Another letter for Brendon McCullum

Dear Brendon

It was such a source of sadness for me when last week, you announced your retirement from BBL. I still believe that you are good enough to play any form of cricket there is. Through this letter, I want to pay a tribute to you for everything you have taught me about cricket and life in general.

When you walk to the middle, I can feel the electricity in the air. When you bat, nothing else in the world matters to me. When you are on the field, anything is possible. You have been a perfect role model for me for so many years now. I have learned more from you than I can say here. Still, let me try:

• Play it safe, play it safe. What the heck! Swing for the rooftops: Life is short. You can't be playing safe all the times. Life is an endless trade-off between risk and reward. I have never seen anyone as aggressive in approaching the game as you. Safety never resulted in something great. 
• Best captain I ever saw: Along with Michael Clarke, you are the best captain I have ever seen on a cricket field. You are an astute reader of the game and never back down from taking a risk. 5 slips, a wide gully, a backward point, a short-cover, silly point, a catching mid-off, a short mid-wicket, short-leg and so on. Jeez, I miss those days. Numbers will never do justice to what you brought on the field. There is no man-made tool to measure your contribution. Attack, attack, attack. All. The. Time. 
• Don't give the opposition a chance: I still remember England playing against Blackcaps in the 2015 World Cup. While England were noticeably terrible, they were nowhere as bad as losing an ODI game in 10 overs. I had never seen anyone annihilating a bowling attack so brutally as that. Bang! Six. Bang! Four. It was a testament to how much mental aggression is important in our sports. I could almost feel for England bowlers bowling haplessly to defend a paltry total when they knew that they had not got a cat in a hell's chance. 
• This is just a game, after all: No better person in the world to have a beer with at the close of the play. Play it hard on the field, but cricketing friendships should last a lifetime. Your cricketing relationships with fellow cricketers is a perfect example of this. 
• 100% commitment: I have seen you on numerous occasions dive across the field converting a four into a three even if it wouldn't make a difference on the result. Sometimes, despite knowing that they are gonna run four anyway, you choose to do it. Now, that is a 100% commitment. And it was never limited to only blackcaps, but for every team, you have ever played for: from Brisbane Heat to CSK. Each one of them. 
• The first scoring shot can be six, there is no problem with that: I don't know any batter who is not afraid of getting a duck. Hence, they try to minimize the risk while getting off the mark. Just nudge a single. Put the bat in front of the line of the ball and run. Even if the ball is a full-toss begging to be hit, they choose not to do it. What if I fail? What if I get dropped because of getting a duck and all that. They are just too scared of the what-ifs. Not you. I have seen on a number of occasions you starting out your innings with a gallant six and warming up the hands of some fortunate spectator. I absolutely loved watching you. The only other person I can think of who used to do it was Virender Sehwag. 
• Many people can make runs, but can they scoop Shaun Tait bowling at 100 miles per hour?: The image of you hitting Shaun Tait hitting over fine-leg on your way to yet another T20 international hundred is still fresh in my mind. With all due respect to batters playing conventional cricketing shots, making runs innovatively is an entirely different challenge. If there is a half-volley pitching outside the off-stump, 99% of the good batters can hit it through covers for four, but those who hit it between third slip and gully for a cheeky boundary, they are the ones who push the boundaries of batsmanship. No better example of this than you (AB used to do it too, and I loved him as well.)
• My personal biases: I like stylish cricketers. Good hairstyle, tattoos, chewing gums, aggressive, walking back without cursing when they get out, moving on from disappointments quickly, playing it hard and fair. I also have a strong place for the athletes born in September (My Birthday Month). You are each one of the above. 

You've always been an inspiration to me, Brendon and you will continue to be so. Hope to meet you someday in person. 

Respectfully yours, 

pawan

The magnificence of Jimmy

Let's wind the clock back for a decade and half. The year is 2003. England are playing a test match against Zimbabwe at the Home of cricket, Lords'. A 20-year old Lancashire kid making his debut has been handed the ball. When he bowls his 18th delivery in test cricket, a Zimbabwe batsman heard the rattle of stumps behind him. The stumps will continue to rattle by the same kid for next 14 years. The last one to hear it yesterday was Kraigg Braithwaite. Put into the history books by the shy kid from Manchester. Surely, none would have thought that the kid will become the greatest bowler England ever produced. Overshadowing the likes of Bob Willis, Trueman, Sir Botham and so on. It is amazing how the kid first became a man and then the master. The master, who reached the magical figures of 500 test wickets? The feat only 2 fast bowlers and total of 5 men in cricket history have achieved. Oh yes Jimmy!

Despite having a dream debut of picking up a 5-for at the biggest venue of cricket, Jimmy didn't have the greatest of times in the beginning. He struggled for consistency and batsmen weren't much bothered. He missed the bus on 2005 Ashes and he was overlooked over Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison, Darren Gough, Simon Jones etc. He got the Ashes taste finally in 2006-07 which was a horrible experience for him. He took 5 wickets each of which cost him 82.60 runs. England were destroyed by 5-0. It was an awful beginning. He toiled harder and harder. He was dropped multiple times, but he came back strongly and today he is arguably the most skillful fast bowler of all times.

