Natural Game leads to natural death.

[Beamer]

This time Jalal said it and I quote him here without quoting the whole mindless quote, " The decision to relive him.....so that he can play his natural game " !

So, that line of thinking - playing "natural game", is spread evenly from the Executives on down to Selectors, to the national team player, and I am sure, all the way down to Academy, Club, para cricketers aspiring to play for the country.

I want to know what the heck is "natural game"? We have all heard it from time to time in post match interviews, being parroted mercilessly by our players. Win or lose, after every game, the reason for success was "natural game" and the reason for failure was the inability to play "natural game".

If anything, we need to follow, practice and adjust to playing "situational game". I assume the natural game is the inherent flair of individuals who shows glimpses of domination. But, in intl cricket, the opposition is good enough to counter your natural tendencies by throwing roadblocks at it. Soon as that Avenue is blocked, we stall and die a natural death, since we are not capable of scoring runs via a different route, one that requires patience. In other words, we can't play the game of "take what is given" otherwise known an "situational cricket". For example, the demise of Ashraful and many others can be attributed to this mindless term called natural game. Of course a batsman must think positively and should have the mindset of dominating the opposition, but crucially, it can be done without consistently risking your wkt by launching low percentage shots for the sake of natural game.

Good job Jalal. You have just sent the message to Ashraful that don't do anything different, if anything, stick to your ways of BS Natural Game. I am sure, none of them know what 'natural game' really means, and when we have philosophers at the top green lighting something they themsleves don't understand, what comfort a simple fan like me can take towards a better outcome ?

P.S : Memo to BC mods- Next interview, please raise this little matter of "natural game" with Siddons. I am really curious to know what it means and whether he agrees or not.

[Raynman]

good point.

The 'natural game' comment struck me as odd too.

[BanCricFan]

Good point. It high time they drop this term for good and play "pro game" which includes not getting out twice in the shame fashion or bowling half-volleys and on the pad. Not dropping lollies and having wild throws without back ups or running theselves out like complete morons.

[Tigers_eye]

Natural game = Natural instinct/inclination. For BD players, no adjusting to what is given to you. Hence the downfall. At any sports adjusting to the adversities is one of the main reason in improvement in results/performance.

However, Tendu-Lara (natural gamers) are masters of adjusting what hand they get dealt with.

I want Chandurpaul not Lara in BD team. Cause Laras only comes once in a lifetime, whereas, Chanderpauls have a better probability. Limited Natural game with most application.

[Fazal]

Natural Game .. my Foot.

In this level of cricket, to be continuously successful, a batsman need to polish his natural game so that he can hide his weakness effectively, minimize risk, neuralize opponent bolwer's stategy and play according to the master game plan but can also adpot to immediate team's need.

Why BCB send these wrong signals? Its really depressing.

[Imteaz]

If <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comhttp://www.banglacricket.com/alochona/ /><st1:place w:st=</st1:place><st1:country-region w:st="on">Bangladesh</st1:country-region> really plays their Natural Game, we will be Whitewash again in Test/ODI/T20. Because the Fact is <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bangladesh</st1:place></st1:country-region> is not yet competitive in International Arena. If we want to win we have to play Extra Ordinary game.
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comhttp://www.banglacricket.com/alochona/ /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P><P><FONT color=black><FONT face=All the wins from our side against Test side were extra ordinary performance. We expressed that as Natural Game. With Natural game, we can only beat the associate teams. Losing to them is below natural.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Finally, I want our management/media/fans to accept the fact rather tell "Janina Keno Player ra Tader Shamortho Onujai Khelte Parchena."<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Amader shamortho shudhu beating associate teams and 1/2 victory against test teams which are "Upset". We have to accept this Fact.

[Kabir]

What pisses me off is this term - Natural Game.

WTF is natural game? If I can play my natural game, why do I need a coach? Why do I need a team management?

The term is an overly hyped-up term for someone who doesn't know how to speak good English. And here we are, talking about natural game all the time.

Give this effing natural game a break, and turn on your natural 'obedience' for what you have learnt to play, not what you would mindlessly play.

[Ishtylish cricketer]

Excellent thread Beams. I recall you and I once mutually poked fun at that term. To me their natural game is very unnatural since it invariably leads them to their proverbial cricketing graves which is the pavillion for any self respecting batsman. It's time that these parrots learned to play some "learned game" instead of what's natural to them.

