Don't write-off Ricky Ponting

Nirmal Shekhar once wrote, “Sport is a strange business. For all that it matters, yesterday, in reality, may be million years in the past. In that sense, it is a bit like journalism, as a profession. Yesterday’s report is already in the dustbin of history. You are as good as your tomorrow morning’s story.

So indeed it is the same for an athlete. The glorious rich vein of the last series is hardly of any value. The question always is: What the hell did you do today?

In the world of sport, every season dozens of once-mighty champion athlete are run out of what they might have believed was their home. The older the neck, the more swiftly does sport’s guillotine comes down.”

Ricky Ponting, one of the most successful batsmen and captain in the history of Test and limited –overs cricket, is experiencing himself is such a situation. At present he’s  regarded as the man of yesterday by the critics and his performance is under the scrutiny each time he goes out to bat. Ponting’s bat, for the last two-year or so haven’t scripted a hundred and his way of dismissals are such that it’s hard to believe that we are watching the actions of a champion customer. As they say, Ponting is in the twilight zone.

 But still Ricky Ponting wants to move on despite all this as he believes that he has still cricket left in him.

But why does he believe that he can still carry on?  

Nirmal Shekhar gave a great explanation to this by saying that the kind of pressure that a professional athlete faces today is extraordinary. And to become a successful sportsman for such a long duration is quite remarkable. They are not only extraordinary sportsman, but also an extraordinary human-being who have adjusted to varying demands and have made great sacrifices to achieve what they have accomplished.

I think, during such a long, successful period a champion sportsman gains an extraordinary will power, astonishing self-belief and mental strength to keep himself going further and for which players like Ponting are capable of carrying on.

 The world of sports is seldom kind towards a sportsman who is over 35 years, but history suggests that there had been and has been champions who defied the odds and came out shinning for their country.

Imran Khan led Pakistan to a World Cup win at the age of 39. Sachin Tendulkar seem to be going stronger and stronger even at 38, while Dravid and Laxman are sharper even at 35-plus. Strong will power, self-belief and the never-ending interest to play the game have led them to defeat their age.

And for this reason, in my opinion, Ricky Ponting will move on and in a matter of time his bat will shine for Australia as because, form is temporary but class is permanent and Ponting has still that hunger to score runs.

For a sports fan, there is nothing more pleasing and satisfying in sport than watching an aging champion continue to script astonishing epics: “the victory over encroaching age, victory over Time itself,” as Nirmal Shekhar stated in his article.

Don’t write off Ricky Ponting. 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Bangladesh cricket - He is still that Shakib Al Hasan

Before the start of series against West Indies, Shakib Al Hasan was in the soup. He hit the headlines with plenty of off the field issues. His arrogance became a headache for the hierarchy of Bangladesh cricket and as a result, he was removed from the captaincy of Bangladesh cricket team. It was a tough time for Shakib and according to the critics and fans, such issues might affect his form badly.

But the champions are hardly bogged down by tough situations, but they fight back with enough courage and bounces back in style. Adverse circumstances make them more determined to perform. That tough period had made Shakib more determined to deliver the best and at present, he is the best performer for Bangladesh despite all the controversies and off-the-field issues.

In the series against the West Indies, Shakib in the ODIs have scored 79 runs in 3 matches at an average of 79.00 at a strike rate of 117.1 and also took 6 wickets at an average of 16.00 with the strike rate and economy rate being 25.0 and 3.84 respectively. This performance helped Shakib to get past Shane Watson in the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings to become the number 1 ODI all-rounder in the world which an achievement which ahs given the whole nation enough joy and pride.

In the Test series against West Indies, Shakib took 10 wickets at an average of 22.0 with strike rate and economy rate being 47.8 and 2.98 respectively. Again, with the bat he was effective. Shakib scored 168 runs at an average of 56.00 with the strike rate of 74.00. This sound performance earned him the ‘Man of the series’ award. Again, this performance has put Shakib in the second place of the ICC Test all-rounders list which has been a matter of pride for us.

In the series against Pakistan, during the Twenty20 and One-day International series, Shakib’s bowling was good. In the only Twenty20, he grabbed important wickets to halt Pakistan’s momentum. In the three match ODI series, Shakib picked up four wickets at an economy rate of 3.03 at the strike rate of 44.5 and with an average of 22.50.

In the two-match Test series against Pakistan it was Shakib’s bat which dazzled more than his bowling. Altogether Shakib had scored 209 runs at an average of 52.25 at a strike rate of 62.23. In the second Test match at Mirpur, Shakib became the member of a unique club of scoring a hundred and taking five wickets in a Test match and in the last 15 years it’s being Jac Kallis, R Ashwin and our ShakibAl Hasan to script such an achievement.

Shakib’s 144 in the Dhaka Test was brilliant. He batted nearly six hours that spanned five sessions, two of which went wicketless. This was the fifth longest innings at the crease by a Bangladeshi batsman, and easily Shakib's longest innings. Of the 15 boundaries during the 242-ball innings, Shakib hit just one on the second day. This was his patience but the boundaries he hit were all top drawer stuffs. Those cracking drives through the off-side drives with enough power left the fielders motionless on most occasions.

Each strokes had the beauty of a left-handed artist and the don’t-give-a-dam attitude of a gangster. His innings proved one thing and that is, Bangladeshi batsmen can script long innings’ even with playing their strokes.

Hero and ego are almost always best friends and it’s quite same with Shakib also. Shakib bears the image a cricketer, being rude, arrogant and at times obnoxious with flaming rows with the authorities of Bangladesh cricket, but Shakib, on the field never gives his egos the upprhand, but always delivers the best when his team needs it.

Shakib is still that Shakib Al Hasan who was instrumental in scripting glorious results for Bangladesh during his stint as captain and even after so many controversies he remains as the number one performer for Bangladesh.

  

Shakib Al Hasan is the top all-rounder at present as he has proved his worth against top teams both with the ball and bat. But that is not what makes him so palm-rubbingly tantalizing to watch, but it is his randomness, his dedication towards his team, his flashy batting, his killer arm-balls and the absence of contamination by management risk-assessors. 

Never take your eyes off this legend-in-the-making from Bangladesh.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar