Football vs Cricket

Just a quick thought as I sit on the couch and watch this Man U v QPR match. (8/4/12)

In cricket if a batsman signals to the umpire that they have hit it the ball (LBW appeal), or not hit it (a catch) and via replays it shows that batsman was trying to influence the decision with their actions then they can, and will be, dragged before the match referee and face a charge - usually in the form of a fine of match fee.

Why can this not be brought into football? Why, if some one 'dives,' and it's an obvious 'dive,' can't that player be sanctioned? Depending on the result of the dive (eg penalty and scores) the punishment is handed out to varying degrees, starting with fines and leading to match bans.

I know this won't fix the case where a penalty, and then subsequent red card, decides a match in progress, but maybe, just maybe it might control some of the absurd and match deciding diving that takes place.

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OB

Updates

Hi all....

a quick update done just now over at http://iainobrien.co.nz/

Catch the updates too at twitter, look me up. Iain OBrien

NZ vs Scotland + India and Australia

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Another Update - T20

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In London Now and the Previous Two Warm Up Matches

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Warm Up Games - Bangladesh and Ireland

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Get acorss and have a read!!

In Camp - Day Two

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get yourself across and check it out

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I've just put up a very quick post on the new site.... Head over, sign up and keep reading. It'll be good to have you along!



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The New Site

Right then, it's finally happened. You can now find my blog at:

iainobrien.co.nz

It's not quite 100% finished, but it's there, it up and it looks pretty good, I think. I's appreciate your feedback too, leave a comment here, maybe also tell me some things you'd like to see in it....

I'll be putting up a post either tonight or tomorrow morning so get there and have a lookie.

Stay in touch


OB

Another Week in the UK

I’ve got a bit of time on my hands at the moment. Playing for Leicestershire in the most recent Championship match (4 day) I got hit in the ribs while batting in the second innings. I’ll come to that in a bit.

So, so far over here I haven’t done as well as I’d have hoped. In my first couple of matches my action wasn’t really there and had to do some work on it during a training session that I managed to squeeze in before this Championship match. I had a good little bowl out in the middle in training, slowed everything down and just concentrated on a strong load up and release. My run up rhythm came quickly and then all of a sudden I was hitting the catcher’s glove hard from a nice length. It had come back to me and I had learnt some more about where my action needs to be and how to get it there when it falls over.

We turned up to the ground in Bristol, where Glocestershire are based, to a pleasant surprise. I had been told of the cold and somewhat dank changing rooms that were on offer there; we were very happy to get use of the new changing rooms. They were fantastic, comfortable and easily a large enough area for a International team; a couple of very good baths for either hot or cold baths. Nice work Glos!

The pitched looked like something I wanted to bowl on and was really impressed with our openers getting through the morning session without loss; a great job by these two. Unfortunately it didn’t quite continue. We lost eight wickets around the 80-90 mark and scratched through to 133. After such a great opening partnership we didn’t do well enough after that. I was pretty happy with my 23 and got through some tough stuff too.

I was looking forward to bowling on this deck; I had watched the Glos bowlers get some pace, bounce and a little movement; a couple of things that I don’t mind. I bowled well, I was really happy with how it came out and the lengths I was hitting. Of course, as normal, I was trying to bowl a touch fuller than my natural lengths are, not quite hitting it, but still making them play, and miss, in areas I want them to be playing in was what I needed to be doing after a average couple of weeks here at the start.

I got through 32 overs and ended up with two wickets. I feel that on another day it could have been maybe six or seven. I have certainly bowled worse and had more wickets. Thirty two overs is quite a few but I felt really good, when you bowl well the body is generally doing the things it should be and body parts don’t hurt as much. It’s when you don’t bowl well that the body hurts as the sequences are out and you end up muscling rather than using rhythm to get it in the right place. Of course the baths were used for both hot and colds as I’m always trying my best to keep the body right for the next day.

Second innings batting and we’re 260 behind. A tough ask to save this one if the weather doesn’t interfere. It didn’t, and we ended up getting 71 in front and Glos knocked it off without loss; a ten wicket loss. It was a pretty good effort to 331 with a couple of lads getting some real good scores without going on to make them special. Always need guys to make sores special as they can be the winning, or saving, of a match. I got 31 in the second innings in a partnership of 55 with Carl Crowe. I earned every one of that 31 in this innings. I got a pounding from Steve Kirby from over and mostly around the wicket. Mostly I feel I played him quite well, he was quick and aggressive. I have had a lot of short stuff since the Gabba Test in Australia and am getting better at facing it. As I’ve said if I can get under a bouncer early I generally get under the rest. I couldn’t pick up (see) Kirby as well as I have picked others in the past and it was tough. It took a lot of mental effort to try not to back away and just slog. I tried as hard as I could to stay in line and play as solidly as I could and in that effort I got pinned by stepping out of my game plan. I had a pull shot that I stepped away from and opened up my right side, the ball went thud and I knew I was in trouble.

