SANDHU: THIS IS THE NEW EDEN ROSKILL

December 5, 2018. Not all cricket matches make sense. Sometimes certain elements of a match are hard to fathom. Sometimes it pays to simply appreciate what you’ve seen and do your best to analyse the struggles and successes of it all. The volatility of T20s only adds to the confusion. Eden Roskill vs. Parnell was one of these games.

Parnell won the toss and elected to bat first. Light can be an issue in these late evening starts, so there is always a tendency to want runs on the board. The boundaries were short, the pitch was artificial and the outfield was slow. The players would have to adjust.

The innings started brightly, if inadvertently, with Ben Rae top-edging back-to-back sixes over third man. Parnell raced out to 14/0 at the end of the first over and hopes of a high-scoring affair were raised. Towards the end of the second over, a mix-up ensued and Rae’s promising start was cut short by an ill-advised single.

Harjot Johal overstepped twice in the third over. Both free-hits went unpunished as a beautiful bouncer and an off-speed half-tracker went through to the keeper. Johal’s nine-ball over only went for five, but not before trapping an aggressive Andy Lane in front. The delivery was certainly full enough to hit, but Lane may regret looking across the line.

Ollie Pringle calmly flicked a boundary past short fine-leg. Lucky boundary, one of the Eden Roskill fielders shouted out. Luck had little to do with it. The next over, though, Pringle will have considered himself fortunate as a takeable chance was put down at extra cover. The fielder did the hard work in moving and diving to his right, but couldn’t quite hold on. Jesse Simpson drove gloriously over extra cover just out of reach of a leaping Raja Sandhu.

A slow outfield made it rather difficult to get anything going for Parnell through the middle of the innings. The boundaries were short, but they still had to be found. Eden Roskill were creative in their field sets and the bowlers found a way to make the batsmen hit to fielders. Parnell ran hard when they could, but neither Pringle (35) nor Simpson (32) could truly break the shackles. It didn’t help that both players are left-handed making it hard to access the shorter boundaries every over.

The odd boundary kept Parnell above six an over. The odd run-out opportunity kept Eden Roskill hungry for more. The hosts built up a lot of pressure on Parnell. This is where the innings is difficult to explain. Pressure rarely appeared to get to Parnell, but there was also no obvious acceleration. The intent was there. A seventeenth over onslaught provided the impetus for a big finish. Parnell skipper Brad Rodden cleared the boundary before Pringle did the same. A boundary followed and Parnell took 19 from the over.

Parnell wouldn’t find the boundary again. Eden Roskill shut the innings down professionally. The innings ended with a confusingly unnecessary run-out – it summed up much of the Parnell innings. Parnell finished on 121/5 from their 20 overs. Conditions suggests it was 30 below what a good score might have been.

Eden Roskill started their chase in similar fashion – in fact, they matched Parnell’s 14 in the first over. Swayam Desai pulled a Pringle short ball to the boundary before drop-kicking an angled delivery for six. Barrington Rowland took his time and exploded in the sixth over. His footwork was in fine form driving attractively through the covers. He’d punch the next ball for two before coming down the wicket and cutting a four behind point.

In the fifth over, at 35/0, Harry Miller cried out to his teammates to create something here, lads. They weren’t yet at last chance saloon, but there was certainly desperation in his tone. Parnell brought on their spinners and, for a while, there was a halt in Eden Roskill’s progress. The ninth over changed everything. Momentum. Belief. Contrast. It went for 18. Three wides. One dubious no-ball. One four. One free-hit six.

Pringle came back into the attack after his initial burst and made the breakthrough sneaking one through Desai (31). The Eden Roskill players were noticeably appreciative of Desai’s efforts. Great partnership. Got us off to great start.

Vamshi Puppalla didn’t take long to take up the mantle. After a few dots outside the off stump, he got down low to sweep Aniket Parikh. Puppalla would send Simpson downtown in the 13th over as Eden Roskill were in cruise control. A small, but boisterous home ground were now cheering every run. Sandhu was sure to say this is the New Roskill. It was a statement of intent, but so was the impressive performance his side had put in.

Eden Roskill left themselves open to some late drama. They required 9 runs off 12 balls, but by then Rowland had brought up his fifty and had the situation in control. Though Parnell fought until the end, the game was over long before Rowland (57*) wrangled a final boundary to deep backward square to guide Eden Roskill home by 9 wickets and 7 balls to spare.