The bloke with the reddest ‘shnoz’ and the best backhand in the game, Stanislas Wawrinka, has the prose of Irish poet Samuel Beckett inked on the inside of his left forearm – “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”
Kept at arms length 14 times on the trot by Novak Djokovic. 14 losses in a row. Without acknowledging the freak pulling his pants down time and time again, my young bloke would call that an ‘epic fail’.
Fail better.
12 defeats in succession. Beaten without firing a shot. Not taking a set off Rafael Nadal in a dozen bouts on court would most certainly be filed in an eight-year-old’s ‘epic fail’ file, despite the Spaniard’s mastery of the tennis cosmos.
Fail better.
In 2013, Stan Wawrinka went achingly close to knocking off ‘The Joker’ in a five-hour, five-set slugfest at Rod Laver Arena but was pipped at the post.
Later in the year at Flushing Meadows they went toe to toe again in another pulsating five-setter over four gruelling hours, only for the Serb to prevail once again.
Yet Stan believed.
On his way to taking out this summer’s Australian Open crown, Wawrinka became the first man ever to go through Djokovic and Nadal on his way to claiming the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.
“You have to fight,” Wawrinka said after his semi final win.
“I know that the only thing I can control is what I’m doing off the court: my practice, how I do my schedule.
“I always try to improve. I always try to find solution to change my game a little bit, to improve, to find solution when I play against the top player.”
Fail better.
Like many batsmen before him, Phil Hughes has been kicked in the guts by the Australian selectors a number of times.
His recall to the Australian squad this week, after Shaun Marsh’s body failed him for the umpteenth time, may be his last chance to cement his place in the top order and I for one am hoping he finally makes good his undeniable potential.
Hughes has enjoyed great success in South Africa, most notably during his debut series in 2009 when he topped the tour aggregates with 415 runs at 69.16, including his magnificent brace of hundreds at Durban.
Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel knew full well of his susceptibility on or about off stump but Hughes flayed the best attack in the world through point and the covers with his unorthodox style.
But like Icarus, the little left-hander may well have flown too close to the sun and within four months he had his wings melted by the ‘Jesus Christ posse’ of Andrew Flintoff at Cardiff and Lord’s.
It was not to be the first time Hughes would get the chop yet, with each return, has he improved?
Has he, as Wawrinka would say, found a “solution to change my game a little bit, to improve, to find solution when I play against the top player”?
After 49 Test innings, with an average of 32.66, you would suggest not.
Hughes simply keeps finding a way to get out. For a left-hander who can be so utterly brutal outside off stump, he gets caught behind a hell of a lot – 19% of his dismissals.
In fact, he gets caught a lot – full stop. Two out of three trips to the crease he gets pouched.
And you’d think it’s pace that generally stitches him up. Au contraire!
Of his 47 trips to the crease in Test cricket, finger spinners Ravi Ashwin, Rangana Herath, Paul Harris, Graeme Swann, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Ravi Jadeja along with the leggies of Danish Kaneria have fixed him up in 18 times.
That’s 38% a spinner has sent him packing.
Most of the stars have been dropped at some stage in their careers.
Matthew Hayden and Damien Martyn were guns at an early age for their respective states and burst onto the Test scene but were sent back to the Sheffield Shield after poor performances, both at the hands of South Africa.
Hayden twice. Martyn was sent to purgatory for six years after his infamous Sydney brainfade.
Yet at the same stage of their careers as Hughes, and after their own kicks in the guts, they averaged 49.56 and 48.83 respectively.
Despite being the chosen one, Ricky Ponting lost his place in the Test side to Darren Lehmann on the 1998 tour of Pakistan through poor form and ill-discipline.
He returned to become Australia’s leading run-scorer in Test and ODI cricket. After 49 innings, Ponting averaged 41.96.
Justin Langer was sent packing after being thrown to the wolves four times, twice against the firepower of Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop.
Steve Waugh was replaced by his brother Mark, despite being a regular fixture in the Test line-up for years.
Yet at the same stage of their careers as Hughes, and after fighting their own way back, they averaged 40.10 and 40.13 respectively.
Two gritty left-handed openers of a far more advance vintage than Hughes were also dropped, returned through weight of runs and found a ‘solution’.
After 49 innings, Simon Katich averaged 40.22 while after marching out to take guard 21 times, Chris Rogers is averaging 40.43.
All of them returned, having found a way, and flourished.
It is abundantly clear at this point of his career, and with the opportunities he has been afforded, a batsmen of the calibre of Phil Hughes, who has piled on 24 first-class hundreds at the age of 25, has to have averaged at least 40 runs per knock.
For God’s sake, even bloody Shane Watson was making 41.55 per innings at this stage.
Find a solution and fail better, Phil.
SteveOL
Roar Pro
'Millionaire' Maxwell. I like it.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
These days it's known as "The Maxwell".
Stephen
Guest
Good insight BF. Thank you. Additionally, I hope Pat Cummins is not forgotten despite his injury issues. A more natural fast bowler I have not seen since Lillee.