I tried to warm up to bowl during the change of innings but just could not get through any part of my action without it hurting, lots! So I sat in the changing room with ice on my side. I had thought earlier in the day that if we had of got 150 in front we had a chance of winning. Not to be and a couple of games on the bench for me.

Because I know you all care..... The ribs are coming along ok, a lot better over the last couple of days that it was in the first two. I had a good work out in the gym this morning with Suzie, our Leicestershire Trainer, I couldn’t do everything I would do normally but got through some good stuff and will get back in there tomorrow to do more.

Some people have asked why I’m not off playing in the IPL, well cause I’m here playing for Leicestershire. I got asked to play during the India series but as I had already signed for Leicestershire I couldn’t take up the offer. I just spoke to Graham Napier, who’s just been selected in the England T20 WC team and has been a team mate of mine at Wellington; he said he had a great time with his team Mumbai Indians and throughout the time he was there in the tournament. Hopefully next time it comes around I’ll get a chance to play as it looks and sounds like a great tournament to be a part of.

The Trip here and the last couple of weeks....

Well, it’s cold here right now. I’m at home in England, on the couch about to pack and drive to Bristol for the start of tomorrows Championship match vs Gloucestershire.

I’ve been over here for two weeks now after a few extra days back in NZ waiting on my passport to come back with a Visa entry stamp in it to come and play for Leicestershire.

I must, again, thank the good guys at Post Haste for helping me out a whole heap. My passport had to go to Canberra, Australia, to get the Visa. I knew that as soon as it came back into NZ on its way back to me the ‘track and trace’ number that I could watch on line would be activated. So as soon as it landed and was in the Post Haste system, I was on to them to get it to me ASAP. The last week I was back in NZ I was never far from a computer so that I could check to see if it had got back to Auckland on its way back to me in Wellington. I had been also changing my flights, almost every day, hoping the passport would turn up. So, at 3.45pm, a couple of Tuesdays ago, I saw, online, my passport had reached Auckland. If I was to get out that day I would need to; a) somehow pick it up in Auckland as it wasn’t going to make it to Wellington in time; b) change my flight and hope that there was a seat available. So that was one nervous, stressful and in the end a successful afternoon. Flights changed, that was the easy bit. Picking up the passport that was going to take some magic, and somehow the planets aligned and it worked out! Again, Post Haste, Jimmy Sales, Phil and the others who helped out, an massive thank you from me and of course my wife.

So, I’m here now and have played three one day matches and one Championship match for Leicestershire. The schedule is pretty tight and time off between games isn’t as much as we would get at home in our domestic season.

We haven’t had a great start to the season with our first win only coming yesterday against Ireland in the Friends Provident Series. So far I haven’t really succeeded as I would have hope to in the competition. I had two weeks off in NZ before getting here and really enjoyed doing very little and letting the body have its rest. I am a bowler that bowls best when I’ve been bowling and bowling. So I was in a catch 22 position. I needed the rest but I also needed to keep bowling to hit the ground running here. I was hopeful that I could get into the grove over here after a couple of trainings and find my form quickly. I haven’t unfortunately and last week’s Championship match at South Gate vs Middlesex was not my best showing, at all.

Yesterday was better, the action is almost back to where it should be, and the adjustment of lengths to bowl on slower and lower pitches has been the tougher part. Coming from a Test series on some good Test pitches to County cricket on early season low and slow decks has been a little frustrating. But that’s what I have to do my job on and I have to get on and do my job, learn, adjust and get some wickets for the team.

So far the weather has been pretty good; although, as I said, it’s rather cold today and has been quite wet. The decision to take the IPL to South Africa looks to be a good one, apart from the early few games that were rain affected and the weather here, in the UK, was outstanding. I’ve been trying to keep up with the results and how the NZ boys have been going, but as I don’t have the channel they are being played on I don’t get to watch much of the footage. So it’s cricinfo for the match reports and live scorecards. It’s a tight competition and some upsets have been played out right the way through. I’m looking forward to catching up with the guys once they get over here for the T20 World Cup to hear how this one has been.

Right then, time to pack the bags, pick up a couple of the lads and get on the road to Bristol. I’ll be back in a couple of days times with another update.

And so that you’re in the loop... look out for iainobrien.co.nz very soon... and get in touch if you want to get your company’s logo and link on the page.

NZ vs India - 3rd Test - Wellington - Day Five +

Probably about time I sat down and did a bit of a catch up, starting with the final day of International cricket for the summer in New Zealand.

Originally I was going to get this done sitting in the departures lounge of Auckland Airport as I waited for me flight to the UK to join up with Leicestershire County CC, but as I am still sitting here in Wellington, over a week after my original departure date I thought it was about time got this all down.

