[cricbuzz.com] Taken by itself, Englands crushing defeat at the hands of The Netherlands in the T20 WC would be just one of those upsets that sport throws up from time to time. Coming as it has, however, at the end of a period of woeful performances, it has to be seen as further manifestation of the deep-rooted malaise that has taken hold of English cricket.
The descent has been sudden and shocking. A 3-0 win during the English summer was quickly followed by a 0-5 loss in Australia in back-to-back Ashes series. The One Day Internationals were then lost 1-4; Australia won all three T20 games; and then came below par performances in ODIs and T20 outings in the West Indies.
Piled on top of the shoddy cricket they have played are the controversies that have recently rocked English cricket: The Jonathan Trott mystery illness that caused his departure from Australia, Graeme Swanns mid-series retirement, Kevin Pietersens enforced departure from international cricket, and the perceived missteps the English cricket authorities have made in handling the many problems that have come their way some of them invited.
Given the turbulent atmospheric conditions, this last World Cup T20 loss to a hugely inferior Dutch team -- themselves dismissed a week before for 39 -- should not be overly surprising. Nobody, not even the most casual follower of cricket, would seriously entertain the idea that the Netherlands is anywhere near the caliber of the England team. But it is a truism of sport that no matter how good you are you have to turn up on the day ready to play well, or you run the risk of being vanquished by an opponent of considerably less ability.
Cricket fans stood aghast as Kenya easily brushed aside a very good West Indies team during the 1996 World Cup; no baseball fan will forget the way the Boston Red Sox fell apart after having a sizeable lead near the end of the seventh game of the 1986 World Series; and followers of golf still remember the total disintegration of Greg Normans game when he lost the 1996 Masters by five strokes after going into the final round ahead by six.
This is a part of the great appeal of sport; this is much of why we watch. The chance of witnessing some unexpected, spectacular occurrence is often why we are willing to tolerate the humdrum. Imagine the elation then of The Netherlands fans as they watched their lowly, amateur side slay one of the giants of world cricket.
Failure to adequately respond to great pressure is one of the major reasons sporting teams perform far below the level of their capabilities. Englands downward spiral started in Australia. It began, simply, by them being completely overwhelmed by an opponent in this case Mitchell Johnson playing at a level that could hardly have been exceeded in the games long history.
Johnson forcefully shattered the confidence the visitors were armed with as they took the field in Brisbane, and that, in turn, begat a host of other problems.
Does anyone believe Trott would have returned home had he found a way to master the pacer in the first test? Would Swann have packed his bags and left mid-series if England were winning and he was gathering his share of wickets? And would Pietersens infractions be overlooked if England were dominating and he was clubbing century after century?
As defeat followed defeat the atmosphere surrounding the team became increasingly poisoned and the burdens weighing down the team became heavier. Playing well as a team became more difficult as the walls closed in and as the pressure grew. England still remains a team of good players Alex Hales stupendous century and Eoin Morgans half-century against Sri Lanka showed that but the good team display is now the exception rather than the norm.
Pressure can do that to you. As Ricky Ponting neared the end of his days as an international cricketer he could hardly find a run in test outings for Australia. Many thought his predicament was due to the effects of advanced age or collapsing technique. Ponting, however, was of a different opinion. It was the pressure that got to me, he said.
Australias best batsman since Bradman was still scoring runs by the hundreds in first-class cricket, and was even selected to the Big Bash all-star team. But as the Australian team slipped, and as the batting talent around him dwindled, Ponting felt an impelling urge to carry a heavier load. Surprisingly, the great batsman admitted that he struggled when he was distracted by the cares of the team, when he was under the pump, as he stated it, and he was no longer able to summon the powers that enabled him to cope as he used to in his prime.
England are now under the pump and are buckling under the pressure. How and when they emerge from this vicious cycle will be a true test of the team and those close around it. Exhortations to try harder and focus better are understandable but misplaced, while reprimands pointing to shortcomings such as a perceived lack of courage or deficient technique are often unhelpful.
As counterintuitive as it may sound experts claim that the best way to overcome pressure is by employing methods of relaxation; it is important to assume and maintain an even keel, despite the ferocity of the storms that threaten.
Despite the fact that it occurred in crickets most unforgiving format, Englands loss to The Dutch would have been a deep wound. But its not the end of the world. England still have good players and will bounce back.
Years ago, after being stingingly castigated by the press for opting to go to the beach instead of to the nets following a particularly bad loss, England recovered to win the next game. Asked what accounted for the sudden turnaround the captain (If I remember the story correctly) replied cheekily, A day at the beach.
Englands next serious engagement is not until May 20. That allows them plenty of time to head to the beach.
