The Experiment Part I
Last summer, I came out of retirement, playing club cricket for the first time in 20 years. In my first game, the captain asked "so do you bat or bowl?" While my thought was "neither", I went with bat. However, as the season unfolded, it turns out my passion was for legspin bowling. But being assigned the role as top/middle order batsman, I never got much of a bowl. So this winter, I'm attempting an experiment, reinventing myself as first and foremost, a legspinner.
I joined the local cricket club and at the first practice, the captain asked that fateful question, "so are you a batsman or bowler?" This time I answered bowler. Turning up to net practice each week, my legspin improved dramatically (although I still haven't mastered the googly let alone the flipper). This weekend was my first game for the new team.
We batted first in a 35 over one-dayer. I came in with 11 overs to go and decided to forego my usual Jason Gillespie defensive technique. After all, I'm a tailender now! I threw the bat at everything. The corridor of uncertainty, usually left well alone, was now dominated by big, booming cover drives (few of which connected). Full balls were swiped at. Length balls were driven back over the bowler's head. Finally, my stumps were knocked over going for one slog too many. Out for 22 - in much quicker fashion than my tortuous accumulations for the Cavs (and 2nd highest score of the innings). I think I'm going to like being a tailender!
We took the field having to defend 152. Smaller than we'd like but defendable. The opposition batsmen spent several overs getting their eye in then took the long handle to both our opening bowlers. Boundaries were coming thick and fast. The captain informed me I was coming in first change. Just as the batsmen were hitting their straps!
My first two balls were short, punched through the covers. No long hops, I told myself. The next ball was too full, a full toss sent into the trees over the mid-wicket boundary. Another full toss was sent for six plus a four to finish off. 18 off my first over! The umpire commented on my full tosses: "you paid for the pitch - you may as well use it". Sledged by the umpire, a new low!
By my second over, the batsman was seeing it like a beach ball. My length balls went over my head for four - one nearly went through my head. He advanced on my short of a length balls and sent those for four. He hit a full toss straight to deep midwicket who was standing over the line by the time the ball reached him. 19 runs off the second over!
So two overs for 37 - an auspicious beginning to my new legspin career. I'd gone from middle-order batsman and expensive legspinner to, well, more of the same. I can only take comfort in the fact that the batsman was the best I'd ever bowled to. He smashed every bowler, notching 138 not out in about 60 balls. They chased down our total in 16 overs.
But I haven't given up on the experiment yet. Taking a John Buchanan philosophical approach, I remind myself that I can bowl better (eg - sometimes land it on the pitch) and most batsman shouldn't show the same devastating form (otherwise God help me). So things can only get better from here, right?
| Posted by JC on Sun 11 May |  3 comments |
Keep a watchful eye out for this marster batsman in years to come.
Yes JC, you're quite right, things will only get better - prapps you'll bowl to a geriatric, short-sighted porky number 11 in your next spell... like you do in the nets on a Saturday morning!
Posted by virtualgaz on 2008-05-12 14:50:44
Posted by JC on 2008-05-12 21:26:28
Hmm, umpires sledging? Thats a first!
I just hope he gets his decisions right, lest some big fella decides to give it back to him some day!
Posted by Ajesh Nag on 2008-05-13 16:12:53
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