The Experiment Part 3: The drought breaks

Finally, after 6 weeks of rained out weekends (whatever happened to the Australian drought?), I finally got some club cricket last weekend. We batted first and the captain forgot about me when writing in the batting order, finally putting me in at #6. He apologised, I usually batted at #3 or #4, but I was pleased. This fitted in perfectly with my grand experiment to transform from a plodding top-order, part-time bowler into a slogging middle-order, wicket taking legspinner. An ambitious goal - my bowling efforts so far had been underwhelming at best. But shoot for the stars, I always say.

Our top order started slowly, not a good idea in a 35 over one-dayer. I came in with 7 overs left with the run rate around 3 per over, facing a legspinner. I love facing club leggies. Being one myself, I know the small margin for error - all I have to do is survive the good balls then feast on the short and full deliveries. His second ball was a loopy full toss (one of my own signature deliveries) which I nearly sent into the hands of deep backward square. Just fell short, luckily, and I was off the mark.

I then went the tonk. Another waist high full toss went over mid-wicket for 3. I swung wildly at the quicks at the other end, often missing but connecting enough to notch a few boundaries. Finally I holed out to long on for 17 with a few overs to go. It was what was needed - a quick boost to the run-rate and establishing my position as a middle-order slogger. And I gotta say, slogging is a lot more fun than grinding.

We took the field with 132 runs to defend. With less than 4 runs per over required, we needed wickets. Their openers started strongly, striking boundaries each over to keep them comfortably on track. Then their best batsman slogged one too many times, edging the ball to point. A left hander came in and was striking the ball nearly as well. I didn't like the way he was middling the ball and hoped he'd fall before I came on.

Just before drinks, the captain informed me I was on next. His plan was to position heaps of fielders in the deep and I was to bowl with lots of flight, trying to take wickets. If flight was what he wanted, he'd come to the right place. After all, I am slower than Brett Lee on super slowmo. In the over before mine, the left-hander lofted the ball to long off. I couldn't believe my good luck. Then long off dropped the catch. Dang it, I couldn't believe my bad luck!

My first ball was to the right hander and it was one of my signature deliveries - the double bouncer. Surprisingly, although I've bowled a number of double bouncers - the king of pies - none of them have been put away. It's like the batsman can hardly believe his eyes or can't make his mind up what to do with it. This was no exception - the batsman squirted it to the legside where it nearly carried to midwicket. Hmm, really need to loosen up those shoulders before that first delivery!

I found my line and length by the end of the over, conceding only a few runs. My second over was to the left hander. I hate bowling to lefties. He immediately charged down the wicket, turned a full ball into a yorker and played over it. The wicketkeeper comfortably stumped him and leftie was gone! Phew, I was more relieved than anything.

Meanwhile, our club's C grade team had finished early as they were dismissed for 27 runs. Consequently, most of them were in the clubhouse, drinking beers and heckling as I bowled. Note the heckling was directed towards me, not the opposition! Whenever I darted in a quicker ball, they yelled "More air! More air!" Our first slip was also regularly calling out "give it more flight". It was refreshing advice - at the Cavs, a bowler was rated primarily by their economy rate. Not a good environment for a flighty legspinner.

Even better, our home ground is a big field. With deep mid-wicket and long on tiny specks in the distance, I felt pretty comfortable giving the ball plenty of flight. I took to lobbing the ball up like a hand grenade. They were the type of deliveries that if bowled in the nets, would land on the top of the net roof. But the batting side didn't seem to know how to face spin and for the most part, stayed rooted to the crease.

In my fourth over, the batsman went for a big slog, not quite getting hold of it. One of our C-graders called out to our captain to move long-off 1/3rd in from the boundary. I threw up another flighty one and the slogger lofted it straight to the newly positioned long off. I made sure after the game, I thanked the C-grader for the fielding advice.

In my fifth over, the new batsman stood with a square, Chanderpaul-like stance. As soon as I released the ball, he switched stances and reversed swept me through backward point. The unexpected tactics threw me off my line. With the reverse sweep in mind, I pushed one down the leg-side and he swept behind square leg to the boundary.

Next over, I was determined not to be put off by this Kevin Pietersen wanna-be and decided to concentrate on line and length. Well, the spirit was willing but the accuracy was weak. Instead, I delivered my other signature delivery - the loopy waist high full toss. His eyes lit up and he swung mightily, top edging the ball to mid-wicket who took the catch. Wicket #3 albeit a little lucky this time.

For my last over, I was bowling to their #11 batsman. He blocked a few balls, survived an LBW shout. With two balls to go, I planned to bowl a quicker one then save my loopiest hand grenade for the final delivery. He charged my quicker one, missed and got stumped for his troubles. The opposition, all out for 80, victory by 50 runs and career best figures of 4 for 20.

As far as the experiment goes, the match went perfectly. Slogged some quick runs then took a bag of wickets. Of course, it was aided by a batting side that didn't seem to know how to play legspin and a helluva lot of luck. That won't always be the case so I still have to avoid getting thrown off my line and length by quick footwork and inventive strokeplay. But at least the ball is more likely to be thrown my way. The experiment is back on track for now...

Posted by JC on Mon 14 Jul

46 comments

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