Dein erstes Forum » more saves and better defensive play to get things go

Is it time to rethink crickets stereotypes? The gutsy Aussie battlers are getting knocked over like ninepins. Mercurial Pakistan, notwithstanding letting a first-innings lead dissipate at Edgbaston, have played determined cricket with a sense of collective purpose. And England are talented and exciting but flighty. After the second day of the Edgbaston Test, the former England captain Mike Atherton wrote that he felt a sense of role reversal: Pakistan had come dressed as England, England as Pakistan.In this third Test, I certainly did watch some classic English cricket. A burly and strongly built right-arm seamer, sturdy but prone to stiffening up after a long spell, banged away at a length outside off stump. He didnt swing the ball much or create an aura of artistry, but he bent his back willingly, and five wickets in the first innings were due reward for his virtuous toil. From first impressions, he seemed reassuringly old school, just the kind of county pro I played against in the 1990s. Indeed, if he is drinking protein shakes and taking pilates classes, he is hiding it well. The bowler, of course, was not an Englishman, but Sohail Khan.A question for you: could you, if players shirts, helmets and sweaters were swapped over, tell those of one country from another? Would you, from the shape of the shot and the bowling action alone, feel confident that you could still identify players country of origin? If the stripes on his jumper were a different colour, would you attribute a rearguard innings as the inevitable toughness of a never-say-die Aussie battler? Without an Indian star on his jumper to guide your assumptions, would you race to describe a routine flick to leg as evidence of wristy Indian genius?I am not so sure. After all, when Joe Root hits his trademark, a back-foot drive, as though he grew up on bouncy wickets on which he could trust the bounce, it would be easy to assume he grew up in New South Wales rather than playing for Sheffield Collegiates. As a child I was lucky to hear Colin Cowdrey explain the theory of soft hands and how to place the ball on the off side by varying the point of contact. But among todays players, it is Kane Williamson, more than any Englishman, who has mastered Cowdreys manifesto for controlled batsmanship. Give him a different accent and Graeme Swann - who bowled an attacking line outside off stump, caught unfussily at second slip, chanced his arm in the lower middle order, and made the most of his extrovert self-belief - could easily slot in as an Australian game changer.I am not arguing that teams do not have a culture, or even sometimes a personality. But it is often overstated as a permanent quality. In fact, a teams identity is constantly in flux. Stereotypes endure in our minds, but beneath the surface, national styles are being significantly redrawn by two major trends in modern sport. First, in the age of satellite television, aspiring cricketers can pick from the full range of international stars when it comes to choosing their role models. Before television captured such a wide variety of matches, aspiring players were more likely to copy stars closer to home. Geoffrey Boycott cherished the bloodline of English master batsmen (Hobbs, Hammond, Hutton); for my generation, in contrast, it was Richards, Lara and Tendulkar. Your choice of hero is now global. It is a mistake to think that globalisation inevitably leads to complete homogeneity - globalisation is more like a conversation, bouncing back and forth - but it certainly reduces the likelihood of parochial tastes.Secondly, globalisation has a similar effect on coaching. Mickey Arthur, a South African, coaches Pakistan; Trevor Bayliss, an Australian, coaches England; India won the World Cup under Gary Kirsten, a South African; Englands finest hour, the 2005 Ashes, was planned by a Zimbabwean, Duncan Fletcher. The tactical conversation, especially at the IPL, brings all crickets ideas and accents around the same table. The market for coaching talent is fluid and global, with ideas following employees around the world. Besides, with modern cricketers floating between T20 franchises, players coach each other. AB de Villiers taught himself to sweep after lengthy consultation with Younis Khan: dont get beaten