Moment Ummmm

Last night, as it appeared SA would probably lose to NZ, I wasn't particularly upset. The commentators were talking about how important momentum is and a day earlier I had read AB De Villiers' blog at SuperCricket*, in which he also talked about how important it is.

But I'm not so sure.

Last time at the T20 World Cup, SA romped to victory in its first 4 matches and had as much momentum as one could possibly hope to have. Yet, in that final group game, with one foot and 4 toes in the semi finals, South Africa lost to the eventual winners India by a margin big enough to ensure that they were the only team to go out with just a single loss.

This has happened in ODI World Cups as well.

So while momentum is fine, its worth noting that it can also result in over confidence and complacency.

At the end of the day the only thing that matters is winning the games you can't afford to lose.

* That AB blog has been replaced by his new one and I can't find a link to the "momentum blog". I'm a huge fan of AB but his blog, and this goes for most cricketers, is an exercise in stating the obvious in the most boring way possible. Come on, AB, let's hear about the bollocking that Smith gave the team as they headed out. Let's hear about the batting position changes and if there was a rethink after the game. Let's hear how Morne and the other squad players feel not having gotten a taste of the action yet.

You're in a unique position to give us some real insight. In short: show some of that batting fearlessness with your writing.

UPDATE - AB's blog/diary archives can be found here. Thanks to Sean.