Come in spinner: why is finding one for the Australian team so hard?

June 10, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

It has long been the lament of fans, pundits and journalists alike that in the “post Warne” age we (Australian cricket) have not had a consistently selectable or, indeed, match winning spin bowler. This problem has become so “acute” in the prelude to the coming battle for the Ashes against England that the parliament of Australia has seen fit to change the laws of immigration in this country to allow for the fast tracked citizenship of a 31 year old leg spinner from Merguz in Pakistan who has played only 13 first class games just so he may be available.

Before the “Era of Ahmed” a compendium of spin bowlers used by Australia since 5 January 2007 (when the “Era of Warne” ended) reads like this (this list necessarily removes batsmen who bowl a bit): 

SCG MacGill (4 matches)

GB Hogg (3 matches)

B Casson (1 match)

CL White (4 matches)

JJ Krejza (2 matches)

NM Hauritz (16 matches)

MA Beer (2 matches)

BE McGain (1 matches)

XJ Doherty (4 matches)

NM Lyon (22 matches)

GJ Maxwell (2 matches)

Australia has played 67 test matches in that span and have won 33, lost 21 and drawn 13 of same.  The present incumbent, Nathan Lyon, comes into the Ashes with a record that shows that he has taken 76 wickets in his 22 test matches at an average of 33.18 runs per wicket and with an economy rate of 3.12 runs per over. 
Am I alone in considering those numbers to actually be good numbers and, indeed, unworthy of the pressure being placed on Lyon’s place in the team by seemingly all and sundry including Cricket Australia?  Let’s consider for a moment the records of the other spinners presently playing test match cricket and see how the record of Lyon compares (the qualification make for this exercise is 20 wickets taken):

Player  Games Wickets Average Economy 

Swann  52        261       28.69      2.91 

Singh   44         175       35.79      2.86 

Herath  35         165      28.48      2.71 

Ajmal    26         133      27.6        2.66 

Ohja     22         102      31.78      2.68 

Ashwin 16          92       28.53      2.89 

Patel     18         49        49.02     3.22 

Vettori   39        131       34.66     2.45 

Panesar 35       122       33.8       2.71 

Mendis   17        64       34.2        3.08

Looking at this numbers now and comparing those of Nathan Lyon to them is all of the angst about his place in the Australian team and, indeed, the pressure being exerted by Ahmed’s selection really warranted?  His performances and statistics are all the more admirable give that he plays the bulk of his matches in Australian on less than friendly pitches, he rarely has the support of a second spinner and he has been, it must be conceded, poorly captained by captains who are themselves seemingly remembering the days of Warne.
Despite those impediments he is still tracking to have similar numbers at similar times as players of the stature of Singh, Vettori, Herath or Panesar.  I am more than a bit certain that Cricket Australia and cricket supporters of the Australian team would happily accept any of those players in the current lineup.  So, at the risk of becoming repetitious but still restating the question, what is the problem with relying on N Lyon? 
The answer to this question gets on back to an examination of the question posed in the title to this post:

Why is finding a good spinner for the Australian team so hard?

It must be clear from what has gone above that that question is unfair stated or, in fact, redundant because Australia already has a good spinner in Nathan Lyon.  The problem is that the Australian public, pundits and, possibly, players are NOT looking for a good spinner.  Rather they are looking for an answer to this question: 

Why is it so hard to find the next Shane Warne?  

That is a question that can simply must be answered this way: we will never find a spinner like Shane Warne again.  Therein lies the rub: we, the Australian cricket public, pundits and players, are searching for something we can not and will not ever have again.   Until we as a cricketing nation can get our heads around that immutable truth we are going to continue to “burn” our clearly good spinners with the pressure that comes with expectation.  Surely now it is time to get behind Nathan Lyon and back him to get the job done because, simply put, we already have a good spinner in him. 

On player behaviour: time for some credit where it is due

June 10, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , Leave a comment

The question of the behaviour of sportsmen has been a topic of regular comment on this blog.  I have bemoaned the lowering of standards of behaviour and praised those clubs and codes prepared to make a statement about such behaviour.  I have commented on domestic violence and sportsmen and the massive double standard that seems to pervade such cases.  In the interests of, therefore, fairness it is important also recognise when a player of sport conducts himself in a positive way.

