My wife and I decided to take our daughter out for breakfast at a local cafe to celebrate her HSC results.
My daughter won’t be receiving an invitation anytime soon from NASA or Harvard Business School, or the like, but that’s not the point.
She passed all her exams well and most satisfying for us, produced her best ever results at the very end of her schooling.
In the last few years, her marks improved incrementally every term. You can’t ask for anymore than she did her absolute best.
Anyway, I noticed a young guy at the table next to us whose face appeared vaguely familiar to me. During our breakfast, I asked him if his name was Henriques.”Yes” he replied, “Moises.”
Later after we finished our breakfast I asked him if he would mind if I asked him a question or two. “Sure” he said, and so we then had a fascinating discussion for about 10-15 minutes.
Before I proceed with our conversation, let me say Moises Henriques came across as a very impressive young man and a credit to his family. He was polite, articulate, engaging, considerate and unpretentious.
A very impressive young man indeed.
I began by asking him about T20 and Test cricket, and whether, as a young guy, he had a particular preference for one or the other, and whether he saw T20 as benefitting or detracting from the longer forms of the game.
Moises replied that most guys his age (twenties) still preferred the longer forms of the game if they were to be taken seriously as cricketers. He offered the observation that if younger guys coming into the game today concentrated only on T20, then they were unlikely to progress much further in their cricket.
However, Moises made the interesting declaration that today’s players loved T20. They loved the atmosphere and the energy. The dressing rooms were usually all abuzz with excitement. They loved the fact that the game was all over in three hours.
Knowing the game only lasted three hours meant you could put more energy into the game than in the longer forms. Many of the skills for T20 were the same as for longer forms of cricket, but obviously compressed.
Moises went on to suggest that T20 cricket would eventually replace one-day cricket. This appears to be becoming an even more prevalent observation among players, both present and past.
Although he didn’t say so, it would make a logical conclusion to say that T20 will eventually replace ODIs as the preferred format for the ICC World Cup.
I then asked Moises about specific tactics used in T20, in an endeavour to better understand the format myself.
I ventured the thought that when ODIs first became popular back in the 1970s, you could immediately see the benefit derived in terms of Test cricket – better fielding, more aggressive batting and so on.
But the benefits of T20 in relation to Test cricket appeared less obvious to the eye, although I ventured the tactics appeared to be more sophisticated now.
Moises agreed that T20 had become more sophisticated, especially with batting. It was no longer a case of pure slogging all the time, but developing different batting techniques to work the ball into vacant areas.
Perhaps the most illuminating thing I can share with readers, is that Moises believed that while finding the ‘wicket balls’ as a bowler remained critical in T20, the buildup of pressure on the batsman was still an integral part of the game.
Moises said that as a bowler he tried to model himself on Glenn McGrath, bowling a perfect line and length to force the batsman to try something different. In T20 cricket you can still apply a buildup of pressure, but obviously for shorter periods.
If you can keep a batsman to ‘dot’ balls, or at worst, singles, for 2-3 balls, then you know he is going to go after you. This then allows you to use variation in anticipation, by varying your line or length, and changing your speed up or down, in order to draw a false stroke.
I thanked Moises for his time and giving me such thoughtful insights, which I hope I’ve transcribed accurately!
Although I still remain somewhat skeptical about the potential impact of T20 on Test cricket, I’m less averse to this form of the game than previously. More importantly, I believe I now have an even better understanding and appreciation of the format.
As I found with with ODIs in comparison to Test cricket, one of the difficult things is translating stats to determine what makes a great, or good, or average T20 cricketer. These sorts of things take time to get your head around.
And I shall sign off with the same words I offered Moises, “good luck with your cricket.”
quietcordial
Roar Rookie
Love your work Sheek! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and the insights from Moises. Really good to hear that Test Cricket is still a priority and that the boys can enjoy the challenge and intricacies of T20 cricket as well. Moises has shown he has a lot to offer in the longer form of the game with some quality innings at the start of the Shield season, would love to see him finish the season as he started for the Blues. Great article!
