What happens when there is romance in the air on any sporting field. Well, don't get ideas about any same sex romance erupting on the sporting field. I am talking about the love and sparks that flew between the cricketing ball and the thumb of the players in yesterdays match between England Vs India at the Natwest series.
All of this may sound very funny but there are sum things that occurred which has forced me to think about this. Firstly let me congratulate the Indian team for putting up a formidable performance. When they were only 7 in the first 5 overs, I thought it would be a low scoring match once again. But then its Headingly, Leeds where the pitch is a paradise for any batsmen and batsmen with the class of Sachin and Sourav had to make use of this pitch which they did. I was very happy with the overall team performance but they still have to up their fielding standards.
But coming back to the love story. In yesterday's match the ball seemed to be highly attracted to the thumbs of the players. Yes there were many such instances in the match which led to the players yelp out of pain. It all started with Ravi Bopara when he injured his thumb while bowling. He had to rush to the nearest hospital for an X-Ray. The injury was so deep but with gods grace no fracture was detected. James Anderson, the English quickie, also felt the pain when the ball was struck back to him while he was bowling in the slog overs. And whats more the romance wasn't just alive during the Indian innings It erupted even during the second session. Our very own Yuvraj Singh got a blow while fielding in the covers and he just unleashed his frustration but managed to smile as well. The ball didn't even spare the little master. He also received a pass by the ball while fielding in the slips.
Though the ball was attracted towards the players thumbs, the thought that comes to my mind is whether their technique of catching a ball is perfect. I have heard that if the thumb is faced pointing towards the direction of the ball in 90% cases the thumb is likely to get injured. So is this a cause of concern for the team in the dressing room? Does the coach have to keep this in mind? Ii think so it is important to have a look into this issue because no team can afford to let their star player get affected by such a blow.
Injuries in the thumb will just ruin the players chances to hold a bat, ball or even field. It nullifies the essence of the game and I guess the trainers have to keep this in mind. It may sound very small as compared to the level of fitness these players undergo but Ijust thought that one has to give slight attention to this issue. Being an avid fan of the game, I would not want to miss out on some awesome action by great players because of the most smallest injuries to the smallest part of their body their THUMB.
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