Hello and welcome to Stumped, your intercontinental hit of news, features
and debate from the quirky world of cricket. I'm Alison Mitchell in London where I have to say
it's been a grim week for cricket in this country. We have had MPs listening to harrowing stories of
racism and bullying from the former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq. We discussed at length
those issues on the programme last week, but laid bare with parliamentary privilege, Azeem could say
what he liked. Many of those from Yorkshire whom allegations were levelled against chose not to
appear at the hearing, but it was followed across the game and by many around the world as well,
and we can only commend Azeem for his bravery in feeling able to speak. And now to also fervently
hope that's what was laid bare in terms of lack of process can be fixed and that more people can feel
comfortable about making complaints and more so that they will be dealt with and that hopefully
people will learn and that fewer complaints will happen going into the future, but it's been a
harrowing week and I hope that Stumped now with you guys, Jim and Charu, is going to cheer me up
somewhat. Ali, yes, we need a bit of cheering up. It's Jim Maxwell in Sydney, and the good
news here is that Victoria is about to open up and everyone can go out and have a good time. So that
means we might get a crowd on Boxing Day at the MCG. That is good news.
...and Western Australia as we go, but not at the moment. Well good luck with that, and of course,
congratulations, Jim. You have taken the silverware this time around. Who would
have thought, but well played Australia. This is Charu Sharma in Bangalore for All India Radio,
where in Bangalore, it hasn't stopped raining. Will somebody please take this rain away?
It's got in my brain now. However, luckily, it didn't rain in Jaipur, so there's a little bit
of retribution there that the Indians earned over New Zealand in a narrow, tight match. But good
news for the Indians, because obviously they've recovered mentally from their very scarring
T20 World Cup. Well, let's start this week by looking back at the ICC men's T20 World Cup because after
45 matches, 12,162 runs, and 526 wickets - and yes, I don't work those numbers out myself.
I have people to do that - Australia were crowned champions. India floundered didn't they,
they didn't even get out of the group stages. For Pakistan, Babar Azam was on fire with the bat.
New Zealand once again came close, but not close enough and didn't quite make it over the line in
the final. And the defending champions West Indies were demolished by England along the way. But it
was Australia who won the competition, and let's be honest, I don't think any of us really saw that
coming, did we? And Jim, I know you love it when we do this to you, but just have a listen back
to what you said in the week when we discussed it on Stumped after Australia had just been
thrashed by England in the group stage. We've lost another T20 game we don't care really.
We're really interested in the Ashes, the more so as we as we flounder in this tournament.
Still feel the same, Jim? I mean, basically could have just flipped a coin, couldn't you
in that final and it could have gone either way in this fickle game of T20. It doesn't really matter
to the Aussies, does it? If you've got to the semi-finals of this thing, you know, toss a coin.
So, who's going bowl first? Okay, put your house on them. Well, there was something in that.
Finch won 6 of 7 tosses; that certainly helped, but Australia played a very powerful, clever,
well executed final. The batting of Marsh and Warner are as good as you'd ever want to see in
any game of cricket. The execution - Marsh: 14 off his first three balls - their running between
the wickets; the way they seized the moment after New Zealand had a bit of a scary start
with only 57 from their first 10 overs, and from there, they were going to struggle
to make enough for Australia to be worried about chasing with a deep batting order.
The interesting thing about this is that 10 years ago, Pat Cummins, at 18, was the youngest player
in the Australian Test team. 10 years on, look at this T20 game, and it's supposed to be about youth, isn't it?
Well, Pat Cummins is still the youngest player in the T20 side. I mean they're all ancients in this Australian team
so hats off to experience. You need experience. There is something to be said for that, granted, and Charu,
how did you enjoy the final and the standout performances Jim's already mentioned?
Well, Jim, I mean no disrespect but you know the heart was with New Zealand, as the underdogs,
generally speaking, but I just wonder what will it take New Zealand to keep winning these trophies
because they re so close, and they re so good, and they're so uncomplaining, they re such a great
side and so fit - everything that you'd require in a major international side that should be winning.
Yet they're falling just a half step short. So, yeah, your heart does go out to them,
but I have to say that they continue to earn glory by being so uncomplaining. So there's something
to be said for that because, you know, other teams might go and say this that in the other; "we had to
bat first and this went against us, we lost that player," but not New Zealand. They are just,
I think, a side that there's no choice but to deeply appreciate what they're made of.
