... hmm ...
...
Frankly, Graeme Smith is not ruthless enough to be a consistently good test-captain. He simply lacks the foundation of total viciousness that makes for a great test-captain.
For examples of basic nastiness, one needs only to look at Stephen Fleming, Sourav Ganguly, Steve Waugh, Nasser Hussain, Hansie Cronje, Arjuna Ranatunga, Imran Khan and Clive Lloyd (alright, alright, ‘m not bothering to mention Douglas Jardine here, but he’s the acme and reference point of IT all !).
I really really think RSA should have a Test-Match Captain who’s basically far far crueller than sweet soppy old Biffy.
Or, atleast a vice-captain …
And Oh God ! --- there are two such in the RSA team …
I’d thought earlier that there was only one ………
… which is Polly, who probably doesn’t want to be captain at all.
The look on the other’s face yesterday --- when Makhaya Ntini was in his last fantastic spell (7 overs, 3 maidens, 3 wickets, some 10 or 15 runs or so conceded), bowling sublimely without the necessary runs on the board to back him up (19 or so runs needed by Oz to win the match) --- terrified me.
That chilling look of still cold fury … the blazing radiating sub-zero temperature --- anger ? rage ? ferocity ? (whatever one calls it), inspite of the shaded eyes … caught in that unguarded moment on TV-cam …
… yes, it made me feel a cold stream run down my spine …
… and made me want to curl up and hide …
OK, Andre ol’ chap, now I know why (or how) it is that you are a fast bowler, … and why viewers get scared even watching you on TV, … and why batsmen run to the other side of the pitch to take a run when you charge up to them in your follow-through …
And why you smile and emote so much most of the time …
*hides*
Frankly, Graeme Smith is not ruthless enough to be a consistently good test-captain. He simply lacks the foundation of total viciousness that makes for a great test-captain.
For examples of basic nastiness, one needs only to look at Stephen Fleming, Sourav Ganguly, Steve Waugh, Nasser Hussain, Hansie Cronje, Arjuna Ranatunga, Imran Khan and Clive Lloyd (alright, alright, ‘m not bothering to mention Douglas Jardine here, but he’s the acme and reference point of IT all !).
I really really think RSA should have a Test-Match Captain who’s basically far far crueller than sweet soppy old Biffy.
Or, atleast a vice-captain …
And Oh God ! --- there are two such in the RSA team …
I’d thought earlier that there was only one ………
… which is Polly, who probably doesn’t want to be captain at all.
The look on the other’s face yesterday --- when Makhaya Ntini was in his last fantastic spell (7 overs, 3 maidens, 3 wickets, some 10 or 15 runs or so conceded), bowling sublimely without the necessary runs on the board to back him up (19 or so runs needed by Oz to win the match) --- terrified me.
That chilling look of still cold fury … the blazing radiating sub-zero temperature --- anger ? rage ? ferocity ? (whatever one calls it), inspite of the shaded eyes … caught in that unguarded moment on TV-cam …
… yes, it made me feel a cold stream run down my spine …
… and made me want to curl up and hide …
OK, Andre ol’ chap, now I know why (or how) it is that you are a fast bowler, … and why viewers get scared even watching you on TV, … and why batsmen run to the other side of the pitch to take a run when you charge up to them in your follow-through …
And why you smile and emote so much most of the time …
*hides*