of these batsmen scored a century in at least one of their first five Tests? What might this suggest to inform my hypothesis?
Full postThe value of a cricketer's brand
Andrew Strauss will recover from the indiscreet remark he made about Kevin Pietersen, but his image won't be entirely as it was
Michael Jeh
10-Jul-2014
As someone who spends a lot of time working with young athletes on developing a strong "personal brand" that endures through their sporting careers, I watch the evolution of sporting brands with close interest. Athletes typically go through a brand maturity process as their careers blossom, but generally the essence of their personality remains fairly consistent while the rough edges are smoothed: the finished product is a legacy that endures long after the boots have been hung up.
Ricky Ponting is a case in point. His brash and perky image never really changed, but as he matured into an elder statesman of the game, he grew into that expectation of maturity. Occasionally the Mowbray Mauler side to him escaped from the bottle, even after he was captain, but by then his genius was unquestioned, the media had grown to respect the man, and his brand value is likely to maintain its integrity as he joins the pantheon of greats.
Shane Warne likewise - throughout his playing career and beyond, he has remained consistent to his brand. Not all of it has been entirely wholesome but his consistency (even in a negative sense) has actually been his strength. Experts in the field of image management will probably tell you that consistency is the key to a strong brand that stands the test of time, even if staying true means committing the odd indiscretion.
Full postIn quest of the ideal junior coaching system
More Australian states should look at the model created by NSW and Victoria
Michael Jeh
24-Jun-2014
My recent piece questioning whether inclusivity and excellence were mutually exclusive prompted much correspondence. I received a letter from none other than Peter Smith, father of the current Australian batsman Steven. An eloquent and thoughtful man, his wisdom was not just that of a parent who had nurtured a precociously talented son through the junior system (and beyond) but also gained from being the long-time president of a large junior cricket association in greater Sydney. Speaking to him at length, it came as no surprise to see why Steve is blossoming as a Test batsman of some note and being touted as a future leader. The apple rarely falls far from the tree.
NSW and Victoria have a junior cricket system that is not adopted by some of the other states, much to their detriment methinks. Their best young players are graded and then challenged throughout their junior cricket by playing against the best cricketers of their genre. I suspect many subcontinental junior systems operate similarly.
When I was a child growing up in Colombo, I distinctly remember the cut-throat nature of trying to get in the A's at St Thomas College, Mt Lavinia, a famous cricketing nursery a few decades ago but increasingly less so now, I assume. It's impossible to imagine how players like Sachin Tendulkar, Mushtaq Mohammad, Mohammad Amir, Arjuna Ranatunga and even Shahid Afridi could have succeeded at Test level in their teens if their development was not significantly fast-tracked.
Full postWhat's more important: participating or getting better?
If clubs in junior cricket focus solely on retaining players year after year, there is bound to be a dilution in talent and the level of competition
Michael Jeh
10-Jun-2014
In response to my most recent piece on junior cricket in Australia, I received this message from an international coach:
"Really enjoyed the article on cricinfo on the trend to incentivise mediocrity and 'turning up' to play for children. It creates an 'unreal' world for children where there is a utopian fairness to learning, which has no grounding in the real world. Being challenged, stimulated and stretched within our range is central to the learning process and finding out how good we can be, even if it's in the third team. I think so much of this is because learning is now controlled by adults who seem to have forgotten that children learn through play and amazingly don't need parents or coaches to learn. My generation of the '70s and '80s learnt cricket, soccer and rugby at the oval, in the street, the garden and in playing ... there was no adult interference other than a lift to the game on Saturday morning and a few well-intentioned, but usually misinformed words from a parent who acted as umpire and team manager."
Prompted by this erudite analysis, my next few articles will focus on tackling some issues relating to junior pathways. While the focus will be on the Australian system, global feedback is encouraged. The contrast between junior systems around the world will be fascinating - each with its own advantages and drawbacks.
Full postWhatever happened to playing for the love of the game?
There seems to be a trend in junior sport in Australia of rewarding kids for just turning up to play
Michael Jeh
29-May-2014
May is usually when the Australian federal government hands down its budget. At cricket clubs throughout the country, it is also the month when most trophy nights (awards and prizes) are held.
