WORLD TOUR – Match 8

Well, we won the toss, and I decided to bat. They really are a good side, and none of us managed to score freely, but we did manage to knock up a few more runs than last week, finishing all out for 97.

Tea was delightful. Cucumber sandwiches (with the edges cut off) and china cups of tea, followed by fairy cakes. I think our hosts were trying to make a special effort to make us feel at home.

I could see that keeping them, over a whole 40 overs, to below 98 was going to be a real problem - if our bowlers could contain them to just 2 runs an over, we’d win. 2½ runs, however, and we’d lose. I kept a very careful eye on the bowling figures (which you too can see at the foot of this post) and took bowlers off as soon as they started to become expensive.

Fortunately, most of you managed to stick to game-plan, although it was getting very tight towards the end – they had reached 89-4 with four overs still to be bowled, and the match looked lost. Vicus and I bowled three tight overs, however…

…and so we reached the last over of the match, with everything still in the balance. They needed just 4 runs to win. Rather than any of you having to take the blame for allowing them to beat us, I decided to bowl the over myself. 5 dot balls followed. I knew they’d go for a big hit on the last ball of the match – one boundary and they would win - so I set the field back a bit, spun the ball, and allowed it to drift slightly – just enough to catch an edge – the ball flew up…

…straight into Phil’s hands.

And straight out again. Still, they didn’t score a run, and so we won the match (and the 3 match mini-series) by 3 runs!!

And now we pop over to New Zealand, for the next leg of our world tour.

WORLD TOUR – Match 7

Thrashed, is, I think a suitable word to describe this match.

Knowing we were playing the full Australian team at international level, I packed our team with batsmen, to ensure that we would at least get a few runs on the board.

We scored a magnificent 44 – and they kindly gave us an extra 10 in no-balls and wides. Most of our runs came off accidental nicks – their bowling was so fast that the tiniest edge sent the ball flying to the boundary, or (more often) into a fielder’s waiting hands.

Only as the match wore on did I manage to persuade some players to try blocking, or indeed leaving, and wait for an easier ball. As you will see, I (for instance) managed to last 40 balls before being out.

Tea was interesting. Kangaroo sandwiches. I’ll say no more.

It seemed unlikely that we would be able to defend such a low score. I tried out most bowling styles, to see which was having most effect. Spin bowling seemed to be the best option – we were at least beating the bat occasionally, and being reasonably economic. Sadly, in the end, nothing we could do was enough, and with the only smile being raised by my heavily flighted ball drifting very slightly (a new trick, I’ve just learned) and managing to fool an opener into playing outside the line (Richard kindly took this photo of the moment) they cantered past our score.

So, the series stands at 1-1, with the final match being played next week. It will be another international level game, so stand by for a similar result, unless our batsmen spend a lot of time in the nets this week.

WORLD TOUR – Match 6

The first of a three-match series against Australia. This was against a sub-strength team (i.e. we played them at county standard) – the next two will be harder (i.e. full international).

I won the toss and decided to bat. I knew their bowling and fielding would be tough, so Richard and I tried to stay in for as long as we could, without worrying too much about the runs. Sadly, after we were out, the usual collapse followed, only Fran and Medusa getting into double figures.

We ended up with a very modest 101 all out.

Tea was a very pleasant barbie (is that how Australians spell it?).

I was very conscious that the Australians might well bat within themselves, and then, as they would probably have plenty of wickets in hand, go for a real slog at the end; playing a hunch I decided to reserve spin for the end, in the hope that this might surprise and contain them.

Tom did his usual trick of getting a caught and bowled in the first over; thereafter they played more defensively, as I had predicted, with their numbers 2 and 3 between them facing 16 overs before Tom and Doc managed to winkle them out.

Vicus and Mincat bowled reasonably tightly, before Phil and I came on to bowl the last 11 overs (yes, I’d miscounted, so didn’t get my full potential spell of 6 overs). Phil played his part, only costing us 16 runs from his 6 overs, but it was, I have to admit, my bowling which really frustrated them – two runs came off the first over, and then I bowled four maiden overs.

Their annoyance showed towards the end, when they tried to hit me out of the ground, and four of them fell to my crafty slower balls. I was particularly pleased with the wicket of Shane Worde, probably the best spin bowler in the world, who was himself deceived by my spin, out for a duck on his second ball.

In the end we restricted them to just 46-8, and so we won.

We go one up in the three match mini-series. Having three matches, I will be able to ensure that every player in the squad gets at least one game against Australia.

Next week will be harder.

WORLD TOUR – Match 5

Our final match in Africa was against Namibia.

This international level cricket is tough. We won the toss and batted, and saw Richard bowled first ball. I’m sorry Richard, but I’m not sure the experiment of an opening-bat-wicket-keeper has paid off. We’ll give it one more try next week, but if you don’t get at least a half-century, I think we’ll have to consider a move to no. 7.

Mind you, the rest of us did little better, on a very interesting wicket. With Lisa and Steg also bowled for ducks, we had scored an impressive total of just 2 runs for the loss of 3 wickets when I arrived at the crease.

A couple of quick boundaries from me soon multiplied our total by 5, before my wicket too fell.

Fran and Doc made a bit of a stand (10 whole runs) but when Doc’s wicket fell we were standing at a dismal 20-6.

Phil managed to hit the ball twice – but both times the ball ran to the boundary (his 8 runs made him, with me, our top scorers).

We were all out for 35, which seemed an impossibly low target to defend.

Tea was very pleasant. ILTV had brought us some pastries back from France. Vicus seemed quite disappointed to discover the French tarts he’d been promised were in fact filled with apricot.

The wicket had been taking spin quite well, and I thought that we could perhaps stop them scoring too fast by using our slower bowlers, so I decided to open with Phil and myself for the first spell, and review the situation after that.

The wicket did indeed suit my style of bowling, something the Namibians had clearly never met before. At the end of our spell their score stood at a mere 23 runs, but more importantly, they had also lost 8 wickets.

Three of Fran’s slow balls polished-off the tail, and they were all out for 23, and so we won again.

So it’s off to Australasia, for the next leg of our tour.