Sunglasses And Pride Of A Nation

A thought on the mindgames and strategies - Fifth test – Ashes05.

Its weird how some symbols and events stand out for holding a nation’s pride high.

We have had several examples in history where unknown people emerge as heroes holding their nation’s pride high through simple but expressive deeds.

I was watching the fifth test of ashes between England and Australia. It was day five. The umpires declared tea.I was switching channels since it was tea and found my haven finally in the ashes back after Tea.

I was surprised to see Ricky Ponting leading the team to the ground with his sunglasses on. The level of surprise rose to a higher degree when I saw Mcgrath and Warne following suit. Then came Damien Martyn and then Hayden and then Shaun Tait….

Every single player wearing sunglasses and moving on to the ground. The surprise level rose to its highest levels when I understood what sunglasses stood for.

It stood for the pride of Australia.

The bodylanguage didn’t seem to be familiar with drooped shoulders and bent heads, walking close to each other as if watching others’ steps…..
The beautiful ground of Oval was as clouded as the speculations hanging afloat…

Walking towards the ground under the clouds were a team with sunglasses on.[Note that the verb used was “WERE” and not “WAS”. When a team is split into pieces and they no longer stand united for a cause, one should not use WAS. – thus thought retarded]

A country’s pride was at stake.

Aussies had had a bad series and the final test was the decider.A small cup containing the ashes was to be left with England if Aussies didn’t win the match.

Aussie batting failed once again and it seemed like England now had an upper hand. Then Warne spun the ball wickedly to claim five wickets and England were staggering now. If warne could claim two or three more wickets soon, and if Aussies could bat, everything was possible with such a formidable side…

All they wanted now was time and umpires had already declared two or three intervals due to badlight.

Aussies now wanted to move from sledging to a mellower mindgame and that effectuated a sunglassed team on a cloudy oval!

What a picture…. They clearly wanted the umpires to believe that there was enough and more light that they had to wear sunglasses. They simply believed warne sould perform the magic of pecking the rest of wickets and Aussies winning the game to retian the ashes. Still, they had to remove their glasses and put them neatly above their Aussie test caps to see clearly in the cloudy overshadowed atmosphere.Atleast they could see the ball wizzing past them which were well-connected by Kevin Pieterson.

They failed… and they failed miserably. Pieterson scored a fiery century with a nice backup from Ashley Giles to close the score at 335.

Hayden and Langer walked on to the pitch to bat for a few minutes and in four overs, umpires called for bad light and the call came at 18:15pm on September twelfth 2005.

Ashes is returning to England after almost two decades.
I was happy. Freddie Flintoff was happy. Kevin Pieterson was happy. And a milder face with a smirk, of Micheal Vaughan’s said it all.

England won the Ashes back.

[Read this in connection with the interviews Aussies gave before the Ashes05.
Glenn McGrath predicted a 5-0 win over England. Some Aussie heads rolled after the ashes (Martyn, Gillespie and Kasprovich) and were not selected for Superseries 05]

Read Aussies admitting that the best team won ashes here -http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/4239174.stm

The Next Sunday

nizhalukalude mazha vaathilinu purath cherinju peyyunnu.

sooryanu munpe sancharikkunnavarkk nanayaam.

mesappurathu vecha kuppiyil ninnu

baakkiyaaya vellam nilathekk otti veezhunnu.

puthappinte thulayiloode kaalinte peruviral neetti

njanum jeevitham aaswadikkunnu.

innu njaayaraazhcha!
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Slanting shadows drizzle outside the door.
Those who walk before the sun may drench.
Water drips down from the bottle
placed on the table.
Sticking my leg-thumb out through the
hole in the blanket,
I also enjoy the life.

Today - another sunday.

{ a feeble attempt at noting down dampened thoughts. and a feebler attempt to translate it . Forgive.}