Minnows played some interesting cricket today
I like the minnows. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain. They are also incredibly confidant in their own ability. They know their limits and are eager to learn, absorb and enjoy the moment. It's sad that everyone and their mother feels they shouldn't play, because their presence is charming and if we have anything to go by in today's warm up games, we shouldn't discount them with the disdain that they have been getting in the press the past couple of weeks.
Though they may have lost all 4 games today, I think Ireland and Kenya really ought to be proud of themselves. They really gave the South Africans and West Indians a wake up call.
Bermuda may have been thrashed by England by a mountain of runs, but their own 270 pound mountain of an off spinner, Dwayne Leverock, was apparently very impressive. Plus they had England in some trouble before Dalrymple came along.
Sri Lanka were clinical against Scotland, but at least the Scots past 40 overs.
These are the sorts of positives that the minnows must take from World Cup. They are playing the best countries and they are undoubtedly learning a lot. Plus their gameplay today is a sign that they are making the test playing nations think twice and play less casually. Michael Holding and others are wrong in assuming that this experience is useless. Being allowed to play in the World Cup is what these minnows work very hard towards and now that they are here to stay, cricket on the whole will benefit from their growing achievements. We should support them.
3 comments:
The trouble with cricket is that as a sport it has always been elitist. While other sports go out of their way to support new areas and leagues, cricket goes out of its way to discourage it. Whether it be the lack of international action Bangladesh or Zimbabwe get, or these sorts of comments by Holding, Ponting etc who really are the senior statesmen of the game, cricket has not embraced its role as a community in encouraging newer leagues and nations to join the upper echelons of cricket.
Even sports like baseball, ice hockey and rugby make sure that minor countries get a shot at the highest level to whet the appetites of the players and the coaches. Cricket could do a lot to learn from other sports' experience.
If introducing more minnows to international cricket is the price to pay to have 21-stone left-armers bowling at Pieterson, then so be it.
Atheist - Eng did lose 8 wickets. I am positive they went into the the dressing room wondering how that happened...
Regardless of his weight, that fellow got 2 good wickets. Respect to him.
Ahmer, Good observation...
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