THERE is a school of thought which believes it is an advantage to be a left-handed batsman. They are also said to be the scourge of bowlers. Though why it is so has never been convincingly proved, the fact remains that southpaws have graced the game with their mercurial presence and elegant batsmanship since a long time. Frank Woolley, Arthur Morris, Neil Harvey, Gary Sobers, Bert Sutcliffe and Graeme Pollock - to name only a few - immediately come to mind when the talk is about the most brilliant of left-handers.
Contemporary cricket in particular seems to be inundated with awesome left-handers. For good measure many of them are opening batsmen, too. Except Bangladesh, the babes of Test cricket, all the other nine Test-playing countries possess at least one world-class left-hander in their national teams. Andy Flower has taken the world by storm with his insatiable appetite for runs and amazing exploits over the last couple of years. If there is one player who has held Zimbabwe together, it is Andy Flower. Leave him out and Zimbabwe will appear a haggard side. Always.
Playing for an eternally weak team such as Zimbabwe means Andy Flower has invariably had to bat under a lot of pressure. But it is this very fact which makes his achievements look heroic. Even his detractors admit, albeit secretly, that he is capable of anything when armed with the willow. It is a matter of conjecture what Andy Flower would have done had there been no shackles of enormous responsibility. But if he were to contest for the post of president of the club of left-handers, he would win by a mind-boggling majority. So stupendous is his current form. And he is a wicketkeeper to boot.
By the time token, the world champion Australia also boasts of a remarkable left-handed batsman who is also its first choice wicketkeeper. But the difference between Adam Gilchrist and Andy Flower is startling. Compared to the Zimbabwean, the Aussie, who opens the things in ODIs and bats down the order in Tests, hardly finds himself batting in grim adversity simply because Australia has a formidable batting line-up. This allows Gilchrist to give free rein to his natural flair for aggressive batting. Andy Flower can seldom or never afford such luxury.
Of course, one does not want to belittle Gilchrist. No way. Despite losing some of his best years to the irrepressible Ian Healy, he has carved a special niche for himself in so short a time in a side which is not short of superstars. Phenomenon is the word to describe Gilchrist's rise in international cricket. He is arguably the world's most dangerous batsman after Sachin Tendulkar when it comes to creating mayhem on the opposition. To tell the truth, the Australian relishes attacking from the word go.
Australia has one more reliable left-hander in Justin Langer. It took Langer a pretty long time to establish himself in the strong Australian side after having endured a fiery initiation into the heavyweight division of cricket against the West Indies in Adelaide in 1993. He was struck no less than a dozen times by the apparently intimidating West Indians while making 20 and 54 in six batting hours as Australia, needing 186 runs to win, was bowled out for 184. It was a pity his heroic effort failed to see Australia through. But six years later Langer was instrumental in winning the Hobart Test for his country against Pakistan.
Australia, chasing an imposing target of 369 against an attack spearheaded by the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed, romped home with almost ridiculous ease thanks to a memorable six-wicket stand between Langer (127) and Gilchrist (149 not out) after some early setbacks. For a while Langer became regular feature in the squad as Australia went on a record-breaking victory spree. But of late he has fallen foul with the selectors although he did crack a hundred in the last Test in the recent Ashes series in England when given an opportunity in place of the out-of-form Michael Slater.
England has, in Graham Thorpe and Marcus Trescothick, two high quality left-handed batsmen. While Thorpe is a seasoned campaigner, having made his Test debut against Australia in 1993 with a century, Trescothick is relatively new to international cricket although he had already proved his worth and become one of the leading England batsmen. Thorpe is somewhat in the classical mould. In fact, in the initial phase of his career he had made critics compare him with David Gower. Trescothick is an opener competent enough to handle pace and spin alike with aplomb.
As for South Africa, the balding Gary Kirsten appears to be getting younger by the day, if his onfield agility and performance are anything to go by. A consistent, big-innings player, Kirsten has just completed 5000 runs in Test cricket - the first South African to do so. Being an opener, he knows how to grind the bowlers into the dust if the situation so demands. But he can be brutally aggressive, too. Considering the fact that South Africa suddenly finds itself without the services of the right handers, Hansie Cronje, Daryll Cullinan and Jonty Rhodes, there is an added responsibility on Kirsten to see to it that the team gets a good start. The experienced Kirsten knows his responsibility only too well.
