India's Approach to Selection | Seattle's Brave Management | SFU Observations | Continuous Learning: Rajasthan Royals | NZ's Summer Schedule Part IV
Investment Wisdom from Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett’s famously said, “Our Favorite Holding Period is Forever.”
India’a Approach to Selection
India’s Approach to Selection in Red Ball Cricket is a Reminder that the Subject Matter has not evolved as much as I previously thought. Where India have been tremendous in White Ball Cricket, their Test Cricket even before the Voluntary or Involuntary Retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli was on a Downward Trajectory. The Outcome of that Downward Trajectory was Losing Test Matches including getting swept at Home by New Zealand. India’s Response to Defeat has been Shortening their Holding Period to 1 Test, 2 Tests, or 3 Tests before being Dropped in Oblivion. Think Sarfaraz Khan, Think Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Think Sai Sudharshan. It was Only a Little Over a Month Ago, that Sai Sudharsan was being angled to be a Primary Protagonist in an Important Series Between India vs England. But After Just One Test, He’s Carrying the Drinks.
One More Thing, India’s Bowling Problem has nothing to do with Volume. Volume Can Be Good. India’s Problem is Bowling Quality.
Seattle’s Brave Management
Two Things Can Be True at Once. The Seattle Orcas have made a lot of Dubious Decisions that led to 5 Consecutive Losses to start the MLC Season. But they also made a Brave Decision. Seattle’s Ownership and Management Team, made the decision to Fire Head Coach Matthew Mott in the Middle of a One Month Franchise Season. That is Unprecedented but Incredibly Brave. They relieved Heinrich Klaasen of his duties as Captain. They made the Right Decision to give the Captaincy to Sikandar Raza. They were even Brave Enough to Drop David Warner. That decisiveness in Decision-Making must be cited as the Foundation for their Revival.
The Argument in Favor of Shimron Hetmyer
Shimron Hetmyer had played 12 ODIs when the West Indies Toured India for a One Day Series in 2018. In his 1st Game in Guwahati, Hetmyer blazed his way to 106 off 78 Deliveries. Three Days Later in Visakhapatnam, Hetmyer smashed 94 off 64 Deliveries to tie the 2nd ODI. The Hallmark of those Innings was Hetmyer’s High Intensity Intent, and ability to Hit Sixes at will. It’s what made Hetmyer such a promising cricketer. It’s what made him one of the most sought after players in Franchise Cricket. It’s also slightly disappointing. Because this is an All-Time Talent that we don’t get to see Play Test Cricket or International Cricket with any regularity. That said, Hetmyer has been indefatigable over these last three games. He’s Singlehandedly revived Seattle’s Season with his Power Hitting.
SFU Observations
While Shimron Hetmyer was undeniably very good, he was helped by a Really Poor Performance from San Francisco. Here are a Few Observations:
One, SFU is Built On the Dynamism of Matthew Short, Finn Allen, and Jake Fraser McGurk. If and when they don’t dominate proceedings, SFU is vulnerable.
Two, Tim Seifert scored a confounding 31 off 37 Deliveries Last Night against Seattle. While that Performance isn’t justifiable under any circumstance, Why was he Batting in that Position.
No. 4 Position: Tim Seifert’s Average in the No. 4 Position is 24, his Strike Rate is 108, and his Dot Ball Percentage is 39%.
No. 5 Position: Tim Seifert’s Average in the No. 5 Position is 24, his Strike Rate is 116, and his Dot Ball Percentage is 41%.
Seifert’s Data Screams that he’s not a Middle Order Batsman. Yet SFU had him Batting in the Middle Order Positions Sucking the Proverbial Air out of their Innings.
Three, Without Haris Rauf, SFU is Two Bowlers Short. For Whatever Reason, the West Indies and Franchise Cricket Teams view Romario Shepherd as a Primary Bowler. He’s Not. He’s a Sixth Bowler on a Good Team. You Know that not just by the Data. You Know that from watching him bowl. If a Bowler’s Primary Option is to Bowl Away from the Hitting Zone, He Probably Doesn’t Have the Skill to be a Protagonist. He’s Not a Primary Bowler. Combine that with Liam Plunkett and you’re in Trouble.
Four, SFU’s Bowling Game Model and Captaincy was Confounding. When they finally brought on Xavier Bartlett in the 19th Over He Created 3 Wicket Chances against a Well Set Shimron Hetmyer.
Continuous Learning: Rajasthan Royals
Yesterday, the Senior Management of the Rajasthan Royals visited Arsenal Football Club. The visit was a Crash Course on everything from Hospitality, Commercial Operations, Merchandising, and Marketing. While I Probably have a Divergent View on how the Rajasthan Royals should Build their Cricket Team, they remain a Best In-Class Cricket Franchise when it comes to Pushing the Boundaries of Continuous Learning. To My Knowledge, they are the Only Cricket Franchise that Operates like a High-Level Professional Sports Franchise. It’s Something to Learn From.
Seattle Orcas
One More Thing, While the Seattle Orcas have saved their season I don’t retract My Considered Opinion on Cricket’s Approach to Cricket Operations. That Approach isn’t Consistent with Best Practices in Sports or Industry. And More Than Spending Lots of Money on Players, Investing in Those Best Practices is where Nascent Franchises and T20 Leagues will Add Considerable Value. Also, Cricket’s Approach to the Ambiguous Tri-Partite Structure of Captain, Head Coach, and Chief Selector is at worst Archaic and at Best Sub-Optimal.
NZ’s Summer Schedule Part IV
New Zealand or for that matter any International Cricket Team’s Home Calendar shouldn’t stand alone. The International Cricket Calendar should be aligned with the Domestic Cricket Calendar. Whereby the Domestic Cricket Calendar is Fueling the International Cricket Calendar and Vice Versa. What are the Tentpoles of this Domestic Cricket Calendar?
The Primary Tentpole of a Domestic Cricket Calendar is the Domestic T20 League or Competition. But beyond the Domestic T20 League or Competition, International Cricket Boards continue to miss out on opportunities to Build More Meaningful Ecosystems. For Example, New Zealand vs Australia is a Bonafide Rivalry. It’s a Rivalry that we don’t talk about or lean into. That’s a mistake.
To Fix that Problem, I believe that New Zealand Cricket and Cricket Australia should create a New Product. That New Product is a Home and Away 4-Day Game and a 5 Match 50 Over Series Between the Winners of the Plunket Shield, Sheffield Shield, Marsh Cup, and the Ford Trophy. These Games Should Be Intelligently Placed in the Summer Calendar.
MK Sports Advisory
MK Sports Advisory is a Multi-Sport Strategy Group that seeks to simplify the Complex Process of Building Sustainable Championship Teams. We leverage Data and Consilient Insights to develop Qualitative Models that help ensure Aligned Decision-Making across the Team and Organization Building Process.
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