’’***Know the game well & u shall play better***..’’ I think this is the *belief* that runs in the Aussie players minds, everytime they come out on the ground. Australia, *world favorites*, & rightly so...the ’Ponting era’ is gonna outlast the ’Waugh’ one...outwitting the oppositions, flummoxing the batsmen, bowlers & doing all this on a *consistent basis by proper replacements at times*..one wonders wt goes in to the making of such a team?? ***what do they eat***?? ***what do they practice****?? questions like these & many baffle people & the Auzzies keep on their winning run. Perhaps they have wholeheartedly inherited the legendary Vince Lombardi’s words, ’***Winning is Everything***.’
The Aussies r truly a thorougly professional side. For honing good talent & nurturing it, a proper & efficient training atmosphere is reqd. Its *very very noticeable indeed* so as to how the Aussies prepare, be it any match, at home or abroad. First up, the coach & the trainers *set an example for their trainees as they themselves train hard & maintain an active & fit lifestyle*.Now who wud not like to train under a fit trainer rather than couch potatoes??.
The training process asks the players ***to enjoy their profession of playing*** rather than just ’playing’. It should also be invariably noted that Australia is a different geographical land altogether. Its coupled with ***generous amounts of natural resources, & a low amount of population***. Such conditions r obviously instrumental in the production of some ***great food, with a fantastic lifestyle*** that results in well bred bodies rdy for action!!
The training is very well divided in terms of technicalities. ***There r seperate simulated conditions in which special sittings are undertaken wherein diagnostics & physics regd. ball behavior, seam & swing movement off different tracks r presented***.
Such sessions r very helpful for the bowlers as this helps them take a ***scientific approach*** towards the game & this helps in tense situations the world over, as ***they can analyse the conditions***, the wind & accordingly make necessary changes to grip the ball & place the ball...man, this is very interesting indeed!! A few examples r...Andy Bichels **cross seamed** balls to Tendulkar on the slow track in the TVS cup final & the result...clean bowled, or take ***Harveys backhanders***, like tht...
For batsmen too..conditions r simulated eg, ***artificial flow of wind provided with auto bowling machines*** throwing in at 160k’s & such practice gives rise to some fantastic batting results like the world cup’ 03 final, TVS series, VB series final & also the series in WestIndies & SriLanka..Also the Aussies r *masterminds of planning* as immediately after a big tournament like the world cup..they start preparing for the next.ie the WestIndies one..undoubtedly. Preplanning is very helpful in crafting success stories & y not learn it from the Aussies themselves.
Lets move on to the ’***mind***’ factor now...’’ *Its all in the mind*’’ sed someone & y not...the recent control on sledging esp on the Aussies , took them a *step further* as they now exhibit a *superior gamesmanship*. I still cant believe how the Aussies temper themselves & play ***c-o-o-l-l-y***, even under the ***tensest*** of conditions...eg, the *ever elegant* Damien Martyn or the upcoming Michael Clarke..they just come in, play & leave or remain not out...never on Tv hav I seen a wrinkle on their face indicating worry. ’***Not panicking***’ & on the same side *psychologically targetting* the opposition is wt keeps ’em goin...They also try to learn the lingos of their counterparts which helps them in *understand game tactics onfield*..remember Brett Lee’s recent visit to India promoting Timex & he spoke some Hindi very well..
The ***strong commitment b4 sentiment factor*** is always onto play upon their minds as whenevr they take guard, they ’put’ their game & skills b4 their national pride, personal sentiments & they just do the job thts been assigned to ’em & tht work is ’’*to win*’’..thats it..nothing else. With a single aim & goal in mind it’s quite obvious that a team shall do well & sometimes extremely well. ***This doesnt affect their performance either & even when they do remain on the losing party, they dont feel bad or ugh***! for it (eg, the the calm, unperturbed faces of the team when despite having wickets they lost by just a run in SriLanka recently), but at the same juncture, they *don’t let the defeat affect ’em but instead they respect the opposition and take tht as a learning & motivating step* to improve & do well further..
The Aussies by-large have a *ballistic keep tryin spirit* & this keeps em goin..on & on..no matter if a catch is put down, be it by a better or inferior fielder, they *quickly* learn from it rather than fuming or cribbing tht y the hell I dropped it!!..
All-in-all, ***enjoying a game is very important rather than mere playing***. In Australia even for local tournaments the facilities, pitches & itineraries are **top class & very well planned out & the services r first rate**.On havin a look at the ING or Pura cups on TV..all of a sudden we get a feel of freshness & disciplinedness. On visiting their local cricket club websites..one gets to know *how properly everything is executed & how much they have the* ***love for the game***. The managing committes behind the clubs are also portrayed & thru this one comes to know the importance of meticulous planning..’proper’ in our terms!!
Compared to other countries ***Australia’s low population*** helps in a *better framework* of selection compared to countries like ours where selection as well as **hunt for talent is difficult** & due to **low income groups** & many **family problems**, talented youngsters find it tuf to break out at even at the local level & this in turn makes the national selection tuf (which we face at times & nepotism raises its ugly head) & the probs keep on mounting...
The Aussie selection process is based on **merit** rather than personal choice & all such results in perfect exhibition of talent, skill & spirit. The players play well, are paid well on time, they enjoy a good lifestyle & this does shape up better players than any other team in the world, aint it?? SO..u have the local sides *beating* the visiting national sides in even 3 day matches!!
**contd***... **