‘It becomes background music instead of main CD,’ Shaun Pollock puts weight on context and standard of game

Centurion: South African fast-bowling great Shaun Pollock wants more “context and contest” in international cricket so that the game stays as the “main CD” instead of becoming “background music” amidst an incredible surge in the number of matches. With matches taking place round the year, big names such as Kane Williamson, Graeme Smith, and Steve Waugh had in the past spoken about the need to strike a balance in scheduling and provide context to the games. “I just think that sometimes the context of the game and also the standard and the rarity matter,” Pollock, also a former Proteas captain, said during an interaction here. “For example, in golfing terms the Masters is a wonderful tournament because it happens once a year, it’s four days or whatever it may be. Wimbledon too. Here, you keep playing, putting that output of more and more cricket. “It becomes background music, you know, rather than listening to it as a main CD. So I would hate it to become that way.” Pollock, who had held his own in an era dominated by some of the game’s all-time great fast bowlers, doesn’t mind the entertainment T20 cricket provides but also wants a good contest between the bat and ball. “I personally think that T20 cricket is entertainment with a bit of a cricket flavour rather than the true form of testing your ability. “Don’t get me wrong, people love it. I think some of the skills on display, some of the athleticism, some of the performances, the batting and the bowling, you know, some of it can be admired, but whether it’s a contest as much as it should be all the time, I’m not so sure about that.” The interaction was organized by Sports18 and Jio Cinema. Is too much cricket affecting the longevity of players, particularly fast bowlers? “I think there have been stats given about the amount of overs they have bowled. Indian bowlers, for example, are only allowed to play the IPL, our guys can go wherever they want. So that’s probably more cricket that they have to play.” When asked what has changed in the Indian fast-bowling unit over the years, Pollock said the pool is much bigger now. “You have got more now, that’s all. You still have had some great ones. I think Javagal (Srinath) never gets the credit that he deserved. He would come here (South Africa) with (Venkatesh) Prasad and then we had Dodda Ganesh, David Johnson, that was the backup then. “Now you’ve got four, and that’s just a big difference. You always had some good ones over the years. I mean, Kapil Dev, Manoj Prabhakar, but didn’t really have that depth. “Now you’ve got an attack where if someone gets injured you’ve got another. And I think they’ve all learned the skills. “The IPL is a no-brainer for you guys. You get the best teams, you get exposure for six weeks or seven weeks. If you’re unsure about whether a guy can or can’t do it at the international level, you get to see what he does against international players. “In the old days, you would maybe have a tour match where you could judge him on his performance. Now you’ve got it day in and day out. I mean the training that they do now, the skills that some of the other coaches, international coaches, national trainers, local coaches, local trainers, that’s all improved now. “Strength wise they’re there. They’ve all got the skills. Bumrah is a different bowler to Shami, Siraj is very different, they all complement each other.” As the discussion turned to the swashbuckling Suryakumar Yadav, he was asked what he would have done to counter the world’s number one T20 batter. “SKY was with us at Mumbai Indians back in the day. He got into trouble because he was not that SKY then. I think now he has become very good at scoring in awkward areas. “To be honest, I would make him try and hit me back over my head. I don’t think that’s his strength. He goes over extra cover, midwicket, scoop, and third man. “For the straight-back shots, I would set fields accordingly, you have to try and target, and then hit length deliveries and see if he can do it. But I think the key to him is he’s learned his game plan. And he understands it brilliantly well. “Whether there’s a predictive element to it, where he tries to pop balls into different areas, and not really worrying about what length you know, you don’t really know his own mindset. But he’s done brilliantly. “I mean, his strike rate and the way he’s dictated terms when he’s been at the crease, he’s been fantastic. I think it’s also the age, you know, he’s 31-32. Whatever it is, he’s developed, he’s been through the middle of working through his game and understanding it now. And I think he’s bearing fruit. With the success of the inaugural SA20 league, he was asked if Cricket South Africa (CSA) has plans to help its former cricketers like the BCCI has done for its past players. “It would be nice but I understand there is a touchy nature to it and how far back do you go. Past, present I know you (BCCI) guys have got a scheme in place. “I think it’s a difficult one to talk about. I mean, you guys have identified all your Test players and they get a certain allowance. Yeah, but I mean, you guys are cash-flush. There’s no shortage of money in the BCCI. I don’t think we’ve got the resources, to be honest. “I like the idea of it. You know, past players, who have obviously committed and played and tried to help South Africa win, maybe they will be recognised in some way. I think your scheme is really good. But I don’t think it will be copied here.” Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. 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