CricDigs Blogs

On the field Andrew Nel is a repugnant person. With his myriad meaningless/unwanted facial expressions and sledgings, he draws attention of the viewers and other players. His bowling is good, but his dramatics on the field are more noticeable. Such actions earn him a lot of disapproval.

Nel is a good bowler, but not very impressive. His test bowling figures are somewhat appreciable. His one day bowling figures are not something that can be rated as top notch. However, his on field antics keep him in news and make up for his sometimes unimpressive bowling.

We all remember him provoking Sree Santh with thumping his own chest and challenging Sree Santh to play his deliveries. And there are many such occasions besides the incident. It’s Andrew Nel’s trademark on-field behaviour. And it has the endorsement of his captain Graeme Smith. That’s why he overdoes it sometimes making it quite disgusting.

But off the field Andrew Nel is a completely different person. An accountant by profession, Nel is a very calm and peaceful person. In fact he is the first person to go to the opposition dressing room after a match with a beer in hand. Well, that’s what a section of the media wants us to believe.

In reality Andre Nel seems like a person lacking discipline. His driving under the influence of alcohol in Australia, smoking marijuana in the West Indies, making faces at Chris Gayle, a verbal duel with Gilchrist after being hit for 22 runs in an over, and the unnecessary provocation of Sree Santh are all exmaples of his lack of discipline. It’s a laudable thing that he tries to remain calm and peaceful off the field. But It’s hard to believe that he is actually a very calm and peaceful person off the field as a section of the media would like to project.