Publications
Partners
I love statistics, but personally I feel that it’s mostly overrated.
For instance, how do you compare a 100 in a losing cause versus a
match winning 60 when your team were bound to lose. Or a 200 against
lowly opposition like Zimbabwe vs a 50 from 300 balls to save a test
match. My favourite stat is the fact that SA has never lost a test when
Graeme Smith scored a hundred. Never. Even more amazing is the fact that
he’s the captain of the side. Which other captain can lay claim to such
a feat. Now that’s what you call lead from the front and if that’s not
legendary, then I don’t know what is.
The truly great players are not always the ones who have the best stats,
or best averages, but to me it’s the ones who arrive at the big
occasion, the ones who put their hand up when the chips are down. The
ones who produce the goods when you have to break a world record (434)
JUST to win the game (Gibbs). The ones who carries the team and the
hopes of a nation during difficult times (Lara). The Muralitharans of
this world who single handledly destroyed batting line ups without
little or no support at times. I strongly believe that if Murali was an
Australian or an Englishmen, he would’ve gotten the respect he deserves.
There are many others who fall in this category.
But that’s why I’m writing this article. To salute these heroes, these legends of this beautiful game.
