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How come comms/former players and TV analysts are always smarter than current players

Black_Warrior

Cricketer Of The Year
I have noticed that most of commentary and analysis and what other former players talk about is what a current player should have done on the field.
This is how Kohli should have played in England
This is how Cook, Dhoni and Misbah should have captained.
This is how Australia should have played spin.

So my point is, are current players just dumb? I mean how is it that the blatant mistakes a captain is making with his field placings and a bowler is making with his lines to a certain batsmen are so clear to those sitting and talking about it but current players, some of whom have played well over 50 tests, some over 100 tests are clueless about it?

And here's where it gets even more interesting. A player, who when at the receiving end of such criticism would at times respond defensively to a particular commentator or former player, will after retirement do the exact same thing and find faults with those in the field again.

Oh and this is certainly not restricted to just commentators and those on TV. This also includes those writing print articles on Cricinfo and other media outlets. I just didn't have space in the thread title.

Thoughts please?
 
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Biryani Pillow

U19 Vice-Captain
I could captain a Test match from my armchair.

It's easy to criticise when your views can't be disproved.

Michael Holding and Ian Botham seem to think a captain has 14 fielders. They bang on and on about how many runs are scored through 3rd man and how there's rarely a fielder there but in their careers they rarely had one. According to Mike Brearley Botham hated having one.
 

YorksLanka

International Debutant
Hindsight is a wonderful thing add they say..much easier to deal with a situation once you have been through it before I suppose..
 

Daemon

Request Your Custom Title Now!
I find that this happens in every aspect of life.

Once you leave Uni you have a wealth of knowledge of how to get through it the right and the smart way, despite knowing that you were a major procrastinator.

When you travel somewhere you suddenly feel like you're an expert on the place and hand out tips willy nilly despite knowing **** all.

My favourite is relationship advice. Everyone seems to be overflowing with it but when they find themselves in a tough spot they don't follow what they would've advised someone else to do.

It's just human nature.
 

TheJediBrah

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Not sure if this is a serious thread . . . but just in case:

The commentators are expressing their opinions to you but the captain's aren't. When all you here are the commentators telling you what should be done and how, and the captain is doing something different, it's going to seem to you like they are smarter because you are assuming they are right, basically.
 

NUFAN

Y no Afghanistan flag
Interesting point. My first thougt is that the quality commentators do this less frequently but sometimes I appreciate hearing what a former great thinks the team should be doing too.

I feel as though cricket is just a team sport where there is lots of downtime with endless options which makes searching for a new strategy a talkable thing.
 

Black_Warrior

Cricketer Of The Year
Michael Holding and Ian Botham seem to think a captain has 14 fielders. They bang on and on about how many runs are scored through 3rd man and how there's rarely a fielder there but in their careers they rarely had one. According to Mike Brearley Botham hated having one.
And then Dhoni would be called negative and defensive captain for having a third man
 

Black_Warrior

Cricketer Of The Year
Interesting point. My first thougt is that the quality commentators do this less frequently but sometimes I appreciate hearing what a former great thinks the team should be doing too.

I feel as though cricket is just a team sport where there is lots of downtime with endless options which makes searching for a new strategy a talkable thing.
Great point. I think so too. I have rarely heard a Benaud or Lawry go on and on about how wrong those on the field are. There was an interesting exchange between Botham I believe or it might have been Gower and Atherton on Finni n the first test. Gower was going on and on about what Finn is getting wrong and how he should just run in and bowl fast, because that's what he is in the team for and Athers just quipped "well I'm sure he is trying, it's just not working today"

I do get a bit frustrated at times hearing about how every captain is basically dumb and doesn't know what he is doing even though he might have captained his side to one of the top sides.


But yes I also want to hear an informed and intelligent insight on the game because I feel it helps me understand and appreciate this game more. So then how do you achieve the balance I guess..between genuine insight, qualified opinion and just mindless criticism because I am an arm chair critic.

Now what's disappointing though is that a current player, who is at the receiving end of this sort of criticism should know how it feels to be picked on by an arm chair critic..but then when he retires and becomes a former player, chances are he does the exact same thing.