[Rifat]

amazing thread and an amazing point..who needs BCB and selectors...when we have BanglaCricket.com..and this time i am not being sarcastic.


there's a saying in bangla "[বাংলা]যেই কপাল সেই মাথা[/বাংলা]"...looks like the scenario for Bangladesh cricket most of the time... since the instruction to play in such manner comes from the top..why is Ashraful to blame then?

[tkandi4]

If some one wants to play his natural game, he should play golf. Cricket is a team sports and players should play according to team demand.

[Foozy]

And yes, I too have seen that term "natural game" and it stuck out to me. It really is a pathetic term that is used in our cricket all too often. The first couple of times, its ok, but then it just gets all too repetitive.

But my understanding is that the term "natural game" is just a substitute for the word "flair", which btw is often what leads to our downfall, such as the "khocha shot" that Ash played to get out in the T20

[al Furqaan]

excellent thread beamer...and well put too.

natural game is a synonom for "1. excessively flashy, sometimes pleasing to the eye stroke 2. the tendency to seemingly dominate, but succumbing sooner rather than later".

hence guys like rajin saleh never use the term. doesn't he and Javed have a natural game? sure they do, they naturally hog the crease and run scoring is secondary. but it doesn't fit the def given above.

[cricman]

Watch the NZ Test Series Where Vettori took Ash's Manhood, due to Ashraful's defensive approach, which he had to lead for the rest of team (That was the Team Approach, 166/90 overs)

3 Average Deliveries, 3 LBW's

The Motto Should be to play every ball to it's merit, don't give me this Pre Meditated Approach, that is being given by Jamie Siddons

Super Defensive (Ash vs NZ) or Super Aggressive approach (Mehrab Jr vs SL)

[billah]

This time Jalal said it and I quote him here without quoting the whole mindless quote, " The decision to relive him.....so that he can play his natural game " !
.......
P.S : Memo to BC mods- Next interview, please raise this little matter of "natural game" with Siddons. I am really curious to know what it means and whether he agrees or not.

Good point, Beamer.

Yet, I can't help but thinking: Captaincy taken away from Ash, after dismal performance, before the tour of West Indies.....

I think we are as close as we ever can be to a Test double hundred by a Bangladeshi Batsman.

[Zeeshan]

There is some theory in Japanese martial arts that 90% of techniques, 10% of inner drive in mats, but in battle field 90% of inner drive (that's why they yell out the kiai so much) and 10% technique (at this level the technique becomes subconscious and 'natural').

This is basically the intuitive feel for "natural game" from theoretician's perspective.

Also Malcolm Crowley's quote, "Talent is what you posses, genius is what possesses you." When someone plays the innings of his life, he is in the zone, and he let's a higher power flow through his body as in instrument. Same happens when Beethoven composes or Picasso 'throws himself' at the canvas.

So I agree with cricman. Play each ball on it's own merit. And 90% focus should be on discipline and rigor in nets and 90% of inner drive in the 'battlefield.'

Best example should be Jayasuirya + x = 250/0 partnership or Dhoni's 180 something. Those were very 'natural' games of theirs. Also, the Gilchrist's recent one. To even some purists they would be like masterpieces being composed on canvas. Each ball, each breathtaking shot being set up for the next big punch.

[Gowza]

The Motto Should be to play every ball to it's merit, don't give me this Pre Meditated Approach, that is being given by Jamie Siddons

every team plays with a plan, they usually have a couple of back-up plans as well.

[BANFAN]

Reality is just opposite to the thread heading. Harnessing one's natural game is the key to success.

Natural game doesn't mean only being aggressive. JO's natural game and Aftab's natural game is opposite. The natural talent needs to be refined and used to the benefit of the team. That fine tuning is the responsibility of the coaching staff. They are failing to do that and we are unnecessarily critical of the player's natural game.

Playing the ball to it's merit also depends on their natural abilities. Every player has different comfort level with different shots. Even after judging the merit of a ball, JO's natural ability might prompt a forward defense while TI might go for straight drive on the same ball.

[Gowza]

Reality is just opposite to the thread heading. Harnessing one's natural game is the key to success.

Natural game doesn't mean only being aggressive. JO's natural game and Aftab's natural game is opposite. The natural talent needs to be refined and used to the benefit of the team. That fine tuning is the responsibility lies with the coaching staff. They are failing to do that and we are unnecessarily critical of the player's natural game.

so the player has no accountability as to how his game develops? the player has a big role in developing himself, it's not just about the coaching.

[BD-Shardul]

I think we are making unnecessary fuss out of Jalal Yunus' comment. By natural game, he probably meant Ashraful playing his game without any extra burden added on him.

And all SL players play their natural game, don't they?

