Wasim's, Sachin's & Warne's

[Xuhaib]

Do you think the emergence of special talents like Sachin, Warne and Wasim is a random chance event or does the cricketing infrastructure in your country plays a role in it, by cricketing infrastructure I am just not referring to FC cricket but starting from the junior level.

IMO these special players are just born with the goods and its just the luck of the country where they are born. However the cricketing infrastructure of the country decides whether they will be a steady supply of Langer,Struass,Imran Farhat and Runako Morton.

 

[smash84]

Your second paragraph makes things slightly unclear. Are you asking a question or making a statement??

 

[hang on]

luck. of course, the population (that is interested in the sport) of a country will determine the frequency with which such talents come about. or should!

 

[salman85]

Varies from country to country.You can't come up with a judgement and stamp it on every country.I wouldn't call Pakistan's ability to produce quality fast bowlers plain luck,nor would i call India's abiility to produce quality batsmen plain luck,even though they have poorer infrastructure than Australia and England.

It's down to a lot of factors.Interest for the game,cricketing history etc.Definitley not down to luck and infrastructure alone.

 

[Xuhaib]

smalishah,

Its a statement.

 

[smash84]

I think it has to be a bit of both.

Without luck you can't have too many good youngsters coming in to play the game or getting picked off the street (like Akram, Amir). Usain Bolt wanted to bowl like Waqar Younis but ended up going for athletics. So definitely some luck is there. However the Aussie domestic structure is the best and tends to throw up a lot of quality players who have the mental toughness to perform like champions on the big stage.

I think that is what a good domestic structure does. It toughens you up mentally.

 

[Maximus0723]

More luck then infastructure.

It's good guess that cricket infastructure has improved over the years and after the emergence of likes of Wasim and Warne, not many have come close. These guys can do anything.

 

[Migara]

In SL's case, they are identified early. The main reason for it is soft ball cricket. There are many unorthodox shots played with the soft ball. I've seen Dil-scoop being played when I first got to play for my local soft ball team, at the age of 14. (Yeah, that was 20 years back!). And the guys who were playing were in mid 30s, and they have played it during their young years as well. Dilshan had the balls to bring it to the hard ball game. Reverse Dilscoops are also played very regularly. Waft-pull (a front foot pull, which is powered off the wrists) is another which will soon creep in to the game.

Carom ball is another such skill. There are plenty of soft ball bowlers who run in with a short run up and let that carom ball go, mixed with mormal medium paced stuff.

Murali's bowling style is another such skill. Off spinners are the cannon fodder in soft ball cricket. To stay in the hunt they need some variations. Doosra was not known in soft ball cricket, but arm ball was. To produce the one that goes through the gate, we used to flex the wrist and put some wrist work on the off break (obviously we chucked it!). But Murali was one guy who could do it with a straight elbow.

The non-spinning leg break also seen in soft ball cricket with quick leggies. And S. Prasanna has perfected it, and bowls "nothing-ball" that goes straight.

When ever such a player who could do some thing out of the box is noticed, experiance soft ball players encourage younger guys to try it out with the hard ball. Hence we see some greats from SL identified.

 

[smash84]

very interesting insights from Migara.

What exactly is a softball???

 

[Migara]

Tennis ball to be exact. But some doctoring is done by burning the outer crust. produces something similar to the taped ball of Pakistan, but less pacy, but more bouncy and aids some spin.

 

[Borges]

The cricketing infrastructure plays an equally important part. If Tendulkar was born in Jharkhand instead of Mumbai, we might have never heard of him. If Dhoni was born some fifteen years earlier, I'm sure that none of us would have heard of him.

Winning a lottery is a matter of chance, but you won't have that chance if you don't buy a ticket in the first place. Conversely, if you buy lottery tickets regularly, your chances of winning one are greater than that of someone who does not.

Full many a rose is born to blush unseen
And waste its sweetness on the desert air

etc.

 

[TumTum]

In SL's case, they are identified early. The main reason for it is soft ball cricket. There are many unorthodox shots played with the soft ball. I've seen Dil-scoop being played when I first got to play for my local soft ball team, at the age of 14. (Yeah, that was 20 years back!). And the guys who were playing were in mid 30s, and they have played it during their young years as well. Dilshan had the balls to bring it to the hard ball game. Reverse Dilscoops are also played very regularly. Waft-pull (a front foot pull, which is powered off the wrists) is another which will soon creep in to the game.

Carom ball is another such skill. There are plenty of soft ball bowlers who run in with a short run up and let that carom ball go, mixed with mormal medium paced stuff.

Murali's bowling style is another such skill. Off spinners are the cannon fodder in soft ball cricket. To stay in the hunt they need some variations. Doosra was not known in soft ball cricket, but arm ball was. To produce the one that goes through the gate, we used to flex the wrist and put some wrist work on the off break (obviously we chucked it!). But Murali was one guy who could do it with a straight elbow.

The non-spinning leg break also seen in soft ball cricket with quick leggies. And S. Prasanna has perfected it, and bowls "nothing-ball" that goes straight.

When ever such a player who could do some thing out of the box is noticed, experiance soft ball players encourage younger guys to try it out with the hard ball. Hence we see some greats from SL identified.

Haha I remember you talking about burnt balls before, itstl.

 

[GotSpin]

Where someone is born and access to infrastructure (existing or not) is also luck.

 

[Jono]

Well, I guess you need to ask yourself... if Shane Warne was born in Jamaica, and Sachin Tendulkar was born in NZ, would they have had similar careers?

 

[GotSpin]

Yeah Id say so. I don't see why not.

 

[Borges]

Where someone is born and access to infrastructure (existing or not) is also luck.

Where someone is born is luck. Infrastructure is not; it is something that can be built, and is being built, without dependance on luck.

 

[TumTum]

Depends if they got into cricket at all, has a lot to do with their upbringing.

 

[GotSpin]

Where someone is born is luck. Infrastructure is not; it is something that can be built, and is being built, without dependance on luck.

While it's obviously an equal combination of both, I see infrastructure as being useful in making mediocre players good or above average players to very good while the true greats would have most likely succeeded regardless. There are of course anomalies though.

 

[Bun]

Well, I guess you need to ask yourself... if Shane Warne was born in Jamaica, and Sachin Tendulkar was born in NZ, would they have had similar careers?

or ricky ponting in india

 

[PhoenixFire]

While it's obviously an equal combination of both, I see infrastructure as being useful in making mediocre players good or above average players to very good while the true greats would have most likely succeeded regardless. There are of course anomalies though.

Yeah this, pretty much.