Cheering the Opposition

[Matt79]

There's a difference between wanting your opponent to do well, and respecting and acknowledging their efforts once they have done well. I sometimes do the former, but I think almost always do the later (in cricket anyway. I'm a much worse sport with regards to AFL). And it's also different from the situation where you start to twig that an opponent is producing something special.

[zaremba]

Originally Posted by Matt79

There's a difference between wanting your opponent to do well, and respecting and acknowledging their efforts once they have done well. I sometimes do the former, but I think almost always do the later (in cricket anyway. I'm a much worse sport with regards to AFL). And it's also different from the situation where you start to twig that an opponent is producing something special.

Yes likewise. Personally I can't think of a time when I've hoped to see an opposition player succeed. Being English I am often disappointed.

[Matt79]

Tendulkar is probably the only one for me. And that's purely because for a long time I was a curse on him - if I was at the match, or sat down to watch when he came in, he'd have a failure (often McGrath related), whereas if I was at work or doing something else, I'd come in check the score and see that he'd compiled another masterpiece. The frustration of that meant that after a while I really wanted to see him play well.

[aussie]

Originally Posted by GeraintIsMyHero

Er no, technically they weren't, seeing as they, you know, lost

I was refering more the overall period of 99-2005 when i suggested AUS where invicible, instead of just Ashes 05.

[GeraintIsMyHero]

Yeah but the fact that they lost a series in 05 (and another in 01) means they weren't invincible anyway. Meh, semantics, cbf to argue about it, don't even know why i responded etc etc etc

[Jono]

I cannot recall too many times actually wanting the opposition to beat India. Only if I have a crap load of money against them I guess, and generally that's in a pointless ODI or something

[Richard]

Originally Posted by pasag

Watch the series?

Barely saw a single ball of it (though I did follow the games pretty closely) which is why I asked - I might not have asked had I done so.

Can I have an answer to my question now?

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Matt79

There's a difference between wanting your opponent to do well, and respecting and acknowledging their efforts once they have done well.

Thank you Iago.

[silentstriker]

I gotta say, I'm not quite cheering for Steyn, but I would love to see some more of that fast bowling....

[Matt79]

Originally Posted by Richard

Thank you Iago.

?

[zaremba]

Originally Posted by Matt79

?

My guess is that it's a parrot reference - ie that you were echoing what he was saying? But that's pretty obscure tstl

[Black_Warrior]

Originally Posted by honestbharani

=== was part of the Chennai crowd in 99.


And yeah, the Chennai crowd has always been a pretty sportiing on most occassions. I loved cheering Healy all the way when he was dismissed after a real good knock in the 98 test.. 90 odd I think it was..

Respect goes to you and the Chennai crowd Sir

[slugger]

Originally Posted by aussie

Wasn't willing to accept AUS losing ATT to anyone TBH. During that period i saw AUS as invincible (which they technically where).

So in a way i did start the series neutral as always, but when ENG began to step up & emotion of IND 2001 came rushing back i was indeed hoping AUS could have stopped ENG a either win or at least draw the series.

this statement contradicts your over all "neutral" colours when it comes to supporting eng and aussie in the same series. because up to the period of 05 you believed aussie to be invincible therefore you werent that worried about them losing to eng. but when the tide started to turn against aussie through out the 05 series you decided to support them but it seems you have been supported them all along, hence the invincible tag you had awarded them prior.

[aussie]

Originally Posted by slugger

this statement contradicts your over all "neutral" colours when it comes to supporting eng and aussie in the same series. because up to the period of 05 you believed aussie to be invincible therefore you werent that worried about them losing to eng. but when the tide started to turn against aussie through out the 05 series you decided to support them but it seems you have been supported them all along, hence the invincible tag you had awarded them prior.

Ha, nah boss. If that was the case of me following the tide, i would have supported AUS in 06/07 Ashes series when they where still in the "invincible" glory era.

I just did it for that one series for reasons i am comfortable with. Otherwise i am 100% neutral in ENG v AUS cricket matches.

[pasag]

Originally Posted by Richard

Barely saw a single ball of it (though I did follow the games pretty closely) which is why I asked - I might not have asked had I done so.

Can I have an answer to my question now?

LOL, seemed like a VERY pointed question. There were plenty of times during the series after the first Test where I wasn't comfortable we'd win, second Test we had to bat well to draw and the third Test we could have easily lost. Certainly at no stage was there a delivery that I didn't want a WI batsman to get out immediately, including Nash. Come to think of it, in Test cricket there never is.