Back in Melbourne for a day, I’m shortly to heft my gear and head for training at the Yarras. Nothing, I find, makes you keener for cricket yourself than a few days watching it. This is actually the first summer I’ve forsaken the pleasure of my weekend game in order to cover a Test series. I even had misgivings about covering the Ashes of 2005, because of the dent it would leave in my pre-season - a period of the year I always love, when hope has not yet been dashed against the rocks of experience.
I can usually justify watching good cricket by what I learn from it. In Brisbane, I was positioned in the media overspill upstairs, at 45 degrees to the action: a superior vantage from which to admire the degree to which Shane Warne varies his speeds and trajectories, and to watch how far forward Kevin Pietersen stretched in playing him. In general, I always come away from watching top-class batsmen resolved to take a longer front foot stride, and bend my front leg more – which, of course, I immediately forget. I also noticed at the Gabba a little ritual of Matthew Hayden’s after letting the ball go, moving rhythmically back and forward from his final position, testing the balance and security of the platform erected by his footwork. Someone at training tonight will probably wonder aloud why I’m doing the Nutbush.
Yet, notwithstanding that I’m in the twilight of a mediocre career, I’d never gratuitously run down the game the Yarras play. We enjoy our cricket – a quality conspicuously lacking from England’s tour so far. For a weekend cricketer who gets by on the occasional glimpse the possible, a spectacle like Steve Harmison’s travails on the first day at Gabba is always poignant. We might bowl that way because we can’t help it; he can. So much ability, so little pleasure.
Australian players in general are far better at preserving the spark of fun in their cricket. A pioneer in this respect, I think, was Mark Taylor. I recall a press conference at the end of the Perth Test in February 1995. Amid much sapient and sympathetic nodding, Mike Atherton had lamented the glutted cricket calendar, saying it made for weary players and lower standards. When the proposition that too much international cricket being played was put to his Australian counterpart, Taylor replied, with that distinctive upward inflexion: ‘No. And I think I speak for all the blokes. I love Test cricket.’ The answer impressed me: I wasn’t surprised when they went on to beard the joyless West Indians in their den. Indeed, I've never heard a captain, before or since, and with such sincerity, use the word ‘enjoy’ when talking about cricket.
Although I’m missing a bit of cricket this summer, I don’t entirely lose the community of my club, for the Yarras have a sizeable diaspora. While in Brisbane, I caught up with Em, Big Al, Churchyard, Sis and Knockbax; in Adelaide, I’m looking forward to the company of Bloodbath. The Yarras might not be the biggest, strongest or richest cricket club going around - but by golly we care about nicknames. In this respect, JL, Haydos, Punter, Marto etc also have nothing to teach us.
Gideon,
Think you have hit upon the major problem with modern sport. The money involved and the seeming need to grab more and more through tv deals , sponsorship and packed playing schedules seems to have taken a lot of the joy out of the international game. Its all too important financially for the players and the enjoyment of cricket as a game , presumably why they started playing, suffers.
Posted by: Flat Jack on 11/29/2006
My opening partner, Lobster Dave, loves the game so much he has been campaigning for more Winter tours for our club, so our schedule would make even the ICC wince. He is currently in Australia touting for opponents, unaware the rest of his team have no interest in playing outside of Lancashire. He is indefatigable in his enthusiasm but perennially awful with the bat in his hand.
Thankfully cricket has always supplied its fair share of characters who don't subscribe to the view that high level cricket shouldn't be fun. Merv Hughes tried to entertain as much as he tried to intimidate, and as long as people like Randall, Gayle, Cairns, Harris are playing the game, a smile should never be far away.
Posted by: Steve "Sunny Boy" Turner on 11/29/2006
Gideon whats your handle at the Yarra's?
I don't think you can play cricket in this country without copping a couple of dodgy nicknames.
Posted by: Ralph on 11/29/2006
"Australian players in general are far better at preserving the spark of fun in their cricket."
Rubbish - it's easy when you win 90% of the time!
Posted by: baggins on 11/29/2006
Imagine if Gideon played for Australia his nickname would have to be "Giddy" with Haighy for variety. Its a good thing those guys can play cricket! The last decent nickname was "Afghanistan" Waugh....
Posted by: Nick on 11/30/2006
Some, if not all of the comments here have been very interesting to read. Terry hit the right spot, and the question 'are we destroying international cricket?' rings loudly in a few people's ears.
Take one-day internationals for instance. The form of cricket which 'saved the game' during the early Packer years is now treated quite dismissively by cricket purists. With a plethora of international one-day tournaments being played each year, cricket, dare I say it, seems to be losing a lot of it's 'thrill'. The game these days is so over-saturated its easy to get it mixed up with damp towel.
This state of the game can only lead to less enthusiasm from both the players and public, less truly unique games and, eventually, far less interest.
Here's hoping the ICC does something to help international cricket, and not just resort to gimmicks such as the 'powerplays' and 'supersubs'.
Posted by: Nick on 11/30/2006
Oh, and Steve Turner, according to the Vincibles GH's handle is 'Tragic'.
But then again, tragics do make the best cricket watchers...
Posted by: Paul Stump on 11/30/2006
Can't find another way to post my all-round appreciation for all things Haigh. As a hack who fancies himself as a stylist I always come back to GH's stuff - not only is he a great cricket analyst, he is one of the main men in world sportswriting. Great antidote to UK and Oz hype.
Posted by: DMJ on 11/30/2006
I used to play with an off-spinner, got called Frenchy.............we were sure he only put 1 revolution on the ball.
nothing like 6 hours in the field to come up with this garbage.
Posted by: Robbo From Moe (Yarra in Exile) on 11/30/2006
Great writing Gid, it's refreshing to read an article from an English supporter that has no obvious bias, and a decent grip on reality. Ever thought of TV commentary, as Nasser Hussain is the 'Devil' to Richie Benaud's 'God'.
On the nickname subject, I did label Gideon "Artist". This was the year after he relinquished the Chairman of Selectors role. So it began "The Artist formerly known as Chairman" and was suitably Austrlian-ised to "Artist"
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Gideon Haigh has written sixteen books and edited six more, mainly concerned with sport and business, in twenty-three years as a journalist. He now writes mainly for the Australian current affairs magazine The Monthly. He lives in Melbourne with a cat, Trumper, and is taking time off from his cricket club, the Yarras, to cover the 2006-7 Ashes for The Guardian.
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