Another batsman worthy of high praise is the New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming. Like Andy Flower, the Kiwi also finds himself batting under some sort of pressure most of the time because of the lack of depth in the New Zealand batting. Add to it the extra responsibility of having to lead the side as well and you can imagine the situation faced by him in a highly competitive and demanding world of cricket today. Fleming may not put the Thames on fire with his batting but he is smart enough to treat the bowling on merit. It is not for nothing that he is the mainstay of the Kiwi batting and also at the helm for quite some time now.
When it comes to elegance and grace, few can match the West Indian left-handers. Brian Lara, whose feats are legendary, has proudly and successfully maintained the rich tradition of Gary Sobers, Clive Lloyd, Roy Fredericks, Alvin Kallicharran and 'Larry' Gomes. Dubbed 'Prince' by Mike Whitney, there is a touch of aristocracy and also that romantic aura to Lara at the crease. When in mood, Lara can murder any bowler, including the likes of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, as if he were merely strolling in the park.
If Lara has created many masterpieces, batting in a majestic manner, he has also destroyed a good number of them because of lapses in concentration, one of his biggest drawbacks. The man with the most famous mood swings, Lara continues to remain an enigma of sorts. Captaincy brought the worst out of him both as a cricketer and as person. In spite of all his tours de force, you can't help feeling that a batsman of Lara's genius deserved to be rubbing shoulders with the gods, when the sun was shining on West Indian cricket, and not with the also-rans. Either Lara has failed to give his best to the present West Indies team or it does not know how to make the most of having a player like him. Nevertheless, there are few better sights in cricket than Lara at his vintage best.
Sourav Ganguly, despite his wretched form lately, is the best possible representative of Oriental artistry, left-handed batsmanship or right-handed. No contemporary batsman, not even Sachin Tendulkar, can match Ganguly's off-side play. Ganguly bats like a dream in the off which is at once a sight for gods, to say the least. The problem with Ganguly is he tends to get carried away a bit too often. Although he has already achieved a lot in Tests and ODIs, he is actually capable of more. He may not agree but it is obvious that he has been woefully affected by the weight of captaincy. He is a magnificent batsman and it is time he regained his magic touch and began hypnotising the connoisseurs of classic batting.
As far as Pakistan is concerned, Saeed Anwar has long been enjoying the reputation of being one of the most explosive batsmen. It is difficult for any captain to set a field for this southpaw once he is in his element. Although not as attractive as Lara or Ganguly, he commands a large fan following, not only in Pakistan but elsewhere too. Some of his mammoth centuries in one-day cricket, particularly in Sharjah and India, look like fairy tales today. Saeed Anwar is a great opening batsman capable of changing the complexion of a Test or a one-dayer in a jiffy. Sadly, he has not been given his due by the world media which could be because he tends to shine more in Asia.
The present Sri Lankan captain has taken the art of attacking batsmanship to a new plane. The southpaw with the silken touch, Sanath Jayasuriya made a monumental impact on the 1996 Wills World Cup on the subcontinent which Sri Lanka won. There was just no stopping the Jayasuriya juggernaut, treating the bowlers with disdain, as if they were mere trundlers. The same Jayasuriya who can bat like wind in the short game, can also play with tremendous application and character in the serious business of Test cricket. Signs of a champion batsman in modern cricket with equal emphasis on both forms of the game.
Over the years Jayasuriya has played many massive innings in Tests, including a triple century against a hapless Indian attack, batting at the top. Although a disturbed first marriage and the subsequent national captaincy have mellowed him a bit, the basic instincts of the old, swashbuckling Jayasuriya are often on display, especially when he is up against a stingless attack. Jayasuriya's wristwork is so wonderful; and so are his timing and placement. He is such a natural strokeplayer that he never shows signs of nervousness even in the most difficult of situations.
Bangladesh may not have a single left-hander (or right-hander for that matter) who can come anywhere near the stalwarts mentioned in this piece but in Enamul Haque, nicknamed 'Moni', and Mohammad Rafique the new Test nation has two promising southpaws capable of going places. They have already made their Test debut and impressed the critics with their good technique and temperament. Though they are not specialist batsmen (both being valuable orthodox left-arm spinners, too, and hence allrounders), they will be better off deriving inspiration from some of them, if not all. It would be for their own good. And Bangladesh's too.
Comments
SHARE