No one's greater than Michael Slater!

I reminisce a match between England and Aussies, it was Ashes in Australia and they were having a "Hoarding of the day competition". THere were some good ones like one said "Warne has more spin than my Mom's washing machine!", one was "You are lucky you are not here, a beer costs $10!", one was "Do you realize that there is a burglar in your basement - Right now!" and when Australian batting looked a little shaky someone came up with "Hey give Patrick Rafter a bat please".

I dont recall which took the prize, but one did catch my eye. It said "They don't come any greater, than our own Michael Slater". And I was just wondering about this player called Slater. He looks more of a model than a sports person, he is very inconsistent in his performance thus provoking one of my friends to comment "I wonder what keeps him in the team, his performance or his looks". Beats me, but I always sympathize with players who just weren't born with that Midas touch. Every ball they hit doesn't always go to the boundary, every shot they hit is not a treat for sore eyes, but there still is some magic that leaves us spell bound. Slater is one such magician, and like every other magician he knows that it is all tricks, there is no magic, only hard work and practise keeps them going.

Slater was born on February 21 in 1971, in the town of Wagga Wagga in NSW. He made his debut in England at Manchester in `93 and since then has been a part of the Aussie team on and off.

Slater does not have a single defensive bone in his body. Even when he pads up he pushes his left foot far ahead with arrogance, attacking even while he is defending. Sometimes the opposition plays on his weakness, they bog him down and ultimately he commits a mistake.

But Slater now has come a long way, he still is an agressive batsmen, but now we can safely tuck him away in the "Controlled agression category". He is always on the look out for runs, he believes that attack is the best form of defence.

In India where the ball does not come on to the bat a lot he does have his problems. He is very good off his back foot but the ball staying so low he is unable to execute his favourite shots. Apart from Mark Waugh , he is probably the best player of spin bowling, he too has learnt that patience is a great virtue. Waiting for the ball is very important as in India it is not the spinner who is dangerous, it is the wicket. There is lot of risk in moving forward and cutting off the spin, and hence now Slater prefers to wait inside the crease, thus eliminating all chances of being stumped, and play the ball on his merit.

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