CRICKET - PART 2

There is no other game like cricket, played by schoolboys and clubs over a full-day, out in the open, and by national professional Test Match teams over 5 days in tailor-made stadia. The demands on players for super skills and techniques, fitness, stamina, concentration and perseverance, are unimaginable to the uninformed. But when you factor in that the outcome of a match, notwithstanding paper predictions, can be affected by any or all of the type of pitch prepared, venue, change of weather, type of ball, ageing of ball, bat used, captain's and batsmens' tactics and, umpires' calls, the you have a truly fascinating and intriguing sport like no other. (Umpires' mistakes are nowadays minimised by the use of CCTV camera and and computer program systems called 'Hawkeye').

In no other world sport do the players battle it out over 5 consecutive days with 8-9 hours play a day, for supremacy. In no other sport in the world do the combatants play to win, and yet after 5 days, find there is no clear winner. This is of course anathema to, for example the Americans, whose national psyche cannot grapple with the concept of an honourable draw, but which to the British and other cricket playing nations like Australia, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the West Indies, has much merit in that, mere chance does not rule the day.

The game has expanded from Test Matches to include One Day Internationals (ODI played over 50 six-ball overs per team) and T20 (played over 20 six-ball overs per team). These demand new skills, tactics and innovations, such as the scoop shot, upper cut and reverse sweep. These games favour the young as they demand fitness and fielding skills of the highest standards. In the old days of the 5-day Test Match, pot-bellied Test stars could get away with Boycott-like stubborn blocking defence and farming the strike, but the ODIs and T20s will pension them off rapidly in the modern variations of the game.

One day in early 1966, when in Form 1 North, my maths teacher T.Rajaratnam announced to the class a list of boys, among whom I was one, "who will turn up for cricket practice at 4 this afternoon." There was no "do any of you know how to play cricket" or "are you interested in cricket?" It was an order you ignored at peril. I had written about T.Rajaratnam before. CLICK HERE. Raja as he was "affectionately" known, died of cancer in 1967.

The school had a new Sports Master, 'Lenny' De Vries, a M'sian Eurasian who was outstanding throughout his tenure in VI as teacher, disciplinarian, mentor and especially as cricket and hockey coach. I have written about Lenny before. CLICK HERE FOR EARLIER BLOG POST ON LENNY & HOCKEY.

In 1970, he left for Canada to earn his PhD in Sports Science. He commanded the respect of every student who came into contact with him. Lenny coached our victorious 1968 U15 Hockey Team and taught us strategic team play such as 'attacking in triangular formations in either flank' and 'kasi makan defensive feints'.

More than that, Lenny led the VI Cricket team to its 1st ever Navaratnam Shield semi-finals, after HM Murugasu and the Board of Governors successfully secured a court order to force the Selangor Cricket Association (SCA) to reverse their decision to disqualify VI who had given a strategic walkover to Selangor Eurasians a day or two before May 13th 1969! 

Eventually, VI lost the semi-finals played at the PWD Cheras grounds despite a fluent top score of 20-odd runs by Lenny which included a classic cover drive that just failed to go for 4 through a soggy outfield. I know because I was one of the many VI students who had gone there that Saturday morning, hoping for an epic win.

'Billy' Achen Balachandren (VIPB and Cricket Captain 1971) tells me that there were several contentious decisions made by umpires like Christie Sheperdson of NEB that day, including a crucial one against Terence Jayatilaka (bowler), who with Lenny and Bain Saurajan were the 3 teachers in the VI team. There was much acrimony in the cricketing circles in Selangor then, that a team of mere schoolboys in short pants should have gone to court and advanced to the semi-finals of one of the most prestigious Club cricket competitions in Malaysia.

Notwithstanding the loss, it was an incredible performance by a team comprising mainly schoolboys pitted against the might of teams like National Electricity Board (NEB, the forerunner to TNB), Tamilian Physical and Cultural Association (TPCA), Rubber Research Institute (RRI), Selangor Club (The Dog) etc., who all had a sprinkling of past and present National cricketers! The stylish Terence Jayatilaka taught us English Literature in F4 (1969).

Dr.Leonard De Vries was at one time attached to the Sports Science Faculty of USM Penang and is now President of the Malaysian Association of Sports Education, Sports Science and Fitness as well. He also consults for the National Sports Council (NSC).

 I was also told by my Cricket and Biology Master, young Anandakrishnan (Andy), that he had recommended me to 1972 Head Master Soma for full colours in cricket. I had only represented the school cricket 1st eleven team in 1971 and 1972. However, prior to that, I had represented my house (Hepponstall) from Form 1 onwards. I took special pride of place that in the five years between 1968-72, I bowled (medium pace/swing) out some of the top school 1st eleven batsmen and also scored a few fifties in the inter-house fixtures. So, half-colours at least, was not unreasonable. CLICK HERE FOR VI HEAD MASTERS.

TO BE CONTINUED