It’s something that is difficult to express in words but every batsman who has merely leant on a cover drive and feels that magic thrill when it bisects two fielders and speeds to the boundary will understand some things defy description or explanation. For that brief moment, it feels like a gift from the gods and there is no logical explanation. It's all about timing.
Timing is a strange beast though. Sometimes, inexplicably, it deserts you. Everything else seems perfectly normal and the bat swing is exactly the same as it always has been but the magic just disappears.
Ricky Ponting understands this better than most. For a man whose greatness as a batsman can never be questioned, his timing has deserted him lately. On the field, he has struggled to find fluency in his last few innings, mistimed a second run on the bullet arm of Neil Broom and then completed a day of poor timing by falling horribly behind the over-rate. These things happen sometimes. It’s hardly a hanging offence, this temporary lack of timing.
Off the field though, whoever decided that Ponting was going to be rested for the rest of the ODI series against NZ needs to have a long think about their timing. To be fair to Ponting, it may not have been his decision. Cricket Australia may have insisted on it. For all we know, Ponting may have questioned the timing of this ‘rest’ but may have been overruled by the men in suits.
This is not the time to be seen to be deserting the sinking ship. It may only be a matter of perception but as we all know, perception is reality. Here we have a team in complete disarray, beaten twice in Perth (usually a fortress), going through an enormous period of change and uncertainty and the skipper takes a break at the height of the crisis. It just doesn’t look good. It's all about timing.
If this break had been scheduled all along and communicated to the public, Ponting’s absence from the frontline would not be questioned. After all, Cricket Australia has known the itinerary for months now and they must have foreseen Ponting’s workload issues. Why didn’t they plan a break for him and announce it a week ago? Ponting has every right to a break from the game but it could have been handled better. To take an unscheduled break at this particular point of the season when they have just lost four games on the trot and are crying out for leadership is just poor timing.
Cricket is not war. It’s merely a game. Let’s not get too carried away with military analogies. But for a team and a system that thrives on talking in military-style jargon to justify their take-no-prisoners attitude, the comparisons are worth noting. Would an army general have picked this moment to leave the trenches and spend some time with the wife and kids? Would someone like Allan Border have allowed himself to be rested at this moment in time? He spent a large part of his career in trench warfare, back to the wall, finger in the dyke, leading from the front, bruised, bloodied but unbowed. It was impossible not to follow him into battle because his mates knew that he was always leading the way when things got tough. We’re only guessing but I daresay AB would have point blank refused to leave the team under these circumstances. “Over my dead body” and all that.
In this case, perhaps a white lie might have been a better PR strategy. A mystery virus or a sore hamstring or a flare-up of the wrist injury – it would have achieved the same purpose without the inevitable questions about deserting the troops.
There will be people who live normal lives and work 60+ hour weeks on a standard wage who will question why an athlete needs a rest when they essentially ‘work’ every few days anyway. They will question whether these same athletes will rediscover their freshness when IPL time comes around. Perhaps these ‘normal’ folk don’t understand the demands of modern sport. Perhaps they’re too busy working to need a rest. The general public are certainly starting to question the whole 'poor, weary, overworked athlete' thing now. Especially in a recession when money is tight and jobs are under threat at the same time as IPL auctions are being held. It's all about timing.
If Ponting was forced into taking this rest, Cricket Australia has done his reputation a disservice. If Ponting requested it, his management or the corporate PR machine should have suggested a press release that will see him taking a break after the next game, win, lose or tie. It looks better that way. As Ponting knows full well, it’s all about timing.
probably this is CA's way of saying the time has come for a fresh leadership. seeing the way new zealand huffed and puffed on their way to victory yesterday , it would not take a genius to see that they will struggle in this series. so ideal time to try out micael clarkes captaining skills. lets face it . we dont need a whimpering australian team. a new leadership is definitely needed to provide fresh impetus.
Posted by: Kalyan at February 2, 2009 10:55 AM
Ponting needs this break more desperately that US financial institutes & auto manufacturers needs cash infusions. Ponting needs time to sort the various issues that has burdened him. Be it the latest Haddin incident, over-rate issue or his below-par captaincy, he needs to focus on cricket.
CA has done the right thing in overlooking the short term NZ ODI series for the more important SA tour.
Posted by: Chris at February 2, 2009 12:17 PM
It is sorry to see ICC brought politics into the game of cricket, the two biggest racist teams who could not stand loosing India and Austria are their favorites, so much of ICC ratings but how can you rate if you refuse to play with everyone, the reason is obvious coz you may ending up losing ur rating coz u don’t even have sportsmen sprite to play honest games…Shame on ICC shame On India and Same on Austria
Posted by: sr at February 2, 2009 12:52 PM
its only for the next 2 matches not the rest of the series. but still pretty poor timing by him and CA. if clarke happens to win the next 2 matches watch all the calls come for ponting to be sacked as captain!
Posted by: zaid khan at February 2, 2009 4:08 PM
in all fairness Ponting has been an excellent player and captain. Being on top for so long has to take its strain. I think he does need a break and he must decide whether he still wants the responsibility of captaincy.
Posted by: Noelene at February 2, 2009 6:15 PM
I think you will find that cricket Australia are not that fussed about the press these days.They know that public opinion is not reflected in the articles that is written.Some so called sports journalists are trying to make Ponting look like a rat deserting the ship,it isn't working.Ponting has stated he didn't want to rest,but looking at all the injuries afflicting our players,a rest is necessary.10 tests in 10 weeks(plus ODIs) is a bit much.The cricketers don't claim to be poor,why state that?They are overworked though.Have a look at their schedule.300 days on the road,flying,travelling in buses,training and playing,separated from their families.It's got to be the worst sport in the world to participate in.
