To the Point: The No-Holds-Barred Autobiography by Smith Steve & Gibbs Herschelle

Author:Smith, Steve & Gibbs, Herschelle [Smith, Steve]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: To the Point
Publisher: Random House Struik
Published: 2010-11-05T06:00:00+00:00

7

The big games

These are the games that will always loom large in my personal recollections of a colourful career. Some for good reasons … some for bad.

When it comes to high-pressure games, I’ve always done pretty well. My World Cup average is 56.15 from 23 innings, which I reckon proves my ability to handle the unique pressures of a big game. I’m not entirely sure why I am good at handling these types of games – it’s probably a combination of factors. I know I like the glamour that accompanies the big occasion. And I like being on the big stage and in the spotlight. Or perhaps I was just born with the ability to handle pressure.

Sure, I do get a little nervous, but even at school I was always amped to play in front of the crowds on the big occasions. I remember a couple of pretty big rugby games when I was in the Bishops First XV. Some guys in the team would be talking about the size of the crowd while biting their nails, whereas I was like, ‘Bring it on, boet!’

I remember playing rugby for the SA Schools team against Nampak Schools (basically the SA Schools B-team) as a curtainraiser before the Springboks took on Australia in 1992. It was a capacity crowd at Newlands and the atmosphere was awesome. I absolutely loved it. Big crowds, all the razzmatazz – I love that sort of thing.

Funnily enough, though, when it comes to semis and finals, I tend to play within myself. Again, I don’t know why, but I am not as flashy in those games. I become a little more circumspect and apply a little more kop. I also tend to be a little less instinctive. But once I’m ‘in’ in a final, I genuinely feel I can run the show. I guess some people can handle pressure and others can’t. And if you are one of those who can handle it, then you have to do what it takes to get the team through.

The question you’re probably asking is: If that kind of strategy has worked for me successfully in pressure games, why haven’t I applied it to all the other games I’ve played? Fact is, I’m an instinctive type of player who just goes out and plays. I don’t think too much about what I am doing once I’m out there, to be honest. Sometimes I play a shot and I don’t know why I’m playing it. No idea. I just play it.

Indian batsman Virender Sehwag is similar in his approach, and he’s one of the highest-scoring batsmen in Test and ODI cricket in recent years. He only knows one way to play, and that’s his way. His game is either going to come off or it’s not, whether it is a Test match or an ODI. He’s not going to change his approach from one match to another. I mean, the guy doesn’t know how to play himself in – he just blasts away from ball one.

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