England, Cricket and Faith with Aat Lindeque
After a month and a bit in the UK I finally had a glorious sunny day for cricket. And what a day it was for my new team Castle Eden Cricket Club. I was blessed with a ton. So I could not be happier.
It has been quite a dull couple of first weeks in terms of weather up here in the North Eastern England, which has been completely different to back home in South Africa. This has given me time to watch quite a bit of IPL and cricket in general. As we are seeing more evident in every form of the game how T20 cricket has impacted the game as we know it. I see it as an exciting impact; batsmen are playing with more freedom, with the skills of the bowlers and fielders having to be at the top of their games to restrict the likes of a Chris Gayle, AB De Villiers and Kevin Pietersen.
In the modern game of cricket every moment is seen as a possible game changing or winning moment. Margins have become smaller, and winning has become harder. Which leaves teams looking for players in the mould of Gayle, AB and KP. Players who have the ability to stand up to the immense pressures of the modern game and change the momentum into their side's favour.
With my short stay in England the main discussion in English cricket has been the KP saga. Which in itself shows how much KP was worth to England. He is a match winner, a player who will stand up to the likes of Mitchell Johnson and the Aussies in the upcoming Ashes series. Do England have someone like this?
All the discussions about trust and being a maverick has forced KP out of the English side. And we are yet to see what the result of that decision will be in the upcoming Ashes series.
I personally feel that there is room for players like KP in sport sides. He is a game changer, a winner. However in the same way I feel that there is a place for players of a calmer nature and especially of Faith in cricket. As a South African we have had great role models in terms of cricketers of Faith. Shaun Pollock stands out as such a player.
I aspire to be that kind of a player at whichever level I play. My faith and relationship with Jesus always being the main goal and cricket being a tool.
But like in South African sides including the likes of Shaun Pollock and then a guy like Herschel Gibbs who is in the mould of KP, I think our management showed how you can manage both types of players in the same team. And I really believe a professional side needs both types of players.
So weather England will eventually give KP another chance is yet to be seen, but that he will be missed is a fact! And will be a sigh of relief for the Australian that he is not playing, frankly they are probably laughing at the whole situation.
Sincerely,
Aat Lindeque