The journey from being dismissed as 12th man to being the best fast bowler wasn't easy. He had to learn so many new tricks. In the early phases of his career, he was mostly an outswing bowler with occasionally keeping it straight to get the nicks. It used to work for him at Old Trafford for Lancashire. But, needless to say International cricket is bloody cauldron itself. If you don't keep evolving, teams will figure you out. He later learnt the art of in-swingers and since then, he has never looked back. It is as if he is having fun out there in the middle. He reads batsmen and stays one step of them. He is now more dangerous and indecipherable than ever. His team-mate and friend Stuart Broad recently stated that He has never seen Jimmy bowled better in his career. Like a vintage wine, he is getting finer and stronger with age. For instance, he averages 20 with the ball in his last 28 tests, which suggest that his best days for England might well be ahead of him. 

It is easy to be dismissive of such achievements by shrugging off the shoulders and saying, "But Murli picked up 800 wickets!". Well. Being a fast bowler myself (at times, mostly I am dibbly-dobbly), I can tell you how much your body inflicts pain upon itself. You have to hurt your body deliberately to generate the pace in extreme conditions. You have to sweat through the day and can't afford to let your guard down. Building constant pressure by dots after dots. Playing the game within the game. Setting up the batsmen by bowling so many outswingers only to bring one in to hit the pad or wickets. Bowling is pretty tough work.

In cricket, laws clearly favor the batsman. Bats are getting bigger and better. Boundaries are shrinking. Pitches are covered, rolled and tailor made for batting. This game is often thought of as cricket vs bowlers. Even among bowlers, Fast bowlers have the most insurmountable job to do in test cricket. They are expected to give the team breakthrough with the new ball to set the game up. They are expected to clean up the tail. They are expected to gain reverse swing and tilt the game after 80th over. Sometimes, they are even expected to save the team with bat too. Too much work. Really.

Anderson does each of these jobs beautifully. He has picked up wickets in all parts of the world. Even in Asia, his record is magnificent. After India lost to England in 2012-13, In words of MS Dhoni, "Anderson was the difference between the sides." That is how good Jimmy really is. He has picked up the dream wicket of Great Tendulkar a record 9 times. Anderson has a knack of picking wickets of top-order. According to statistics, Of Anderson's 501 Test wkts, 299 have been top-5 bats (around 60%). Some comparisons: Glenn McGrath 57.7% Wasim 48.5%, Stuart Broad 52.1%,  Malcolm Marshall 53.2% Dale Steyn: 53.2%. It clearly shows that he has worked harder and his wickets have put England in much better position of winning games.

Undoubtedly, Anderson is a modern great of the game. He has picked up most of his wickets after 2011 which shows that batsmen, coaches etc. had so much access to his video-tapes, data, analysts etc. He remained an enigma to the batters no matter what they threw at him. In last decade, a lot of laws have been manufactured to help the batsmen. Well. Jimmy doesn't care. He goes and works out the batsmen for a living. He wins England games of cricket. He is a true role-model for any young fast bowler. He doesn't pick up social media fights. He is humble, shy, dutiful, hardworking and a true sportsman of the game. Very recently, during England-South Africa test series, James Anderson became the first bowler to have ever picked up a test wicket from an end named after him itself. Jimmy bowling from James Anderson end at his home-ground. It doesn't get better than that. It was his 481st test wicket. Now he has raced to 501. There are still so many left in the tank. So many batsmen waiting to be shown the door of pavilion by Jimmy's magic. One can easily wonder if he will end up as highest fast bowling wicket-taker in test cricket history. Next Stop: Walsh 519. Then, comes McGrath 563. Not too far, I'd say.

Despite all the stardom and being the spearhead of England pace attack for almost a decade, Anderson has always stayed true to himself and hates the limelight. He is always content with being the man England relies upon in times of need and personal achievements are only a cherry on cake, not the driving force. In his words, "I just love playing cricket. It's my biggest passion and always has been since I was a kid. To be able to do it for my country - to be able to play in Test matches at Lord's - is something I could never dream of doing. The milestones are nice, but they're not what drive me. I want to help England win games of cricket. That's why I turn up every day trying to improve myself. I'm loving playing cricket. I'm really enjoying playing in this team and hopefully that can continue for a while yet."
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Anderson, from right-arm over the wicket. The ball pitched outside the off-stump on the slope of Lord's. Kraigg Braithwaite leans forward to drive it. The ball took a shape and found a way between his bat and pad as if it was being controlled by an invisible monster. It disturbed the furniture behind Braithwaite. James Anderson opens his wings and takes a celebratory flight. Fly, Jimmy, Fly.