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S U N D E R    R A J A N ' s     C R I C K E T    C O L U M N

                  MARK TAYLOR: A MOST UNLIKELY HERO

   Class will tell, they say. One has also heard that ``you can't put a
   good man down." Mark Taylor did not seem to have any special qualities
   about his batting. His triple century in the second Test against
   Pakistan at Peshawar thus belongs to the believe it or not category.

   Columnist Peter Roebuck has summed it up succintly. ``His bat
   consisted entirely of edges and there was glue upon the soles of his
   boots. He didn't look capable of scoring 34, let alone 334."

   Indeed, so consistenly miserable has he been over the years that the
   very sight of Taylor spurred new ball bowlers on. There seemed to be a
   contest between them to see who would get him first. He was most
   unlikely to ever become a hero.

   Of a sudden dawned the day when everything went right for him. Just
   perfect. In his own words,``after crossing 40 my feet started moving"
   and the pitch was a batsman's delight. To which one might well add
   that the absence of Wasim Akram (sore throat) and offspinner Saqlin
   Mushtaq, replaced, considerably depleted Pakistan's attack.

   All this of course should not detract from the merit of Taylor's feat.
   It is a no easy task to score a triple century in any form of cricket.
   The fact that Taylor's is the 15th in Test history speaks for itself.
   The milestone of 7,000 runs that he crossed in the process underlines
   Taylor's intrinsic worth.

   Yet, had he not been so successful a skipper his repeated failures
   with the bat would surely have led to an inglorious exit from the
   international scene. Indeed, his critics were getting increasingly
   strident during 1996 and '97. They included two well known Aussies,
   Ian and Greg Chappell.

   By a strange irony his team lost when he scored centuries, as against
   England in the first Test at Edgbaston that got him a great ovation
   last year and against India in March this year. A bigger irony is that
   Australia's fortunes rose when his form slumped again.

   Taylor is no Brian Lara. But then for all his talent and class Lara
   has not been the same batsman since scoring his record 375 against
   England in 1993-94. There is clearly a moral here somewhere. Possibly
   that talent is not everything. And, obviously, that perse- verance
   pays.

   What passes understanding is why Taylor should have denied himself the
   opportunity to go for Lara's record when he needed a mere 42 and
   despite his team having voted that he should bat on. His declaration
   had little meaning because from his own tenure at the pitch Taylor
   should have realised that the chances of dismissing Pakistan twice in
   the space of three days were remote. Absolutely nil, as it turned out.

   Possibly, Taylor wanted his name to be associated with the legen- dary
   Don Bradman as the highest scorer for Australia. If such was the case
   he was acting in the same fashion as Sid Barnes who in 1946-47 cast
   his wicket away after making exactly the same score, 234, as Bradman
   in a record partnership of 405 for the fifth wicket.

   ``I would like my name to be associated with Bradman." Barnes had
   declared. He was a real character. Taylor in contrast is a typical
   Aussie, tough, hard working and fair. Even if his calculations were
   based on patently illogical assumptions few would have terminated the
   innings as he did with a world record in sight and well within reach.
   Even if his ``supreme sacrifice" was unwarranted his decision to put
   the team ahead of himself would long be remembered as ``one of the
   most unselfish acts in international sport," as former Australian
   batsman David Hookes has said.

   Indeed, ``it sends a great message to his team and everybody around
   the world who thinks there is a place for selfish play in sport."

   It also quickly obliterates the shocking sight of the Australian
   players mingling with Pakistan's army men and posing for pictures with
   rifles and guns. Even if it was all in fun it sends out a wrong
   message and makes one wonder why the players had to venture out to the
   Afghan border.

   All the same, Taylor has set a fine example and it evoked a response
   from Pakistan who declared on the fourth day and gave them- selves
   five overs before the close. The move gave Taylor the oppor- tunity to
   score a century and surpass Graham Gooch's record for most runs in a
   match, 456. He missed both as he swung at Aamir Sohail and was bowled
   for 92 for a match tally of 426. Such gesturess as Taylor's
   declaration are necessary not only to demonstrate a positive approach
   but also sustain the true spirit of the game.

   What a sickening scene it was in Colombo last year when Sri Lanka
   remorselessly batted on till the end of the fifth day even after
   Sanath Jayasuriya had faltered in the morning, just 35 short of Lara's
   world record. They were looking for some compensation in the form of a
   new mark for the highest total. It didn't make sense.

   Had Sachin Tendulkar so desired India could well have batted on the
   best part of four days if not the entire match and given them- selves
   an excellent chance to set up a few world records, so batsman-
   friendly was the pitch. Instead, Tendulkar had declared after tea on
   the second day in a bid to force a result.

   The truly astonishing part was the Lankans' explanation for their
   dour, negative approach. They needed a few world records, they said,
   to attract sponsors.

   Indian cricket is not similarly placed but then every player knows
   that a world record brings big bounties in its wake. Both Sunil
   Gavaskar and Kapil Dev were showered with gifts in cash and kind when
   they posted world marks.

   It is a near miracle that in the midst of all the crass commercialism
   we have a selfless (thoughtless too?) man like Mark Taylor.




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