I am glad Tendulkar has not gone into commentary or writing columns because it would have been unbearable to hear him speak on how every batsman is basically getting it wrong because they don't bat like Tendulkar.

One of the most interesting aspects about this exchange was when Clarke, while still a current player walked into the commentary box for the India series I believe. And it was so refreshing because he did not pick on Smith and point out how wrong and dumb his field placings and strategies were. Instead he was explaining the thinking behind his strategies and what the rationale was.

Similarly I remember Strauss being very insightful during the 2013 Ashes as he was able to explain some of the thinking behind what Cook would have been doing at that time. He talked about why both he and Cook always had a sweeper when everyone else called it a 'defensive' and 'dumb' move.

But this is really rare. It doesn't take long for recently retired cricketers to jump on the bandwagon and start finding faults with everything current players are doing.
 

91Jmay

International Coach
I find that this happens in every aspect of life.

Once you leave Uni you have a wealth of knowledge of how to get through it the right and the smart way, despite knowing that you were a major procrastinator.

When you travel somewhere you suddenly feel like you're an expert on the place and hand out tips willy nilly despite knowing **** all.

My favourite is relationship advice. Everyone seems to be overflowing with it but when they find themselves in a tough spot they don't follow what they would've advised someone else to do.

It's just human nature.
Yeah this is perfect.

Human beings are full of ****.
 

Howe_zat

Audio File
I find that this happens in every aspect of life.

Once you leave Uni you have a wealth of knowledge of how to get through it the right and the smart way, despite knowing that you were a major procrastinator.

When you travel somewhere you suddenly feel like you're an expert on the place and hand out tips willy nilly despite knowing **** all.

My favourite is relationship advice. Everyone seems to be overflowing with it but when they find themselves in a tough spot they don't follow what they would've advised someone else to do.

It's just human nature.
/thread
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
And in terms of the OP, knowing how to do something in theory and being able to do it in practice are two entirely dofferent things. Take Atherton and Hussain as two examples - both men are exceptionally clued up on the technical aspects of batting and very informative and insightful when discussing batting, but both men themselces were flawed enough to 'only' average 37-38 in Test cricket. To take Kohli as an example you've used, I doubt he was going back to the dressing room after another failure to Anderson and thinking 'dunno how that's happened, nothing I could have done differently there, I'll go out next time and bat in exactly the same manner'.

When it comes to strategy/captaincy, any idiot can captain from the commentary box/their arm chair. It's all very easy to say 'get another slip in' then groan in exasleration when the next ball gets edged through the vacant slip area that you would have plugged and pat yourself on the back for being so smart and insightful but I've yet to hear a commentator admit they've got it wrong because the bloke they would have moved from extra cover to the cordon has stopped 4 balls from going to the boundary.
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
I would love to agree but unfortunately there are these beings called Indian quick bowlers.
Earning a living as an international sportsman despite displaying no evidence of any sporting talent whatsoever is the opposite of dumb, so I can't give you that one.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
And in terms of the OP, knowing how to do something in theory and being able to do it in practice are two entirely dofferent things. Take Atherton and Hussain as two examples - both men are exceptionally clued up on the technical aspects of batting and very informative and insightful when discussing batting, but both men themselces were flawed enough to 'only' average 37-38 in Test cricket. To take Kohli as an example you've used, I doubt he was going back to the dressing room after another failure to Anderson and thinking 'dunno how that's happened, nothing I could have done differently there, I'll go out next time and bat in exactly the same manner'.

When it comes to strategy/captaincy, any idiot can captain from the commentary box/their arm chair. It's all very easy to say 'get another slip in' then groan in exasleration when the next ball gets edged through the vacant slip area that you would have plugged and pat yourself on the back for being so smart and insightful but I've yet to hear a commentator admit they've got it wrong because the bloke they would have moved from extra cover to the cordon has stopped 4 balls from going to the boundary.
Great post. You've finally come out of your post-Brexit slump.
 

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