Regarding the budget, we've been told in no uncertain terms that the age of entitlement is now officially over. Cuts in expenditure, government-assistance programmes, health benefits, university subsidies and the like are due to be introduced to a populace unaccustomed to "tough love", even at the height of the global financial crisis. Apparently Australia can no longer afford an assumption of entitlement and privilege if we are to remain internationally competitive.
As a parent of young children in junior sport, I am now witnessing this sense of entitlement among a cohort of parents and children. I pause to ponder the long-term implications for a generation that is growing up with the notion that sport is a pursuit where everybody gets a prize, regardless of ability and effort. Participation alone is being held up as a trophy. There appears to be a disturbing trend among parents (and to a lesser extent coaches, who are usually volunteer parents) to celebrate and commemorate the mere act of participation, as if that is deserving of a prize or medal.
Full postAustralia's rise and the climb ahead
Under Michael Clarke, they have had a fantastic summer. But can they continue to keep the competition at bay in Tests, and win the World Cup?
Michael Jeh
05-May-2014
Australia's rapid ascent to the throne is a success story written in many parts but also painted on a single canvas. Barely six months ago, many cricket pundits, including myself, would not have predicted Australia's rise to No. 1 in Test cricket and ODIs. At the time there appeared to be too many cracks and not enough glue. What we have seen since has been a triumph that started with backs to the wall but soon became a snowball that gathered momentum, sweeping aside England and South Africa.
Two key factors stand out for me. Mitchell Johnson's enduring hostility was not something that could possibly have been predicted after the Ashes in England. He showed glimpses of it in India, during the high-scoring ODI series, but who amongst us would have predicted the chaos he caused in eight consecutive Tests? AB de Villiers was probably the only batsman who handled him with aplomb. No one else from England or South Africa was ever really set against him, and that may even have led to them falling victim to the excellent back-up crew of Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon.
The other surprise was Michael Clarke. Not his batting, which has been sublime now since he took over the reins, but if you had asked me if his dodgy back would have survived a long season without missing a single Test, I would have put the house on it. And I'd be now sleeping in a tent! His stability in the middle order allowed Australia to have hot and cold periods from the rest of the batsmen. David Warner was more hot than cold, scoring at a pace that often batted the opposition out of the game in the second innings after Johnson had rattled their cages. Chris Rogers and Steven Smith were regular contributors. Brad Haddin's Ashes heroics were seen by many as a sign of the weakness of the top order but his lean run in South Africa belied the theory that Nos. 1-6 were not up to the task. When it mattered, they responded. It wasn't always pretty but someone (almost) always found a way to give the bowlers enough to work with.
Full postWho is the ideal cricket administrator?
While you don't require cricket skills to run a national board, you do need a deft touch and diplomatic skills to deal with vested interests, million-dollar contracts, and cut-throat competition
Michael Jeh
22-Apr-2014
"The only force more ruthless and cynical than the business of big politics is the politics of big business"
- Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts
At a time when cricket is as much in the news for boardroom issues as it is for on-field action, is it time to ponder who the best person for the job of a board president might be? Note, I deliberately did not specify "best man" because I firmly believe that the sport could benefit from female leadership, if the old men in grey suits can ever be convinced that equality and high performance are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
Speaking of the right candidate, does it necessarily need to be a former cricketer or someone steeped in cricket culture? Does it need to be someone from the host country? Do they need international diplomacy skills or to be fiercely protective of their own national self-interest even if that may not serve the interests of the game per se? Is it helpful to have military chiefs running a cricket board in the same way that they are used to operating inside a militarised (and politicised) bureaucracy? When will the old-boy network of quid pro quo be seen for the dinosaur that it is?
Full postLessons for 2015
There is much to learn from the World T20 in Bangladesh but expect different skill sets to come into play in next year's 50-over World Cup
Michael Jeh
09-Apr-2014
As the dust settles and the much-talked-about dew continues to fall in Chittagong, there is much to dissect and even more to learn, looking forward to the ODI World Cup in early 2015.
