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ICC World Twenty20 - Villain of the day: Graeme Smith: Alpha Male
At the fall of an Indian wicket, television showed Graeme Smith barking at his team as they gathered on the outer. His team-mates looked like schoolboys being berated by a bad-tempered games teacher. It wasn't good to see men of the experience of Boucher and Pollock so meek in demeanour, nor big men with big talents like the Morkel brothers, crouching to hear the skipper's ire. When catches went down later (as they will do under lights in the T20 format) the senior players didn't bother to conceal their contempt for Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander.
Under pressure, batting against some wonderfully aggressive deliveries between the dross and against a suddenly dynamic Indian fielding unit, the Saffers choked yet again, failing even to get the 126 they needed to progress to the semi-finals. Smith will be angry with his team, but he should consider why his charges consistently react so poorly to pressure and whether constantly projecting his alpha male personality (like Hansie before him) is in the best interest of the team.
[The Tooting Trumpet] [Image: Getty]
September 20, 2007 in General musings, ICC Twenty20 World Championship, One-day cricket, South Africa cricket, Twenty20 | Permalink | 
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Comments
Tooting:you have hit the nail on the head with the alpha male observation,its a trait of the people of RSA that they feel the need to be like they are,some would call it arrogance others bullying but thats what they are and not in a good sporting way either,like the Aussies for example.In my line of work i manage people and there performance everyday and if i barked orders at them or tried to rule by fear theres no way i would get the best out of them.
Posted by: steve | 20 Sep 2007 22:35:14
