Ricky Pointing - Arrogance vs Confidence?

Arrogance vs Confidence


The winner always has a license to say what he feels like. Many world-beaters believe that they have the moral right to demean any 'fallen' opposition. Ponting may be no different.

Now Ponting might be lacking the humility of a Roger Federer or Tiger Woods, but if he says that India and Pakistan did not deserve to be in the Super-Eight, then so be it.

So what if the teams were good enough to be in the title clash against the Australia in last two editions. So what if both are the former World Champions.
So what if even before the tournament started, many Australians experts too believed that these two were very competitive sides.

There is very thin line between arrogance and confidence. Buoyed by the euphoria of some easy wins in the Cup, Ponting seems to be crossing that. One wonders what he will have to say about the opposition before the title clash, if the World Champions indeed qualify for that.

Arrogance never pays. If slightly humble Australia will be a great side to win the Cup, a verbally arrogance Australia will just be good enough to make the grade. They might even lose as happened to the Australian side in 1996, or the West Indies in 1983.

Arjuna Ranatunga, captain cool and the one who turned the tables on the Aussies at Lahore in 1996, confesses in a recent column that all Sri Lankans were all very tense when they went for breakfast on the morning of the final match.

''But then we saw the Australians arguing with a Pakistani Carpet dealer as if they were here to play a masala match. We were very, very relieved. The world knows what followed,'' rubs in Ranatunga.
Way back in 1983, Australia, powered by the genius of Lillee, Thompson, Allan Border and Kepler Wessels, took India for granted before losing the final group match and a place in the semifinal, England thought they had a guaranteed place in the final before some tight Indian bowing did the trick, and twice-champion West Indies batted as if they were in a hurry to finish the match in 30 overs for an early evening stroll. Probably, they even went without dinner that night!

Before the 2005 Ashes, many Australians were predicting a comprehensive win for the Australians and the win in the first match at Lords made England job all the more difficult.

But then came one of the most thrilling Ashes victories. A narrow 2-run triumph for England in the second test at Edgbaston saw them eventually wrapping the Ashes by 2-1 margin. They proved that Australians did not just need to take the field to win. They had to work for it.

Australia will do well to recall that it was not just their genius, but some bad luck for the opposition as well which had led to all three title triumphs at the World Cup.

In 1987, England were the favourites to win the Reliance Cup after beating India at Mumbai. Some English players, clearly underestimating the young Australian side led by Border, were even planning celebrations after winning the title. That they were not facing Pakistan in the final was a big relief and the Australians would be easy picking. That is what they thought. But how things turned!
Gatting's reverse sweep in the final with England comfortably placed for a win was more of an arrogance, than a proper cricketing shot in the circumstances. More than Australia's will to win, it was the shot which contributed to England's fall.

In 1999 semifinal, a 'moment of indecision' of Alan Donald halted South African victory charge and eventually led to the second title for Australia. Ditto in 2003. Sri Lanka had Australian almost on the mat in the semifinal, restricting them to around 200, before suffering a batting collapse.

So it is not that the Australians have always had it easy in the World Cups. But had they lost, they would still have been the losers who deserved to win the cup.

There is no guarantee that it will be easy any more this time round. That the Australians will reach the semis is no surprise. They have reached six semifinals and five finals in last eight attempts. But then they have lost twice as well in the title clash.

The teams of 1975 and 1996, the losing finalists, were extremely good as well. Saying they did not deserve to win the Cup will probably be as cruel as saying India and Pakistan did not deserve to be in Super-Eight.

There are no easy picking in a World Cup. Australia have won only two meaningful matches so far - against South Africa and the West Indies. And they have forgotten the sequence of five losses in a row while coming into the World Cup!

In life things may get even sooner than expected. Probably the Australians will realize that by the evening of April 28th

Originally posted by: Fiza_87

Me in Red!!😳

Arrogance vs Confidence

First of all, i appreciate the way in which you have written this.. Very nicely stated.. 👏👏

The winner always has a license to say what he feels like. Many world-beaters believe that they have the moral right to demean any 'fallen' opposition. Ponting may be no different.

Now Ponting might be lacking the humility of a Roger Federer or Tiger Woods, but if he says that India and Pakistan did not deserve to be in the Super-Eight, then so be it.

So what if the teams were good enough to be in the title clash against the Australia in last two editions. So what if both are the former World Champions.
So what if even before the tournament started, many Australians experts too believed that these two were very competitive sides.

There is very thin line between arrogance and confidence. Buoyed by the euphoria of some easy wins in the Cup, Ponting seems to be crossing that. One wonders what he will have to say about the opposition before the title clash, if the World Champions indeed qualify for that.

Yes, i agree that there is a very thin line seperating Arrogance and Confidence. But to this day, i will see it as the Agressive and Confident Attitude of Aussies that is sailing them thro'in most of the matches..

Arrogance never pays. If slightly humble Australia will be a great side to win the Cup, a verbally arrogance Australia will just be good enough to make the grade. They might even lose as happened to the Australian side in 1996, or the West Indies in 1983.

We will all get an answer to this, as time passes. Time is a great judge.😉.

