In sporting terms, what constitutes a choke? Gary Kirsten, whose tenure as South Africa's coach, ended with the semi-final defeat against England, insisted that his team had choked on the big stage yet again.
He spoke candidly of the "dark mist" that seems to paralyse South Africa in knockout games.
But did South Africa actually choke, or was it a case of England not even allowing them to play? Can you be accused of choking when the opposition hasn't let a morsel enter your mouth?
Kirsten had a point, in that some of South Africa's batsmen were guilty of terrible shot selection. But England nipped out the openers within the first 10 balls, and there was no respite thereafter.
Sri Lanka, who lost their semi-final to India yesterday, have also been accused at times of bottling it in the biggest games. But do they really? In the 2007 World Cup final, they were at the receiving end of one of the great ODI innings, Adam Gilchrist's 149. They didn't lose. Australia won.
Four years later, they rode on a magnificent Mahela Jayawardene century to post an imposing 274 in the final. They then reduced India to 30 for 2, before Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni summoned up innings for the ages. Again, it wasn't that Sri Lanka choked. It was just that the opposition was better.
In between, at the World Twenty20 final in 2009, a virtuoso display from Shahid Afridi ended their title dreams. If you are a hard marker, you could accuse Sri Lanka of being soft. But there's little you can do when confronted with star turns like that.
sports@thenational.ae
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
