The African `Hunters’ and the `Professional’ Kangaroos !!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
Thursday, March 13, 2003
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The Austrian HERMANN MAIER, popularly known as the `HERMINATOR’, skied downhill to win the title at the 2003 World championships in February. He had returned to competitive skiing only in January with the 73 (Yes – Seventy Three!) fractures held together with a few metal plates and more than a hundred screws inserted into his leg. Last year, a car had collided with his motorcycle nearly costing him his leg.
The Puerto Rican JUAN `CHI-CHI’ RODRIGUES is one of the great showmen in sports history. In a career which has spanned four decades, Chi-Chi won 22 Senior PGA Tour titles, 8 regular PGA Tours and has career earnings of over 7 million dollars. The point here is that he had a crooked elbow which prevented him from taking a `normal’ golf-swing. He was a true `Scrambler’ thriving on unorthodox shots. What is more amazing is that he could not afford the golfing equipment till he had his first tournament victory as an amateur. He began caddying at the age of six and actually learned how to play golf with clubs fashioned out of guava tree limbs and tin cans hammered into balls. From the start he has become one of the most successful and widely recognized names in the game of golf.
The SOUTH KOREAN Football team literally painted the competition Red to reach the semifinals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Football championships. And they did not have even a single superstar with experience in the high-profile European leagues.
The Swiss Sailing team ALINGHI won Race Five of the America’s Cup Match in Auckland beating the New Zealand All-Blacks Yachting team on the first Sunday of this month and with it, for the first time in its 152-year history, the America’s Cup is going to Europe.
There have been quite a few Sporting achievements in the past which have thrown up great surprises. And there have been quite a few of them this ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 too.
Coming from Canada, JOHN MICHAEL DAVISON created history by scoring the fastest ever century in World cup games.
From being a team with one of the weakest bowling attacks, especially in the fast-bowling department, the Indians today seem to be having the most potent bowling attack of all the participating teams. The fast-bowling trio of JAVAGAL SRINATH, ZAHEER KHAN and ASHISH NEHRA are just dreaded by the opposition.
The mighty SOUTH AFRICANS, starting the tournament as one of the favorites, couldn’t even cross the first hurdle. Their all-rounder JAQUES KALLIS, widely regarded as the best in the world, languishes at the very bottom of performance-charts.
But the mother of all achievements has been the performance of the KENYANS in this competition. With a match still to come in their super-six campaign, the Kenyans are sitting pretty at number three in the table, having already booked a semifinal spot against the Indians.
When the ICC wanted a preliminary squad to be announced in December, Kenya could not get the required 30 names. The team is a crack combination made up of expats and tribal hunters. Three sets of brothers are in the team making it seem as if only three native families know the game. And qualifying for the semi-finals has ensured them at least US$400000 in prize-money which is probably more than what the Kenyan Cricket Association has seen in all its existence.
Let us all stand up and applaud this amazing achievement of the Kenyans. They have proved that they deserve to be where they are. They have shown tremendous resolve and competitive instincts all through and have thoroughly entertained us with some fantastic Cricket. Now, they deserve more respect from every one of us who follow this great game.
Amidst all these surprises, there has been a constant. The AUSTRALIAN Cricket Team is making the others look like minnows. They have put one professional display after another and have been ruthless in the demolition of their opposition so far. Every time they looked like being in trouble, somebody has stood up and delivered. They are playing that quality of Cricket which many other teams can not even dream about.
If the Australians continue to play this way, the others – including the Indians – will have to be satisfied with competing for the runners-up tag.
Any challengers out there?!
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