Arjuna Ranatunga, captain cool and the one who turned the tables on the Aussies at Lahore in 1996, confesses in a recent column that all Sri Lankans were all very tense when they went for breakfast on the morning of the final match.

''But then we saw the Australians arguing with a Pakistani Carpet dealer as if they were here to play a masala match. We were very, very relieved. The world knows what followed,'' rubs in Ranatunga.
Way back in 1983, Australia, powered by the genius of Lillee, Thompson, Allan Border and Kepler Wessels, took India for granted before losing the final group match and a place in the semifinal, England thought they had a guaranteed place in the final before some tight Indian bowing did the trick, and twice-champion West Indies batted as if they were in a hurry to finish the match in 30 overs for an early evening stroll. Probably, they even went without dinner that night!

Past is past!!! Yes, the teams that won over Aussies were really good, they deserved every bit of the success. Especially Srilanka who planned and executed their World Cup Victory in an emphatic style in the final..

Before the 2005 Ashes, many Australians were predicting a comprehensive win for the Australians and the win in the first match at Lords made England job all the more difficult.

But then came one of the most thrilling Ashes victories. A narrow 2-run triumph for England in the second test at Edgbaston saw them eventually wrapping the Ashes by 2-1 margin. They proved that Australians did not just need to take the field to win. They had to work for it.

Yes, here again, England really played great competitive cricket and taking away Ashes from Aussies was really creditable.. no doubts about it..

Australia will do well to recall that it was not just their genius, but some bad luck for the opposition as well which had led to all three title triumphs at the World Cup.

Hmm, sorry i do not agree to you here.. Aussies can win few matches relying on the opponent's bad luck, but one team cannot be World Champions for nothing. They cannot be the No.1 Test Team and One Day Team for many many years , thanks to sheer bad luck of all the opponents that play against them.. This cannot be accepted..

In 1987, England were the favourites to win the Reliance Cup after beating India at Mumbai. Some English players, clearly underestimating the young Australian side led by Border, were even planning celebrations after winning the title. That they were not facing Pakistan in the final was a big relief and the Australians would be easy picking. That is what they thought. But how things turned!
Gatting's reverse sweep in the final with England comfortably placed for a win was more of an arrogance, than a proper cricketing shot in the circumstances. More than Australia's will to win, it was the shot which contributed to England's fall.

Come on friends, give credit where it is due. We are here talking of the overconfident Engliish side, but what about the fantastic captaincy of Border? What about the great batting that Aussies demonstrated? What about the fabulous all round performances that Steve Waugh gave ... Why are we not giving them the credit? They were a unit who had a mix of youth and brains, they were really confident in fulfilling a dream... Why not give them credit?

In 1999 semifinal, a 'moment of indecision' of Alan Donald halted South African victory charge and eventually led to the second title for Australia. Ditto in 2003. Sri Lanka had Australian almost on the mat in the semifinal, restricting them to around 200, before suffering a batting collapse.

Cricket is a funny game. Even the best of cricketers can lose their cool in a crucial situation. Allan Donald may be a Great Bowler , but on that day, in that situation, he lost his cool... This remains a fact.. Even when this happens, the other side needs to capitalise on it, by atleast hitting the stumps, reacting on time and making the batsmen out. Can we give credit to the composure that Aussies maintained in this critical phase of the match?

So it is not that the Australians have always had it easy in the World Cups. But had they lost, they would still have been the losers who deserved to win the cup.

Sorry buddy, Aussies never had it easy even in the 1999 World Cup.. Aussies lost their opening 2 games and they had to win the remaining matches to even qualify for the further round. They had the competitive spirit in them, to aim for more.. They bonded well as a unit, were determined to show that world that they were no mere Chokers.. If not for the masterly 100+ made by Steve Waugh in the last Super Six Match against Aussies, Aussies would not have qualified for the Semis.. Again, youmight say, luck played a role, as Gibbs dropped Waugh midway thro his innings.. 😛 Yes, the winners are those who take advantage of every mistake made by the opponent.. Steve Waugh made a comment then " Buddy, you just dropped the World Cup". How true was he? This is no arrogance, but this speaks volumes of the confidence that the person had in himself and his team... 👏👏👏

There is no guarantee that it will be easy any more this time round. That the Australians will reach the semis is no surprise. They have reached six semifinals and five finals in last eight attempts. But then they have lost twice as well in the title clash.

Yes, let us see what happens this time.. Only time will tell..

The teams of 1975 and 1996, the losing finalists, were extremely good as well. Saying they did not deserve to win the Cup will probably be as cruel as saying India and Pakistan did not deserve to be in Super-Eight.

The losing finalists always get more credit than the ones who got ousted in the very first round, isnt it? This is the law of cricket, i guess. This is a bitter truth, which hurts when pointed out. 😭😭

There are no easy picking in a World Cup. Australia have won only two meaningful matches so far - against South Africa and the West Indies. And they have forgotten the sequence of five losses in a row while coming into the World Cup!

In life things may get even sooner than expected. Probably the Australians will realize that by the evening of April 28th

Yes, we need to aim for the Future. So brooding over past losses just does not make sense.. Wishing all the Teams all the very best for future games.. May the best win.. 😳😳

I am just stating my POV, friends .So nothing to be taken to heart..