Their attitude is fabulous. Well, I want to look specifically at some of the individual
performances in the T20 World Cup, so Jim and Charu, we thought here on Stumped we would
give our own sort of virtual or metaphorical T20 awards. It has been a really enjoyable
competition, so got a few categories for you. What about best player of the tournament? I mean, there
were obviously leading wicket takers, leading run scorers, a player of the tournament in David Warner
as well. So, who would your picks be? Jim, lets first start with you. Oh, well, I'm gonna
have a bit of a green and gold eye here, but the performances of Warner and Zampa, in particular,
but in crunch games, Josh Hazlewood is really making a point in the last couple of years.
Remember, this guy was discarded as a white-ball cricketer, and 3-16 in the final made a
huge difference, particularly when his mate at the other end was 0-60 - Mitchell Starc - so
Hazlewood was one of my favourite cricketers, because of what he very quietly and demonstrably
contributes to that team. Well, I've got to say that, you know, normally we talk about Pakistan
in terms of being a mercurial team - which side of the bed did they get up from and so on and
so forth - but for them to be held together by I suppose the leadership, first, of Babar Azam
and his consistency with the bat he just took so fluent and so fabulous every time, and that's what
made them the favourites later on the tournament. So for me it would have to be Babar Azam, because
of what he brought to Pakistan. And of course, his fabulous batting which has propelled him to
be world number one again, if I'm not wrong. My number one pick is exactly the same as yours,
Charu. I was going to go for Babar Azam; four half centuries, the consistency, the leadership, that sparkling
opening stand with Rizwan that just lit the tournament in the game against India. So yeah, I'm going with Babar Azam as well.
The biggest surprise of the tournament for you? That could be on field or off field.
I might give you my starter for 10 on this one, because when England played the West Indies,
the West Indies, as the defending champions albeit it going back a few years, but they were rolled
over for just 55! That was a shock. That was a surprise. Go on, Jim, Charu, what are yours?
You mentioned the start of the tournament, and I don't mean to be
India obsessed, but the fact that this mighty Indian team did not take a single Pakistani
wicket was just a massive surprise. I mean, the whole country just kind of melted right there.
Nobody could get up after that, because it's one thing to lose to Pakistan, which never happened
in an ICC World Cup event. And then of course, you might have lost narrowly or might have taken a few
wickets, but not to take a single wicket was just an enormous slap in the face and a huge surprise.
I could have said that one, but I thought I'd leave that one to you.
Thank you. Jim? Well, it's a package here of surprise and disappointment. I mean, India, huge
surprise about their unordinary performance at the start and they didn't recover really. By the
time they started winning, it was too late. So, I don't know whether they were ego blown or what
in that Indian team, but their supporters must have been asking a lot of questions.
The other surprise - sorry, just quietly - for a country that's barely got any cricket at all,
Namibia's performance in just playing at the World Cup was just outstanding, just unbelievable.
I think you've both pre-empted, almost, the next one which is going to be the
biggest disappointment. So, don't take that as read Charu that it is relating to India,
and is that also yours Jim? Or can we also add in I suppose on the flip side of mine as well,
the disappointment of the defending champions, the West Indies sort of barely showed up.
The West Indies were, as you say, all-out for 55, but they never got going in the tournament.
And they got to do a bit of thinking about how they're going to play their cricket.
But it's all about momentum, and they just they never got going in that regard. In a more umbrella
sense, it was rather disappointing to have teams chasing and winning a lot more comfortably, so
it just dampened the possibilities of the T20 World Cup. We know it's close enough anyways,
like you know you toss a coin, but by losing the toss and then having to bat first,
I'm sure the teams were very disappointed at losing the toss so I think that was a major
collective disappointment that the fact that was so overwhelmingly favouring teams that chased.
What about a standout moment to end with? Was it the lifting of the trophy? Is it a particular
wicket? A six? A catch? Well, I'll go first on this I think it was what Matthew Wade did to
Shaheen Shah Afrid just let the whole world shell shocked & left Pakistan shell shocked, because they may
have gone on to lose but the way they lost and there was a team that was fabulous on momentum.
But three balls changed the whole game for Pakistan, and it was just three fabulous
shots. So that moment, you know still remains in my brain. Can I share that with you as well?
Or is that is that oversharing? We're just on the same wavelength. Go on Jim, what's yours?
