Since I am not in danger of being hit by a Fidel Edwards bouncer, no one can call me a girl's blouse, so I think I'm safe in giving my opinion on this without being accused of whining.
I find the lack of compassion shown by the West Indies when they've hit a batsman as an example of the apparent poor spirit in this series and the negativity that hangs over it. A bowler has every right to aim a delivery at a batsman, as long as it bounces, but the intention shouldn't be to actually hit him. Sure, people will get hit, but in that case the bowler should apologise.
This series has turned rather sour, with the press complaining about the Windies' performances and then the Windies complaining about the complaints in the most disrespectful way by casting aspertions on our cricketing heritage. The complaints about Styris' comments is just another instance.
I think the commentators that have bleated about Styris' whinging have missed a far more interesting angle on the story. Think back to the first test: Edwards hits Styris, Styris gives him an earful, then he responds to another bouncer by hooking it beautifully towards the boundary, where it is miraculously caught. Drama on the cricket field. The very thing that makes cricket more than just bat and ball. But then the story has another chapter: Styris complains about the bowling and when he comes in to bat in the second test, the Windies come alive, they put fielders on the leg-side boundary, tempt him with bouncers, get under skin and get him out playing a nervous shot. High drama.
Has anyone reported on this mini battle? I don't think so. Instead we get the Spin's predictable pseudo-macho grandstanding questioning Styris' manliness, missing even the fact that if it was wrong for Styris to complain in public, then he got his comeuppance on the field.
Thursday, 23 March 2006
Ben on bouncers
Ben posted this in the comments section on the post about the Spin's coverage of the "lack of compassion" issue, but the comment is so worthwhile that it deserves front page coverage:
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1 comment:
Good call - although it is fairly difficult for The Spin to commentate on the Fidel v Styris dramas of the ball-by-ball cricket from his desk in London, particularly if no other commentators/writers see fit to write on the subject. The fact is The Pig just isn't good enough to be telling opposition players how to behave. He's showed that the NZ team worry about little things like this and that is not a good insight for him to have given away to his best mate, J Millmow. (You watch how Millmow is forever talking him up, it balances out MOC's indifference to the man.)
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