So, Day 5 of the Test match, our only task was to save it, to fight it out for a draw. One thing we had in our favour was the rain forecasted for the middle of the afternoon that would probably stick around for the rest of the day. The pitch was still flat, no real wear and tear and the windy day makes it hard to bowl; so we had a chance to do something strong, not roll over and hang in there for the day, or at least till the rain came.

I was batting with Dan when ‘that’ rain came in. Rossco had been brilliant, a great hundred at a time when we needed a couple of guys to stand up and save a Test match. The other guy that stood up was Franky, his 50 and partnership with Rossco was the game saver. Although very secretly and humorously, I think I saved that Test match single handedly. Ha! Eight down and I joined Dan. Our only plan was to bat for as long as we could, hang in there and hope the wind died down so that the rain could pass over the ground. Wellington has a funny weather pattern. If it’s windy, really windy, like it was, it won’t rain at the Basin; the rain hangs about the hills and doesn’t fill in the gap in between.

We could see the clouds filling in out the back of the ground; the hills were slowly disappearing. A good sign if you don’t want to lose a Test match. I had decided that if I got a bad ball I’d hit it from Sachin. He had troubled a couple of the guys and picked up two wickets. I didn’t want to be his third and I didn’t want him to be able to get away with bad balls. I got a couple of full tosses, one I hit straight to Sharma at square leg, not clever, but, fortunately for me, be put it down and we lived on. It was Sachins googly that I was most worried about. I got a shortish leggie that I cut for four and the next ball was the googly from about the same area. For some reason, I just forgot about the googly, and went to cut this one, then, as it spun back into me a bit sharper than I then thought it would, I had to change my shot and only just got some wood on it. I then started reading what I was going to get. I was trying to predict what he was going to bowl to me and make sure I was in the right place to a) not get out and b) hit runs.

I was doing ok to Harbhajan, no real intent to score off him, but I still didn’t want him to be able to bring to many guys in close looking for a bat pad. I kept trying to sweep him early in the over, to get a single and therefore off strike, and then keep him out towards the end so that I wouldn’t be on strike early in the next. It was the formula that I had used through the series and it’s been working. I’ve doubled my Test match runs in these three tests. I had 61 runs in my previous 14 Tests. I scored 61 in these three Tests, and am really happy that the hard work I’ve been putting in on my batting is paying off for me and the team.

The rain was getting closer and Zak was brought back on with the wind behind him. He’d been brilliant throughout this whole series. The last throw of the dice before the rain came in. Dan and I had spoken a couple of overs ago about trying to slow things down as much as possible in between balls and overs. We had to try everything to give the rain as much time to get to us. I know it’s negative but I would rather draw a Test match that we can’t win than lose it. We’d managed to slow things down a little, but not much, it’s not that easy to do it when you are out there. Intentions are easy; carrying it out sometimes is harder! With Zaheer coming back, his longer run up and a change in field meant there were a couple of delays that Dan and I were happy about. At one point, off a very short run up, Zaheer started his run up before my head was up and ready, a great chance to pull out, take up some more time and make him start the ball again. I did much to the disapproval of the Indian guys around me. But you could also tell that they would be doing the same thing as the smiles behind the words said something else.

Half way through the over the rain came in quite heavy, Dan turned and started to walk off, almost not waiting for the Umpires to call it. I tucked my bat under my arm and followed him. We’d made it; we’d got through to the rain.

The next two hours were spent wondering the halls of the Basin, checking on the weather and hoping it would stick around. The covers came off twice in that time and were then hastily put back on.

And that brought an end to the Indian Summer. A one nil Test series loss to close out a summer that wasn’t great but it wasn’t too bad either.

I’ll be back in a couple of days with an update of what’s been happening in the last week, and a couple of possible changes to the blog....

NZ vs India - 3rd Test - Wellington - Day Four

My summer of bowling has finished. I have just had a massive feed of fried chicken, approved and signed off by both our trainer and physio. I need to put some weight back on my body and fried chicken is a good place to start. I haven't had a feed like that for a very long time and I am actually not feeling the best after it as my body isn't used to a high fat meal at the moment. But I'll survive and I'm sure I'll be ok in the morning.

So, we're chasing down 600+, well not really chasing it down but we're out there hanging tough to draw this match. Chasing that score, on any deck, has never been done, not even close and it won't be done here in Wellington. Time is the only thing against us and with us.

India batted for over an hour this morning, I opened up from the Adelaide Road end into the wind. I wasn't feeling as strong or quick as I was the night before even after a good rest and massage, all the bowling has really taken its toll on my body. My first couple of overs went just fine, lines ok, lengths not bad. And then Yuvraj happened; eighteen off one over. Three fours and a six, and my lengths weren't too bad, maybe a touch short, but not so much that I deserved to be hit like I was. He can play. It did though loosen him up and Tommy got him to go hard on the drive and nick one through to Rossco at first.

