While the mighty (LOL) Aussies were busy wiping their sins clean against Sussex, the good old this-time-not-the-underdogs English had a little soul-searching trip of their own.
It seems that the England Cricket Team paid a two day visit to Flanders Field in Belgium, a place famous for its mythical leadership stories when the British Army went to war very early in the past century.
Here is a video to know more about the field:
The team was out there trying to take leadership lessons from something that happened about a century ago. Nice. Hitting a few balls in the nets sounds more productive against the Aussies. But of course, the PR always have their reasons. After all the team is the Ambassador of the Nation and so blah!
A certain Colin Blythe, a bowler in the English team of those times, took 100 wickets in 19 tests, and staring at his grave (he died at Passachendaele) gave Swann and Broad and all a lot of fruitful ideas on how to get the Aussies out twice in less than 15 days.
Here is what the PR told them to blabber:
Skipper Andrew Strauss said:
“It’s important to take a step back from cricket at times and this visit was a deeply moving and humbling experience for all of the players and management. We learned a great deal about the sacrifices made by a previous generation of England cricketers and I would like to thank the people for making us so welcome.”
Coachie Andy Flower said:
“This visit was part of ongoing efforts designed to broaden horizons and learn more about the role of leadership and team ethics. Everyone came away from the visit with a greater understanding of what it really means to stand shoulder to shoulder and fight for your country. We hope it will help strengthen our own bonds within the team as we prepare for what should be a very exciting Ashes series.”
Did you know, that in 2001, the Aussies too visited a place where ANZAC troops lost their lives. Tell me the place and you get a guest post written by me on the topic of your choice.
God save the English in White…