Editorial: Putting his best foot forward

OPINION: Let's hear it for the Peter Ingrams of the world: the non-conformists, the outsiders, the ugly ducklings who can still become the swans.

There has been an element of snobbery and snide superciliousness in the ongoing attitude towards the Taranaki man's talent and technique on the cricket pitch. Just below the haughty dismissals of his footwork and his stand-and-deliver stance is a theme that runs through much of the sport – the oft-heard refrain that it's just not cricket.

Ingram has the purists choking on their cucumber sandwiches and spilling the chardy on to MCC ties. But the reality is that much of the sport is "just not cricket" anymore. It hasn't been for years. And thank God for that.

The traditionalists might bemoan that fact, but the rest of us are overjoyed and flocking back to a sport that was beginning to lose appeal as test upon test ground its way to the inevitable draw over five days.

In terms of technique, Andrew Jones was one of the ugliest batsmen to ever slap on a pair of pads and walk to the crease, but he was a great run scorer for New Zealand and a wonderful battler for the cause.

Daniel Vettori is rapidly becoming one of our greatest ever players but most commentators are still struggling to understand whether he is playing cricket or baseball with bat in hand.

Brendon McCullum's ramp shot would have purists and opposition bowlers apoplectic, but the punters love the innovation as part of the spectacle cricket has become.

He would argue that there is just as much technique in perfecting the much-admired shot as executing a perfect front-foot drive through the covers for a boundary. All along the ground, of course.

The sport's officials and more staid supporters have finally, if a little reluctantly, realised that they cannot stand frozen in time, gin and tonic in hand, and watch other more progressive pastimes and sports catch the eye and lure away the next generation.

Anyone who has young children playing or following the sport will have noticed them practising their own version of the ramp shot and talking excitedly about other bold strokes by their favourite players. Many of them seem to respect the traditions of the game, but they are more motivated by the incredible feats of players like McCullum and Ross Taylor.

And, of course, our own Peter Ingram.

He still has some way to go to cement his place in the Black Caps, but that should be about the runs he scores, not how he went about scoring them.

So let's get behind our Taranaki sporting hero and celebrate his talent and success.

- © Fairfax NZ News