Quade Cooper and his conduct in recent weeks has been nothing short of exemplary and deserves our acclamation.  Simply, has there been a player under more scrutiny from the fans and the pundits in recent weeks? The focus of attention has been on Cooper because of the ongoing saga of his selection or otherwise in the Wallabies squad to face the British and Irish Lions.  During the totality of the recent weeks when all and sundry have been talking about whether he would be selected and, more particularly, the “feud” with Robbie Deans he has remained respectful and honest in his work with the media and has continued to play solid, if not error free, rugby.  
If the story, and this blog, ended here such conduct would still be worthy of acclamation particularly in light of where Cooper was behaviour wise last year.  Certainly under more scrutiny now than ever before his “toxic culture” comments and certainly baited by some quarters in the press he has kept his mouth shut and clearly has shown that he has learned from his previous falls.  However: this is only half the story. 
It has now been made official that he will not be in said Wallabies squad to face the British and Irish Lions.  I have commented vociferously about that on twitter and will let my twitter comments and lack of future attendance at Wallabies games speak for themselves in that regard.  
Since the announcement that Cooper was not to be selected in the Wallabies squad he has conducted himself in a manner, in my view, beyond reproach and deserving of acclaim.  His interviews about this topic, whilst others have bayed for Deans’ blood, have been direct and honest without bring himself or the game into disrepute.  More particularly, when faced with an abusive “fan” yesterday evening in a pub in the suburbs of Brisbane and doused with a full beer, he declined to take the first punch and declined to get involved in a physical confrontation. 
Evidence from years past suggest that this is not the approach that Cooper would have taken previously and it is the maturity shown in not rising to the bait of a physical altercation having just had his British and Irish Lions dream shattered that must now impress those who previously have been “haters” of the person Cooper is without knowing him other than to read about him in the paper or watch him play the beautiful game.  
We are quick to jump all over the players of sport that we watch when they make a mistake.  We are less swift to give them the acclaim they warrant when they conduct themselves in the right way and, indeed, show that they have learned from the past.  
Well done Q Cooper: for how you have conducted yourself in the face of the scrutiny surrounding the “Deans feud” and for your conduct in declining to take the first punch.  I, for one, salute you!  

Super Rugby: Round 16 Predictions

May 31, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , Leave a comment

Round 16 of Super Rugby approaches with the first game due to start in 35 minutes. Here is my preview of all of the action first published on pinkrugby.com http://pinkrugby.com/2013/super-rugby-predictions-2013-rd-16 . Should be another great round and in particular the last match of the round featuring the Cheetahs v the Bulls will be an absolute pearler!

Enjoy!

The other AFL story this week: the new Queensland powerhouse?

May 31, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

The biggest story in AFL this week has revolved around the vilification of one of the marquee players of the game. I do not want to get into that: enough has been written and said and whilst I am very concerned at the way it has been handled by the AFL there is another story about AFL that I want to comment on. I will quote the CEO of the AFL:

“By the end of the year, that [Queensland’s] will the second highest participation rate in Australia, higher than WA or South Australia”.

That is right folks: AFL is apparently a big business in Queensland and that is even when compared to rugby league. These statistics don’t lie: rugby league reports that in 2012 it had 170,027 active participants whilst the AFL reports that it had 155,000 such participants. Additionally, AFL is working off the back of growth in participation numbers of 9% per annum. That, in anyone’s language, is exceptionally good growth.

I should be very clear here: I am more a fan of cricket and rugby union rather than rugby league or AFL. What I find interesting about those numbers is the significant shift in the demographic of the players of sport in Queensland. Times certainly have changed from when I was a kid running around sports fields playing sport. Some 25 years ago I did not know that one could play AFL in Queensland and I would be astonished if any young bloke growing up in my generation thought any different. AFL was not the played sport back then: you played rugby league in the winter or cricket in the summer and that was pretty much it.

So why am I writing about this? Two reasons:

1. I do not believe the AFL and Brisbane Lions in particular have received enough kudos for the work they have done to develop the game in this state; and
2. It has to be stated that rugby league has done an equally poor job.

Upon the Lions winning their brace of three premierships they have leveraged off their massive up lift in membership and attendances at games to educate the people of Queensland about the game. The last of those victories was a decade ago and yet the fans continue to flock to the Gabba in droves to watch their team. What I think the Lions and the AFL have done particularly well is that they have won over the parents of sports playing kids.

Obviously one of the ways in which they have done this is that they have publicised the game of AFL as an essentially non-contact alternative to rugby league for children. Also, it is obvious when one goes to the games (I have attended recently at the Gabba as well on the Gold Coast) that attendance at the games is certainly kid friendly. Every game I have been too I have been impressed with number of children in attendance and engaged in the game.

The rugby league authorities have not done enough, conversely, in my view to make attendance at games kid friendly. This is an entirely personal view based solely on my attendances at games. The test that I have applied in coming to this conclusion is whether I would be happy to take my nephews or kids of my mates to a game and, indeed, have I actually done so? This year I have taken my nephews / kids of my mates to AFL and rugby union games but I have always been hesitant about taking them to a rugby league game. The vibe is just different: I cannot explain it. I guess I am going to be less likely to take young kids to a sporting contest that I myself in the past have felt personally threatened for my safety being in the crowd and that has only ever happened at rugby league games.