Tommy then claimed his second of the morning when Timmy took his first Test match catch at fine leg, it also just happened to be his second and third catch as he juggled it a couple of times before safely coming up with a smile and ball in hand.

It was great to be off the park and to take the bowling boots off for the last time In NZ for a while, the boots got thrown towards the bin as they won’t be coming with me to the UK and I have another pair ready to go.

No matter what, there is always that nervous feeling as the boys go out to bat. It's just in a cricketer’s nature to be nervous and sometimes for no real reason at all. The new ball was always going to be the tough part to get though, the Basin deck has been, for a long time now, a deck where the new ball does a little; as seen yesterday when I got one to jag back to VVS. This was the danger time, the first 15 to 20 overs of the new ball combined with Khan, who's in great form; and he got two in that time.

We were four down when bad light stopped play at drinks in the last session; Rossco and Franky got us through from 84-4 to inevitable early close of play at 167-4. For this Test, daylight savings is coming in very handy.

Day five tomorrow, the last day of international cricket this summer in NZ. It's been a long season and only one warm up left, and it's a batting warm up too. I'm hopeful of not needing to bat tomorrow, but if called on I am looking forward to trying to break my new PB that I set in the first innings; I only have 19 to beat, but that's a lot of runs when you only average around 5.

NZ vs India - 3rd Test - Wellington - Day Three

Well, it wasn't quite a scythe that we took to the Indian batters, more a small, not so sharp, butter knife; but we hung tough and were rewarded with two wickets just after lunch and then a couple late in the day.

It was always going to be a hard day, the pitch was flat the wind was going to be tough to deal with and our bodies are sore and tired; it was going to Test cricket, plan and simple.

We obviously wanted early wickets, and they just didn't come. I started up wind, where I have made a name for myself here in Wellington. My first couple of overs were ok, but not great, I couldn't quite find my areas and I have a feeling I was trying to hard. I finished up wind and soon had a go down the breeze. Now I was really trying to hard here to bowl fast and I didn't do my job very well here. I wanted to bowl quick, hit the deck hard and then see if I could get a 'wafty' drive for a nick to pick up a wicket. I was too straight and then to wide to Gambhir and didn't really get to bowl to Dravid. I really wanted to bowl to the right hander but just couldn't manipulate the over to get Dravid on strike.

Tough first session, I got into the changing room and lied down on the floor next to my gear bag, pulled my jersey over my head and wanted to go to sleep. I was really done at this stage. Energy was gone and I just wanted lie there, not move, just go to sleep. I couldn't though, Baz wouldn't leave me alone. Sometimes you do need others to get you up, to keep you going; normally I have more than enough of that spirit, but right then I was done, and those couple of words from Baz were enough to get me up and to the lunch room for a meal. After a meal, I headed back to my seat in the changing room; the coach came over and checked how I was. I told him I was, well, tired. He went off to see our trainer and our nutritionist to see what could be done. I had a 'squeezy', basically a high sugar gel shot, and a strong cup of coffee, in a pill form. It would take a bit to kick in but I was hopeful that I could get through the next session feeling ok.

Dan started up after lunch and we had success pretty much straight away. A really clever piece of keeping from Baz brought the downfall of 'the wall.' Dravid sweep one straight into Baz's guts as he shot down the leg side to cover the shot, and it stuck. Genius! Next in was Sachin, now this guy has looked so good the whole tour. From his One Day hundred and plenty in Christchurch, his 160 at Hamilton and his runs in the first innings, he just looked like he belonged at the batting crease. Dan got him to nick a slower one to Rossco at slip and we had a double breakthrough and had seen the back of two amazing cricketers. I bowled a six over spell down wind in this second session, I just though I'd try to get through it by being as 'dry' as possible, trying to give away as few runs as possible. Two maidens in my first three overs and then I, again, got straight to Gambhir, who was still in and looking solid. Not my best spell, but not my worst and I had found a nice little rhythm with the wind at my back.

At tea it was a protein bar and a couple of waters for me, I was feeling a bit stronger now and had got past that lethargic faze that went through in the morning session. I didn't bowl too late in the session, we took the new ball and I got first crack with it into the wind.

I really wanted to do my job up into the breeze and I had a new 'rock' to get to work with. Success, I got a touch straight to Gambhir, again, but this time, the new ball with a little more pace of the deck, got past his bat and into his pad. I went up and was absolutely certain that it was out, so much so that my appeal started with my back to the Umpire in a “that's just out” appeal that McGrath used to do. I had a wicket, Gambhir, who has played so well on this tour and we had a new batter out there to come hard at.

