Former India captain Rahul Dravid has said T20 is a complicated game that is not easy to decode.
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. He is of the opinion that tactics in the format, especially in terms
of squad building in the IPL, have sharpened to a point that the depth
of conversations taking place in the franchises in recent years was not
happening anywhere else.Dravid was reflecting on the evolution of T20
cricket on ESPNcricinfo Talking Cricket, a new, in-depth,
interview-based show that begins airing on SONY ESPN on Friday. His
experience in the format spans all nine seasons of the IPL and ranges
from being a player and captain for Royal Challengers Bangalore and
Rajasthan Royals to being a mentor for Royals and Delhi Daredevils.Some
of the conversations that happen around IPL teams ... these
conversations are not happening outside, Dravid said about the strategy
involved in team building. They are not happening in television studios
as I have been on television studios, I know it. The depth of
conversation thats happening about the T20 game within a team and within
that environment is not happening anywhere else, which is what makes
the T20 game unique.I wouldnt say there is no knowledge outside but
there is not as much knowledge, I feel, and there are people wholl make
comments like, Why is he doing this? Why is he doing that? without
actually understanding the dynamics of why it happens, what happens
inside.From being heavily skewed in favour of big-ticket international
players, Dravid says teams have started to do their due diligence on
Indian domestic talent, as evidenced by the most recent auction where
Pawan Negi, M Ashwin and Krunal Pandya attracted huge bids.There is a
lot more research being done. There is a lot more knowledge about young
Indian domestic talent than there was say three or four years ago,
Dravid said. Suddenly, everyone has access to a lot of these young
Indian domestic talents ... and every team comes really well prepared to
the auction. Its very rare to find young Indian talents that are
unheard of and you can pick out of nowhere for really cheap.Dravid
believed that the increased knowledge was a result of the Indian
uncapped players being included in the player auction in recent years,
as opposed to franchises being able to sign them outside the auction in
earlier seasons. In the past maybe teams didnt focus that much on young
Indian domestic talent because they could either go and get them outside
the auction and they could keep them and the whole auction was based
around the international players, so there wasnt that much research in
that sense needed. But I think today most teams recognize that you need
domestic talent, and all the talent is in the auction.The nature of the
auction was unpredictable and fluid, Dravid said, an environment in
which a single competitor for a player could force a change in plans. A
lot of times I have gone into auctions and said, Okay, well get this
player cheap because not many know him. All it requires is one other
team to value that player and have money to spend and, you know, you
could end up losing him because you cant match up in the auction.A good
example of this years auction would be someone like Carlos Brathwaite.
Who would have thought that he would go for the price [INR 4.2 crore] he
did, but obviously KKR [Kolkata Knight Riders], who have a team in the
CPL [Trinbago Knight Riders], knew about him as much as the people who
are looking at the Delhi team knew about him. I think auctions are quite
dynamic and they sort of vary all the time. Everyone goes in with a
strategy, everyone goes in with tactics, everyone goes in with certain
ideas but you have got to think on your feet.While admitting that
managing a team in which some players have substantially bigger price
tags than others was challenging, Dravid said the the harder task was to
ensure playing time for everyone in a large squad.Sometimes players
also may not understand the dynamic of an auction, they dont understand
why certain players have gone for so much money and why someone else has
gone for such less, he said. Players are getting better at it. They are
also beginning to understand that sometimes the dynamics of an auction
are quite unique ...The challenges in the IPL are more around playing
time and players in the playing XI. I think thats one of the big
challenges because you have squads of 23, 24, 25 and only 11 can play.
You have only four foreigners who can play at any given point of time so
that sometimes has more of an effect on a team than money. I think
after some time, at least to the coaches and to the mentors, I dont
think people bring up the money issue so much, at least thats my
experience.Watch ESPNcricinfo Talking Cricket with Rahul Dravid at 9.30
pm (IST) on July 8 (Friday) on SONYESPN
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This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way.
With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it
is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to
take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in
the middle of their season.
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Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz.
Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive
upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday
night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five
games.
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The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid
cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed.
