Mordi one day side was once again routed in the batting and when i came in at 9 (up from 11!) we were 7/65!
with the stand-in captain at the bowlers end and a quick brief about the swing factor of the bowler i was to face, it was game on.
33 degrees, 90 something % humidity with a hot northerly driving away air and body moisture i saw out the over with a block, a leave and a single.
next over the new bowler came on and in swung a full toss that i watched all the way onto my box with a very lame attempted pull for self protection.
on my knees i received the standard platitudes and jokes and five minutes latter with a throbbing left ag i flicked the next ball (aimed again at my body!) off my hip for 4 and so began the fun.
our home oval is a high school and with all of the heat and rain of late the outfield was a daisy paddock with lush deep grass.Therefore, on this first hot day of the season we didn't feel like running, but had to because only the very hard struck balls ran on.
the captain went out a few balls after mine were mashed and the next man in was one of the clubs 'young-guns'.
we started to score freely but it took its toll with many singles and 2's ran. when a left arm offie came on i was glad of the rest the challenge of facing this fine bowler presented.
3 balls into his 2nd over he got me playing on and i had steadied the ship with my 29 (2nd highest score of the innings- 40 to the young-gun partner) and we ended up with 130 in 35.4 overs.
During the change the breeze turned and we had the benefit of spending our time out in rather more pleasant conditions.
the opening bowlers were good for a few overs each and unlucky as the keeper dropped several. then they opened up! On the western side of our oval it is a ridiculously short boundary... and it showed as 4's and 6's started going over regularly.
Finally a slower ball was miss timed and skied over mid on- me; in a typically drawn out wait under an absolute hanger i shifted back and fourth several times trying to allow for the breeze affecting the tedious drop.
Safely in my mitts we finally had one and felt in the game.
At one end we had them tied down (mostly) but at the other we getting thrashed harder than a red headed step son! So i got my call up.
First ball i ripped but it landed just on the actual edge of the pitch -we are playing on synthetic- and goes on straight so that the amount of turn wasn't given away.
The next one i gave it as much, pitched it up, and got my line about 10cm closer to the batsman who charged it to hit off the half volley, completely missed as it screwed back to be taken by the keeper over the off stump bail. Well taken, he whipped the bails off and i am pumped!
The next batsman we knew has a season average of 240 (!) from 4 innings in their firsts team. He proceeds to take me on, and apart. the next 3 balls are 4, 4, 4; for the last i bowl a type of arm ball/wrong un i've got and he miss times and send it high to deep square leg and directly to our man just waiting for it. After the ball is picked up off the ground my over is over and i don't think ill suck him in with that ball again. BOO!
The other new bowler is being punished too by this gun striker so when it is my next over i'm desperate to make amends only to have him get under the first 3 balls and send them over the boundary for 14 runs.
For my 4th ball i get a wrong un back and through him, the 5th ball is a BIG leg break that goes around everything- he looks frustrated being deprived 2 scoring shots as i know he thinks he can play me with impunity- so with only 6 runs needed and heaps of overs to bowl i give him one i hadn't bowled yet, a stock toppy that lands on the spot, jumps and has him scooping it up to long on. The captain is underneath it and he has hands like buckets and sees the run machine off for me. 2 for 28. The next over it is all over and we've been pumped again.
How goes it with the rest of you?
