High fives, low standards?
Not content with the strange glove punching that England (and every other country) seem to think is important when batting, they now seem to have introduced high fives when any half decent piece of fielding happens. (Perhaps they've been doing this for a while, but without Sky I haven't seen any of the England/Australia series and a few overs of South Africa's chase today is the first time I've seen the ODI team field for a while).
When a fielder makes a decent stop the nearest couple of fielders seem to run over and high five him. What's the point of that? They are playing international cricket so if the ball is within reach it should be stopped - no need for massive congratulations there!
Having said that Shah (who batted brilliantly today) has just dropped a sitter, so perhaps England's standards are very low and they genuinely feel the need to high five fielders for relatively regulation stops?
2 comments:
Also, as a golden oldie, could I recommend the use of the size 10 boot when trying to make a stop on the boundary? Twice when fielding England players made elaborate dives and managed stops with their hands, only for another part of their sliding anatomy to knock the ball over the line. If the only parts of the fielder at ground level are his feet this is much less likely to happen.
At least cricket hasn't yet reached the irritating levels of tennis doubles, where the players seem obliged to slap hands after every rally, win or lose, and whisper a secret new plan to each other before every point. I can't see any problem with harmless congratulations for a successful stop in the field, provided it doesn't delay the game. If it helps to boost confidence or morale, I have no problem with it, even if it may not be for everyone.
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