It’s not often that AussieRulesBlog ventures to comment on sports other than AFL. Two reasons: we’re called AussieRulesBlog (duh!); and we’re really only peripherally interested in the other sports. But there’s a special reason today why we’re bending the rules.
Despite the variations in climate between, say, Hobart and Perth or Brisbane, and putting aside home crowds for a moment, travelling AFL teams compete on a more-or-less level playing field. That’s to say, teams can expect to play essentially much the same game in Hobart or Brisbane and have similar expectations of success.
Would that that were the case in international cricket. The Australian cricket team’s humbling in India over recent weeks might be perhaps the ultimate example of ‘home ground advantage’.
In less affluent and more relaxed days, Australian cricket teams would head off for an overseas tour with a schedule of matches against less-exalted local opponents to allow them some acclimatisation time. Not now. Every playing days is so sponsor-crucial that there’s no time for the Australian team to warm up for three or four days against the Maharajah of Dehli’s youth XI. It’s straight into a Test match against the best players the host country can field.
Little wonder then that the tour of India has been such a disaster. Add some questionable team culture and some egos seemingly out of control and you’ve got all the ingredients to become a laughing stock.
So, next time you hear someone having a whinge about a West Coast or Fremantle crowd in Perth baying for free kicks, remind them that it could be a lot worse. It could be Chennai, the oval could be more gravel than grass and the crowd could the three times as big and three times as loud!
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3 comments:
To be fair, though, the Chennai crowd is not particularly hard on visiting teams. I saw India lose to Pakistan in 1999 (I'm from Chennai), and the crowd gave Pakistan a standing ovation.
As much as Indians love beating Australia (I know I do!), we're pretty open when it comes to dishing out praise for an opponent's performance.
Of course, on this particular tour, there wasn't really one to cheer about apart from Peter Siddle's courageous batting in the 4th test.
I'm sorry. The Chennai ref was just the first Indian city I could think of on the spur of the moment. I wasn't having a crack at India or Chennai. The subcontinent is a difficult place for the Aussies to tour and the lack of time to acclimatise was the predominant reason, in my distant view, why the tour descended into farce.
There's no doubt that the Australian curators prepared fast bouncy wickets when India were touring Australia in the past. I'm not sure there are any fast, bouncy wickets left, but you'll get my drift
No worries, I didn't think you were having a crack at Chennai. It has been a difficult place for Australia to tour, particularly because it starts to get quite warm in early February and quite humid.
Not to mention that it's a turner and Australia really didn't seem to have anyone who could spin the ball or batsmen who could deal with it.
And I think you're right, time to acclimatise is crucial, can't really play well without knowing what the expect.
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