Aver + Age = Average?

gchakravarthy — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:16:00 GMT

A lot had been expressed about the supposed loss of luster of the Australian cricket stars ever since they were beaten by India in India last year.That is just another tribute to the dominance of the Australian cricket team over their counterparts who were reduced to part-counters by them during the past decade. All they have really lost in that period is the sense of invincibility. They have actually not lost too many matches and the ones they have only lost to South Africa and India. And not just ANY India or South Africa, at least in the case of India many are arguing, not without evidence, this is THE BEST Indian team to have ever played cricket!

So when Rhys Thompson "roars" in relief at the "resurgence" of the Australian team, one feels like pinching oneself and him.

Just when we thought the Australian Cricket team, the Goliath of all Australian sporting rep teams had met its own David, waiting for the killer blow, the beast has suddenly re-awakened.

But there are a few Australian cricketers to whom that word might suit much better individually. Soon after the mass exit of some of the Australian greats, various factors led to the exit of some who many thought would be counted among the greats by the time they hung their boots or cast their fishing rods for longer or strummed their guitars louder. Drum rolls please. Enter (or is it "Exit"): Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds, Stuart Clark, Shane Watson, Shaun Tait.

Of these, Binga is certain he belongs in the Australian Team, heck he demands it! The Australian Team Management seems to be certain this averment combines destructively with his aging (at least for a super-fast bowler) body resulting in average performances on the field. Roy, spurred by his agent, is bent upon averting another smash to his image. They will be hoping that it is not just the image that's below average for this otherwise fearsome competitor. "Sarfraz" , for his part, stayed true to that adage "If you love something, let it go and ...". Well, his average ODI overs have not stopped him from getting back into the side. And then there's Watto, Watto ... Watto! He must be wondering Whatto will ever bring him back from the sideline into that very side? In his case, his age might, in fact, be causing him an oppostie problem. His still-growing body a few years ago might have been put through too much resulting in a apge of injuries that possibly gave the Australian establishment that is always looking for stability, a very warm, fuzzy feeling in their collective stomachs. Tinga, who had started with a tingle in his stomach telling him he could be the next Binga, bowed himself out into the sidelineswhere he seems to linga.

All of these talented Ozzies seem to have suddenly seemed average to their national selection committee and at the same time the Australian team seems to be heading that way as well. Will their age, at least on the international cricket pitch, aver their returns to the national side? One can wait and see.

In the meanwhile, Younus Khan is lamenting the lack of Ricky, Mitch, and Mike in his opposing ranks because he feels his inexperienced side could learn a lot from them:

"When you play against the top players like Ponting, you learn different and good things"

Banking on culture

dcsiva — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:50:00 GMT

Brett Lee says that playing in the IPL has resulted in the Aussies gaining a greater understanding of Indian culture:

HARBHAJAN SINGH is not the only one to have said he will turn over a new leaf. The leader of the Australian attack, Brett Lee, last night pledged the Australian team will be on its best behaviour for the sequel to last summer's explosive Bollyline series.

In a concerted attempt to consign the acrimony between the Australian and Indian teams to history before the series begins, Lee said many of his teammates had benefited from experiencing their opponents' culture in the Indian Premier League.

Is that really true? Or even possible? Perhaps cricket is now only about money, or are these entirely false opposites? Meanwhile the money at stake certainly keeps on increasing. The Royal Bank of Scotland have signed up Sachin Tendulkar as a brand ambassador and sponsored the Twenty20 cricket in Pakistan (no security scares for them, I guess):

The PCB recently launched the Royal Bank of Scotland 20-20 Cup that will kick off on 4th October in Lahore.

Finally some cricket!

Who would have thought that the global financial crisis would affect cricket in Pakistan.

ABN Amro has sponsored domestic cricket in Pakisan for the last 3 years, however with its take over by RBS, all cricket in Pakistan will now be sponsored by them.

Royal Bank of Scotland sponsoring cricket in Pakistan. That sounds strange doesn't it?

And, finally, Neo Sports expect to make Rs 285 crores this year, with RBS a leading purchaser:

The sports broadcaster has managed to lock in 70% of its advertising inventory for the season. A deal has been finalised with telecom company Airtel which would be the co-presenting sponsor for both the India-Australia and India-England series.

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Toyota have also come on board as associate sponsors. Fosters is the third associate/beverage partner, but will not get the same benefits as the other two associate sponsors.

They will utilise the partnership to popularise the brand on ground. The deal was closed by the World Sports Group (WSG), the ground right holders for an estimated Rs 3.3 crore per match. India and Australia will clash in a four-match series beginning October 9 in Bangalore.

This is RBS’ first investment in cricket and the bank is using cricket as its launch vehicle in India. Toyota on the other hand is using cricket as a platform to market and advertise its latest launch, the Corolla Altis.

Cover Points : Brett Lee

Aver + Age = Average?

Banking on culture