It's not cricket

[jeremyp]

Everybody is amazed at the 1,000 runs made by an Indian schoolboy recently. However, have a read of this story and see if it makes a difference.

http://www.sacricketmag.com/schoolboys-1-000-runs-disgrace/

It was an under 16's match. However, the opposition consisted of 13 and 14 year olds because the entire U16 team was unavailable due to exams. They made 31 all out in their first innings.

I don't know what was going through the mind of the coach in this case. If your opposition has just made 31 and your number 3 is at (say) 200 not out wouldn't you make him retire to give some of the other school boys a go?

[Owlswing]

Everybody is amazed at the 1,000 runs made by an Indian schoolboy recently. However, have a read of this story and see if it makes a difference.

http://www.sacricketmag.com/schoolboys-1-000-runs-disgrace/

It was an under 16's match. However, the opposition consisted of 13 and 14 year olds because the entire U16 team was unavailable due to exams. They made 31 all out in their first innings.

I don't know what was going through the mind of the coach in this case. If your opposition has just made 31 and your number 3 is at (say) 200 not out wouldn't you make him retire to give some of the other school boys a go?

"Disgrace" and "disgusting" do not begin to describe this.

[Hope]

The original BBC articles I heard and read stated that the opposition scored 31 all out in reply to their opponent's score, which gives a different slant again.  The article you reference and newer BBC ones say otherwise.  I think all the hype was being stirred under the original understanding of the situation.

[jeremyp]

The original BBC articles I heard and read stated that the opposition scored 31 all out in reply to their opponent's score

It doesn't matter which way round it was. It was clearly a mismatch and it was a school match. The idea is to teach children cricket and get them enthused about it. However, the opposition team was subjected to utter humiliation and most of the batsmen had to spend two days doing nothing.  This is not going to increase their love of the game.

[ProfessorDavey]

It doesn't matter which way round it was. It was clearly a mismatch and it was a school match. The idea is to teach children cricket and get them enthused about it. However, the opposition team was subjected to utter humiliation and most of the batsmen had to spend two days doing nothing.  This is not going to increase their love of the game.

Perhaps but I still think this is a great story.

And maybe the other batsmen will start to think about it being them in the middle for so long and not Pranav Dhanawade.

And even against much lesser opposition scoring that number of runs is a huge achievement as the biggest barrier isn't the opposition bowlers but your own concentration. Even the very best batsman can get out due to a lapse in concentration.

[jeremyp]

Perhaps but I still think this is a great story.

What happened was a disgrace, not to the batsman but to his team coach. It should not have been allowed to happen.

And even against much lesser opposition scoring that number of runs is a huge achievement as the biggest barrier isn't the opposition bowlers but your own concentration. Even the very best batsman can get out due to a lapse in concentration.

And what about the 13 and 14 year olds who were punished with two days of humiliation in the field?

[ProfessorDavey]

And what about the 13 and 14 year olds who were punished with two days of humiliation in the field?

I suspect they will actually dine out on it - being present and participating (in what ever form) in a record breaking match that broke a 100 year old record.

I think they will actually feel rather better about it than had they still been comprehensively smashed, but with nothing positive or record breaking about the match at all. They are a part of history being made - not often that a 13 or 14 year old kids can say that.

The players who perhaps should feel most aggrieved would be the batsmen who got no chance to bat. But actually that's cricket - sometimes as a batman you get out cheaply and have to watch your colleagues pile on the runs or even don't get to bat at all.

[Hope]

It doesn't matter which way round it was. It was clearly a mismatch and it was a school match. The idea is to teach children cricket and get them enthused about it. However, the opposition team was subjected to utter humiliation and most of the batsmen had to spend two days doing nothing.  This is not going to increase their love of the game.

jerermy, you've clearly never been to India: enthusing children about cricket isn't a great problem - they play it all over the place.  Its not like the UK where every 2nd child has an ipad or some other techie gadget.  There, a bat and a ball is ubiquitous.  At the same time, as we saw last week in Cape Town, we had 11 players standing around a field and another 9 sat in their changing room for hours on end with few if any wickets being taken, and runs galore being scored.  It happens.  Are you saying that the England and S. African coaches should have required their respective batsmen to retire once they'd scored 100 or perhaps even 50?

[jeremyp]

Are you saying that the England and S. African coaches should have required their respective batsmen to retire once they'd scored 100 or perhaps even 50?

In the last test match, both sides declared when they got to around 620. In any case, that was a professional cricket match, not a school match.

Read the article.

[ProfessorDavey]

jerermy, you've clearly never been to India: enthusing children about cricket isn't a great problem - they play it all over the place.  Its not like the UK where every 2nd child has an ipad or some other techie gadget.  There, a bat and a ball is ubiquitous.  At the same time, as we saw last week in Cape Town, we had 11 players standing around a field and another 9 sat in their changing room for hours on end with few if any wickets being taken, and runs galore being scored.  It happens.  Are you saying that the England and S. African coaches should have required their respective batsmen to retire once they'd scored 100 or perhaps even 50?

I think that's right.

Sure no-one likes getting completely whalloped, but I suspect India has less of the 'everyone must be a winner' culture that we have here.

But these kids (all of them) have been part of history being made. They will talk about that match until there are old.

Which would make them feel more positive.
1. Being skittles out for 31 - then fielding when the opposition makes a record score and a player makes history by breaking an individual scoring record that had lasted for 100 years. Then getting 52 in their second innings to lose.

Or

2. Being skittles out for 31 - then fielding when the opposition bats you out of the game with each of the top batmen making 150 and then retiring to end on 600-1 (excluding the retirements). Then getting 52 in their second innings to lose.

I think the first is going to leave them much more positive.

[jeremyp]

I suspect they will actually dine out on it - being present and participating (in what ever form) in a record breaking match that broke a 100 year old record.

I think they will actually feel rather better about it than had they still been comprehensively smashed, but with nothing positive or record breaking about the match at all. They are a part of history being made - not often that a 13 or 14 year old kids can say that.

Nobody knew that when he was slaughtering them at 200. Any reasonable person would have declared enough is enough long before thoughts of "could he break the record" would have crossed anybody's mind.

And when he did break the record, why not stop there? No, they went on for several more pointless hours for no reason whatsoever.

The record is meaningless and a lot of people were put through the grinder for no reason.

Incidentally, I wouldn't be at all surprised that the record that was broken was set in similar circumstances.

[ProfessorDavey]

Nobody knew that when he was slaughtering them at 200. Any reasonable person would have declared enough is enough long before thoughts of "could he break the record" would have crossed anybody's mind.

And when he did break the record, why not stop there? No, they went on for several more pointless hours for no reason whatsoever.

The record is meaningless and a lot of people were put through the grinder for no reason.

Incidentally, I wouldn't be at all surprised that the record that was broken was set in similar circumstances.

He not only broke the record but attained a new major achievement - the first person ever to score 4 figures in an innings.

Do you really think the opposition would have felt better if they'd declared at 650 for 1 - which 4 of their top five batsmen retiring at 150 and one getting out for 30-ish. Nope. The 13/14 year olds will feel much better about this game, due to their involvement in history making than they would have done if they'd lost by an innings and 500 runs with nothing else remarkable about the game.

And whatever you say the concentration needed not to get out stupidly to allow him to get to 1000 is a big achievement and will stand him in good stead if he takes up the game professionally.

[ProfessorDavey]

Any reasonable person would have declared enough is enough long before thoughts of "could he break the record" would have crossed anybody's mind.

Well it is a good job they didn't or we wouldn't have had this great 'good news' story this week, nor would the opposition be able to say they helped make history.