It’s all about keeping egos in check, mate!

When the England Cricket Board decided to sack Paul Collinwood as captain less than a year after he led the team to World Twenty20 title in the West Indies, there was surprisingly little opposition to the decision. It was the culmination of a review of the winter that saw Collingwood fail misreably in all forms of the game that finally saw him get the sack. He was clearly not a Twenty20 player and his knee injury was troubling him as well. In that scenario, England and coach Andy Flower chose to look forward and appoint a new skipper. Now that’s something that hasn’t gone down very well with Collingwood. He’s come out and said he’s “hurt” and “devastated”. [caption id=“attachment_5935” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“England’s Strauss poses for a team photograph with coach Flower and Collingwood (left). Philip Brown/Reuters”]  [/caption] “So, to put it in black and white, I’ve won the Twenty20 World Cup as captain and I’ve won eight T20 internationals on the trot (a world record). And you’re sacking me? Is that what you’re telling me?" Collingwood asked, questioning the board’s decision. Clearly, he had not taken the decision well. But the happenings of the day have also showed once again just how much of the game is about managing egos. West Indies may not be the best side in the world but they are hurt even more by Chris Gayle’s absence. The left-hander has elected to play in the Indian Premier League – with a lot of success – rather than for his country all because he was annoyed by the manner in which the West Indies Cricket Board spoke to him. In Australia, Andrew Symonds could still offer a lot to a struggling team. He is still fit and his brand of cricket is exactly what the former world champions need. But Cricket Australia chose to not massage his ego. So now, he prefers to fish, and play in the IPL. Is it a loss for Australia? Definitely. Could they have done anything about it? Well, for starters, they could have taken a leaf out of Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s book. Watching the trouble teams around the world find themselves in because of inflated egos, you can’t help but appreciate the manner in which he has managed to keep the Indian squad focused and happy. When he first took over, there was a lot of talk of ‘juniors and seniors’ and the divisions in the Indian team. It was bound to happen. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh had all been part of the squad for a long time before Dhoni even made his debut. Handling them required a special touch; handling them, in many ways, required the touch of a politician who can get his work done without ruffling feathers. And he managed to do that by saying things like: “I have not only admired these cricketers, but I’ve tried to learn and pick up a few things from everyone. I’ve been impressed by Sachin Tendulkar’s focus and devotion, Rahul Dravid’s discipline, Anil Kumble’s determination, Sourav Ganguly’s never-say-die attitude and Virender Sehwag’s audacity.” This was Dhoni at his politically correct best and it did the trick for him. He intersperses such comments with straight talk that convinces everyone that he means business. And the combination is working magnificently so far. Now, if only someone in England had learned to do that as well… Then, perhaps, Collingwood wouldn’t have been this angry.