Bearfax
Guest
Yes Dave, Silk looks to be a prodigious talent and he has started his first class career with a bang scoring 4 centuries and 3 fifties in only 11 matches. However I am yet to be fully convinced about this young dour accumulator of runs who I consider has a lot of Mark Taylor about him, mainly because we have seen so little of him yet. He looks the real deal but I want to see a few more FC games before I'm convinced.. Young Lynn burst onto the scene a few years back and looked similarly the goods. Got injured and is now scoring freely again but his centuries have dried up. Mind you Lynn increasingly has that test cricketer look about him also and is another of these young prodigies coming through. But Maddinson, who has only just turned 22, and therefore is 6 months older than Silk and over 18 months younger than Lynn, was a junior champion batsman, a prodigy and one of the main reasons Australia won an international U19 comp a few years back with some impressive performances. More than the other two, Maddinson was The upcoming star in the juniors, a little like 17 year old Jake Doran is now seen as. Some have criticised his cavalier attitude to his batting (though its Lynn he got the nod for the T20s), he still has much to learn. But in form, he dominates bowling more than any of the younger group can and some have described his talent somewhat like a young Doug Walters, though I suspect he's better at the same age. As an example he played his initial first class match when aged 18, and became the second youngest NSW player to score a century on debut, the last debutante batsman scoring a ton in 1915. I personally think he's ready for test cricket, but like those debutante test batsmen before him, I would expect it will take a few years before we start to see just how good this kid is.
SteveOL
Roar Pro
Apologies to any of you fellow old school Soundgarden fans reading this piece. The word "pose" has been edited by the powers that be to become "posse". Freddie Flintoff's enduring image with his arms out and head back always reminds me of that grunge classic. "Arms held out, in your Jesus Christ pose. Thorns and shroud like it's the coming of The Lord". In fact, I'd recommend the Jarrod Kimber book "When Freddie Became Jesus." It's as rough as hessian undies but a cracker nonetheless.
SteveOL
Roar Pro
Thank you kindly, Tom. Cheque is in the mail.
cantab
Guest
PJ Hughes C Guptill B Martin
SteveOL
Roar Pro
Thank you very much, Walrus. I very much enjoy responding and chatting and debating. I get quite a kick out of the fact that people here at The Roar are good enough to go and read my drivel let alone discuss it. Having written extensively for a soon to be defunct Roar competitor's dwindling readership, that's more than I can ask for.
Tom Dibble
Roar Rookie
This is a quality article. Kudos.
The Walrus
Guest
No Steve, I didn't search and pick "the first of 566,000 Google results." Rather, I read the Monk piece in the Age over a week ago, greatly liked it, printed it off and have read and enjoyed it many times since. The context here is sport; I'm interested to see how it may relate to art and life. (I have no interest in tennis, had never heard of Wawrinka, but now I know and am enriched). I was struck by similarities in the articles. Now you've seen me right in the fair dinkum department, and so we may affirm the power of co-incidence. I know this can happen in many fields - folk proceeding independently, who somehow make the same discovery. If that's the case here, you beauty. Cheers for responding to my critique, and replying to several other comments; it's a courtesy, adds vigour, is appreciated. Goodonyer
Vince
Guest
Phil Hughes has played 8 more tests than Ed Cowan, I think he's had his go. Ed had an unfathomable run at his spot too, but that was under Arthur's era. Boof won't tolerate that sort of hogwash under his watch.
Big M
Guest
Yeah you say rampakesh. I'll buy that but sadly it is true
Dave
Guest
Silk will be the one we can bank on Bearfax. He stands out from the other youngsters because he has a great record of converting his starts. He hits more centuries than he hits 50s whilst the other youngsters around the block (Maddinson, Handscomb, Lynn, Head, M.Marsh etc) tend to make plenty of 50s but very few centuries. Silk already has the mental side of the game as well as the technique. If quality bowlers are on top of him I'll back him to calm down and wait it out whilst Maddinson in particular will be tempted to try and hit himself out of trouble.
Getoverit
Guest
I have a solution: Give him the same amount of time Watson or Ed Cowan has had and get Boof to work with him, two unorthodox batsmen with very good FC records and undeniable talent with the bat
matthew_gently
Guest
That cycle might be termed "The Ramprakash". How many times was he in and out of English Test team over the years? And every time he just couldn't replicate his (imperious) first-class form.
Bearfax
Guest
My apologies Steve. I was giving you Ponting's average when he turned 24. He had a good year before turning 25 and then averaged 46.2. He had also played a number of more tests than Hughes by that time. And yes Maddinson in my mind is the next stand out batsman in the younger group and may even surpass Hughes' FC batting performances over the next few years. I suspect he may be our next batting giant
SteveOL
Roar Pro
God I'm a fool. That was a typo. I meant 1999. Apologies.
SteveOL
Roar Pro
Context, Disco. It was a horrendous millionaire shot.
Big M
Guest
I. agree somewhat with your relegation prediction. But it will not be this series it will be in the next. It is not question Hughes talent. I see him being a revolving door selection for Australia for probably the next ten years. Here is the cycle. Does really really well at first class. Gets selected for Australia. Has some sucess but then the opposition "work him out". Goes back to first class fixes mistakes and re-invents himself and scores a truck load of runs making himself deserving of being selected. Is selected for Australia does well initially but the opposition "work him out" again. He is then dropped. Process starts all again. I don't know who the writer has been talking to but I always thought it was common knowledge that PH was always pretty solid to pace but is always vulnerable to spin turning both ways which was exaserbated on low slow pitches like India. If he is confident he should go OK in SA. Not much spin there
Dave
Guest
Ponting would have been 20 or 21 in 1995 Steve. He's still only 39 now.