JOHNSTON BACKS STIRLING TO STAR WORCESTERSHIRE EASE TO VICTORY O'BRIEN TARGETS SERIES WIN RAUF WITHDRAWN BY ICC YORKSHIRE BOSS VOICES TEST CONCERNS LUMB EXCELS IN NOTTS SUCCESS JOE GOING BACK TO HIS ROOTS KIWIS PLANNING TO UNSETTLE ENGLAND SREESANTH DENIES ANY WRONGDOING
The FTI MVP ExplainedThe MVP system, designed by the players, recognises the vital dynamics within a game that can have a crucial impact on the result of a cricket match. Below are the fundamental reasons for rewarding these elements and why they're valuable in their own way. By their nature, captains are identified for possessing key attributes - tactical awareness, sound temperament, leadership, management skills and, of course, a 'good cricket mind'. Captains are crucial for making key on and off field decisions - tossing the coin, team selection, bowling changes, fielding positions, declarations, dictating the pace of a game... The list goes on. For these reasons alone, a captain has a certain value above that of a 'normal' player. Is there a difference in the divisions? Players tell us that there are slight differences in the standard of cricket from Division 1 & 2. Players in Division 1 therefore receive slightly more points to reflect the difference. Why should a batsman be rewarded for scoring quickly? It's widely recognised that scoring quickly can have a huge impact on your side winning matches. In four-day cricket, a side scoring their runs quickly benefits from having increased time to bowl the opposition out and therefore creates a greater opportunity to win a cricket match. Clearly, in one-day cricket, a team that scores quickly has the opportunity to achieve large totals. Final placings in one-day cricket tables can often come down to run-rate calculations and this is also a crucial factor in rain-hit matches where Duckworth-Lewis is used. Why reward a batsman for scoring 40% of his team's total? Achieving 40% of your team's total reflects a performance over and above what would normally be achieved in a particular innings, is a significant contribution to the team and therefore deserves to be recognised. Why reward a batsman for scoring a century? Ever since the game evolved, a century has been a landmark achievement. That hasn't changed to this day and this is recognised by the rankings. Why is a bowler who has a good economy rate considered valuable? Bowling economically and delivering maidens in any form of the game has a tangible value. It can create and build pressure on batsmen and ultimately lead to wickets being taken and the opposition being restricted to a smaller total. Why reward a bowler for taking five wickets in an innings? As with a batsman being rewarded for a century, taking five wickets is a benchmark for bowlers. Being responsible for half of the opposition's wickets is deserving of reward and therefore carries a value. Does each wicket a bowler takes have the same value? Some wickets do have more value and this can vary dependent on the stage of a game. Removing specialist batsmen at the top order generally has more value. In the modern game, multi dimensional cricketers (batting/bowler and fielding) are all important. Fielding is obviously a key element of the game and direct hits or assists (a run out resulting from a throw) have real value and are rewarded accordingly. Catches win matches! It's as simple as that. One of the hardest skills for a keeper is standing up to the wicket and taking a ball cleanly and then removing the bails under pressure with the batsman short of his ground. A harder skill and deserving of greater reward than a straightforward catch. It's the name of the game! Professional sport is all about winning. Players that contribute to winning teams deserve to be rewarded and recognised. Any comments please, email rankings@thepca.co.uk |
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