[Zeeshan]

so the player has no accountability as to how his game develops? the player has a big role in developing himself, it's not just about the coaching.

You are misreading the meaning of natural game. It's like an individual's unique, way of playing. Say if you have aptitude for visuo-spatial abilities yet I brute force you to enter a box and think linguistically, I am causing you to self-sabotage.

[Gowza]

You are misreading the meaning of natural game. It's like an individual's unique, way of playing. Say if you have aptitude for visuo-spatial abilities yet I brute force you to enter a box and think linguistically, I am causing you to self-sabotage.

i was responding specifically to BANFAN's comments about the refinement of a players game being the complete responsibility of the coach rather than both coach and player. i didn't comment on natural game.

[bujhee kom]

It's the natural beauty is what I like!

[BANFAN]

i was responding specifically to BANFAN's comments about the refinement of a players game being the complete responsibility of the coach rather than both coach and player. i didn't comment on natural game.

Go ahead Gowza with this age old question, just to contradict BANFAN .. :)

I'm looking for a player in all international sports who is responsible for his own fine tuning without a coach :)

If that was possible why we need a coach? Why other sports of our country are so lacking? Why their development stops after a level? You mean none of them are trying to play better? Why do you need to go to a good school when all are teaching the same syllabus?

Leave Ashraful, I take that for the sake of argument that he isn't learning, it is his fault; what is with the rest of the players? Why do you even consider that the coach is doing right things & players are wrong? what evidence do you have for that? I have a dozzen evidence of coache's wrong policies.

If you like, lets list out rights and wrongs to weigh his contribution +/-

[Gowza]

Go ahead Gowza with this age old question, just to contradict BANFAN .. :)

I'm looking for a player in all international sports who is responsible for his own fine tuning without a coach :)

If that was possible why we need a coach? Why other sports of our country are so lacking? Why their development stops after a level? You mean none of them are trying to play better? Why do you need to go to a good school when all are teaching the same syllabus?

Leave Ashraful, I take that for the sake of argument that he isn't learning, it is his fault; what is with the rest of the players? Why do you even consider that the coach is doing right things & players are wrong? what evidence do you have for that? I have a dozzen evidence of coache's wrong policies.

If you like, lets list out rights and wrongs to weigh his contribution +/-

i'm not doing this just to contradict BANFAN, i believe both the player and the coach are responsible for the development rather than just one or the other. as for listing rights and wrongs, positives and negatives etc we did that a long time ago and didn't get anywhere. i'm not talking about anyone or any team specifically, the development of any player or any team in any sport is dependant on a number of people in various positions.

as for the BD team specifically, i'm not going to get into why i think the team hasn't progressed as much as we would have liked it to but i've already said that i believe it's time for siddons to move on from the BD national team.

also i've said that i believe siddons has played a part in ashraful's development, which has actually gotten worse since siddons came along (it seems that ashraful is going backwards and siddons is at fault for this but that doesn't excuse ashraful for allowing it either).

[Beamer]

Great inputs all around.

BANFAN touched on the case of Aftab and JO, which I find interesting and without a doubt explains our shortcomings. To me, it is equally unnatural, when a batsman ( for example : JO and Rajin ) refuses to punish a ball that deserves to be hit. Equally unnatural is when a gaping hole in the field is not exploited due to lazy running between the wkts. And, it is super annoying, when a batsman continues to challenge the field set up for his demise just to show his natural gaming can overcome it. Each individual of our team ( or any team )does something with the bat that he is more comfortable with, or should I say, naturally comfortable. But, the other part of the equation is the opposition, who will not let you seat pretty in your comfort zone, and that is when we falter or what I call, head towards natural death. I think ours is the only team, when we as fans, can anticipate the fall of a wkt during a match more than any other team. The moment the pressure is on, we can see the writing on the wall. We do two things in those situations : Either we try to hit our way out of it , or we adopt the turtle strategy, which shuns the idea of run scoring . Neither helps the cause.

Coaching can do so much boys. It is ultimately up to us to play to the situation of the game. Coaches will come and go, but until and unless we change our individual ways of playing cricket with mental fortitude that is necessary, the outcomes will remain the same. Natural game has to be harnessed like somebody said, or in cases like JO types, it has to be discarded in certain situations.

[Akib]

I'd rather he does not play his natural game. I think its this thats lead us to where we are today.

[Beamer]

Good point, Beamer.

Yet, I can't help but thinking: Captaincy taken away from Ash, after dismal performance, before the tour of West Indies.....

I think we are as close as we ever can be to a Test double hundred by a Bangladeshi Batsman.

