Twittering cricketers enlighten us all
There's been a bit of action on the Twitter accounts of New Zealand's cricketers
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
There's been a bit of action on the Twitter accounts of New Zealand's cricketers. Jesse Ryder vented, Scott Styris placated, and Chris Rattue has the story, and the larger picture, in the New Zealand Herald.
The first thing for Styris to learn is that, by going on Twitter, he is the media. That's why it is called the social media. So if we are the problem, then he is the problem. Secondly, we get an insight into Ryder's personality. He appears self-centred, moody, impulsive and immature. Some of these traits may indeed help his cricket career, others may not.
However, the former New Zealand fast bowler Iain O'Brien writes on his blog that the media has not necessarily come to grips with Twitter, either.
For me, and this is what really gets me going, Jesse’s tweets were nothing that he, or a lot of other players, wouldn't have said in a post match interview or press conference. His comments should have been ‘part’ of the story, ‘part’ of the days play round up that the original article also did. Jesse’s tweets should not have been ‘the’ story with the game fitted around. He was pissed at how he was run out, that’s ok isn’t it?
George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo