25 September,2009 07:37 AM IST | | Khalid A-H Ansari
Although I greatly admire the unwavering loyalty of English sports fans, the recurring duplicity of their players and media while hysterically and unrealistically hyping their chances of victory before an internationalu00a0 event, then do an about turn on what, all along, was obvious, never ceases to amaze me.
Worse, the misleading optimism is cloaked under all manner of clever and hard-to-detect caveats of which the poor, unsuspecting supporter is blissfully unaware.
Take the ongoing Champions Trophy in Johannesburg, for example. Mauled 6-1 by alter ego Australia in the recent ODI series in their own backyard, Andrew Strauss, the team's captain, insults our intelligence by saying, upon arrival here, that his side is "upbeat".
Upbeat? Why? Like the ant crawling up the elephant's leg with intention of rape?
The country that plays more domestic one-day cricket than any other, England are the only one of the eight major nations who have yet to win a global tournament.
London's The Independent newspaper quotes Strauss as saying that his team is looking forward to facing their "next challenge" and taking on different opponents in foreign conditions "afteru00a0 beating Australia" (in the last ODI).
Next challenge! No mention at all of the humiliating 6-1 mugging in the series that ended a mere 72 hours before the team's arrival in Johannesburg.
Typically, the excuses started no sooner the England team landed at the airport amid euphoric reminders to the world at large of its Ashes series victory: The short time available and the difference in climate and conditions between the series just handed back home and the Champions Trophy.
Then, of course, there is the absence, because of injury to stalwarts Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and Stuart Broad, and loss of form of Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior and Owais Shah. Unfortunately for poor England, "the competition rules allow only for injured not out of form players to be replaced", as London's The Independent newspaper bemoaned.
Spin bowler Graeme Swann said on arrival that a change of environment could be "enough for England".
"The fact that we will be facing different bowling attacks will be important," he exulted.
"I think that will serve the team well. This (one-day) series seemed ever so long once we were 4-0 down, and you know we have to drive 200 miles just to play the same team who have smashed you a couple of days ago".
As though the Australians didn't have to travel the same 200 miles!
"We have a lot of cricket under our belts, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if we see South Africa as a fresh challenge, and smash the opposition all over the place," Swann said.
What was that expression about wishes being horses?u00a0 Never mind, one hopes they dou00a0 "smash the opposition all over the place" if only for the sake of their diehard fans!
England begin their quest for their first ever ICC title today at Johannesburg's Wanderers Stadium against an upbeat Sri Lanka, who beat hosts South Africa in the event opener on Tuesday.
