Batsmen now seem incapable of swimming against tide
Greg Baum, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald , says on Wednesday at the MCG, the pitch did a bit and so - subtly - did the bowlers, but the batsmen flattered them.
Nikita Bastian
25-Feb-2013
Greg Baum, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, says on Wednesday at the MCG, the pitch did a bit and so - subtly - did the bowlers, but the batsmen flattered them.
Once, most good batsmen played late, with soft hands, delaying contact until all the movement of the ball was spent. Rubber-wristed Indians were past masters. Now, nearly everyone commits forward, bodily expressing the all-sports mantra about the necessity of getting on to the front foot. But in many, the display of strength becomes an exploration of limitations. Only Ponting, among the contemporary Australians, is catlike enough to press forward, then retreat without unbalancing himself.
Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, writing in the Age, says Australia should allow the likes of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey to breathe easy so that they could create an atmosphere that will help young players develop.
On a wicket which helped the bowlers, two senior guys [Ponting and Hussey] stood up when it was required. Their stand could be the deciding factor in this Test match. Watching them play, I felt it was not just the runs they made, but the manner in which they played that told its own story ... We all know Australian cricket has a history of slowly leaving ageing players out and bringing in young players. [But] the likes of Ponting and Hussey need to be handled carefully. One shouldn't have young players coming into a losing culture. It takes away the faith and belief and could hurt them mentally.
Nikita Bastian is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo