Persistence: Part 2
Themes of persistence in the T20 WC
It is August 31st, 2011 in Manchester and preparations are underway for a one-off T20I between India and England. Caps are being handed over to two England debutants, one of them a keeper from Somerset, with a prowess for big hitting, and a 6'5 Middlesex lad, slated to open the innings. England chase down the total with relative ease, but the opener gets out for a 2-ball duck. The keeper is not required to bat.
It is 10th Nov, 2022 in Adelaide and it is India vs England once again. This is the semifinals of a World cup, with India coming off a good (scratchy tbh) league stage campaign as the only team with 4 wins. England, meanwhile, have scrapped their way into the semis, and stand in the way of an India vs Pak showdown at MCG. That keeper from 2011, is taking strike along with that opener from 2011……Alex Hales and Jos Buttler, put on 170/0, a scoreline that many Indian cricket fans won’t forget for days to come.
An assault so clean and ruthless, it would have left many Indian minds baffled. A karma of sorts for Rahul Dravid, who was also a debutant alongside Hales and Buttler in that T20I, when he mowed 3 consecutive sixes off Samit Patel.
Welcome to yet another piece on persistence, in a slightly different flavour from the one I had written recently. This is a take on how persistence as a theme played out for a few teams during this World Cup.
India
If you can’t change a man, change the man
— Brendon Mccullum
Time and again, Cricket innovates itself to remain in context, and Indian cricket has been slow in their reception towards them... DRS…. Day-Night tests… the T20 format itself, to name a few major ones. Regardless of this edition’s results, astute observers were already pointing out that India’s top 3 approach in the PP was not in line with that of modern T20. Many would have believed this might change under the aegis of Rohit, who promised and even delivered a few times in bilateral series with the new aggressive power-play template.
To use a shipping analogy, India were a ship that wanted to sail quickly into deep-sea, but the persistence with their anchoring approach delayed that cruise mode, eventually making the campaign go aground at the most inopportune time.
They persisted with the spin duo of Ashwin/Axar, possibly due to the experience they had playing the ODI WC 2015 in Australia. Their handling of Pant and Chahal this campaign also leaves the fan puzzled. With the way white-ball cricket has evolved, it maybe time to look into a dedicated coaching setup, one that is able to germinate new ideas, and experiment with new templates. I agree this is not their responsibility, but as a starter, a presser from the selectors post the squad announcement might be a good way to dispel some myths such as “why him? why not him? What happened to him?, etc. ”. For the emotionally invested fan, this could go a long way in providing clarity.
England
They stuck to their well known template from 2015, to bat deep and aggressive, all the way down to 11. This is what has made them a formidable white ball unit, which is why I was surprised when a lot of them seemed to be writing England off, ahead of the semi-final. (maybe, just my circle?..) Like Buttler pointed out yesterday, Adil Rashid bats at 11 there, is testimony to a depth that served them well against SL in their crucial encounter. Their persistence with Hales, despite his fair share of problems, paid them rich dividends. There are leaves to be taken out of England’s book, but with caveats. What might work for England in terms of sending the likes of Hales, or Pakistan with Rauf, etc. to overseas leagues might not work well for India. I agree with what Dravid had to say in the presser post the defeat to that question, that opening up Indian’s to overseas T20 leagues would take away personnel from the domestic circuit, lending a big blow to test cricket. That India’s talent pipeline is enviable, with the IPL to boot at the forefront of it, is a known fact. What this pipeline needs to unearth more or encourage is, players with dual skills to be able to be called upon when necessary. One can already realise the benefits that a fully fit Hardik Pandya lends to the team balance, but imagine the might if even one of the top 5 is able to bowl well. This is definitely something that can be taken from England’s lineup with the likes of Stokes/Livingstone/Ali able to send down valuable overs in the middle.
Pakistan
As you might have realised, persistence this world cup has led to both negative and positive results. For Pakistan, Matthew Hayden, who has been persisted as a mentor from the last edition to motivate the team, has done wonders. The team seems to be rallying well around him, and this has led to their perseverance with Babar and Rizzy finally put their campaign a win away from the coveted trophy.
Others
NewZealand
NZ are always a team that flies low under the radar, and stings when you least expect them to. That is what hit Australia in the season opener, thanks to a fully unleashed Finn Allen. He was persisted with, but fizzled out post that knock. They too might have an anchoring problem but not to India’s extent. Sodhi and Santner stuck to their lengths, but they came up short against a formidable Pakistan running high on emotion.
Proteas
Rain and the rainbow nation. A well documented love story. Or should we say, a hate story? Anyways, none of that seemed to matter on Sunday, as Netherlands stuck to their lengths. SA’s campaign derailed clearly due to their persistence with a non-performing captain in Bavuma.
Sikandar Raza
Definitely a strong contender to be in this piece on persistence, be it the way he made his flighted deliveries work this WC, after a failed stint to become a Pakistani airforce pilot; Or the way he finished innings; Or the way, he kept asking his captain for 3 watches for each of his man of the match awards and got the same! Take your pick.
Rain
Rain has been a persistent theme this WC as we all know. Some may say poor scheduling, or climate change. But the fact remains that this is the best possible window to schedule this ICC event, as explained in this thread by this gentleman.
So like it or not, rain might arrive back for one final dance, and we just have to hope, that its erm....not persistent. Unlike the pain of India’s mauling yesterday.
Hopeful,
Kishan
