The defining image of the second England vs India Test last week came at its denouement - last man James Anderson frozen in position trying to defend the stumps even after a Mohammed Siraj delivery cleaved clean through them. The Indian team whooped and hollered and ran amok around him, ripping out the stumps for souvenirs, still Anderson held his pose - and in that long moment every England fan probably felt the disappointment as viscerally as he did.
Disappointment - is there a sportsperson who hasn't experienced it or a fan who hasn't felt it? It's in the slope of the shoulders and the bowed head of a batter heading back to pavilion, in the slumped form of the bowler as the batters take the winning runs, in the slow tread of a team heading out to watch their opponents pick up the trophy.

Often it's the little things that get away from you, like the ball that ran away for a four despite all your efforts...

Or the ball that you so nearly caught...

Kemar Roach lets his team know exactly how he feels about their fielding during the third ODI between West Indies and India in Port-of-Spain in 2019.

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Neil Wagner is as expressive with his dismay as with his wicket celebrations.

Indian cricket fans don't hold back when they are disappointed in their team. When India were knocked out of the 2007 World Cup after losing to Sri Lanka, protests erupted all over the country, with people burning effigies of cricketers and pelting stones at MS Dhoni's house in Ranchi.

World Cup defeats sting a little more than most, as Graham Thorpe and Jack Russell will tell you.

Sometimes the blow falls even before a ball is bowled.




