MONTY,MEDIA,SLEDGING,SOLUTIONS FROM FOOTY
Monty Panessar saga continues. English media continues to torment the latest sikh wonder with possible onslaught with racial overtone from the crowd in Australia. It is true that no one escapes the harsh reality of Autralian cockiness and hard nut traits of Aussies. It is the very quality that has made them such a successful bunch in cricket plus many sports. I am bit sceptical about the same toughness in Wallabies, the national rugby union team. One has to be really appreciative of the way Aussies play Cricket,Rugby both union and league and of course my favourite AUSSIE RULES FOOTBALL.
Today, I laid my hands upon a book on Steve Waugh, the most professional sledger of our time. He is my favourite sports icon and I cannot disagree with his position on sledging.Steve does not want to define it as sledging.According to him " It is mental disintegration and a quality cricketer has to have ability not to be mentally disintegrated with all extant factors including verbal on slaughts.He says "It is not only your skill in sports .It is your mental soundness as well. I fully agree with him. If you are rock solid, you 've got to be able to withstand any pressure and consequently it will make you a success.If you are a lamb, how can you play five day tests.It will not be a test.
I happened to watch the Aussie movie "Moon the other night" (if my memory serves me right, the name is correct. ). In the film which took place in 1930's, the landowner having lost her daughter gets down a number of trackers to go in search of Emily, the daughter.Having seen a native Australian among them he openly protests against having a black tracker in his farm.He openly protests against him.This is a kind of sledging is n't it?.But, that man was gracious enough to help the depressed wife of the landowner to trackdown the corpse of Emily with his acquired skills in tracking things in the wild bush. What is conveyed in the film is accomplishment of your mission , not being carried away by advesre things that do occur in your surroundsing.
Asians really are worried by this tendency mostly. Carribeans are not really trubled by this at all. However, Carribeans of Indian ancestry were not immune as suggested by Sarwan-McGrath drama.This should not take racial overtone as this is a common phenomenon in Australia even when Aussies play each other.
When Swans played the West Cost Eagles in footy, O' Loughlin was not scared by voicferous Eagle fans. "I can shout louder than you... "Swan Michael O'Loughlin turned up the volume as he came close to a bunch of Eagles supporters. ( Click the link for the picture at REAL FOOTY
Last week before being landed on the ground by Swans in the first preliminary final, Fremantle Dockers had high hopes to reach the grand footy final.They were well known for aggressive and fast play while tormenting opponents, adding excitement to this wonderful game. Niggling is the word that they used for this kind of game.The tactics swans planned to use was not being fazed by the niggling of Western Australian Dockers.Josh Carr of Dockers, on the other hand, was ready to go ahead with his niggling kind of business in the footy field.Carr said he got a laugh when his opponents were upset by his tactics.The kind of attitude players coming to Australia should strive to cultivate if they are to be succesful in down under is encapsualted in this quotation of swan player BOLTON."[Niggling] is a part of it [the game], it's good fun. I think they [the Carr brothers, Josh and Matthew] enjoy it and it's what gets them to play their best footy and if that's what one player has to do to play well, it doesn't worry us. We just have to keep focused on the game."
As I believe, Monty should not make the crowd behaviour or the sledging a big mess .The best thing is to leave them aside as if he has not heard them at all and get on with his business.As a sikh it won't be a big problem for him.This pacifying approach is the right one as suggested by Kiwi great Sir Richard Hadlee who said the other day that this tip given to him by Ian Chappel made him a successful player in Down under.
Monty -The Man Behind the Mask ( Sydney Morning Herald)
Reports that Monty Panesar is on the verge of cracking up at the prospect of facing "Aussie hate mobs" are wide of the mark, writes Alex Brown.
MONTY Panesar will be savaged by Australian crowds, maybe even racially abused. They'll taunt him and tease him and torture him until there is nothing left but tears and a tattered patka. That is what awaits Monty Panesar, if you believe the myth being perpetuated by the English media.
But there's a problem with all of this. A rather significant one. It's complete hogwash. Makes for good headlines, though.
What is really in store for Monty? Warmth, most likely. And cheers, even if a good portion of those are of the Bronx variety, probably following a fielding effort that Benny Hill could have based an episode around. No harm in that.