Bayman
Guest
Well done Sheek, Some of the best fun in this business is the chance meeting and chat. Nobody with an agenda and nobody on guard - but, at the same time, too good an opportunity to miss. See you at the Test in Sydney.
jeznez
Roar Guru
Nice one sheek - good article. I certainly hope the prediction on the dying off of ODI and the retention of T20 and Test is what eventuates, is certainly my preference.
JohnB
Guest
Nice read Sheek, and kudos to Moises Henriques (not to mention Ms Sheek). Trust you rewarded Moises with an autograph!
Matt F
Guest
Great read sheek. Full credit to Henriques for giving his time as well. It would be very interesting to watch a modern T20 game and a game from its early days to see just how much it has changed. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
jameswm
Guest
Yeah it's easy for us to sit at our keyboards and think up some questions you could have asked him! Good to hear he was a polite and decent person. That counts for a lot.
JohnB
Guest
Nice one Sheek, and kudos to Moises Henriques also (not to mention Ms Sheek). Trust you rewarded Moises with an autograph!
ojg1997
Roar Rookie
Great article. It is always good to hear the players views on the game.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
I think we all need to be open to change. We don't always like it, but things rarely stay the same for very long. Even the traditionalists have to accept that Test cricket has changed drastically since its inception.
sheek
Guest
Hi James, As I said in reply to Spiro, I wasn't expecting anything flash. The whole thing kind of crept up on me. I would have loved to talk to Moises for another 15 minutes, & probably could have, but I wanted to respect his space.
dasilva
Guest
It makes sense they enjoy 20/20 cricket. After all they are playing in front of more spectators than they ever had previously. This is part of the reason people pursue their career to play in front of a large crowds and the buzz and atmosphere due to that.
Jason
Guest
"Moises agreed that T20 had become more sophisticated, especially with batting. It was no longer a case of pure slogging all the time, but developing different batting techniques to work the ball into vacant areas." Sounds like exactly what was said about 50 over matches 20 years ago.
jameswm
Guest
Well done to your daughter Sheek. I'd have loved you to ask him about: - where his Shield cricket's going - how far he thinks he is off test selection - if he thinks things have changed this season, given his improved results - what he thinks he has to do to make the test team By the way, has he heard of The Roar? Did you ask?
sheek
Guest
Thanks Atawhai. Wisey, eastern suburbs, somewhere between Bronte & Maroubra!
wisey_9
Roar Guru
was that down in the Shire Sheek? Growing up, I used to play against Moises. He was always THE player that was going to kick-on and represent Australia. I hope he finds some more consistency - he could be the heir to Shane Watson's throne.
Atawhai Drive
Guest
Well done, Sheek, and to your daughter too.
sheek
Guest
Thanks Spiro, The thing is, at no stage during the conversation was I thinking that I might have an article here. The questions were asked out of genuine curiosity rather than any preconceived "angle." It was only after I returned home & reflected on my conversation with Moises that I realised this was too good an encounter not to share with fellow Roarers. And I have nothing but good to say about Moises.
Happy Hooker
Guest
Congratulations on your HSC results Sheek
Spiro Zavos
Expert
Great stuff, Sheek. The point about The Roar is to open up a publishing arena for sports fans who do not have an outlet, aside from comments in the main media for their storie . I regard this sort of citizen journalism as an important part of the sports world, as it opens up discussion to virtually everyone who wants to tell a story about a sports experience. Getting back to the article, Sheek has captured very well the often lonely and then very public life of our sports stars. Henriques comes across as a sort of ideal athlete, grounded, thoughtful and talented. When athletes are getting publicity for all the wrong reasons, how great is it to read about an athlete who does the right thing, on and off the field. I love this type of journalism which is based on an experience which is then transcribed in a way that enables all of us to participate, if only for a short time, in someone else's world.
sheek
Guest
Thanks Christo, All credit to Moises, he is a gem.