I am sure Ponting is grateful for all that cricket has given,but that doesn't mean that it is our right to demand they play non-stop,because they are playing for our country,or receive good money.I want to see Ponting play for a few more years,not gone because of injury.
Posted by: Christiaan at February 2, 2009 7:48 PM
I couldn't agree more with nikhil. i think the truth of the matter is that Ponting's captaincy has been consistently exposed as bereft of ideas, uninspirational, and lacking in that all-important quality of gelling and motivating his troops. Maybe CA has simply done what is the most logical thing to get their team winning again.
Posted by: Richard at February 2, 2009 7:58 PM
nikhil - "huffed and puffed"? Sure, and Australia frolicked and sprinted to their 181 (all out), did they?
"Struggle in the series"? Give me a break. NZ may not completely dominate, but they are unlikely to struggle.
Australia are in the proverbial brown stuff - and what they need is their leader to step up and take control. Not run away. I understand Michael Hussey is also taking a "rest"?
Madness.
Posted by: Naresh at February 2, 2009 9:04 PM
There is no option - Australia still stands a better chance of winning against NZ than the other way round (not that Punter with his stop-start foprm with bat and pretty ordinary captaincy makes a difference). Obviously Ponting needs to be rested to have some more energy for the series against SA - which they have little chance of winning. At least it will improve his batting chances, if not his captaincy.
Posted by: matthew at February 2, 2009 9:43 PM
Don't see the problem with resting ponting, as a new zealander i can see how weak our team is, and the rest of this series should be dominated by australia. A line up with grant elliot at 5 should be beaten by australian club cricket teams.
Posted by: Cecil at February 3, 2009 12:46 AM
The fortress is under siege and Ponting is slipping out the back door and leaving it to the troops. Tough summer I suppose but the majority of the team and Ponting are still lining up for IPL. The big contracts they have accepted reflect the workload of games travel,and media commitments and they just dont work that hard by any fair comparison with the rest of the community. Time management in professional sport is another world away from the realties of the rest of the community. Andrew Symonds missed the grand final for the Gold Coast club side last March but still made a Myers Store appearence mid week, presumably for money. Interesting timing!They are all one way traffic these blokes when it comes to lining up the money making commitments and desperately in need of a rest when the game calls on them to deliver on their star status. Those that love the game are entitled to question their priorities.
Posted by: Sridhar at February 3, 2009 1:48 AM
Good point Nikhil. None, I think, has thought of this angle.
As for Ponting, it has now been conclusively proved that he is an average captain after the display he showed at the Nagpur Match.
Equally undeniably, he belongs to the elite club of Lara and Tendulkar as the finest batsman of this era.
Posted by: Roger@1stSlip at February 4, 2009 11:24 AM
They all need a rest. All the top players that is.
There is far too much international cricket played now across 3 different formats of the game.
There is absolutely no other international sport whatsoever that schedules itself as relentlessly & continuously as cricket does and therefore demands so much of it's players.
Ponting should count himself lucky that he's getting a break from this relentless merry-go-round.
Posted by: abhinav at February 4, 2009 8:34 PM
i feel its a well deserved rest 4 ricky n it can also give us an opportunity 2 see pup(clarke)go about his captaincy chores,as he is undoubtedly the next aussie captain..
lets wait n see if the change of captaincy ushers in the much needed victory form 4 the aussies
Samir Chopra lives in Brooklyn and teaches Computer Science and Philosophy at the City University of New York; his academic interests include the philosophical foundations of artificial intelligence and the politics of technology. In his third undergraduate year, he captained Mathematics in the departmental cricket competition (and lost to Chemistry in the first round). Samir played C-grade cricket in Sydney and makes guest appearances for his old club when possible (and desirable). Samir runs the blog Eye on Cricket and the cricket page at The Faster Times.
Paul Ford is a co-founder of the New Zealand cricket supporters' cult, the Beige Brigade. He was once described by a current New Zealand cricketer as "looking spastic" even mucking about with an Excalibur and a tennis ball in the backyard. Paul bowls right-armed Nathan Astlesque "nudes", his batting would make Ewen Chatfield look elegant, and he is a committed fielder. He sometimes grows a beard to hide his double chin and inhabits a periphery of cricket that Cricinfo is proud to be glimpsing through this blog.
Stephen Gelb grew up in Cape Town, a short walk from the beautiful Newlands ground. Always a better student of the game than player, his passion for cricket survived eight years as a student in Canada, where he learned to love baseball too. He lives in Johannesburg doing economic research at The EDGE Institute and teaching at Wits University.
Mike Holmans, a database consultant by profession, has spent thirty summers (and a few winters) going to the cricket. Brought up in one and working in the other, his dearest wish is for a season to end with Yorkshire winning the county championship by beating runners-up Middlesex by one wicket with five minutes to go. If it’s also a summer when England win the Ashes, so much the better.
Born in Colombo, educated at Oxford and now living in Brisbane - Michael Jeh (Fox) is a cricket lover with a global perspective on the game. An Oxford Blue who played first-class cricket, he is a Playing Member of the MCC and still plays grade cricket. His views on cricket might best be described as those of a "modern traditionalist". Michael now works closely with elite athletes in his job as a manager at Griffith University in Queensland.
Saad Shafqat takes special pride that his cricket-watching life began during the three-month interval between Javed Miandad's debut Test in Lahore and Imran Khan's 12-wicket haul at Sydney. Although a practicing neurologist based in Karachi, cricket has never been far from his activities. He has co-authored Javed Miandad’s autobiography Cutting Edge and has been a contributor to Cricinfo since 2005. His regular column Reverse Swing appears fortnightly in Dawn, Pakistan’s leading English daily.
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