That's certainly one of them. But if you want just one moment of the tournament,
it was the first ball Mitchell Marsh faced and he the hit Adam Milne into the stand for six. And that was a game
changer in the momentum of a match. Even though Australia was moving along quite well at the time,
that was a big one. The execution of the batting, the shot selection,
running between the wickets. That was as close to the most perfect partnership you'd see
in the crunch in a game of cricket, but it was triggered by Marsh hitting the first ball he faced
way into the crowd. And yeah, that was a moment, I think. I did enjoy the send-off that was given
to Dwayne Bravo and kind of a send-off to Chris Gayle, but you know, a player retiring and yeah,
the guard of honour, those things always do leave me quite a little bit moved watching players
say goodbye and sign off and particularly someone who has been on the scene for so long and so many
years. Now we've discussed the ups and downs of teams at the men's T20 World Cup and Australia's
triumph in particular. But what does it take to be a winner mentally? To answer that question,
we are joined by former England international and now sports psychologist Jeremy Snape,
who's also host of his own podcast called Minds of Champions. Jeremy, welcome to Stumped. Hi there.
It's good to see you. You've worked with several international teams in cricket and in other sports
as well. So, what does it take to be a winner? Well, that's a massive question. I don't know how
long the show is, but I'm not sure we've got long enough. It's a fascinating subject and I think,
having interviewed probably about 100 World Class performers, I think the elite champions have got
this ability to visualise success. What it's going to feel like, what it's gonna be like, what their
life's gonna be like to be a top champion. And that motivates them through the really difficult
days - the tough times in the gym, the recovery after injury, the falling out with a coach,
all of those difficult things. I think we have this perception that talent is going to be enough,
you know, we get to a talented young leg spinner in, or somebody plays a beautiful cover drive aged
13, and we've just got to feed them carrots, and they'll end up as the next superstar.
But that's just not true. And I think this ability to adapt, you know, we see the elite performers
that are on the top stage for 10 years, they're probably 10 different players because the world's
best performers are analysing their weaknesses and trying to exploit them. They're limiting
their strengths. So actually, we don't see a static talent or performer, we see somebody
who's constantly got to adapt. So that ability to be coachable and keep innovating and learning
new skills is definitely part of the DNA of a high performer and of course, cricket's team game so
we also need to have that selfless character as well as just that brilliant skill. So yeah,
quite a mix there but special players to get to the top. Jeremy, hi. This is Charu Sharma
from Bangalore. You just mentioned team spirit, and I there's very little doubt that perhaps all
teams are equal in spirit, but of course, some just don't go on to win. I mean, we've talked
about New Zealand now losing three white ball finals and people start throwing things like
"mental hurdle" about, so is that a reality? And is this something that can be overcome and how,
Jeremy? Because you're dealing with the mental situation of sport, which I still think needs
a lot more work. So just on that whole mental hurdle aspect? I always find it interesting
that we vilify the runners up more than we do for the rubbish teams that never got there in
the first place. It's almost like failing under pressure is a bigger crime than being rubbish,
which always thinks interesting. So, you know, for the size of the talent pool and resources that
New Zealand have got, I think it's an incredible success story. They're in the top two
of all formats of the game. You know, I think they lost the toss in the T20 final, an important
task and got out played, they didn't capitulate, they got beaten by an incredible
team and, you know, Marsh played a brilliant innings. So, you know, I think you've got to be
very careful about these broad-brush comments and we've got to dissect it a little bit to what
actually happened. If you get into nine finals, and there are seven different reasons why you lose it,
and they are fair reasons, then you're not a choker in my view. So, as we look at the Ashes,
how different is the mental pressure for both teams? Or is it something, you just go in with
your instinct, you don't think about it? I think you struggle not to think about it with the amount
of media frenzy, you know, we hear the 100 years sort of repeats those incredible, tear jerking
videos of body line and, you know, 2005 series, those iconic moments. That's what the Ashes is
all about. It's a career defining tour, but again, I think the players shouldn't be thinking about,
you know, the history and the emotion and the rivalry and the sort of nationalism,
they should be thinking about, who am I going to be facing? It's almost like they're going to be
sitting in an exam, you know, so as a student listening, they might think: "Okay, well,
I've got a big exam coming up, have I done my homework?" and only those players can tell us
whether they feel prepared to answer the questions. They're going to be, you know, examined
pretty ruthlessly on the pitch by the Australians, and they've got to have the answers. Great to get
your insights, Jeremy. Thank you so much for being with us on Stumped; looking forward to the series.
That's Jeremy Snape, former England international, and now sports psychologist. Thanks very much.
Well, that's all we've got time for this week's Stumped here on All India Radio. Don't forget you
can follow us on Twitter. We're @BBCWSSport and use the #BBCStumped and you can check us out on
YouTube as well. Search for BBC World Service and you'll find us there. My thanks to Charu Sharma
and Jim Maxwell and of course, to all of you for listening. We'll speak to you next week. Bye bye.