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STUMP VISION JUNE 12, 2026 | The Indian Eye 47

A case for the invisible

assist — Why Cricket Needs an

‘Assist’ Column

Cricket doesn’t lack appreciation for fielding; it lacks the language to preserve it. An assist

column would honour the invisible hand that shapes the game’s most defining moments

NILESH D. MEHTA

n sport, memory lives in numbers and often
dominates discussions across eras. Scorecards
Ieventually become history, though for many
fans, they are much more.
Ardent baseball fans treat scorecards as pre-
cious collectibles, while cricket enthusiasts can
swear by a legendary “ton” or a definitive “five-
fer” in a specific Test match. Yet, truth often slips
through the gaps, much like a cover drive imperi-
ously threaded between point and mid-off.
Baseball offers a clinical verdict: a batter is re-
tired, and the scorecard records the outcome with
total indifference. It matters little whether a fielder
hauls in the ball at full stretch in right field or if it
settles comfortably into a waiting glove in centre.
The act is completed, the moment fades, and the
numbers move on—offering no room for the art-
istry of the effort.
A LESSON FROM THE HARDWOOD Shreyas Iyer did not really take the catch of Hardik Pandya, but he played the most significant role in the dismissal | Photo Credit: PTI
Basketball has always had an answer to this
conundrum. For the Los Angeles Lakers, when- THE WANKHEDE MIRACLE A CALL FOR CHANGE
ever Earvin “Magic” Johnson threaded a pass to A recent night at the Wankhede Stadium The typical line on a scorecard reads: “c Field-
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the finish was only half the during the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) er b Bowler.” Even if a substitute or an “Impact
act. The assist carried weight, etched into the re- season provided a jarring reminder of this over- Player” takes the catch, their name is recognised.
cord books as a vital statistic. sight. But in a relay situation, the player who does the
In basketball, the creator and the completer share
In the 24th match between the Punjab Kings
the spotlight, ensuring that fans and history books and Mumbai Indians, the ball sailed toward the heavy lifting—the “creator”—is erased from the
official narrative.
alike acknowledge the setup as much as the score. boundary in the 18th over. Shreyas Iyer produced Cricket has evolved in almost every other di-
Brothers of destruction: Magic Johnson and
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar formed one of the deadliest a moment of pure theatre. mension. Technology provides mountains of data
Stationed at long-on, he sprinted to his left,
for batters, bowlers, and coaches, yet we lack the
combinations in NBA, leading the attack for Los launched himself into the air, and plucked the ball statistical language to preserve teamwork in mo-
Angeles Lakers. from the sky. Mid-flight, as gravity pulled him to- tion. The boundary relay catch is the purest exam-
THE EVOLUTION OF THE GAME ward the rope, instinct took over. He flicked the ple of a collaborative effort; without the first play-
Statisticians in cricket seemingly had a differ- ball back into play just as he crossed the boundary, er, the second does not exist.
ent idea. Perhaps pioneers like Bill Frindall, B.B. where Xavier Bartlett completed the relay. Har- Imagine a child twenty years from now speak-
Mama, Anandji Dossa, and Sudhir Vaidya never dik Pandya was sent on his way, and the stadium ing about their father’s legendary catch. They pull
anticipated the acrobatic artistry of a Suryakumar erupted. up the scorecard to prove it, only to find a name
Yadav at the Kensington Oval in 2024 or a Shreyas Ask anyone who “took” that catch, and the that isn’t his. What do they point to? The video
Iyer in 2026. name they say will be Iyer. Yet, look at the score- might survive in fragments, but the numbers—
Cricket commentary celebrates the late swing card, and Iyer’s name is nowhere to be found. In sport’s most trusted storytellers—will remain si-
and the diving stop; it applauds fielding brilliance the history books, he doesn’t even receive an as- lent.
with roars and endless replays. Yet, when the dust terisk for this breathtaking fusion of athleticism, Cricket doesn’t lack appreciation for field-
settles, the record often ignores this evolving di- awareness, and timing. ing; it lacks the language to preserve it. An assist
mension of the game. During a telecast, we are Similarly, when a catch bursts from the grasp column wouldn’t just change a statistic; it would
now accustomed to wagon wheels, Manhattan of a diving first-slip fielder and is safely completed honour the invisible hand that shapes the game’s
charts, and “the worm”—visual aids that add spice by a teammate at second slip, the scorecard credits most defining moments. In a sport that prides it-
to an already well-made biryani—but the score- only the finisher, leaving the initial effort, often the self on detail, this is one detail that has waited long
card remains stubbornly static. defining act, without even a mention. enough to be seen. (Courtesy: Sportsstar)

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