Still, this isn't the message getting through to England. This week, The Sun reported that Panesar was seeing a sports psychologist " … to prepare for the Aussie hate mob". Which makes sense. Good naturedness, after all, doesn't make for saucy tabloid reading; not like a tired old stereotype, anyway.
The far more likely, if less sensational, scenario is that Panesar will become the crowd favourite of the summer. And a chat with England's rookie spinner during the week only reinforced this notion, first forged over the English summer, during which he artfully spun his way though the Sri Lankan and Pakistani batting line-ups - and clumsily offered them reprieves in the field.
When Panesar talks, it's with modesty bordering on the apologetic. When he bowls, it's with the flight and aggression that inevitably makes for engrossing contests; the kind of attacking spinner Australians admire. And when he fields and bats, he does so with the earnestness-to-skill ratio that once made Eric Moussambani the toast of the Sydney Olympic pool. In other words, Panesar is a wave to the crowd away from becoming the ultimate cult hero in Australia.
What, then, to make of his traumatic stints on the leather couch, rocking back and forth in the foetal position, with Steve Bull, England's team psychologist?
"He has spoken to us generally about what happens on a tour," Panesar told the Herald. "It hasn't been anything in-depth and has been pretty light-hearted."
But isn't he losing sleep over the prospect of playing before the "Aussie hate mob", most of whom commute from Ramsay Street to cricket stadia on roo-back and leer menacingly from behind cork-dangling swagman's hats? All to the tune of Locomotion?
"In general, I look to take energy from crowds that are passionate about cricket," he continued. "When you're in front of huge crowds, it's obviously a big motivation. I hope that most people in Australian cricket support the game in the right way. No one wants to see things that aren't right in the sport. In India, the crowds were big with a lot of people very passionate about the game. I hope it will be like that."
Hmmm. Not quite the angst-ridden response Fleet Street had you primed for.
For the sensationalists, Panesar is tough work. He's too damn nice, too soft spoken. When asked his thoughts on the recent comments made by Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting, both of whom said they would target England's rookie spinner this summer, Panesar's response is disarming for its complete lack of ego.
"It's just flattering that they've heard of me," he said. "Nothing that they've said will stop me from sticking to my game plan. But they are people who have achieved so much in the game. They are world-class players, more than anything, so for them to know me is great."
Though his endearing modesty may suggest otherwise, the list of those who know Panesar doesn't begin and end with Gilchrist and Ponting. Panesar's on-field success - 27 wickets at 26.85 against a pair of teams renowned for their skill against spin - earned him household-name status last English summer and won over a once-doubting England coach, Duncan Fletcher, who went so far as to label him the best finger spinner in the world. Murali might have something to say about that, though.
But whereas his unique version of left-arm orthodox enthralled English crowds, it was Panesar's unassuming nature and often comical fielding performances that secured him cult status. And by season's end, the 24-year-old had transformed from a fringe figure to one who rivalled Andrew Flintoff for prominence, plastered across the nation's newspapers, magazines and television screens.
Suddenly, the public wanted to know more - everything, anything. About Monty the family man. About Monty the first Sikh to play cricket for England. About Monty the everyday guy who spent much of the previous pre-season working voluntarily on a Canadian farm. Monty Inc.
"It was something I really enjoyed," he said. "At every Test venue, people came in new kinds of fancy dress and wearing patkas. There was a mask of me that people could download off the web, and it was quite amazing to look up into a crowd with that looking back at you. It just goes to show that the profile of cricket is rising in this country."
Of course, with reputation comes expectation. And Panesar, with just 10 Tests to his name, now stands to play a leading role in the most anticipated Ashes series in decades. "I've been lucky in the sense that I am around players who have just won the Ashes," he said. "There is a lot you can learn from their experiences. I was in Australia with the Academy team last year. The ball bounces more than in England.
"I'll look to gain more knowledge from guys like Ashley Giles and others who have toured Australia before and are more aware of the conditions."
And the hate mobs.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/cricket/monty-the-man-behind-the-mask/2006/09/22/1158431904069.html
MONTY Panesar will be savaged by Australian crowds, maybe even racially abused. They'll taunt him and tease him and torture him until there is nothing left but tears and a tattered patka. That is what awaits Monty Panesar, if you believe the myth being perpetuated by the English media.
But there's a problem with all of this. A rather significant one. It's complete hogwash. Makes for good headlines, though.
What is really in store for Monty? Warmth, most likely. And cheers, even if a good portion of those are of the Bronx variety, probably following a fielding effort that Benny Hill could have based an episode around. No harm in that.