My next over and VVS was on strike. My only plan was to stay quite full and have him drive me through the off side, well try to drive me, anyway. I hit a real good length and, somehow, got the ball to deviate back off the seam into the top of off. That's a great feeling, going through the gate, on a good deck, to a great player who is in and seeing off stump rock back, a little. After the days play was over and I had done my hot colds, showered and was sitting in the shared eating room, VVS came in and we had a quick little chat about the delivery. He was amazed at how sharply it came back into him. I've seen it on the replay a couple of times and I don't know how I got it to do what it did. I'll take it, don't worry about that, the only thing to take from it is to make sure you hit the seam with a new ball on a flat one, you just never know.

I was feeling really good now, the rhythm was great and I felt like I was bowling as fast as I had done in the match. I had some kick of the pitch and it was fizzing through. No more wickets, but I'm pretty sure I left an impression on Dhoni, well on his arm anyway.

The light called play to an end with about 35 mins left in the day. We'll start 30 mins earlier tomorrow to make up for it. I have no doubt that India will keep batting and to be perfectly honest, that probably suits up. Chasing 500 will be nigh on impossible so the more time that India take out of the game by batting means there is less time for us to bat and hold out for a draw. So bat on boys, my body hurts enough as it is, another half day in the field won't do to much more to it, and you never know, I might pick up a couple more wickets.....

NZ vs India - 3rd Test - Wellington - Day Two

Not the day I was hoping for is an understatement.

I sat down to write this a little earlier but wasn't really in a good mood and what I was typing was a little bit angry, I was having a bit of a moan about a few things, not related to today's play either. But I'll leave all that cause I'm feeling better now; best not to blog angry, huh!?

Today didn't go to plan, I think it's fair to say. It started off pretty well, Tommy (Matrin -> Marto -> Tom Marto.... get it??) picked up Sharma, 1^st ball of the 3^rd over of the day. We're off the park, boots off and feet up.

I spent the day switching between the changing room and the viewing area trying to change the luck of the guys out there. Don't move seats if someone is in, don't talk about how good someone is playing; these things can jinx or curse and innings. So I was up and about trying to find a place where the luck was good.

Khan bowled really well today, he seemed to have it on a string and even the bad balls ended up as good ones. I've bowled my share of short wide ones and they've ended up at the boundary not wicket taking deliveries, it was with him today.

I was padding up just before tea, I was hoping to be tucking into a big feed as a part of a recovery day. Soon after tea I was in, Khan still bowling well and Singh drifting it and spinning it a little from the other. It was Baz and I again, hopeful of another partnership with him that would bring a little respectability to our score. We were going pretty well together, the pitch was playing pretty flat and I was feeling ok. I got a couple of very good bouncers early, the first one didn't miss by much, just pulling my head out of the way right at the last second. After those couple I was feeling better about picking up the ball and getting under the short ones. If I can get under a couple of bouncers early I start to feel a lot better about batting, it means I'm watching the ball and am picking it up early. When I fend and swing at early bouncers it means I am having issues seeing the ball and I may not last to long.

I hit my new top score today. 19. Nothing special, but still it's a personal best and I'm pretty happy about it. I should have and could have scored more too. I nicked one that I had been hitting well in defence trying to look for a single. I was disappointed to get out in that way on that track and it now meant that we had to go back out and bowl, that I was more disappointed about.

It hadn't been a warm day and it certainly wasn't warm heading back out to bowl now. The shadows were long, the wind was cold and most of us are pretty tired but we went out there to give it everything.

I got to do my usual role of bowling into the wind, it was quite a good breeze but tomorrow is set to be stronger again. I got through four overs pretty good and then got a crack down wind. I had been looking forward to this and was going to go real hard and crank as much out of my body as I could. I hit some pretty good speeds and I am looking forward to a good run down it tomorrow, although my main role will be from the up wind end where I'll have to work hard getting to the crease and concentrate harder as the wind can blow you off course at the top of the jump. It's more about muscling it there rather than using rhythm to get the ball down the other end.

Lets hope for a good day tomorrow and that we can scythe through the most prolific run scoring team there is.

NZ vs India - 3rd Test - Wellington - Day One

Just another day in the park, huh! The body is pretty tired, even my arms started to feel lethargic this afternoon; I could really do with a couple of days with my feet up watching our boys bat. We have a pretty damn good chance of that happening too, we need one more wicket tomorrow morning and then the boots come off, recovery continues, I'll eat plenty, drink lots, wear my compression tights and stretch lots. But that doesn't happen until we get that last wicket.

Tough start today, we would have loved to have batted first on that pitch; it looks and has played like a good One Day wicket. Seeing as we need to win this Test to draw the series we had to take a chance, play the extra seamer and bowl first. It wasn't quite the start we'd hoped for though. Sehwag, again, took the attack to the new ball. He really has no regard for how openers 'should' play, it's exciting that's for sure and I can tell you I was a very happy boy when he nicked one, off me, through to Baz. It wasn't quite the length I was trying to bowl to him, it was the line though and when Dan got to the huddle to celebrate with us, and I got a big hug from him. We know how much getting Sehwag as early as possible changes the course of the first session and day.

