Form, form-loss and form-recovery
As I write, England are poised not just to retain the Ashes but do so
emphatically (by English and not Australian or West Indian standards of
cricketing demolition). This was a series that England was supposed to
win. Australia, after all, is not just in the process of team building
but hampered by a serious form slump among its most experienced
campaigners. Still, no one predicted the standout performance of
Alistair Cook. It didn’t make a difference. It made a huge difference.
The Ashes urn is reputed to contain a burnt cricket ball.
Picture courtesy: Google |
Carrying with him a depressing Ashes career average of 26.21 in 10
Tests, the English opener has amassed (without counting a possible final
at-crease) a staggering 766 aggregate at a startling average of 110.75.
The only other player to have scored more runs in an Ashes series is
Wally Hammond and that was 82 years ago.
A lot of batting records have been smashed by Cook over the past two
months, needless to say, all the more creditable considering that doubts
were raised about his Test berth after making just five and nine in the
first warm-up match.
Cricket journalists
I am sure sports and especially cricket journalists would have a lot
to write about records, history, technique and temperament. I was
intrigued by a comment that the record-breaker made: “Form comes and
goes, and I couldn’t hit the middle of the bat six months ago. But
that’s the secret of sport, isn’t it, why form comes and goes as much as
it can do, I don’t know. But you keep working hard and enjoy it when you
do, do well, because there were some pretty dark times last summer and
I’m sure there will be in my career at some other time.”
Talent is important in all things. Skills can be acquired. You need a
certain minimum of both to get by. From there to ‘Test level’ (in
anything, cricket included) requires sacrifice, dedication, love for
what you do, humility, passion and practice, practice, practice. There
are countless talented players whose Test averages are in the 30s or
even less. Cook’s Test average is 46.17 which is less than ten runs per
outing than the productivity of a Sangakkara or a Sehwag. Perhaps these
other two belong to a different ‘class’ in technique and talent in
addition to the same kind of discipline and will to perfect that Cook is
endowed with.
Insurance policy
Alastair Nathan Cook |
All of them have the right to talk about form and form-loss,
something that the flashy but erratic don’t. Cook is right. Form is the
ultimate secret of sport, until such time that age makes such
discussions meaningless and outside of course of the form-tweaking
mechanisms called match-fixing and spot-fixing. Outside of these caveats
what makes form-loss temporary is the hard work. That’s the ultimate
insurance policy against going down the tube.
It is easy to go out there and hit a swashbuckling life-century in a
one-off flourish of strokes. There are thousands of one-hit wonders in
the world of music. They don’t set standards, they are not remembered.
Sport, like life, is unforgiving. Cheers for the hero, boos for those
who fail. Boos too for those heroes who refuse to acknowledge the fact
when time comes a-calling to whittle away edge in quantities that no
amount of practice can recover.
Top sports stars
No boos for those who give their all to the work they do, those who
excel, suffer form loss but recover to excel again and who know when to
exit. No boos for Murali. None for Warne. None for Vivian Richards and I
am certain none for one Sachin Tendulkar. Cook is just 26 years old. The
best may be yet to come and he could very well end up standing among the
all time greats of the game.
This series might be a turning point. It will no doubt persuade him
to set stiffer targets for himself. There will be out-of-form times,
pedestrian performances over a series or two. If, however, he is to
stand with the greats, he will have to do what he seems to have done
during good times and bad: hard work. The lives of great human beings in
whatever field are common these respects. They were madly in love with
their work. Through praise and blame, fame and vilification, joy and
sorrow, profit and loss, they remain unwaveringly focused on the
‘must-things’ of their vocation.
Kobe Bryant makes thousands of dollars every minute. So does Tiger
Woods. Venus Williams, Roger Federer, Christiano Ronaldo and other top
sports stars also make big bucks. Vishy Anand, World Chess Champion also
makes a lot of money. They all work hard. Everyday. The same goes for
all great artists. The same goes for those who excel in whatever they
do. Discipline. Dedication. Humility. That’s what makes the difference
and what allows one to recover from form-slump. Perhaps. I enjoyed
following Alistair Cook’s incredible performances this Ashes series. I
will remember the numbers for a long time. I will remember his words
about form and form-loss even longer. Even longer will I remember the
fact that he is not (yet, perhaps) flashy but has the kind of attitude
that makes a difference. A huge difference. To self, team and nation. |