Former England fast bowler Bob Willis, wrote in his newspaper column after India?s historic win at Lord?s: ?There are more hookers in the present English team than they are in Soho.? He was referring to the manner in which some England players got out, playing the hook shot, but the Soho reference was to the common slang for sex workers, hookers. The innuendo has had its moments. During one of India?s tours of Australia way back, Jimmy Amarnath sported a T-shirt that proclaimed: World?s Best Hooker. He got quite a few chuckles, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he played that particular shot frequently. England?s players, starting with Joe Root, might be haunted forever by the hook shot, but it is the riskiest?and potentially the most dangerous?shot to play in cricket. It is also the most exciting shot to play, and watch.
In the corporate world, such hookers would be welcome. It is a shot that suggests boldness and risk-raking, courage and self-belief. Indeed, in cricket, however great a batsman may be, he will never be called a complete player unless he has the hook in his armoury. Psychologists describe such players as those who take on a challenge, because the shot is considered difficult and dangerous. There may be a certain element of arrogance involved, but at the end of the day, cricket?s hookers are those who stay defiant and are innovators. It is no coincidence that the best hookers in the game came from the West Indies; they were a team who personified arrogance: Vivian Richards was a prime example. In today?s dog-eat-dog world, hookers have the best chance of survival; above all else, it conveys aggression, even if it did bring about England?s downfall.