While I am no fan of franchise-based T20 tournaments that pit mercenaries against each other for the singular purpose of entertainment with no higher motive, the World Cup T20 format remains appealing. The fact that no team has won it twice speaks for the value of the concept as a global tournament with an open field; despite T20's reputation as an unpredictable mistress, every team that has won the tournament has deserved to do so. I was initially curious as to whether the nature of T20 would lead to a shock result in its world championship but it must be said that the finalists each time have generally been the two best teams. Perhaps the only exception might have been when Pakistan were knocked out courtesy Mike Hussey's amazing innings in Gros Islet, but even that speaks to Pakistan's unpredictability and Australia's self-belief under pressure.
For the first time in many years, a team managed to execute a simple game plan with unerring accuracy. The prize? A World Cup, no less. Sri Lanka proved that there is no need for complicated plans, even when bowling to the very best finishers in the business. Just bowl yorkers, bowl them accurately, and even players of the calibre of India's formidable middle order are rendered impotent. No need for fancy slower balls and funky field placements. It's just a matter of having the skill to execute it on a big stage. Just ask Nepal's Jitendra Mukhiya - his death bowling was as impressive as that of any full-time professional, proving that it can be done by even amateur cricketers who don't clutter their minds with too many fancy theories.
Full postThe white-line crime
Officials spend precious time scrutinising bowlers' foot faults but ignore it when non-strikers gain unfair head starts
Michael Jeh
27-Mar-2014
White-line fever is a term generally used to describe on-field behaviour that would be deemed unacceptable in normal life but sometimes forgiven, often even celebrated, when it happens in play. Bangladesh are currently host to another strain of white-line fever that is much more literal but no less perplexing. Like with the sledging epidemic, the cures are obvious but administrators seem reluctant to administer harsh medicine.
The symptoms can be seen almost every time there is a review of a front-foot no-ball. The side-on camera angle shows the popping crease at the bowler's end. We endure painstaking replays to see if the bowler's foot has transgressed by the smallest of margins. Has the white line been crossed? In fact, the line itself belongs to the umpire so the ramifications of those split-frame replays cannot be underestimated. Clearly the ICC is determined to ensure that the rules are followed strictly when it comes to line calls, sometimes down to mere millimetres. Run-out decisions and boundary decisions are scrutinised in depth too. On Monday the pedants extended it to checking if Quinton de Kock's gloves had taken the ball in front of the stumps when he stumped Brendon McCullum. They are keen to enforce the letter of the law to that infinite margin of error.
And yet, watch the replay of the action at the popping crease and you'll see how the screening for white-line fever fails the integrity test. It is laughable that the non-striker is more often than not way out in front of the popping crease. How ridiculous to see them agonising over multiple replays of a potential no-ball when another "crime" is being blatantly committed and nothing is being done to remedy that illness?
Full postTime to draw a line in the sand?
It's hard for everyone to agree on what constitutes acceptable boundaries when it comes to on-field behaviour. It's best if the ICC spells it out
Michael Jeh
13-Mar-2014
Do codes of conduct really work? Are the rules (and penalties) applied evenly to all players? More importantly, are they seen to be applied evenly? Perception is reality.
Clearly there is an absence of any universal consensus on what constitutes acceptable boundaries when it comes to on-field abuse, banter, sledging, gamesmanship, mental disintegration, call it what you like. No one is likely to shift from entrenched positions. So should the ICC show some rare leadership and draw the lines around what's acceptable, regardless of context, country, match situation, cultural norms and whether offence was meant or taken? Is it time to remove the shades of grey and simply decide on a policy, even if that policy is that there is no policy? Gloves off, no boundaries, anything goes; no more value judgements that create the perception that the code is applied unevenly and unfairly.
It is a somewhat simplistic solution, of course, but in the likely absence of any global agreement on where the fine line is between banter and abuse, simplistic guidelines may indeed be all that we can rely on for transparency. Cricket is not just a global game but one that is played by countries with vastly different cultural norms, unlike, say, rugby, which, in the top tier, is dominated by countries with broad western traditions, culturally and judicially.
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