Franky, in the next over, removed Gambhir with a cross seamer that held its line and smashed into his pads. The game just changed and as it did in the first Test, it was around a drinks break. Franky and I, at home at the Basin, put a 10 overs set together, 2 wickets and just 19 runs. Bowling in partnerships is such a huge thing in any cricket and when both guys get it right, or close to it, pressure from both ends, things often happen, the pressure has to be released somehow and it's those moments that can define a Test. It was in the last Test where the Indian batters absorbed everything we could throw at them in those pressure situations.

This first spell, though, wasn't what I was trying to do. Sure it was a good effort with Franky but my lengths weren't quite there and when I got my length right, I was too wide to be effective. When things are like this it's important not to try searching too hard for the right things, it is important to get through it for the least expense as possible and to hang tough for guy bowling from the other end.

Now, playing at the Basin Reserve, Wellington is special. A true cricket ground, one of the few left in NZ. Grassy embankments, terrace seating, a couple of grandstands, tree filled hills, a big blue and a gentle breeze and there really isn't too many more places in the world that I'd rather be. The sport mad and knowledgeable Wellington crowd filled every spot there was on the embankment making for a great atmosphere and a good fun day. Thanks Wellington for coming out to watch, it's great to have you there! You certainly got your monies worth today.

After lunch I opened up and found my lengths almost straight away. I just had to concentrate on holding my action for a little bit longer at the top of my jump. Doing this though meant my jump would be longer and I had to take my run up marker back a touch. The ball started to swing a little for me too, just a little, not much, but enough to keep it interesting.

This afternoon after we had taken the new ball I had a chance to bowl to the tail. My second over here wasn't the best I'd bowled, every. To Kahn I didn't quite get it right and I went for four, four, four, four and then a two. One ball left, I bounce him, gloved through to Baz and obviously I'm pretty happy. I knew that I needed just two wickets to reach 50 Test wickets, I couldn't do it in the second innings at Napier, and my chance was today. This was my 50th test wicket, something that I had forgotten until Guppy reminded me in the huddle, I was like “oh yeah, that's right.” I had completely forgotten. I'm really proud of reaching this little milestone. To be fair, it's 48 more than I thought I'd every get the chance to take after my first couple of Tests where I picked up just the two wickets at 98 a piece. This last year has been amazing and I have loved every minute of it (well almost, there's been some really tough times too).

Hopefully we'll pick up the last wicket tomorrow quickly and professionally and get off the park for a well earned rest.

NZ vs India - Napier - 2nd Test - Day Five

It's blog time...

I know this is a day late, for that you must forgive me, or not.

Yesterday, when I would normally wrap up Day 5 and the test match in this blog, was not a day for me to be doing to much; except that I was flat out trying to sort out recovery from the Test, travel plans, visa applications, get a hair cut, attending and speak at the Wellington Cricket Age Grade Prize Giving and then eating, which I had almost neglected all day. Not the day that I needed after three days (273 overs) in the field. The day I would have prescribed, in a perfect world, would have been a sleep in till 9 or 10, up for some breakfast, off to the pool for a swim and a spa and then the rest of the day doing nothing but eating and drinking water. That didn't happen, I was busy all day!

So, Day 5. We needed early wickets, two wickets, as I said, would hopefully open up the tail. We had to get two early to have a chance of getting the next couple with a harder newer ball and then the tail to come. Tommy opened up and he had Sachin caught by Baz at a time that kept us in the game. We then went as hard as we could, doing everything we could think of to dislodge VVS and Gambhir. I took over from Jeets and hit the crease hard, got through my first two overs with out really troubling either of these two. So the plan had to change. Dan and I decided I would just go as hard as possible at them, bounce them, bowl full, slower balls, just go through every variation looking for either something out of the deck or a mistake from the batters. Round and over the wicket to both, a lot of bouncers with a field set for hook shots and fended shots. I came as hard as I could for as long as I could, three times I asked Dan for “one more over” and he gave it to me, and then called me off after and eight over spell. It was good honest competition on a track that offered no variable bounce and very little spin doing everything we could to force a mistake.

