The life of the modern elite cricketer is different from most of our own. At an early age, usually before they leave school, they are hand picked from thousands of other hopefuls to be their country's Best New Hope. They're often sponsored before they can drive, they pay more attention to the location of their off stump than their school lessons, and ultimately they are bred and nurtured to be athletes. They are ushered into state cricket, national A sides, and eventually the national team itself, collecting money along the way. Mundane goals such as holding down a regular job, are at best secondary to goals such as maintaining a 50+ average, or consistently taking wickets. Cricketers evolve differently as people as a result of these different priorities, it's inevitable. With the bulk of commentators everywhere made up of former athletes, are we kidding ourselves to expect anything else?

While many elite athletes are still capable of maintaining society's standards for morals and ethics, plenty cling on to the school boy mentality they were never forced to relinquish due to the all-forgiving cocoon they're wrapped in. Ego and arrogance are justified as self belief, stubborness as grit & determination, and humour such as Dean Jones' thought of as larrakinism. After life in cricket finished for Jones, he moved into coaching and commentary after a quick public relations course in how not to make an arse of yourself. It either didn't include a lesson on always treating the microphone as though it's on, or Deano didn't listen that day.

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July 24, 2006

Nehra and Mongia - A case of incongruous pragmatism?

Posted by Anantha on 07/24/2006 in Commentary