Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

sussexpob wrote:...Nowadays you still need a man in charge who takes the balls by the horns and is capable of being a leader on the pitch, no matter what is said of it. Clarke does that, he tinkers with his fields and makes bold decisions, he doesnt let the game drift...

A captain always appears more astute in a winning team than a losing one.

Even in the days when captains took full responsibility for strategy and tactics by far the most important factor was the quality of the team around them.

Vaughan regularly used to tinker with the field, usually to little beneficial effect, but it may have given the impression to some that here was a captain doing what a captain should do on the field but really it was only mimicking a captain with full control. The same may be said about Clarke.

If Cook remains in the team for his batting, he may as well continue as captain. The job on the field, such as it is these days, could not be done better by anyone else.

Surely a captain should also inspire, or at least look to? Cook looked like a bullied schoolboy when Ward interviewed him after the Sydney test. I couldn't imagine him rallying the troops when things are going wrong, on the field.

He seems quite inarticulate. Maybe that is a result of media training though where players are encouraged not to tell the media anything? So he can't answer honestly. Surely he's not as bumbling behind the scenes.

There should be no need to "rally the troops" when they are highly paid, professional sportsmen. For them all, motivation should come from within.

Any road up, after such a trouncing, you’d expect Cook to seem a little deflated in his interview.

D/L wrote:There should be no need to "rally the troops" when they are highly paid, professional sportsmen. For them all, motivation should come from within.

Any road up, after such a trouncing, you’d expect Cook to seem a little deflated in his interview.

I think we all need motivating at some point, no matter how much money we or rather they are getting. Not easy being in the field, the opposition being 250 - 1, with things meandering along.

Flower's reaction to the Ashes defeat, that he needs more control, puts me in mind of the American right after the bank crash in 08- that the crisis happened because the market wasn't free enough. It has a similar sort of obstinacy, and rather a brazen and ostentatious restating of confidence in your own beliefs. Mainly designed to stifle dissent.

Inspiring and motivating the team is a crucial role of the captain by the way. Isn't this self evident?

Dr Robert wrote:I think we all need motivating at some point, no matter how much money we or rather they are getting. Not easy being in the field, the opposition being 250 - 1, with things meandering along.

D/L wrote:There should be no need to "rally the troops" when they are highly paid, professional sportsmen. For them all, motivation should come from within

So we should drop KP because team spirit is paramount, and a suitable excuse for underperformance should one player not follow the script..... but a captain shouldnt need to motivate or encourage his team, because motivation is an insular quality that should come from within....

I do love you sometime D/L..... #contradiction

You too, sp, for obtuseness and extrapolation sometimes bordering on the spectacular.

When the 'governance' of an organisation breaks down, particularly one like the ECB which appears to be both self-perpetuating and unaccountable, then it is inevitably the sharp end of the business, the part which actually matters, that suffers - in this case the England team. Of course players must accept a fair proportion of the responsibility for failure, but it is pretty clear that the management of the tour and the team of recent times has left much to be desired.

The unedifying spectacle of those 'in power' jockeying for position when there is such a spectacular failure of the business is, sadly, nothing new -- and this will undoubtedly rumble on until there are some falls from grace - who that will be is anyone's guess.

For a time I expect it will be every man for himself and it won't be pretty - predictions for what will happen next are likely to be as foolish as they were for the outcome of the tour.

Dr Robert wrote:I think we all need motivating at some point, no matter how much money we or rather they are getting. Not easy being in the field, the opposition being 250 - 1, with things meandering along.

Few months back we made just 210 odd in 40 overs batting first. Opposition were somewhere about 150/2 with victory almost certain with RRR @ 4.5 -4.75. Our captain, standing at mid off was motivating everyone at top of his voice. Fielders started to be more active, putting pressure on opposition batters. It was suddenly more than the bowler that the batters had to tackle. Wickets felt as the team responded well to the captain and everyone got involved more enthusiastically. Off course it was good bowling aptly supported by fielding but the lesser agile fielders were put on toes by the captain.Even those who got tired after fielding for 25 odd overs started to put more efforts. Suddenly the hopes were set in minds of everyone. He kept on reminding that we could still win and we eventually snatched victory from the opposition.

I do feel that captain although is as good as the team he can bring a few wickets more by being a good observer of the game.It helps if the captain is experienced cricketer, a good fielder and a good observor. Wasn't Ponting the first captain to start keeping silly mid on for more duration in test matches.That fielding position got decent success and it is now being used relatively more by other captains.An inexperienced captain is more likely to fail to get overs completed in time than an experienced captain, unless the experienced one is purposely wasting time.if the captain can read the wicket and discusses the same with the bowlers so that they can alter the field it will definitely have much better effect in the on field performance.

I don't think anyone doubts, in the amateur game, that the captain's role is pivotal.

D/L wrote:I don't think anyone doubts, in the amateur game, that the captain's role is pivotal.

Amateur? Me and adi are pro's

Seriously though, I do remember Strauss organising a huddle in the 2009 ashes, when the Aussies were getting on top. Not so long later, wickets fell. May have been a coincidence but we definitely upped our game after Strauss' words.

Dr Robert wrote:
Amateur? Me and adi are pro's

Seriously though, I do remember Strauss organising a huddle in the 2009 ashes, when the Aussies were getting on top. Not so long later, wickets fell. May have been a coincidence but we definitely upped our game after Strauss' words.

I have seen a lot of captains take wickets by their field placements. That is not just one captain, but from all captains of all teams.