The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries --
are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo,
Norway; and Stockholm.TORONTO – Its too early to make bold proclamations
– Neil Wagner certainly wont – but the Blue Jays like what they see
from the 29-year-old, fireballing, heretofore journeyman reliever.
“Hes a guy that I can see sticking around here,” said pitching coach
Pete Walker. “Theres no doubt about it.”
“You dont take anything for granted,” said Wagner. “This is a game where
nothings promised to you and you have to earn your keep every time you
go out there. I understand that; Im okay with that. Its good to have the
confidence of the coaching staff but just keep going out there, doing
what I can do and the rest will take care of itself.”
Taken in the 21st round of the 2005 draft by Cleveland, Wagner spent
four seasons in the Indians system, never ascending beyond Double-A. He
had the 98 miles per hour fastball but had difficulty harnessing the
pitch. He would get hit one night, walk too many the next outing.
Fast forward to now, after a six-appearance cup of coffee with Oakland
in 2011 and a rough season split between the Athletics and Padres
Triple-A affiliates in 2012, Wagners learned hell be more successful if
he puts less velocity on his fastball.
“I think part of it is just realizing when I try to hump up and throw,
try and add two miles an hour here and blow it by this guy, is that you
tend to muscle up and not be as fluid and tend to lose a little velocity
in addition to losing location,” said Wagner. “Just focusing on staying
within yourself, delivering a good pitch and the reality is that for
the most part, when I do that, I get my better velocity anyway.”
“You can look at a radar gun all day long,” said bullpen coach and 1996
American League Cy Young award winner Pat Hentgen. “Sometimes two guys
will throw 95 and youll think it should be the same, should have the
same results but thats not the case. Some guys balls jump in that
hitting area. I think Neils in that category. Fastball command is always
an issue with all pitchers and the better fastball command you have the
more success youll have long term and I think thats starting to happen
for Neil.”
Wagners first hiccup came on Sunday. Just two days removed from his
first major league win, he suffered his first major league loss.
Pitching for a third consecutive day, Wagner was brought in with two
outss in the seventh inning of a 4-4 game against Texas.
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Rangers designated hitter Adrian Beltre hit an opposite field home
run, giving Texas a lead it wouldnt relinquish.
If there was a time when Wagner would have worried about his fate either
during, or in the aftermath, of such an outing, its in the past.
“On some level you always, you know, youre not being sent down,” said
Wagner. “You have to realize that you have no control over it. A guy
hits a home run, theres nothing I can do at that point thats going to
keep them from sending me down so all I have to do is refocus and get
the next guy.”
With just the one earned run allowed – the Beltre home run – in eight
innings over seven appearances, Wagner is making his case to hang
around.
Hes being used in pressure situations, slowly gaining the trust of
manager John Gibbons and the coaching staff.
“They seem to like how Ive been throwing the ball,” said Wagner. “Im
hoping to stay and hopefully they feel the same way. They seem to like
what Ive been doing so far and Im going to try to keep doing that.”
MORROW FEELING GOOD
Brandon Morrow (forearm soreness) will throw a bullpen session in
Chicago on Tuesday.
From there, hell throw another bullpen upon his arrival at the Blue Jays
complex in Dunedin, Florida. Morrow will split from the team when it
travels to Arlington after Wednesdays game.
WALKER REMEMBERS 18-INNING GAME
Prior to Saturdays 4-3 win over Texas, there was only one other
18-inning game in Blue Jays history.
Toronto beat the Angels 2-1 when Orlando Hudson singled home Alex Rios.
The winning pitcher that day was current pitching coach Pete Walker.
“It was one of those games where I dont believe I was supposed to pitch
for some particular reason, whether it was short rest or what not,” said
Walker. “I had my spikes on and as the game went on, that 10th, 11th,
12th, 13th inning, you saw one reliever after the other leave the
bullpen to go into the game you started to sense that maybe this could
happen.
“You know youve got to suck it up and find a way to get some outs and
fortunately I was able to do that for a few innings and we won the game
in the 18th inning.”
The starter for the Blue Jays that day? Dave Bush, whos back in the
organization and pitching at Triple-A Buffalo.
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