I didn't feel to bad out in the park. My body was tired, sure, but I was still feeling energetic, still feeling like I could be the one to make a difference, the one to take a three wicket spell and change the game. I didn't take a three wicket spell, let alone take a wicket in the second innings, but i gave it everything until the bails were lifted mid way trough the last session of the match. I was happy with what I gave to the day. I kept my pace up right through the innings and even bowled my quickest ball of the match in my last spell. I did though miss a catch off Dan's bowling. I was at mid on to Gambhir and Dan got him to hit one, pretty comfortably, to me about waist height just to my right. I saw it early, felt like I moved well to get in a good position, but I grassed it. I can't tell you why, it hit my left thumb, which was strange, never really went it and bumped out. I almost picked it up as it bounced out, but it was just out of my reach. This is about the worst feeling there is, dropping a catch of the skippers bowling! I spoke to Baz about it later and got his thoughts on what happened from his view. He watched it all the way to me and said that it actually 'swung' on the way to me really late. This would make sense as to why it hit my thumb as opposed to the middle of my hands. It's not an excuse, just something I have to watch for harder. More work I have to do to be better. I really wanted the ground to open, swallow me up and transport me to a different place. I even gave the earth a chance to by scratching a long line in the grass so that there was already an opening it could open up and take me away.

So the day finished, both teams shaking hands and we're a pretty tired, but happy team. That is a massive turn around from the Hamilton Test and had it been a boxing match, we would have won on points. It's not though, and the result is a draw, we trail the series 1-0 and are looking forward to playing back at the Basin; my favourite ground in NZ to bowl and play on. It's normally windy here and this is something I've learnt to do pretty well, bowl into the wind. It's a tough job and someone has to do it. I learnt early on, while playing for Wellington, that if I was to make it for Wellington I had to pick a tough job and do it well. Often there isn't a tougher job than bowling into the wind, so I picked that one as the one I would take on. If you find a job that no one else wants to do, learn to do it well, it's yours for as long as you can do it for, and that's been my secret on me making and staying in the Wellington team, and how I got my chance to play for the Black Caps.

This morning has been a little stressful, I've been trying to get a Visa application sent away so that I can get over to the UK and play for Leicestershire CCC. It's been a tough process and time is really against me. I have tried to call in as many favours as I can to get it worked through quickly, but as the application has to travel to Canberra, Aust. to get completed, the travel time is probably what's going to kill me. Fingers crossed that the good people at the UK High Commission like cricket and push it through ASAP... please! Courier Post NZ and Pace Couriers NZ have been very helpful in getting it away as quick as possible, thanks heaps Jimmy and the others involved there! Fingers crossed there, hopefully it gets back to me before I intend to fly out on the 9th.

A light couple of trainings this week for me and the other bowlers before we start on Friday in the last and most important Test match of the year. Of course they are all important, and in fact every Test match is the most important one of the year, but the next one is always the big one, and this one is huge.

NZ vs India - Napier - 2nd Test - Day Four

To call that a tough day at the office is an understatement.  We battled, we toiled, we slogged, and we did everything we could to take from dislodge the Indian batters; alas there was only three on view today. 

 

Up around 8am this morning to post my Day 3 blog and catch up with a couple of emails, off to breakfast at 8.30 and then to the ground at 9.30.  We’re on the park for arm ups at 10am and I get through my stretches, throwing, fielding and warm up deliveries and am off the park about 25 minutes before start time.  In this time it’s usually a couple of waters, a sit down, get into my whites and then out for a few more warm up balls about 7 or 8 minutes before the start. 

 

I wasn’t feeling to bad after all of yesterday in the field, sure I wasn’t as fresh as I’d have loved to be, but not too bad considering.  I was to start up this morning, but as I bowled the last over from the Beach end Dan had to bowl one to change me around.  The plan was to continue with what we did yesterday, hang tough on our lengths and make life as hard as possible to both score and be out there.  My rhythm had come back to me last night and I was warm ups had gone well so I hit this spell with a good feeling.  I started well, hit my areas and had that ‘snap’ in delivery.  The pitch really wasn’t helping us to much so it was going to be a case of us doing different things to create results.  I use the crease a lot when pitches get flat or when there’s a lot of movement, for different reasons.  Pitches like this I use the width of the crease to create different angles, going wide, maybe in the middle and then back to close to the stumps, in varying patterns.  By doing this I can ‘explore’ different parts of the pitch to find out if there is anything there variable and also by changing the angles it means my stock ball is different, but still the same, it just starts from somewhere else. 

 

I hadn’t used my slower ball much so far but set a field for it and gave it a run.  First one Gambhir stroked through the off side for four, the second one, next ball we went up big for an LBW shout.  I thought it was pretty good, the ump didn’t.  The plan worked, just couldn’t get the umpire to agree! 

 

Gambhir batted well today, took his time with everything and has scored a very good, be it slower than he normally would, hundred.  He batted all day, something I’d love to do..... one day!  Maybe this was the pitch I could have done it on.

 

I haven’t seen the replays, but from reading a couple of articles on the net it seems like Dravid was unlucky to be given.  We had toiled hard for a breakthrough and finally Dan got one that looked like it got some bat onto pad and off to Howza at short leg.  Dravid had been extremely patient, 62 off 220 balls, that kind of patience is what he’s built a career on.  Great to watch from the best seat in the house, but we don’t mind if his next stay is a little shorter!

