Nature vs Nurture: How Are International Cricket Stars Born?

Jeremy Loadman presents the unique case of how talent is nurtured in cricket. Unlike football and other sporting behemoths, international cricket rules the roost when it comes to building talent.

The maxim goes: to be the best, you must learn from the best. In most professions, the possibility of this occurring largely lies with the determination of the individual. Want to learn from the best rocket scientists in the world, you’d have your sights set on NASA; if reading classics is your thing, then it’s Cambridge or Oxford. If you want to play with the best footballers in the world you’d have your eyes set on Barcelona, or maybe Manchester United or Real Madrid. But if you want to learn from the best cricketers in the world, it’s not so straight forward.

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If only Jayasuriya and Bravo start playing up to their potential, imagine how good the Mumbai Indians can be…

If they find their form, I cant think of a reason why Mumbai Indians will not win the IPL this year.

They have been nothing short of phenomenal. They were the first team to qualify for the the semi finals. Their game yesterday didn’t reflect a casual approach whatsoever despite already being there.

And ‘15, 30, 38, 24, 21, 45’- reflects a team effort? It’s good to see that the team doesn’t rely only upon Tendulkar. I think the Mumbai Indians have the best non-famous Indian batting duo in form of Ambati Raydu and Sourav Tiwari who have been consistent throughout the tournament. Some might feel CSK’s duo of Badrinath and Murali Vijay surpass these two, however, I still believe Tiwari and Rayudu have won more hearts!

KP was Breathtaking…

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There was a time when a cricketing tour of India was something to be reckoned with. Touring teams not only had to face the perils of players such as Bedi, Azharuddin and Tendulkar, but they had to be able to cope with the absolutely singular experience of playing cricket in India. The grounds were mysterious, the food was exotic, and the pitches were unlike anything found in any other cricketing country. Fast forward to the super-charged atmosphere of today’s cricket, and in particular the IPL, and it’s easy to see how this mystique has evaporated. You see, in their quest for the big bucks, the Indian Cricket Board (ICB) has sold out one of their national trump cards. The days of feared tours to India are surely gone, as more and more players flock to the country once a year to play in the IPL.

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Are the Side Effects of Money in the IPL Worth It?

Whilst the Commonwealth Games may be approaching it is still the IPL which is considered by most to be India’s biggest sports carnival. The global recession seems to have not affected anybody who is a part of the Indian Premier League.

The IPL has approximately 85 players. Talking about the brands, there are about 115 brands which are endorsing these players and everything around them. The brands sponsor everything under the sun from a catch, to a six, boundary, half century, century everything. They have even occupied the giant screen for every decision.

How can we analyse these events?

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