Burns' Eye View

18 year-old Zaffar Ansari, one of the most promising young cricketers I have ever had the privilege of working with, made his entry into First-Class Cricket on Saturday on the first day of the new 2011 English Cricket season, in the match between Cambridge UCCE and Essex CCC, at Fenners.

On the opposing team was Alastair Cook, fresh from his remarkable Ashes series this winter where he scored 766 Test match runs to help retain the Ashes for England. Cook made only 10 before becoming one of Cambridge University’s Peter Turnbull’s four victims.

Yesterday, Zaffar made a first ball duck in his debut innings in First-Class Cricket. He was LBW to the son of one of my former Essex team-mates Don Topley. The highly promising 17 year-old Reece Topley, was also making his debut in the match.

He may be disappointed, but history shows he should not be dispirited…
On 22nd June, 1865, WG Grace made his First-Class debut playing for Gentlemen of the South v. Players of the South. This was a two-day match which his team won by an innings and 58 runs. Amazingly, he began his career with a duck: stumped HH Stephenson b G Bennett. However, he made up for this disappointment by taking 5-44 and 8-40! He was then aged just 16.

On August 18th 1920, Wally Hammond made his first-class debut for Gloucestershire against Lancashire at Cheltenham. Ironically, for a batsman of the highest possible class, he made a duck in his first innings. However, history records Hammond going on to set any number of world records, among them becoming the first man to score 7000 Test runs. Hammond and Sir Donald Bradman were considered as comparable talents, with some wise judges at the time believing the Englishman to be the superior batsman. He made a habit of making big scores including 336 not out in Auckland in 1932-33, another Test record at the time – and two majestic double-hundreds against Australia.

Fred Grace, (brother of WG) made a pair of ducks on his Test debut, in the 1st ever Test match in England (v Australia 1880 at The Oval) to set a standard which top-class batsmen such as Graham Gooch, and Marvan Attapatu followed. They are among a select group of 37 players who have also scored a pair of ducks on their Test debut. In Gooch’s case, he went on to become the highest English run-scorer in Test history.

At Lord’s in 1935, Len Hutton made a duck on his Test debut. Despite this setback, Hutton went on to become one of England’s greatest players, making the highest Test score of 364, (a world record score at the time), when England made 903 for 7 against Australia at The Oval in 1938 to win the Ashes.

Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar started his first class career with a duck on debut, but then scored centuries in the next three of his first class Ranji Trophy matches. Gavaskar became one of the greatest batsmen of all time, including being the highest Test run-scorer, and century maker, until others such as Allan order, Brian Lara and now Sachin Tendulkar went beyond Sunil’s landmark.

More recently, Australian Philip Hughes was dismissed for a fourth-ball duck in his first Test innings, but he quickly rebounded and made 75 in the second innings, then scored hundreds in each innings of his second Test, becoming the youngest man to achieve the feat at Test level.
For Zaffar Ansari, once of St John’s Beaumont Prep School in Englefield Green, Surrey, and Egham Cricket Club, the challenge of responding to disappointment, and going on to make many more runs in the future is now immediately in front of him. I believe runs will flow from his bat for Surrey and England in due course.
I predict the Cricket world will hear much about this gifted young man in years to come, and hopefully we will see him follow in the footsteps of the greats of the game, who have overcome the ignominy of a debut duck.

India’s victory in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Final in Mumbai provoked unbelievable scenes of spontaneous joy and celebratory tears. A nation of over 1 billion people will embrace their heroes from this day forward and, I suspect, the mother of all parties has just begun.

As I watched on TV in England, I reflected on the wonderful achievement of the game’s greatest ambassador Sachin Tendulkar, and his teammates, who dealt superbly with the expectation of winning the Cricket World Cup as host nation, the first team to do so in the competition’s history.

For Sachin, after a 20 year career that began a few years after India won their first World Cup in 1983, the first victory in six World Cups, was the culmination of a lifetime’s ambition and hard work. Collective achievement is what defines a cricket career, and for Sachin, who missed the ICC World T20 victory in South Africa in 2007, experiencing the victory lap after the World Cup Final in his home town of Mumbai must be beyond even his wildest dreams.
After the presentation ceremony, he shared some intimate thoughts:
“I couldn’t have asked for anything more than this. Winning the World Cup is the proudest moment of my life. Thanks to my team-mates. Without them, nothing would have happened. I couldn’t control my tears of joy.”

I watched my friend Gary Kirsten being paraded around the outfield by his team, to acknowledge the superb role he has played as Coach to Team India these past three years. Sachin’s generous post-match tribute to Gary’s role as Coach, and the input of his support staff was succinct but telling. He said:
‘‘Gary’s contribution has been immense.’’