That will be great. Hope your hunch is right. My candidate, if that happens, is Tamim Iqbal. His batting is more West Indian than any other in our team. Why not him in West Indies? But, he must take what is given.

[abu2abu]

"Natural game" is a bit of a nonsense - how can it be any batsman's "natural game" to get out?

[Beamer]

BANFAN

Coaching in cricket is a recent novelty. Go back before '90s and you would hardy see a team with a full time coach. I don't think Viv Richards, Allan Border, Sunil Gavaskar, Miandad etc were coached during their times. They played, learned and applied as their career moved on. In these days of year round cricket, video analysis and what not, the coach serves more as a man manager and the game planner, since there is much less time for the captain to monitor and decide every little matter. I think our problem starts and ends with our lack of quality domestic set-up. If a national team coach is telling a player how to hold a bat, or what shot not to play, I think we are in big trouble, which we are in at this point.

[Kabir]

That will be great. Hope your hunch is right. My candidate, if that happens, is Tamim Iqbal. His batting is more West Indian than any other in our team. Why not him in West Indies? But, he must take what is given.

Far from it. Tamim doesn't have the mental stamina to remain in the middle for more than half a day. He won't last longer than that.

[Beamer]

Is it wrong to hope? I think he will do well.

[Sohel]

I want to know what the heck is "natural game"? We have all heard it from time to time in post match interviews, being parroted mercilessly by our players. Win or lose, after every game, the reason for success was "natural game" and the reason for failure was the inability to play "natural game".

Good read bro and thank you for it. Like you, I don't know what "natural game" is either. Not even hazy ideas here. But looking at frequency alone, I can safely observe that certain things are "quite" natural to all involved with our cricket on different levels.

1) For batsmen: inexplicably throwing their wickets away after looking relatively set and comfortable, and rare good performances mitigated by steady inconsistency.

2) For bowlers: an otherwise good over ruined by an errant delivery or two, and an otherwise good spell ruined by ordinary bowling during key overs.

3) For management: love of jodi laigga jay and whimsical scapegoating.

4) For fans: naturally coming back for more.

[Kabir]

Is it wrong to hope? I think he will do well.

Nothing wrong. But lets be realistic.

I don't want him to fail. I'll be jumping down the street naked if he scores a double-ton. But given his maturity, I don't see it coming in the near future. I'ld love to be proven wrong, and would love the naked dancing in the street.

[Beamer]

Nothing wrong. But lets be realistic.

I don't want him to fail. I'll be jumping down the street naked if he scores a double-ton. But given his maturity, I don't see it coming in the near future. I'ld love to be proven wrong, and would love the naked dancing in the street.

Oh No..Save humanity. Wonder what you will do if he scores a triple? :D

[Murad]

Tamim doesn't like takings singles and running. He always believe in bounderies that his main problem. That's the reason he is getting too many Run-Outs these days.

If he concentrate on singles, he will become a good batsman.

[Kabir]

Oh No..Save humanity. Wonder what you will do if he scores a triple? :D

Then I'll take you with me...and we'll both dance on the street naked! :big_hug:

[BANFAN]

Beamer, you are somewhat right when you explain JO/Rajin's inability to punish a ball what Tamim/Aftab will. This isn't unique in BD team only, it's there in every team. Like Laxman/Dravid will probably not be able to punish a ball that Y.Pathan or Shehwag will. Take Bopara/Petersen to Collingwood, Take Bravo/Gayle to Chanderpaul/Sarwn, Ponting/Clarke to Hussey/Symonds etc etc to mention a few. This has a lot to do with the physio dynamics of a person, which are not limited to reflexes, strength, sighting ability etc qualities influence a player to play in a certain way since went out with a bat/ball in the play ground. Over a period of time that person gets developed as a player and he learns to avoid his limitations and exploit his strengths and forms a natural pathern of batting/bowling. It is hard to challenge your limitations at a matured age, hence the importance of natural abilities comes in. But a player can perfect his natural abilities through practice and become a good player when he plays to his strengths. We cannot deny such natural abilities being formed when we depend on nature rathaer than scientific process to produce players for us. More over human beings differ genetically; that's why we see people with different athletic abilities; or else a marathon runner could have won 100 m sprint with much lesser effort than he puts in a marathon; wouldn't he try that? But he can't because of his natural inability to do that; so thenatural ability is an undenyable truth. I have only focussed on physiodynamics, but natural abilities are also in other areas of human abilities as well.