 

We toiled all day for that one wicket.  Just 205 runs were scored in the 90 overs.  We pushed hard and they absorbed what we offered.  We beat the bat, we got a few nicks that didn’t carry, a couple of inside edges that passed not too far from the stumps, it just wasn’t to be as good a day as we had yesterday with the ball.

 

We now head into day 5, 62 runs in front needing eight wickets as quick as possible.  It’ll just take one break through, early, to maybe swing the game.  One may bring two which then opens up the tail and from there, maybe, a great Test match win. 

 

We’ll be pushing hard again, don’t worry about that.  Who knows, maybe something special tomorrow?

NZ vs India - Napier - 2nd Test - Day Three

If yesterday was a near perfect day, then add that to today and together they combine to make the makings of a very special match.  That is two amazing days in the sun.

 

As it sits India are 267 behind with nine wickets in hand.  We bowled them out 314 behind our score in the 95^th over of the innings.  I put that in a pretty straight forward way because it’s quite an amazing situation we find ourselves in.

 

After having our bums smacked in Hamilton, defeated by 10 wickets, we have turned it right around, on a very, very good batting track.  We’ve given ourselves a chance to pull off a huge and special win.  We’re not celebrating at all yet, but the thought is there and in the hard times that we will find ourselves in over the next couple of days, it will spur us on to go to the next level.

 

I didn’t have the best of days with the ball.  For some reason I just didn’t have ‘it’ today.  The rhythm wasn’t there, the snap on delivery wasn’t there (till later) and the result was consistency issues; I wasn’t terrible, but it just didn’t feel very good.  My first spell today to Dravid and Tendulkar was not what I was after.  First over a maiden the next went for eight; to straight and then to wide.  And the majority of the rest of the day was similar.  I couldn’t settle onto my normal lines and lengths and have a lot to thank the other bowlers for today.  Martin was outstanding, Dan and Jeets kept doing what they started the previous night and Franky hit great areas all day long.  I felt like the weak link today, and that happens, sometime you just got to take a back seat and watch the others perform; I didn’t bowl in the 2^nd session of the day because of it.

 

Jeets got the breakthrough for the day, Tendulkar on 49, looking to push one into the off side to bring up his 50, it takes the edgy and Rossco, at slip, takes a special catch.  Jeets takes off on a celebratory run out to deep cover, I think he was happy!  Thoroughly deserved and appropriately celebrated. 

 

Jesse got the next break through, his outstanding match continues.  A short wide one and Dravid slashes, takes an edge and Baz completed a very good catch.  I’d bowled plenty of those short wide ones today, and none of them even got close to the edge of the bat!  The change bowler worked a treat and India was 246/5.

 

With the new ball taken and with Tommy (Martin) running hot we were treated to a special spell of fast new ball bowling.  A seven over spell, taking three wickets for 29 runs turned our day dramatically.  Tommy’s areas were great, asking questions with pace and a little movement with the new hard rock on the flat track.

 

I still wasn’t feeling great; I had the newish ball in hand and a couple of lower order batters to bowl at.  What a great way to turn a day around.  And then it all goes wrong, a bouncer that I didn’t bowl hard enough heads a long way over the boundary by Harbajhan, not the result I wanted.  I thought I’d try him out again, this time making sure I got the bouncer up high, it worked and Tommy took a great catch at fine leg to give me my first wicket.  The batters crossed and Khan was now on strike, hitting good areas was all I was telling myself.  A little wide, this one, and he slashes at it, Jesse at gully, jumps and takes a screamer.  India all out and we head back to the shed and then we’re all looking at each other; make them follow on or not, 314 behind, we have to, no other option really.

 

Tommy and I shared this new ball.  These nothing quite like what a couple of wickets does for ones confidence.  All of a sudden things were feeling really good.  With two wickets in two balls to close out the previous innings, I was on a hat trick.  The thing about being on a hat trick is that you want to give yourself the best chance of taking a wicket.  So fullish and straight was where I was going.  Sehwag hits it back past me for four; oh that’s right, he don’t care, he’s hitting everything everywhere!

 

I had the snap and bounce I was searching for all day long, my areas were tight and lengths good.  No wickets for me tonight, but another one for Jeets.  Sehwag looking to score freely from ball one again and spin, again, was the key to the breakthrough.

 

So as we head into Day 4 the team has a very good feel about it, we haven’t been in the field to long that the tiredness should affect us today.  We have to hang tough to our plans and when we get it wrong get back to where we should be and let them make the mistakes.  We have to keep our standards in the field and keep the energy up so that everyone can feed of it.  One of the biggest days of cricket is just around the corner......

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