A physics lesson

So after an amazing, incredible, KP rehabilitating, early-rising, table-thumping, cereal-spilling, wife-waking England win in Mumbai its off to Kolkata for the 3rd Test with more momentum than a Higgs bosom particle (I am never sure what momentum is in cricket but the England players think it's good to have, so that's all you need to know - though you should really try to find out more about Higgs boson - that is important). India don't play many Test matches in Kolkata but when they do they seem to know where to find their momentum and what to do with it.

In each of the last three Test matches at Kolkata (against West Indies, South Africa and Pakistan) India have scored over 600 runs in their first innings - whether they batted first or not - and won the last two Tests by an innings. MS Dhoni in particular knows how to get his own batting momentum going in Kolkata - he averages well over 100 there - so maybe it will be his turn to play the important captain's innings. MS is under some pressure from the Indian press for the team's and his own performances, and being a gritty kind of guy, don't be surprised if he doesn't make some commentators eat their words with a gritty innings.

MS says he wants to play on hard, bouncy wickets like the one in Mumbai as he relishes the challenge in playing against 'fast' spinners like Monty and Swanny. Not sure his team mates would agree with this sentiment having been made to look like, well, England batsmen usually look like when playing spin in the sub continent - bemused, befuddled and begone. Surian Botham, who does know a thing or two about winning in India, has bet a night's supply of claret that the Kolkata wicket will have less bounce than a beach. It looks like momentum will be important after all.

Sucess through hard work - naturally

If I had a pound for every time I have heard Sir Ian Botham go on about "letting Kevin Pietersen play his natural game", I could build a new clubhouse at the Valley. Sorry 'Surian' but you are talking baloney. In watching KP's marvellous and game-changing innings of 187 against India today, it was obvious that he wasn't playing his natural game - he was playing his 'Indian spinners on a turning sub continent wicket' game - and doing it rather well. His success was not so much due to natural talent but down to the hours of hard work KP has put in with, amongst others,  Mushy, the England spin coach, to make sure his game is ready for the conditions he will face. Yes, this is the old nature v nurture debate but let's put this debate to bed once and for all.

KP is a worthy example of what can be achieved through sheer hard work, rather than relying upon, perhaps dubious, talent. Growing up in South Africa, KP was an ok spin bowler and and even less ok batsman. But one thing that KP certainly has in his make up is self-belief and he knew he should and could achieve better than 'ok'. So he worked hard, very hard by all accounts, and then fell foul, in his eyes at least, of the SA quota system and so came to England determined to suceed - the rest is a colourful and as yet unfinished story. But the point is that KP's talent, or natural game, was nowhere near good enough by itself to play International cricket - it was sheer hard work and dedicated practice that made him the batsman he is today.

Any serious coach should not be in any doubt that the talent myth should not be perpetuated any longer - it is rather the ability to work hard and learn from all that effort that should be held in high esteem. For students of theory look no further than the research by Carol Dwerk1 who clearly showed that students who believe that talent is a prerequisite to success quickly became demotivated by failures - 'it's not my fault, I'm just not good at this' - whilst students whose mindsets are that ability could be improved through effort saw failure as something to be overcome and an opportunity to learnt from mistakes. So the good coaches don't say 'you have a wonderful natural cover drive' they say 'how can you hit the ball better?' Of course some players are born with better eye-hand-ball coordination or faster reactions than others but hard, specific practice, and lots of it, with a smart coach will quickly achieve better results than a reliance upon God-given talent. So if you are told you don't have the talent to play at the highest level, think yourself lucky and just start practising.

1. Bounce by Matthew Syed.

As night follows day

It should be strange to see Jimmy Anderson coming out to bat when England are only 3 wickets down but unfortunately for us England supporters it is too common a sight. We know what's coming more often than not - another wicket and sometimes two. For this nightwatchman malarkey doesn't work - the stats confirm it doesn't work and more importantly it messes with batsman's minds.

By all accounts Andy Flower leaves it to the incoming batsman to decide if he would prefer to sit out the final overs of day if a wicket falls. What nonsense - who is charge here? What is the logic of
sending in someone whose day job is bowling to bat in, what is usually, the most demanding time of the day. And when he arrives at the crease what is the nightwatchman's job? - to keep off strike to avoid being exposed or to take all the strike to protect the other batsman? The same half baked logic should say that if another wicket falls then another nightwatchman should be sent out - so the batting order is suddenly reversed to get through a few overs.

Meanwhile the man best qualified to bat is sitting in the pavilion with his feet up watching the crazy proceedings out in the middle. This must send out all the wrong signals to the opposition and also plays mind games with the batsman. First he is asking himself if he wants a nightwatchman and whether that is a sign of weakness or fear. Next, at what stage does he call for a nightwatchman - 10 overs to go, 5 overs to go? This is the way that madness lies. If a batsman is due in next then he should go in. It should never be questioned - so the batsman is prepared whenever that wicket falls and he should back his skill and determination to bat in whatever way is the circumstances demand. Jimmy's a great cricketer but let him serve the team by bowling not by trying to do a job he is not qualified to do.

