The Week India – June 30, 2019

96 THE WEEK • JUNE 30, 2019

WORLD CUP

ICC

2019

While technology has made cricket more scientific,

on-field tactics and good captaincy continue to be vital

BY YAJURVINDRA SINGH

he weather in

England is always

unpredictable.

Surprisingly, the

International Cricket

Council did not con-

sider this major issue while charting

out the schedule of the ongoing

Cricket World Cup. A well-structured

programme to combat and protect

against all eventualities should have

been designed. The schedule, which

does not provide a reserve day for

rain-affected matches, is a topic of

concern. This will definitely lead to

criticism and bitterness among those

affected.

Cricket has always been a game as-

sociated with war-like tactics. Crick-

eters have to be careful, precise and

patient in their approach. The famous

words of the Duke of Wellington after

the Seventh Coalition’s victory over

Napoleon Bonaparte was: “The battle

of Waterloo was won on the playing

fields of Eton.”

While technology and the modern

tools of data analysis have made

cricket more scientific, the basic

elements like on-field tactics and

strategies are still the most important

ingredients for a win. The tradition-

al game plan and new technology

T

THE WEIGHT

OF COMMAND

WAR COUNCIL

India captain

Virat Kohli with

head coach

Ravi Shastri and

fielding coach

R. Sridhar

REUTERS