on the underside of the bat, better to top-edge than get out bowled or lbw.As a consequence we should be more vigilant about calling time on sporting labels that are no longer fit for purpose. During the 2015 rugby World Cup, on the eve of the New Zealand v France quarter-final, I admired the prediction of former England fly-half Stuart Barnes. Forget the cliché that France are mercurial and unpredictable, wrote Barnes, theyre predictably bad and will get smashed (and they were). As a Wales fan, I grew up on the stereotype that Wales were rugbys true romantics, driven by Celtic flair and instinctive imagination. Now they are brutally powerful, but predictably so.It is the suddenness of change, not the stubbornness of continuity, that should surprise us. Australias recent disasters against the turning ball, though gathering momentum, are not - from a historical perspective - part of their default cricketing character. Darren Lehmann (now head coach), Mark Waugh and Michael Bevan were three of the most technically accomplished players of spin that I played against. For my generation of batsmen, it was to Australians (especially New South Welshmen) - not just Indians - that we turned to learn how to play spin.Finally, a conjecture about how teams might harness the forces Ive described. Choosing a coach is now a question of fitting together complementary attributes. Instead of Is he a good coach? we might ask if he is the right coach for the circumstances. Arthur, Pakistans avuncular coach, has helped them be competitive in this England series. He has connected with the culture, while subtly improving it - especially in terms of fitness and preparation. Even if they do not reach No. 1 in the rankings - and what an achievement that would have been for a nomadic Test team - this Pakistan team has warmed the English summer. During his stint as Australias coach, Arthur became a lightning rod for wider frustrations within the Australian game. With Pakistan, he may do the opposite. Yet he is the same coach. Stereotypes may be misleading, but all teams have unique needs. Jose Suarez Jersey . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. 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Were people a little hasty in closing the window on the Chicago Blackhawks before the season? It sure looks like it. Are the New Jersey Devils the quietest 8-3-3 team in NHL history? Man, are they ever flying under the radar.?1. (Last week: 4)?Chicago Blackhawks, 11-3-2The Blackhawks head off on their annual circus trip having padded their record nicely. Sundays win over Montreal was entertaining. Now come stops in Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles. Chicagos next home game isnt until Nov. 29 against Florida.2. (3)?Pittsburgh Penguins, 10-3-2It sure looks like Matt Murray has reclaimed the No. 1 job in net, right? Now the question is: How long does Marc-Andre Fleury stay put? It might not be a bad idea to keep him around for the season, given the compressed schedule, and deal with that situation after the season. As they say, we shall see.3. (2) New York Rangers, 12-4-0The Blueshirts made the Alberta sweep over the weekend and now have a chance to make it a perfect road trip with wins in Vancouver and Columbus this week. New Yorks high PDO (save percentage + shooting percentage) suggests a market correction at some point, but I still like the way this team plays.4. (6) Montreal Canadiens, 13-2-1The Canadiens had impressive wins over Los Angeles and Detroit before a tough 3-2 loss at Chicago. The Blackhawks were fortunate not to have to face Carey Price, he of the .957 save percentage and 1.40 (!) goals-against average. Are you kidding me?5. (1) Washington Capitals, 9-4-1Losses to San Jose and Carolina were sandwiched around a nice win in Chicago last week. But, ooh baby, the Penguins come to town on Wednesday.6. (10) San Jose Sharks, 9-6-0The Sharks have three wins in three games on their six-game trek so far, including noteworthy decisions over Washington, Florida and Tampa Bay. Brent Burns?is on pace for 76 points -- just saying.7. (14) New Jersey Devils, 8-3-3Are these the throwback Devils? New Jersey is third in goals against per game (2.14) while playing structured, disciplined hockey.8. (12) Ottawa Senators, 9-5-1The Sens have gone nine consecutive games without scoring more than two goals and yet have gone 5-3-1 during that stretch. Is Guy Bouchers system kicking in?9. (13) Anaheim Ducks, 7-6-3Ill be curious to see how long it takes top defenseman Hampus Lindholm?