SRC Vs. Marina CC 1 - A good learning experience
It was good to see Marina Division 2 team winning the toss and electing to bat first! We had lot of changes from our earlier match against Golden CC, it was a complete new look side, with players from Marina CC 2 and CC 3 coming up and playing for our team.
What we needed was a good start and we managed to provide one, with 40 odd runs from first 10 overs. I hit two pulls, One straight down the ground and few singles in my innings of 29 runs. Though sedate but I managed to provide the calmness and a good start which Marina needed. I couldnt convert into a big one, I tried to loft the offspinner Uditha (Sri Lankan :), Dont know how they produce so many offspinners) over Longon, but found the fielder as my bat turned in the hand. I fell just before drinks break and i have been getting out at important intervals after getting good starts.
It takes my tally to 195 runs in 7 matches with an average of around 30. It reminds me of Lakshman's innings getting starts but not converting into big ones.
Then fell barrage of wickets, Sri to fall off a left arm spinner and then goes Chandru off the third ball to the same bowler.
Then came Faiz and Sushant to the crease. They seem to rotate the strike well, getting an eye in and they started to hit around the 28th over. Sushant providing the impetus with 2 sixes over Long on off Uditha and then came great innings from Faiz. He smashed 3 sixes and 2 fours in his innings of 62. He reminds me very much off Mark waugh and Dhoni. Mark waugh on his style, Dhoni on his calmness :)
The two got us to 187 for 6 in 37 overs.
The opposition SRC needed 188 in 37.
We had a great chance in the first ball of the match with GREG scooping the first ball over keepers head. It was a keepers catch but Sri made a mess of it calling it "MINE, MINE, MINE and ended up "NONES".
What a waste of a start. Then came the next over, GREG, he hit 4 sixes of 6 balls off VIGNESH and they were suddenly 31 for no loss in 2 overs. It gave the right start.
GREG played all shots over the ground and he cleared the ground by quite a distance!! That showed slow outfield can also be negated by lofted shots.
What looked like a 50 yard boundary, even MCG would be small for his hits i guess!!
He pulled, flicked, Lofted, Square driven and cover driven, Nothing could stop him, except few stumpings, which umpire wouldnt want to him give him out. Why would the umpire give him out, he was in the crease but lifted his leg at the point of balls hitting the bails by the keeeper.
Umpire nodded and said "Not out" why, because he felt it was a 50:50 decision. Not one but 3 decision given NOT OUT, could only happen if your team is bound to lose!
We were bound to lose, but we fought hard, took few wickets and pegged them down by some tight bowling from Sri, Chandru and Arun.
Then came a big shot of GREG on 96 over mid wicket, i went to catch the ball, caught it, and the team claimed SIX, only to find myself foolishly one leg over the boundary line. What a waste of a catch, i could even have let it go!!!
I said sorry to my team mates, but what to do, had to stop the Juggernaut.
Then Arun bowled another flighted delivery to GREG, he lofted again to Deep Midwicket, but this time safely taken by me well inside the boundary.
We fought hard, but SRC finished the innings in 27 overs and they scored 188 for 7 wickets. We had a chance, huge chance if we would have got GREG out provided we took that one catch when he was on ZERO, 3 missed stumpings (Courtesy miss by leg umpire on all 3 occassions) and if we would have got another 30 runs in the kitty in a small ground.
Next time we play in Fernvale, we got to learn 3 basic things:
1) Play through the line and clear the ground by a distance.
2) Bring on the spinners well in advance and pack with 3 good outfielders in Leg side.
3) Take your catches on Fernvale.
We did the 2nd part right, the other two counts we missed out, and so did the match!!
Will update you guys on other events soon! Till then I will sign off.
Cheers
Ganesh
