Sad but true, the South African cricket team is soundly thrashing the Australian X1 with an undeniable score line 2-0. For the uninitiated into things cricket, South Africa have won 2 Test Matches each of five days duration to Australia's no wins.
Watching the South Africans with their power house performances with the quicks and in turn their profound batting announcements, one might dare to say, this South African cricket team has 'the right mix'.
'The right mix' is a phrase utilised on many occasions where with the people involved, a favourable existing situation, the wind (as it were) blowing in the right direction, and all the cards falling (as it is) as if divinely organised – the results astonishingly brazen.
Such moments, on the one hand, are safely heralded within the hearts of the participants to be extracted and recounted when in the midst of those in the fray, and on the other hand, the public rejoices as they too remember and recreates such moments of glory.
The Australian cricketers have enjoyed such specific occasions for well over a 100 years of celebrated wins. I was reminded of this when cricketing legend of the 70s Dennis Lillee was being interviewed on the ABC last week as he recounted those occasions of 'the right mix' in his latest cricketing book.
Coaches
We can also relate 'the right mix' to coaches who have elicited the most alarming turn arounds in sport results. I for one can recount any number of such people who have instilled something very special into a group of players and created (as it were) 'the right mix'.
One would need look no further than hockey's Ric Charlesworth who coached both the Hockeyroos and the Kookaburras to remarkable outcomes on the world stage – over and over- again.
In the AFL there are such people as the late Tom Hafey and more recently Leigh Matthews and in the NRL the late Jack Gibson and currently Wayne Bennett.
Two stories
Two stories, the first Tom Hafey. It was 1984 and I was introducing sport chaplaincy to the various AFL clubs and made an appointment with the Sydney Swans Tom Hafey. When we met we spoke very little about football, rather our conversation was almost exclusively about our respective families. The first chaplain to the Sydney Swans was the Reverend John Rees who later went to Thailand as a missionary.
Tom Hafey is an ABC Grandstand radio interview was asked about chaplaincy and he recounted my visit and said this: "I said to my players, if you have a question, ask the chaplain, you just might get a good answer"!
The second story was again late 1984 with Cronulla Sharks NRL coach Jack Gibson. The Reverend Roger Reid accompanied me to our scheduled meeting with Jack Gibson at the training field. He asked to hear my spreel as to the benefits of sport chaplaincy and I mentioned my study tour to US Gridiron teams, one of which I mentioned, the Cleveland Browns.
Jack Gibson stopped me, and asked me the name of the Cleveland Brown's coach. I responded Sam Retinglano (I only part part way through Sam's surname). Jack raised his hand to stop me and said - "Send me down your chaplain". He knew the Cleveland Browns well, moreover the role of their chaplain.
Reverend John Reid was the Cronulla Sharks first chaplain followed by the much heralded Reverend George Capsis who was also the Commonwealth Masters Weightlifting Champion.
'The right mix'
'The right mix' has many applications other than sports. I see this same principle being played out with our young writer ministry with these young people's articles of insight and imagination being published in Christian Today since 2009. Offshoots such as One Day in Melbourne, the Laguna Quays Respite for missions have illustrated time and again, 'the right mix' – ministry projects, art prizes, rural outreach, elite athlete respite, the cricket ministry ....
And everywhere, ponder your life experiences with the eyes of faith, they are there is spades ... 'the right mix' !
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html