Still, this isn't the message getting through to England. This week, The Sun reported that Panesar was seeing a sports psychologist " … to prepare for the Aussie hate mob". Which makes sense. Good naturedness, after all, doesn't make for saucy tabloid reading; not like a tired old stereotype, anyway.
The far more likely, if less sensational, scenario is that Panesar will become the crowd favourite of the summer. And a chat with England's rookie spinner during the week only reinforced this notion, first forged over the English summer, during which he artfully spun his way though the Sri Lankan and Pakistani batting line-ups - and clumsily offered them reprieves in the field.
When Panesar talks, it's with modesty bordering on the apologetic. When he bowls, it's with the flight and aggression that inevitably makes for engrossing contests; the kind of attacking spinner Australians admire. And when he fields and bats, he does so with the earnestness-to-skill ratio that once made Eric Moussambani the toast of the Sydney Olympic pool. In other words, Panesar is a wave to the crowd away from becoming the ultimate cult hero in Australia.
What, then, to make of his traumatic stints on the leather couch, rocking back and forth in the foetal position, with Steve Bull, England's team psychologist?
"He has spoken to us generally about what happens on a tour," Panesar told the Herald. "It hasn't been anything in-depth and has been pretty light-hearted."
But isn't he losing sleep over the prospect of playing before the "Aussie hate mob", most of whom commute from Ramsay Street to cricket stadia on roo-back and leer menacingly from behind cork-dangling swagman's hats? All to the tune of Locomotion?
"In general, I look to take energy from crowds that are passionate about cricket," he continued. "When you're in front of huge crowds, it's obviously a big motivation. I hope that most people in Australian cricket support the game in the right way. No one wants to see things that aren't right in the sport. In India, the crowds were big with a lot of people very passionate about the game. I hope it will be like that."
Hmmm. Not quite the angst-ridden response Fleet Street had you primed for.
For the sensationalists, Panesar is tough work. He's too damn nice, too soft spoken. When asked his thoughts on the recent comments made by Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting, both of whom said they would target England's rookie spinner this summer, Panesar's response is disarming for its complete lack of ego.
"It's just flattering that they've heard of me," he said. "Nothing that they've said will stop me from sticking to my game plan. But they are people who have achieved so much in the game. They are world-class players, more than anything, so for them to know me is great."
Though his endearing modesty may suggest otherwise, the list of those who know Panesar doesn't begin and end with Gilchrist and Ponting. Panesar's on-field success - 27 wickets at 26.85 against a pair of teams renowned for their skill against spin - earned him household-name status last English summer and won over a once-doubting England coach, Duncan Fletcher, who went so far as to label him the best finger spinner in the world. Murali might have something to say about that, though.
But whereas his unique version of left-arm orthodox enthralled English crowds, it was Panesar's unassuming nature and often comical fielding performances that secured him cult status. And by season's end, the 24-year-old had transformed from a fringe figure to one who rivalled Andrew Flintoff for prominence, plastered across the nation's newspapers, magazines and television screens.
Suddenly, the public wanted to know more - everything, anything. About Monty the family man. About Monty the first Sikh to play cricket for England. About Monty the everyday guy who spent much of the previous pre-season working voluntarily on a Canadian farm. Monty Inc.
"It was something I really enjoyed," he said. "At every Test venue, people came in new kinds of fancy dress and wearing patkas. There was a mask of me that people could download off the web, and it was quite amazing to look up into a crowd with that looking back at you. It just goes to show that the profile of cricket is rising in this country."
Of course, with reputation comes expectation. And Panesar, with just 10 Tests to his name, now stands to play a leading role in the most anticipated Ashes series in decades. "I've been lucky in the sense that I am around players who have just won the Ashes," he said. "There is a lot you can learn from their experiences. I was in Australia with the Academy team last year. The ball bounces more than in England.
"I'll look to gain more knowledge from guys like Ashley Giles and others who have toured Australia before and are more aware of the conditions."
And the hate mobs.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/cricket/monty-the-man-behind-the-mask/2006/09/22/1158431904069.html
posted by RANJAN 'S SIKH AND CRICKET BLOG at 7:30 PM
1 Comments:
interesting article. I would love to follow you on twitter. By the way, did anyone know that some chinese hacker had hacked twitter yesterday again.
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