’’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!!
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