It's not about the stats; it's about the joy

[honestbharani]

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with that article, but just Brumby's comment about a sportsman's "worth"

It depends whose view of "worth" we are looking from.

That is all. Stats don't tell the full story of a player's worth to a team (sacrificing your wicket in a run out situation for the team's cause, hitting out because it's better for the team, sacrificing your strike rate to bat for a draw etc.) but neither does entertainment of course.

From a fan's point of view, it is so subjective and random for it to be impossible to assess. So why even bother bringing it up really?

haha yeah.. obviously what ëntertains differs from person to person.. But I do think that one with a good reading and feel of the game can understand to an extent, which player would be more valuable to a team.

 

[benchmark00]

Timely article from former England batsman Ed Smith on how the sublime in sport cannot be measured in statistics alone. Ironically from the home of statsguru cricinfo.



As good a summation of why we cricketing romantics will always cherish the lithe, quicksilver genius of a Brian Lara over the starchy functionalism of a Jacques Kallis.

Amen.

 

[Spikey]

i tried to tell my coach the same thing but he wasn't buying it

 

[Burgey]

True, but Mark Waugh is a pretty bad example to use to put his point across.

In what sense?

 

[Ruckus]

Determining how good someone is/was and how much you liked watching them play are two completely different things AFAIC.

Often they are interrelated, buy yeah I agree they are seperate questions. Just because they are seperate questions, and likely have different answers, doesn't mean they should have equal importance though. At the end of the day cricket is just a sport. If the ultimate goal of sport is entertainment, then I'd argue that the ability of a player to entertain is of the highest importance. I think that's what Smith is getting at.

 

[smash84]

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with that article, but just Brumby's comment about a sportsman's "worth"

It depends whose view of "worth" we are looking from.

That is all. Stats don't tell the full story of a player's worth to a team (sacrificing your wicket in a run out situation for the team's cause, hitting out because it's better for the team, sacrificing your strike rate to bat for a draw etc.) but neither does entertainment of course.

From a fan's point of view, it is so subjective and random for it to be impossible to assess. So why even bother bringing it up really?

This

 

[Spikey]

just quietly, I have a feeling Ed Smith and Ed Cowan may actually be the same person

 

[Ikki]

Agree with Jono+PEWS.

 

[benchmark00]

Reason #1289 Ikki has gone clinically insane:

Agree with Jono+PEWS.

.

 

[Nate]

Not sure if I understood the point of the article, but I find it strange.

Last season, we had a batsman whose strokeplay looked hideous at the crease. But he stood up in so many difficult circumstances to help out the team.

His batting was worth far more and was far more appreciated than our opener who was more technically gifted, but threw his wicket away daftly, and often.

 

[smash84]

.

 

[miscer]

I agree it's about the joy but for me the joy stems from the win. For example Tendulkar's 175 and 130odd both defeats I just can't remember them fondly.

On the other hand I rate Lara so very highly even though his average may not top the list because of his 213 and 153 back to back. The context, the opposition, the way he batted. I don't think there has ever been a better performance in back to back tests. And that is solely because he won the match single handedly. Had they lost would it have been any different than his 200 in Aus or SAF in losing causes?

IDK it's like an excellent innings in a win is etched in your mind forever. And that's what bring me atleast, the joy.

 

[Uppercut]

As good a summation of why we cricketing romantics will always cherish the lithe, quicksilver genius of a Brian Lara over the starchy functionalism of a Jacques Kallis.

You're not appreciating how subjective aesthetics are. I love watching Kallis bat. Watching Lara is in another league but I'd rather watch Kallis than someone like Mark Waugh. Cover drives are overrated. I'd much rather watch Kallis contemptfully pull another bouncer to the midwicket boundary as if he's swatting away a mosquito. I just think it looks better. I know I'm in a minority when it comes to Kallis but I don't think having unorthodox preferences over what I enjoy watching makes me any less of a cricketing romantic.

 

[ganeshran]

Cricket should have sabermetric analysis like baseball does, IMO

 

[weldone]

Agree with PEWS here. I won't care about statistics when I watch a game; when my only motive is, and should be, to enjoy it.

However, while judging a player.....

 

[weldone]

I'd much rather watch Cook bore his way to a double ton in a crushing victory than see Bell play an innings full of pretty looking shots but fail to get past 40.

I'd much rather watch Bell play an innings full of pretty looking shots on his way to a double ton in a crushing victory than see Cook bore his way to a score of less than 40.