The long and short of it

Longevity in cricket boils down to a player’s ability, athleticism and temperament.

Michael Holding, according to most experts, is the best fast bowler cricket has seen. Although others like Jeff Thomson and Shoaib Akhtar have waged their battles with the speed gun, there was no one like Holding to sustain high speeds over long periods. He could do it because he was gifted with natural athleticism and the most rhythmic action. His run-up was so smooth that batsmen were surprised to notice the speed of the ball. It is said the feet of Whispering Death, as Holding was called, merely kissed the turf. He never made one jerky move, nor put undue pressure on his joints. Over a dozen years, Holding played 60 Tests and 102 one-day internationals, bowling a combined total of 18,153 balls.

There was quite a bit of sighing and shaking of heads when Brett Lee, 33, said he was quitting Test cricket. His announcement came the same day that Sachin Tendulkar, who turns 37 next month, scored the first double century in ODIs. Immediately, the case was made that bowlers’ life spans were becoming shorter. But Lee, in 76 Tests, 186 ODIs and 17 Twenty20 matches, has already bowled 26,364 balls — 45 per cent more than Holding. He has chosen to quit Tests to prolong his career in other formats. In Tests, a fast bowler may be expected to bowl 25 overs in a day. In comparison, the 10 overs in an ODI put much less strain on the body and the four overs in a Twenty20 — typically in two burst of two overs each — are a cakewalk. Just the other day, Glenn McGrath, Lee’s teammate for a long time, retired at 37 with 124 Tests, 250 ODIs and two Twenty20 matches on his milometer. Courtney Walsh logged even more Tests, 132, though fewer ODIs at 205.

It’s not as if each batsman is blessed with a long run. Tendulkar’s 20 years in international cricket are quite an achievement, as evident in the widespread celebrations around it. While he has gone on, many others, though talented, gave up. Marcus Trescothick of England, a destructive opener, quit because he could not handle the loneliness of constant travel. Damien Martyn of Australia, always pleasing to watch because of his silken touch, disappeared midway through an Ashes series because he could not take it anymore. Eventually, it is down to a player’s abilities, the natural resilience of his body, and temperament.

Some of the outrage around Lee’s decision was pegged on the fact that he made his debut in a Test in which Tendulkar also played, but by that time the Indian had already done 10 years in international cricket. Not many would remember that Tendulkar’s debut series in Pakistan in 1989 also saw the advent of a promising pace bowler, Salil Ankola. But Ankola could play no more than one Test and 20 ODIs. He drifted away from the game, into the world of television serials, and into the abyss of a drinking problem. He is just out of rehab. Yesterday, Tendulkar played a benefit match for him in Mumbai.

(suveen.sinha@bsmail.in)