Buck's Blog: Lady Luck
Fri, 5 February 2010
There is an old adage in cricket - 'You need a bit of luck in this game!' Victoria's last game against Tasmania in the Weet-Bix Sheffield Shield proved it once again. With Cameron White playing for Oz and Andrew McDonald injured, a few batsman were presented with opportunities that may otherwise not have come up for a while. Bobby Quiney wasn't in the original side due to a season of indifferent form by his high standards, and Lloyd Mash had a chance to nail down Brad Hodge's recently vacated number 3. On a tough wicket, and against the new ball, Mashy got two very good balls to dismiss him for not many in either innings. The first was a brute of a delivery that kicked at him and took the finest of edges as he tried to pull his bat out of the way. The second was a dubious LBW that could have gone either way. Bobby played a bad shot in the first innings and was out for fewer than ten and was under huge pressure both from himself, and perhaps from others close to the team. In the second innings he was dropped on zero by the usually very reliable Dan Marsh - a catch that could have put Bobby in the wilderness for quite a while. From then on Bobby rediscovered his form and confidence and proceeded to play a beautiful innings of over 150. The contrast is stark. Bobby is now in form and will be surely picked for the next few games at least. Bobby and Mashy are two of those characters that everyone in the squad wants to do well. They are both unselfish, hard working, supportive and happy characters - types that make a side good - and the outpouring of emotion when Bobby scored his century was amazing. Perhaps more than any I've ever seen. To his credit Bobby was good enough to take advantage of his luck. Mashy can only shake his head and be ready when Lady Luck turns his way. A similar moment came for me early in my career when on the comeback from being dropped I was probably on my last chance. Stuart Clark hit me flush on the front pad in front of middle when I was on 32. I held my breath as the umpire's finger could have sounded like a death knell to my career. I was mercifully let off and managed to scratch out 96, and happily I've done well enough to have never been dropped from a four-day state side since. Mike Hussey, in the recent second Test against Pakistan, was under severe pressure to perform and played an innings that not only saved his career but produced an almost impossible Test victory for Australia. But what would have happened if wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal had taken his first chance off Huss, or even his second or third? Australia would surely have lost - so would Huss have been axed? Even Ricky Ponting must have had a worry cross his mind too, as he watched his hook shot in the final Test at Hobart float to the Pakistan quick Aamer. Instead of a score of nought, it became 200, and worry out the window. Former Bushranger Michael Klinger is another recent one that springs to mind. In our Shield game against SA this season at the MCG, we all thought he should have been given out LBW first ball. Given a reprieve by the umpire, he was then dropped in the gulley next ball - both times on a duck. His start to the season hadn't been great and he was under some pressure, but he proceeded to score over 250 runs in the game without being dismissed and is now averaging over 100 for the season - and is putting his name up for national selection. Players face similar questions almost every day in their career. Why did the umpire give me out? Why didn't the ball just miss the edge? Why did the fieldsman drop that catch off my bowling? Who knows how much influence luck has on matches and careers? It's just not worth worrying about it even though it can stick in your guts and annoy the hell out of you. The only thing you can say to yourself is, 'Hopefully it will all balance out in the end.' That is, for all the bad decisions you get, you'll receive an equal number of good ones. It was why I could never understand Adam Gilchrist's decision to walk. Effectively he only received bad decisions and no favourable ones - except possible LBWs. I applaud him for it as it takes great courage, but when careers are on the line and hundreds of thousands of dollars are up for grabs, it's hard to criticise players who choose not to walk. Perhaps the best players get the best luck because they are competing more and doing more of the right things. Perhaps also the best players are the best regardless of luck. So perhaps the adage really is 'You make your own luck in cricket.' If that's the case then hopefully next time it will be Mashy's turn to get the rub of the green - there aren't many who are more deserving of it.
