Taylor's sacrificial gestures, most timely (5 November 1998)

5 November 1998

Taylor's sacrificial gestures, most timely

by Richard Dwight

There are quite a few, who have at times misunderstood Mark Taylors' tactical hard tough approach on the cricket field, as that of being unsportive. They have also felt, that his lean spells with the bat, did not match his egoistic disposition - Just words and no deeds. So much so, that his inconsistency to make much runs, did appear to make his position in the side, rather insecure.

It is against this background, that Taylor soared high, to prove such thinking if there was any, wrong - When he batted in keeping with his reputation as Australia's number one opener, to make a career best unbeaten score of 334 runs against Pakistan in the second test. This apart, he also showed through it all, that he could as well rise to the occasion of being an exemplary sport.

His great knock, pleasant as it must have been to the selectors and those in authority, would have as well been to them an embarrassment. For by it Taylor demonstrated that it is hard to put a good man down. He drove home the point with telling effect, that 'form is temporary and class is permanent'.

It is therefore not prudent, through impatience, to drop tried and tested, established senior players on the basis of lack of form. Simply because they have it in them, through experience to regain lost form. Become hard to dislodge and go on to make big scores. And their fine form remaining with them for a considerable length of time. What is interesting to observe is, that more often than not, their return to form comes at the most opportune moment in the favour of the side, to make an impressive impact on the state of the game itself. Having emulated the legendary Bradmans' feat of 334. Taylor jointly had claims for the highest individual score by an Australian in Test cricket.

He could have if he so wished, superseded Bradman by the addition of just one more run, and if needs be, by the scoring of a further 42 runs could have got ahead of Brian Laras' world record of 375. It was all there, for the mere padding up and going out to bat.

But the inner man in the selfless Taylor came in to play - When he surprised the entire cricketing world by turning his back on the overwhelming, tempting prospect of personal glory, by declaring the innings closed. We want to believe, that in so doing his intention was, to save even if it be an iota of reflective stress, from the 90 year old Bradman, who was also ill. On the question of Lara's record, there is no doubt that he put his side and country before self.

Two highly laudable sacrificial gestures, amidst an environment where the term, gentleman's game has become questionable and the 'idiom It's not cricket' has lost its meaning and now obsolete. Cricket derives it's glory from such deeds as these. For such deeds for more eloquent than words, gives the game a special kind of lustre and lifts it above the ordinary and what's more, in a sense has life to influence others to greater heights. The result of this match pales into oblivion in the light of Taylor's magnificent display of sportsmanship of a high order.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)