I love Kusal Mendis’s cover drive. He drives the ball on the up with an unmatched flow of his willow against a length ball. He extends his elbow to time the ball sweetly. The sound when the bat meets the ball isn’t loud or jarring; it’s rhythmic, almost soothing.
But wait…
He’s an average batter. How can I prefer his drive over other better batters?
The coverage of a few players restricts us from appreciating all the other players. Virat Kohli, Steven Smith, Babar Azam, etc all deserve the praise and accolades. At the same time, you & I can enjoy batting or bowling with other players without getting into heated arguments. over stats. One could find any player’s play style attractive that should not be led into a contest with Twitter warrior’s favourite player.
If everyone is a fan of a select few, cricket will suffer. Follow new players, and understand new styles and unorthodox techniques.
When I was nine, Cameron White was my favorite cricketer. I didn’t care about his stats—I was too young to even understand them. If I had, maybe I wouldn’t have enjoyed his batting as much. He’s far from the most successful player, but that didn’t matter. If we only admire the most statistically successful, the game loses its charm and becomes narrow, predictable, and dull.
We connect with players in ways that go beyond numbers.
Stop comparing every cricketer you watch. End the endless stats wars. Think back to your ten-year-old self—what made you fall in love with cricket?.
Statistics help us understand the game, but they shouldn’t control how we enjoy it or spark petty social media battles. These constant numbers battles are draining the joy from cricket—past and present.
The joy of cricket is in watching players of different styles play together. Stick to players who you find attractive, not just statistically significant.