I am not at all here casting negative aspersions on rugby league fans: I am not. What I am saying is that if there is one area in which the NRL and the other rugby league authorities including the clubs have let themselves down it is in making the game family friendly. Of course parents, particularly mothers, are going to prefer their children to play a game that they feel comfortable taking them to watch.

The other area in which I think the NRL has let itself down is in its traditional heartland. Whilst kids are still playing rugby league in, for example, Ipswich and Toowoomba, it is entirely obvious that the AFL is making inroads in both places given, for example, the involvement of a number of junior teams from the Ipswich area in the greater Brisbane junior AFL competitions. A NRL team in either centre or even in Central Queensland would go a long way to pause those inroads being made by the AFL.

The rugby league authorities need to lift their game in Queensland: there is no escaping that. Equally, I for one am pleased that kids these days have a freedom of choice when it comes to sports they play. The fact that those kids have that choice is all to the credit of the AFL. I am waiting with baited breath for a similar report to come out next year on 2013 participation numbers in sport. I am fairly certain that the AFL will have pushed passed the rugby league to be the most popular oval ball sport in Queensland. Who ever thought they would see that day? I, for one, certainly did not!

Sportspeople and Citizenship: does bowling a wrong ‘un make you worthy of the fast track?

May 30, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , 2 Comments

In 2009 the then Minister for Immigration pushed through various amendments to the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (the Act) in the obliquely named Australian Citizenship Amendments (Citizen Test Review and Other Measures) Act 2009. Those other measures including the introduction into the Act of new sections that prescribed when and how a person will satisfy the “special residence requirement”. The new prescriptive section states (as is relevant for the purposes of this blog):

For the purposes of [the Act] a person satisfies the special residence requirement if the applicant is seeking to engage in an activity specified in [a Regulation], the applicant’s engagement in that activity would be of benefit to Australia, the applicant needs to be an Australian citizen in order to engage in that activity and in order for the applicant to engage in that activity, there is insufficient time for the applicant to satisfy the general residence requirement.

There are, of course, other moderately minor hurdles (pun intended) for an applicant under this section but in essence the amendment to the Act allowed a person undertaking a specified activity for the benefit of Australia to have their citizenship this country fast tracked.

What are the prescribed activities? Also in 2009, Minister Evans pronounced a legislative instrument that made these activities “specified” for the purposes of the provision above:

1. Employment in a position which requires a high-level security clearance in a Department, an Executive Agency, or a Statutory Agency of the Commonwealth.

2. Participation in an Australian team in the following competitions: the Olympic Winter Games, the Paralympic Winter Games, the Olympic Summer Games, the Paralympic Summer Games, the Davis Cup Competition and the Fed Cup Competition.

Yes folks: being a sportsperson gets you to the head of the queue in this country. Since the introduction of the measure noted above the Australian Olympic Committee has assisted 15 athletes gain citizenship on the fast track with three competing at the Winter Olympics. In speed skater Tatiana Borodulina’s case she was so thankful at her opportunity to become an Australian citizen and represent us at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games that almost immediately after said games she renounced her citizenship and returned to Russia.

Why is this an issue now? Afterall the amending legislation went through some 4 years ago. Well things probably would have stayed as they are in Canberra but for a young man called Fawad Ahmed and his special skill of bowling leg breaks and wrong ‘uns. You see Australia is playing in the Ashes this year and is, by some accounts, desperately short on spin bowlers to face England this coming August. The problem is that Mr Ahmed has not yet met the general residence requirements under Australian law to become a citizen and does not play in a sport that qualifies under the Minister Evans’ pronouncement outlined above.

So today, the current Minister for Immigration Brendan O’Connor will be introducing to parliament an amendment to the legislative list of approved sporting contests to include the Ashes so that Mr Ahmed can possibly play.

Setting aside whether or not Mr Ahmed ought be picked on the merits it astonishes me that Australia and Australians seem to rank ability with a tennis racket, a speed skate or a cricket ball as above all of those others who are striving to become citizens and are equally as qualified save that their qualification is with a scalpel or a pen or a lathe.

Take the case of two immigrants from Pakistan who arrived in Australia on the same date: one plays cricket and the other is a nobel prize winning pharmacist working on a revolutionary drug to cure cancer. Under Australian law, as likely to be amended today, the cricketer becomes a citizen first.

Forgive me but I just can not believe for a second that the outcome of that, albeit ridiculously hypothetical example, is right. In fact I would go so far as to say that the totality of of sections 22A – 22C introduced to the Act in 2009 as about to be amended are nothing short of an embarrassment to this country. Bowling a good wrong ‘un does in Australian make you more worthy of citizenship here it seems and I for one am ashamed.