Story of a cricket match

Our team (a concoction of family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances) played a cricket match - a 30 over-a-side game - on Saturday the 16th of October 2010. Technically, it would be unfair to call it a match because our team was totally out matched and out played. So, let's call it a mismatch. This mismatch was arranged by a 3rd party and neither of the teams had any idea about the other team's capabilities.


Conditions were dry and sunny with a slight breeze blowing across the ground. The pitch was dry and promised to provide help to the spinners. It also looked as if the bounce would tend to be low. The outfield was fairly bumpy with a cropping of dry colourless grass, discouraging all attempts at diving and sliding - not that with us playing there would be much chance of witnessing either a dive or slide.


We lost the toss and were sent out to field but would have preferred to bat first especially since a couple of our players were late in reaching the ground.


In the first 10 odd overs we were not only able to restrict them from scoring but also had them in trouble on quite a few occasions but our opponents (SXE XI) stuck to it and at the end of 19 overs they had 144 on the board for the loss of 3 wickets. We weren't as sharp as we should've been in the field but were still in a confident frame of mind.


During a loose huddle-like meeting on the field it was suggested that we try and restrict our opponents to not more than 60 odd runs in the last 11 overs thus giving us an estimated target of just over 200 runs.


Easier said than done! The pair at the crease really, really got into us after we had resolved to not allow them to average more than 5 runs per over. It was a matter of our bowlers dutifully bowling it and our fielders chasing after the ball and fetching it from outside the ground. It seemed as if we could do nothing right or rather that the other side could do no wrong. Its true we missed quite a few catches. I myself was unable to grab one and instead allowed it to fall in front of me before being beaten by the spin imparted on the shot and conceding a boundary to the utter dismay of the bowler.


A couple of the opposition batsmen got quick time centuries and they managed to score 204 runs in the last 11 overs... yes, you heard (or should I say read) me right. Its not a typo. They actually managed to score 204 runs in the last 11 overs.


This gave us a paltry target of just 349 to win off 30 overs, i.e., a required run-rate of over 11 runs per over. Dejected, we trudged off the field to our designated place under the shade of some lovely trees. But they weren't looking lovely to us at all.


Still we were determined to make a fight of it. But as they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions... Soon after resumption of play we were in trouble and in danger of being bowled out without getting to the three figure mark.


First, allow me to describe the field that was set for their opening bowlers. Two slips, gully, point, cover, mid-off, mid-on, mid-wicket and square-leg. The keeper standing way back. The first ball I faced whizzed over my head and I was able to duck underneath it without any problems.


But the seeds of doubt had been planted in a fertile imagination. Its not that I was afraid of physical injury - I was wearing a helmet to protect the old noggin - but immediately after that my foot movement became very stiff and wooden. I was unsure about stretching forward to drive and when I did drive it was from a half-cock position and without any real power in my shots.


Soon the slips came into play and my opening partner was back in the 'dug-out' with the score at 7 for 1. I got a streaky four when the ball flew between second slip and gully. I was middling the ball pretty well but wasn't getting forward as I should've done. Plus I was striking it straight to the fielders.


In the fifth over with the score at 10, one of the quickies overstepped the crease and was called for a no. Next ball was to be a free hit and I was licking my lips in anticipation.


How silly of me. Another short one aimed right at my forehead. I tried to connect but although I could see the ball very well my reflexes were too slow and I missed with the bat and luckily the ball too missed my head.


The last ball of the over saw me expecting another short one and thus my move on to the back foot. Almost immediately I knew I had fallen for the three card trick where a couple of short of a length deliveries are followed by either a full and wide one or a straight and fast yorker. I got the yorker and it still hurts. 11 for 2.


Had I not been the one getting out I would've stepped up to the bowler and really patted him on the back for making a fool of the batsman. It was beautifully executed.


Soon it was 11 for 3 and 16 for 4. A forty odd run partnership for the seventh wicket saw us get to 75 before that partnership too was broken.


In then end it was the slower bowlers who managed to pick up the tail but it really was the quickies who disrupted our game and started the rout.


We managed a not too healthy total of 92 all out and lost by the huge margin of 256 runs. There were still almost seven overs to go in our allotted quota of 30 overs.


All in all a comprehensive loss. So, will I play another match soon? You bet I will. I enjoyed the game so much that I can't wait to work on a few aspects of my game and get us a rematch with the SXE XI. Let's see if we can't do better next time.


Moral of the story, you ask?


Ok, I'll list the three main lessons from the game that come to mind...

1. Cricket is a very cerebral game as well as being physical. As a bowler in order to achieve your objectives - wickets and dot balls - you just have to create doubt in a batsman's mind. Use whatever tools you can to plant the seeds of doubt. Be it swing, spin, speed, angles or length. We didn't. Our length's were fixed - fullish - and only our line varied. That too due to being inaccurate. We allowed the opposition batsmen to plant their foot down the pitch and heave away. A few short balls or a few slower ones would've worked wonders.
2. I've heard the mantras 'play every ball on its merits' and 'commit as late as possible' many times but I didn't follow the advice. Based on the previous deliveries, I committed to the back foot way too early and paid the price. The bruise above my ankle is a constant reminder. I didn't respond to the ball as it was but as I expected it to be. Big mistake if you don't pull it off.
3. Fielding will make or break a team. Simple. Our bowlers created a few chances but they went abegging. Unless the bowlers keep disturbing the stumps with regularity, a team that can't catch, stop or throw the ball will not manage to win many games - no matter how good the bowlers are. Imagine Dennis Lillee without Rodney Marsh. What if Kamran Akmal was keeping wickets to Lillee's bowling? We all know the answer don't we?

Finally, how to go about improving our performance?


Practice, practice and some more practice. Also throw in some fitness activity and as long as we enjoy playing the game and enjoy each other's company we should be ok. Its not rocket science, I hope.