UPDATE: On the first day of the 3rd Test between Australia and South Africa, the second Australian wicket fell with six overs left in the day. Ricky Pointing, playing in his last Test, was next in. Ricky is known for his toughness as well as his talent. So I wonder who decided it was best to send in Lyon as nightwatchman for the last six overs in what was a very tough final session?

2nd UPDATE: The following morning Warner was out first ball of the day. Ponting walked in...and then was back in the pavilon again 7 balls later. Australia collapsed to 163 all out. Did the nighwatchman make a difference? It is difficult to think it could have been any worse if Ponting had gone in a toughed it out and perhaps set the tone for the following day.

When stubborn can be stupid

I am sorry but Mr Flower's number one fan is becoming disillusioned. First I thought that Andy did not cover himself in glory during the KP debacle. I am in the Clive Woodward camp in thinking KP should never play for England again, but I gave the ashes winning and former number one test side coach the benefit of the doubt. However after today's play at Ahmedabad I am becoming seriously wobbly about whether Flower's well signalled stubbornness to stick with a four man bowling attack whatever the conditions is just plain stupid.

You could hear the cries of 'I told you so' from Taunton to Durham as our much vaunted seam attack was shown to be no more than an appetising starter for Sehwag and co. Swanny however did not disappoint and the slow turning wicket was no surprise either. So unless we have convinced the BCCI to let Swann bowl at both ends we are going to desperately miss Panesar. Unfortunataly you didn't hear it it here first. Call me stupid if you like Mr Flower - but not for being just plain stubborn.

The biggest little squad in Surrey

 

A little momento for you all - one of the hottest day's of the season for the club's 6-a-side day. But where's Wally?

The original Whispering Death

You are forgiven for not knowing that today is the birthday of one of the world's most fearsome and destructive bowlers - not Michael Holding - Harold Larwood. Larwood was not a big man (5' 8" and 11 stone) but was quick - seriously quick and frightened most batsmen, but he was also mean. He was mean in not allowing the batsman to score runs off him and he was particularly mean when they did - bowling for Larwood was a bloody affair - both giving and receiving. In the last Test at Sydney in the Ashes winning 'bodyline' series Larwood was bowled into the ground by his captain, Jardine, in an attempt to totally dominate and intimidate Bradman. When the day was over, Larwood, who was wearing new boots, was able to wring the blood out of his socks. Larwood never gave an inch nor expected any in return.

Larwood will always be associated with the bodyline Ashes series of 1932/2 in Australia. Larwood was the X-factor in Jardine's masterly plan to stop Bradman from scoring and the rules of the game were changed as a result. However it wasn't short bowling or even leg side bowling that was the plan - it was to bowl directly at Bradman's body that was the tactic that Jardine employed. This was after a review by Jardine of as much film of Bradman as he could find in attempt to find a weakness (the first video analysis?). It was the look in Braman's eyes after he had faced a short ball that Jardine saw - fear was evident even at long range on black and white grainy film - and the plan to stop Bradman was hatched.



Although Jardine employed other bowlers to bowl short and leg side it was only really Larwood who was able to bowl fast and accurate enough to cause Bradman real problems. Bradman scored less than 400 runs in eight inning in that series - well below his career average and Larwood got his man on four occasions. Larwood finished with 33 wickets in that series at an average of under 20 and economy of under 3. For that performance and dedication to his team and captain he was dropped and made a scapegoat by a weak MCC in the furore that followed England's 4-1 series win.

Cricket is dominated by stats - here are some stats that show the domination by one man:

- Larwood was consistently timed at over 95 mph and once at over 100 mph.
- 1,427 first class wickets (batman friendly pitches remember), 743 of which were bowled.
- 100 wickets in a season eight times and headed the first class average in five summers: no other bowler before or since has equalled this feat.
- He usually broke at least one if not two stumps in very match.
- Larwood's run up was so fast he had a drag of 32 inches after his final stride.

Happy Birthday Harold

PS If you would like to know more about this incredible cricketer - and man - then I can highly recommend Duncan Hamilton's biography.

Curry for Christmas lunch?

At last something useful and interesting from Twitter - Sky tweeted to give us the fantastic news that India v Pakistan T20 match is on Christmas Day at 1.30. Thank goodness for that. Turkey curry in front of the telly watching Kohli smash sixes or Afridi do some strictly dancing moves on a length during the interval, is infinitely preferable to acting out a scene from Downton Abbey for a game of charades with my mother. And with Australia playing South Africa in the boxing day test I should be able to stay up all night watching some great cricket. I will then have the perfect excuse to sleep during boxing day instead of acting out a scene from Coronation Street for a game of charades with my mother-in-law. Then back home in time to see Quins smash L Irish in the Big Game at Twickers. Holiday sorted.