Some of the limitations one has, probably could be improved (Not eliminated) through systematic procedures, like focussed exercises to improve reflexes, muscles, neuromuscular coordination during different types of shots etc. But that needs to be done in very early age; here comes the question of infrastructure. If a young player in his early teens gets all the facilities like Gym, physio, coaches etc to help him identify his deficiencies and make him go though the procedures for improvement, he might be able to improve noticeably. We lack considerably in this infrastructral side in comparison to our G8 counterparts. Genetically also we are in a disadvantegious position than most of them. Due to these, we need to have a very good infratructure for sports in general and try to focus at a much earlier age to pick up tallents and grooming them as a complete player under able coach/trainers.

The players we have in the national team ATM, are tallented and are able to play to their strengths, but since they didn't get an opportunity to focus on their physio dynamic limitations at an early age, they have noticeable weaknesses in cricketing skills as well, hence is the importance of a coach. A coach in Aus team don't have to do certain things as they are more or less refined through a system from very early age. But in BD team a coach has to take care of improving those deficiencies of our players which may not be holding bat but the entire dynamics of the game at this level. Improve some very basic skills to make him comfortable and confiodent in situations which he always thought to be his limitations.

Compare a cricker's skill and physio dynamics of a BD player in 80s and today at any level, there are major changes in everything. This change has occured due to infrastructural abundance in relation to what it was before. As we progress I'm sure the coaches at school or elementary levels will be much more efficient and knowledge of athleticism/facilities like gyms/bowling machines/indoors etc will be much more accessible by the aspiring boys. That will some day take us to a level, when a coach will not have to do what we expect them to do today.

Meanwhile exceptionally tallented, naturally athletic boys will come up from time to time, to be Miandad/Viv etc. They come once in a while & we can't keep waiting for them to come some day, we have to have system to produce players with versatile natural abilities, that others have been able to do. So let's have patience and focus on having a better infrastructure (That involves good facilities, Abundance of capable coaches, tallent spotting and scientific finishing academies etc) in the right places, we won't have todays problem. Till then to keep us afloat, we depend a bit extra on a foreign coach who is likely to have the knowledge & skills to improve these boys even at the national level. Some day, we will not need then to do these things and they will fit perfectly into todays role of a coach in other G8 Nations. 10 years isn't enough to achieve that.

[Beamer]

Well put BANFAN. Very well put.

[WarWolf]

100% of natural anything is not acceptable in the civilized world. Naturally we are born without clothes. Naturally we are greedy and lusty. It's the society and education which teach us to be human by polishing us.

The problem with our team is their nature. They are lack the touch of being polished which turns a young talented player to a matured successful player.

[Zeeshan]

Time for a bump. I am gonna go on a diatribe here...

Nothing is more annoying and fatal than putting someone in cookie cutter's mold. Institutionalized administrations already has done it's fair share of debilitating damage of sapping the creativity right out of a child's fertile mind and we dont need any more of that in our cricket.

Everything has it's time and place. Ashraful has gone through soo much discipline that he has lost his natural shtick. Most people make the cardinal delusional mistake of attributing natural game as harakiri dangerous aggressive reckless shots. Wrong! It has nothing to do with that. When you are playing naturally your subconscious which is capable of parallel processing and manipulating tenfold of information takes over and you play instinctively from intuition from muscle memory.

Whether it be aikido ro tennis they teach you discipline but also gives a caveat of not to THINK too much during the actual fight or the game. For instance, in aikido they teach you not to back off during an opponents attack and burn down lateral movement in your brain while in tennis they teach you the perfect shot like forehand and backhand. But, during the actual match they know you are bound to make mistakes and at the post-disciplinary stage it's okay to make "mistakes" like back off or play sloppy shots. The purpose at the time is not to please the friggin coach or the purists with some text book shots but to friggin... WIN! That's what it actually matters and nothing more.

In martial arts you enter with beginner's mind of zen with white belt and pass on to black belt eventually and in the philosophy you revert back to white belt. Similarly, when Ash started he had this flamboyant penchant of playing his game of natural flair. That has been destroyed to the smithereens by some immense military regimental training in the nets of putting his square skills in round peg. We can currently see this when his SR has been brought down drastically. It's not a question of 'good' or 'bad' thing but since cricket is a lifelong journey he still needs to go to the next stage of playing right from the gut as if there is no tomorrow.

Edit: Also cricket IS a natural game after all. It's not a friggin intellectual exercise for the tools to be solved by equations in the blackboard in terms of arctans and cosines; rather a beautiful game to be played right from the heart. Intuition, whole brain synchrony, fire in the heart, hope, positive approach has a lot more to do with natural game than some rash strokes.

merked.