-- who has played three games so far -- to find his groove. Its really hard to miss camp, the preseason and the start of the season and not blink.10. (11) Minnesota Wild, 8-5-1So far, so good for reclamation project Eric Staal in Minnesota. He has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 14 games and leads the Wild in scoring.11. (5) Tampa Bay Lightning, 8-6-1The Bolts begin a five-game road trip on Monday night at Brooklyn searching for more consistency. Other stops on the trip include Detroit, Buffalo, Philadelphia and Nashville.12. (17) Boston Bruins, 10-6-0Has Tuukka Rask changed his number to 31? Hes been Carey Price-like this season, sporting a .945 save percentage and 1.54 GAA. What an amazing year so far for Rask.13. (8) Edmonton Oilers, 9-6-1Dont look now, but the Oilers -- after their wonderful start to the season -- have dropped six of their past eight games. The search for consistency continues.14. (24) Winnipeg Jets, 8-7-2We should all be cheering for Mark Scheifele to win the scoring title.dddddddddddd Hes among the best interviews in the entire league and a terrific young man. And, boy, has he come into his own over the past year.15. (9) Columbus Blue Jackets, 7-4-2The Jackets have scored 18 of their 45 goals in two games. Overall, theyre averaging 3.46 goals per game (second in the NHL). But take away those two magical games, and theyre averaging just 2.45 goals in the others.16. (7) St. Louis Blues, 7-6-3The Blues are on a three-game losing streak, including an 8-4 massacre in Columbus on Saturday. St. Louis is last in the league in PDO, so one would assume that some puck luck should be coming its way at some point.17. (15) Los Angeles Kings, 7-8-1Three consecutive losses for the Kings since that 7-0 romp in Toronto. Sure, they miss goalie?Jonathan Quick?-- but theyre also just 24th in scoring.18. (23) Nashville Predators, 6-5-3Well, well, well -- have the preseason darlings woken up? The Preds have won three in a row, including a 5-0 shutout of Anaheim on Saturday.19. (16) Florida Panthers, 7-7-1Its been mostly win one, lose one for the Cats, as they search to find some cohesion. A four-game road trek starts Tuesday in Montreal.20. (21) Detroit Red Wings, 8-7-1The Wings got smoked 5-0 in Montreal on Saturday, and it doesnt get any easier this week with Tampa Bay and Washington on the docket.21. (22) Dallas Stars, 6-6-4Tyler Seguin took a while to get going after missing camp because of a World Cup injury, but hes roaring now. Hes tied for the NHL lead in scoring, with 20 points (7-13) in 16 games.22. (19) Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-6-3The young Buds have given up 40-plus shots in four of their past six games, including 49 in Pittsburgh on Saturday night. Coach Mike Babcock has to keep convincing his kids there are two sides to a puck.23. (20) Philadelphia Flyers, 7-7-2The win over Minnesota on Saturday snapped a three-game skid. The Flyers need few more saves and better defensive play to get things going again.24. (25) Colorado Avalanche, 6-8-0Heres hoping Matt Duchene (concussion) isnt out long. The Avs are last in the NHL in goals per game (1.93) as it is.25. (26) New York Islanders, 5-7-3The slumping Isles have one win in six games this month, and things wont get any easier with Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh on tap -- followed next week by a three-game trek to California.26. (28) Carolina Hurricanes, 4-6-4Can the impressive 5-1 win over Washington spur Carolina? The Canes get San Jose and Montreal next, so well find out.27. (18) Buffalo Sabres, 5-6-4The inconsistent Sabres have dropped five of their past six games, when the power play has gone 1-for-11.28. (27) Calgary Flames, 5-10-1The Flames are tied for 30th in goals against per game (3.63). They are way better than this. Something has to give.29. (30) Vancouver Canucks, 6-9-1The Canucks are 27th in PDO if youre looking for something that suggests they deserve better luck.30. (29) Arizona Coyotes, 5-9-0Were not used to seeing a Dave Tippett team rank 27th in goals against per game. Such are the perils of having young players who are learning on the job. ' ' '