Re: CRICKET COMMANDOS IN THE MAKING ~ ARMY TRAINING CRICKETERS
Important points to be extracted out, from this topic. This type of military training that our team has been put through is simply not going to work. You might see slight improvement in the levels of fielding, temporary investments in the overall physical psyche of players and sugar-coated fitness level up to an acceptable standard. Do we ever think of long-term planning, something more permanent? You PCB......are you really out there to improve your books on fitness records or do you feel inclined to physically deport everyone to a boot camp in the middle of summer while the powers that be choose to lock themselves in air-conditioned rooms? Have you thought of a long-term planning? Our team needs a coach, a person, someone, who needs to be at the disposal of the team at almost all times to ensure that not only the requirements of playing a standard game of cricket are met, but greater things are achieved in the process. Import someone from US (only for Naseem Ashraf) or any other country in the world or bring in someone internally who is mentally capable of planting in seeds and producing fruits. People need motivation. How on earth can they motivate themselves after this army training is over? Who do they have to look up to? The drills, the practice and all are fine, but motivation comes from an entity. It comes from the soul of a person and not through the actions carried out by the body. These camps are as non-functional as they can be, nothing good can come out of it, at least not when one is thinking anytime permanent. Change is good, change is always good but why even bother to go that route knowing that we eventually are going to have to re-think on where to start from ground zero? Change does not translate into going back to old roots. Get up to that level of change and build something from it.
One of these past days I was reading an article published on the fielding standards of Australian team. If anyone comes across that article, do share. It highlighted on the views the rest of the world share on the standards that Australia have raised, and the internal views that there is more ground to cover and it is not what it seems from outside. The fielding, from their point of view, is up there, but could be miles better. What major difference this is. Fielding needs to be gelled into a unit. It needs to be a part of living life. Cricketers have to 'enjoy' doing what they do or it becomes a mere formality. Continuous eight-hour work shifts is hazardous to health. The dives, the timings of the dives, and all related, needs to be ingrained into one self, otherwise the notion that we all know our cricket and cannot learn anything further will only obstruct us from reaching the level comparable to Australia, and even higher.
This is the reason why we need to invest in someone (regardless of the title) who can carry this team forward in terms of psychological mindset. The only thing obstructing us is not clear vision, because we already have great visioners. We need someone who can properly implement that vision in terms of long-term planning and development of the body and soul; someone who can enrich these lives by bringing in change. Change is good, change is very good. Staple the change and multiply it many times over and we shall witness drastic results.