Merry Christmas
Wishing you and your family a healthy, happy and safe Christmas and New Year from the team at Elite Cricket.
It’s great to see cricket in the news for the right reasons. The 1st Australia vs. South Africa Test was a riveting, high standard and see-sawing contest between cricket’s two top ranked teams. South Africa grabbed the initiative and a 1-0 lead in the series and have managed to further dent Australia’s aura of invincibility post the Warne and McGrath era and will be riding high on confidence.
Australia on the other hand will be searching for answers particularly after failing to defend a fourth innings total of 400 plus, however you never write off a champion team and you can bet your bottom dollar Australia will come back hard come Boxing Day!
There is an important lesson in how the South African skipper Greame Smith has modified his approach to leadership on this tour to his last. On the previous tour Smith was highly outspoken and openly provocative towards Australia in the media in comparison to the calm, quiet confidence he has demonstrated this time around as leader.
In doing so he has proven the old adage that actions speak louder than words, in scoring a brilliant second innings century at the WACA and leading his team to an historic win. Focusing on his own game has enabled Smith to direct his talent to influence things where they really count – out on the field and not in the media.
Of course it is great and necessary to be aggressive if you want to play successful cricket however aggression needs to be controlled and channeled positively into great performances, which is exactly what Smith has done.
My former teammates David Boon and Jamie Cox and the other Australian selectors face an interesting challenge when they sit down to pick the team for the Boxing Day test. Among other things they will need to look at how to balance the short-term issue of how to take 20 wickets in a test match with the longer-term consideration of player development. Do they change Krejza and Siddle for Bollinger and Hilfenhaus? or not? Do they stick with a spinner, even if he is not quite ready to deliver consistently at Test level? What do they do with Hayden? Symonds?
It’s a tough and common issue for selectors – short-term pain vs long-term gain! My view would be to have faith and stick with the current squad for now in the hope they will learn and develop into a match winning unit, after all some of our best ever players took a while to get going such as Steve Waugh who debuted in 1985-86 against India and didn’t make a century till 1989 Ashes and Shane Warne who took 1 for 150 odd in his first Test!
All in all it should be a great Boxing Day Test! Enjoy!
CHRISTMAS GIFT CERTIFICATES
Why not give the cricketer in your family an Elite Cricket gift certificate? Elite Cricket gift certificates are available for all our programs and for the denomination of your choice.
Places are available for January 2009 School Holiday Programs, to get your enrolment form simply click on the link below:
Program Schedule: January 2009
JANUARY HIGH PERFORMANCE ACADEMY
- St. Ignatius College, Riverview – 8th & 9th January 2009
JANUARY SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM
- Lindfield Oval, Tryon Road – 12th, 13th & 14th January 2009
- Morrison Bay Oval, Gladesville – 14th & 15th January 2009
- St. Ignatius College, Riverview – 19th & 20th January 2009
- Shore Sports Fields, Northbridge – 22nd & 23rd January 2009
JANUARY ‘ON THE BALL’ PROGRAM
- Lindfield Oval, Tryon Road – 12th, 13th & 14th January 2009
- Morrison Bay Oval, Gladesville – 14th & 15th January 2009
- St. Ignatius College, Riverview – 19th & 20th January 2009
- Shore Sports Fields, Northbridge – 22nd & 23rd January 2009
JANUARY HIGH PERFORMANCE – BOOT CAMP
- Five Dock Indoor Sports Centre – 21st January 2009
Cheers
Mark
Wishing you and your family a healthy, happy and safe Christmas and New Year from the team at Elite Cricket.
It’s great to see cricket in the news for the right reasons. The 1st Australia vs. South Africa Test was a riveting, high standard and see-sawing contest between cricket’s two top ranked teams. South Africa grabbed the initiative and a 1-0 lead in the series and have managed to further dent Australia’s aura of invincibility post the Warne and McGrath era and will be riding high on confidence.
Australia on the other hand will be searching for answers particularly after failing to defend a fourth innings total of 400 plus, however you never write off a champion team and you can bet your bottom dollar Australia will come back hard come Boxing Day!
There is an important lesson in how the South African skipper Greame Smith has modified his approach to leadership on this tour to his last. On the previous tour Smith was highly outspoken and openly provocative towards Australia in the media in comparison to the calm, quiet confidence he has demonstrated this time around as leader.
In doing so he has proven the old adage that actions speak louder than words, in scoring a brilliant second innings century at the WACA and leading his team to an historic win. Focusing on his own game has enabled Smith to direct his talent to influence things where they really count – out on the field and not in the media.
Of course it is great and necessary to be aggressive if you want to play successful cricket however aggression needs to be controlled and channeled positively into great performances, which is exactly what Smith has done.
My former teammates David Boon and Jamie Cox and the other Australian selectors face an interesting challenge when they sit down to pick the team for the Boxing Day test. Among other things they will need to look at how to balance the short-term issue of how to take 20 wickets in a test match with the longer-term consideration of player development. Do they change Krejza and Siddle for Bollinger and Hilfenhaus? or not? Do they stick with a spinner, even if he is not quite ready to deliver consistently at Test level? What do they do with Hayden? Symonds?
It’s a tough and common issue for selectors – short-term pain vs long-term gain! My view would be to have faith and stick with the current squad for now in the hope they will learn and develop into a match winning unit, after all some of our best ever players took a while to get going such as Steve Waugh who debuted in 1985-86 against India and didn’t make a century till 1989 Ashes and Shane Warne who took 1 for 150 odd in his first Test!
All in all it should be a great Boxing Day Test! Enjoy!
CHRISTMAS GIFT CERTIFICATES
Why not give the cricketer in your family an Elite Cricket gift certificate? Elite Cricket gift certificates are available for all our programs and for the denomination of your choice.
Places are available for January 2009 School Holiday Programs, to get your enrolment form simply click on the link below:
Program Schedule: January 2009
JANUARY HIGH PERFORMANCE ACADEMY
- St. Ignatius College, Riverview – 8th & 9th January 2009
JANUARY SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM
- Lindfield Oval, Tryon Road – 12th, 13th & 14th January 2009
- Morrison Bay Oval, Gladesville – 14th & 15th January 2009
- St. Ignatius College, Riverview – 19th & 20th January 2009
- Shore Sports Fields, Northbridge – 22nd & 23rd January 2009
JANUARY ‘ON THE BALL’ PROGRAM
- Lindfield Oval, Tryon Road – 12th, 13th & 14th January 2009
- Morrison Bay Oval, Gladesville – 14th & 15th January 2009
- St. Ignatius College, Riverview – 19th & 20th January 2009
- Shore Sports Fields, Northbridge – 22nd & 23rd January 2009
JANUARY HIGH PERFORMANCE – BOOT CAMP
- Five Dock Indoor Sports Centre – 21st January 2009
Cheers
Mark
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