KHAWAJA TAKES A LEAF OUT OF TENDULKAR BOOK

Usman Khawaja scintillating stroke play might have been compared with great Brian Lara last year but his disciplinary century took a leaf out Sachin Tendulkar memorable double hundred against Australia at the SCG in 2004. 

Tendulkar in that innings, shelved the cover drive off the fast bowlers for the duration of innings, similarly Khawaja resisted at playing anything through the off-side throughout Day two of the South African pace trio of Rabada, Abbott and Philander. 

To state the fact, Khawaja only five out of his 135 runs on the off-side from tourists quicks. Those five runs were courtesy of couple of defensive pushes and one drive off the front foot from nearly a Yorker length ball from Philander.  

It was innings of mind over manner, stubbornness and consciousness. It was pre-planned and perfectly executed. It was masterful Test match batting with the highest level of mental application.

Khawaja had been caught in the cordon in his two previous innings so he choose to not to dangle his bat or attempt to score through the off-side.

The strategy worked as he made the South Africa bowl into his hips and his pads. There lengths became shorter and it allowed him to work the ball with his majestic wrists through the on-side. In fact while he was patient outside off-stump he was ruthless on anything that was at his body as he conjured up 71 runs through the leg-side.

In his innings there was also a sense of game awareness as he changed gears at the right time. After having reached 18 in 76 balls, the South African bowlers started to bowl in his zone and he capitalised by scoring 33 in his next 39 balls to reach in half-century. 

Soon, he had lost his skipper to terrible mix-up but he didn’t go into his shell as he felt it was right time to cash in as Faf Du Plessis decided to bowl Shamsi for an extended spell from 56^th to the 66^th over.  In that time space, Khawaja went to his 100, going from 70 to 100 in space of 27 balls.

Test cricket is all about sieging the right moment to attack and Khawaja knew it was period he had to bat with freedom.  As the South African took the new ball he went back into shell, protected his stumps, shelved the flowing drives and accumulated through the leg-side.

Add to it all, he remained unbeaten at stumps on 138 with still a healthy strike rate of 48, not bad for a guy who barely scored a run on the off-side from the three South African men.

McCullum Subtle message that the course of the Match.

It is the 28^th over of the day, Mitchell Marsh’s second after the lunch. In his previous over he had produced a gem of an outswinger to snare the indissoluble Kane Williamson. Off the 2^nd ball, McCullum cuts hard to point to bring the new man, Corey Anderson on strike. The first couple of balls wiz past Anderson’s bat. He is not beaten but you sense the nerves.

As he adjusts his gloves, McCullum wanders down the pitch from the non-strikers end pretends to do some gardening, chews on his gum, makes eye contact with Anderson and then simply nods his head.

Next ball Anderson is not too dissimilar, just the line is on off-stump but Anderson flexes his muscles, closes his eyes at impact and pulls it over square leg for six.  Slow motion replays show the ball hitting the top edge, slow motion replays also show the indent in Anderson gloves as he gives McCullum some glove love and they also show the rise smile from Anderson.  It is obligatory smile to his skipper.

It sums up the day and the dynasty of McCullum. When he speaks the team listens. It is by no means forced but since taking over the captaincy McCullum has created that respect. Win at any cost is the mantra and do it in a manner that suits the team.

When McCullum took over the captaincy role, he realised wearing down the bowlers and trying to take the Tests deep into 5^th day was not their strength. Stroke makers such as himself, Guptill, Anderson and even Ross Taylor at times played at their best with the philosophy of ‘live and die by the sword’.

If anyone was to be surprised at New Zealand’s tactics then it was worth listening to McCullum comments at the toss again. He is man faithful to his team and his words.

“You will see some positive batting on this type of wicket” he told Simon Doull.  First couple of 

hours it might have seemed like a lie but then again McCullum knows which players can attack and which players can defend.  The way Anderson attacks showcased his true leadership and his man management skills. There was luck but this was the only way McCullum felt his teams could survive.

He had learnt it hard way. Either from last week in Wellington or his first Test as skipper when New Zealand were bowled out for 43 after electing to bat first against South Africa.  It was embarrassing but the way McCullum conveyed the message to his team after that Test spoke volumes about the art of his captaincy.

He never disused the Test or the techniques, instead he spoke about the All Blacks.  Told the men about the respect and the pride they had created for a country of boasting a population of only four million. Told his team mates that he wanted the Black Caps to command similar respect from his countrymen. Told them about being noticed on the world sporting scene just like the All Blacks. Importantly, told them to do get to that level with enjoyment and respect. Six of those players that heard those words from McCullum ran out with him in his final Test. The others had been relayed that message either my McCullum, coach Mike Hesson or team manager, Mark Sandle.

Enjoyment and Respect are two words that would define New Zealand cricket. Last year when Ben Stokes and Alistair Cook took the 1^st Test away from New Zealand at Lords, McCullum looked at his team mates and reminded them that they were playing a Test at Lords, it was every boy’s childhood dream and it was paramount to enjoy it.  New Zealand might have lost the test but the simplicity in the message ensured the positive mindset and it lead to New Zealand winning the second Test.

The second word ‘respect’ was not only on the field but off it. Recently a member of support staff had stood by the door and blocked one of the bowlers passage as he tried to run out to start his bowling drills in between innings. The bowlers in a polite way had just gently tapped the support staff and said ‘out of the way mate’ with a smile on his face.  In McCullum eyes this was not respecting your team mates, so he stopped the player and reminded him of the two fundamentals of his captaincy.  “Sorry Mate, had to run to do the warm ups’ was the quick reply from the bowler to the support staff.

It was a further indication of when McCullum spoke the team listened. Today McCullum simply nodded at Anderson and the rest was history.