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The greatest ODI performance ever?

robelinda

International Vice-Captain
Andy Bichel vs England WC 2003. Turned the game around with ball, then bat. Aus were looking hopeless before he came onto bowl, and walked out to bat.
 

ankitj

Hall of Fame Member
I think series relevance is given way too much importance wrt ODIs. So what if it's a meaningless 7 match ODI series, just watch the game, and judge for yourself based on the quality of bowling, the quality of the batting, the conditions and the other basic criteria we use. I agree that delivering in pressure situations demands more respect, but it's unfair to give that much extra weightage to performances in WCs without looking at the overall quality of the game itself.
Yeah Indeed. If you are playing a world cup final, so is your opposition. If you are under pressure, so is your opposition. It cancels out. It's just our human biases towards grandiose that make it so unfathomable that someone can even argue that a hundred in world cup final is same as in any other match against a team of similar strength and under similar playing conditions. But I will always argue that. Nothing else passes the test of cold logic.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
Yeah Indeed. If you are playing a world cup final, so is your opposition. If you are under pressure, so is your opposition. It cancels out. It's just our human biases towards grandiose that make it so unfathomable that someone can even argue that a hundred in world cup final is same as in any other match against a team of similar strength and under similar playing conditions. But I will always argue that. Nothing else passes the test of cold logic.
How can pressure on both teams cancel out? It is like saying that two teams are playing in rain (final) and then there are two teams who are playing in nice and bright sunshine. Clearly it doesn't cancel out
 

ankitj

Hall of Fame Member
How can pressure on both teams cancel out? It is like saying that two teams are playing in rain (final) and then there are two teams who are playing in nice and bright sunshine. Clearly it doesn't cancel out
To elaborate little more, if one discipline is harder in a world cup final, the other should by implication be easier. If one situation (let's say chasing) is harder in a world cup final, the opposite (defending or setting a target) should be easier. Generally, there is no mention of what is easier in a big match. That fails the test of logic for me. Not everything can be harder; it's a zero sum game when you are talking about numbers.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
As I said earlier, it has to do with tougher conditions (where everybody has to toil hard to overcome) and not just individual disciplines.
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
As I said earlier, it has to do with tougher conditions (where everybody has to toil hard to overcome) and not just individual disciplines.

Yeah, butI sorta see Anki't's point here too.. If the bowlers are finding it harder, the batsmen are facing a test that is that much easier than a normal game, right? And if the batsmen are also pegged back by the occassion, then again it boils down to a game that is fought on equal footing, just like any normal game.. How is it that one game creates more pressure?
 

G.I.Joe

International Coach
I can see Ankit's point, but I reckon it's more like golf. You end up battling yourself. Do you feel more conscious of your game now that every stroke or delivery matters more than in the preceding games? Do you feel more pressurised knowing that your supporters expect more of you in this game than in the preceding ones? How do you handle those new factors? Do you choose to just tune them out and play as usual, or do you build on them and convert the increased self-awareness to your benefit? Perhaps you're so attuned to those variables that they don't even matter to you. Or maybe they do play on your mind, and the way you approach those challenges could end up either hampering or elevating your game. *cough*SA*cough*

Of course, all players are not the same, and there are way too many confounding factors. Ankit's point is a good one. You could be ****ting bricks internally, but the opposing player could be having a worse time of it, making your job relatively easier. What appears on the surface, and the outcomes we have in such situations might not necessarily be to the credit of the victor. But there's something to be said for the empirical data, and if there's a player who consistently comes out on top in situations which logically should be challenging to both parties, we've got to credit him for getting something right.
 
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Top_Cat

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Giving it to Aravinda. Took wickets when the Aussies were headed for 300+ and then played a brilliant counter-attacking knock.
 

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