I know from many years of first-hand experience that Gary is a fine man. He is also a top quality coach, who pursues and inspires excellence simultaneously. The smile on Gary’s face which as big as the African continent contrasted to the haunted look he wore as a palyer when (as a player) South Africa lost the World Cup Semi-Final to Australia in 1999. He deserves his moment in the spotlight, as the quality of his leadership has been suitably understated as to empower his Captain and players at every opportunity.

His great friends Paddy Upton and Eric Simons, (my long-term friend and former teammate at Bellville CC in Cape Town), were at his side in the job, as trusted assistants.

All three men will now return home, richly enhanced by their experiences with India. India will be left a wonderful legacy from their tenure.

Sri Lanka were worthy finalists and played a good game in the Final. Mahaela Jayawardene’s century was delightful, mixing orthodoxy with creative flair at quicker than a run a ball. He must feel very low tonight after losing consecutive World Cup Finals.

The iconic Murali bows out of the world game with 800 Test wickets and 519 ODI wickets to his name, career records which are likely to be untouched by anyone in the future. He finished his career on Sri Lankan soil with a wicket off his last ball in Test cricket and also in ODI cricket. However, sadly for him and his people, he could not add another in the World Cup Final, and bring further glory to his nation.

On the day Jose Mourinho lost his 9 year unbeaten home record as a Manager in Professional Football (when Real Madrid lost to Sporting Gijon), Sachin Tendulkar and India enjoyed their most satisfying home win ever.

Home is where the heart is. Gary Kirsten, Eric Simons and Paddy Upton will return home to Cape Town, possibly to re-establish South Africa as a world force again, while Sachin and his colleagues will party on to their heart’s content for some while at home in Mumbai.

Such joy is timeless.

Twenty two cricketers will be in their beds in Mumbai, trying to sleep before the biggest game of their lives tomorrow, the ICC Cricket World Cup Final. It is expected to be the most watched cricket match in history.

I remember spending the eve of the 2003 World Cup Final with Australia’s Michael Bevan in Johannesburg, and marvelling at the calmness and composure he and his fellow players exuded.

I watched the Indian team practice first at The Wanderers Stadium, and observed how intense the whole process was, almost as if they were trying too hard to ensure all the right details were in place, suggesting in fact that they doubted they were. In contrast, a couple of hours later, Australia had an optional practice, as they had been in a tapering phase of their World Cup campaign and preparation since before the semi final. Their belief was that their work had been done, and all they had to do was to come out on World Cup Final day and, as the Nike commercial says: ”Just do it!”.

Ricky Ponting’s Australia did, and did so emphatically, with a near-perfect performance to destroy India’s hopes.

Sometimes a team can want a victory too much. I hope India do not fall victim to this mindset tomorrow, and tense up on the big occasion, thus denying the world from seeing some of the greatest players on earth, perform near to their maximum.  Sehwag and Tendulkar on fire, batting against the new ball is some sight!!

My wish is for India to triumph, with the romantic in me hoping Sachin Tendulkar can score his 100th International century, on his home turf in Mumbai to deliver the crowning moment as World Champions. It will be for the second time as a country after Kapil Dev’s team triumphed over West Indies at Lord’s in 1983, but the first time for Sachin, and his contemporaries. An Indian victory will also mean the World Cup will be won by the host nation for the first time.

For two of my friends, Gary Kirsten and Eric Simons, I hope the World Cup Final brings them the reward for all their hard work as coaches to the Indian Team over the past few years. They are very good men, with a deep love and respect for the game.

However, I have a feeling for Sri Lanka to win, and have had since before the tournament began.

Sri Lanka has a wonderful bowling attack, with the variety and skill needed to take wickets throughout an innings, and batsmen capable of playing big innings and also scoring at a quick rate.

I also have a theory about Cup Finals, which is based on tipping the team who has experienced the least stressful semi-final. I believe that any excessive emotional energy expended in getting to a Final, can seem like victory in itself. If there is insufficient time to recover physically and emotionally from a draining semi-final, a team is at risk, and can under-perform in the Final itself.

India looked overjoyed, and relieved, to make the World Cup Final after defeating Pakistan on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Captain, Kumar Sangakarra, was almost sanguine on interview after his team defeated New Zealand on Tuesday.

Sangakarra spoke with impressive calm and fierce ambition when he said that whilst they were pleased to be in the World Cup Final, they are mindful that they have achieved nothing yet. It is about winning the Final, and not appearing in it. Such realism, and sobriety, in the aftermath of being awarded Man-of-the-Match in a World Cup semi-final, revealed an impressive leader. Coupled with the quality of player alongside him in his team, Kumar Sangakarra may experience unbridled joy by the end of tomorrow’s Final.

Having lost in the last World Cup Final at Kensington Oval Bridgetwon, Barbados (2007), and in the World T20 Final at Lord’s in 2009, Sri Lanka is desperate to match the achievements of Arjuna Ranatunga’s team who won the ICC World Cup in 1996, the last on the sub-continent. My hunch is that they might just do it…