BATTING BLUES IN BATTLE OF BABY BLUE

December 22, 2018. Every now and again you see something unexpected that truly changes your perspective on things. While you may eventually revert back to familiar thinking, that moment of disbelief reminds you cricket is, in fact, a game. There are no formulas. There are no blueprints. Just action, execution and luck. In a match that left me discombobulated, Auckland University and Eden Roskill duelled at Colin Maiden Park.

University won the toss and elected to field. For the first time this season, I had the chance to inspect the wicket. The groundsman had left some grass on it and it had something for both parties. After some toeing and froing, I believe Eden Roskill settled on batting first in any case.

The hosts got the start they wanted and were soon hunting a fourth wicket in the powerplay. One University player even audaciously suggested an early lunch. Nick Stobart continued his tremendous limited overs form grabbing a brace inside the opening six overs. First, a Barrington Rowland leading edge flew high to backward point before a mix-up ended Shaneil Sharma’s conservative start. Stobart then straightened one and found the outside edge of Swayam Desai.

At 8/3, it looked a good toss to win. University were on top and getting through their overs. The dominant start gifted them the luxury of bowling unchanged through the opening six overs. The sixth over, however, proved one too many for off-spinner Jonathan Low; Eden Roskill pulled themselves back into the match. A pair straight sixes underpinned an over of 17 and lifted the visitors to 37/3.

Skipper Raja Sandhu took his time before taking the aerial route. Despite the odd swipe across the line, there was a degree of responsibility to his knock. He single-handedly thrust his side to a total they could scrap to defend.

After Vamshi Puppala’s rushed pull was tamely caught at midwicket, Sandhu carried on. The languid left-hander greeted seamer Anthonie Clement by clipping a monstrous six over mid-wicket. With a sizeable score on the cards and probably on the bat of the skipper, Sandhu (44) took the score through to 75 before picking out Finn Allen at long-on – a classic medium-pacer’s wicket for Vijay Anand.

Clement, Stobart and Anand bowled six boundaryless overs through the middle to build the pressure on Eden Roskill. The pressure certainly told. Eden Roskill quickly tumbled to 91/8 and were in great danger of not seeing out their overs.

Bhavik Vora twice gripped it and ripped it over the legside in the final over. Eden Roskill would finish with more sixes than fours in a strange innings of ups and downs. Whenever Eden Roskill edged ahead in the game, University pegged them back with a wicket. A total of 122 was adjusted to 128 with University fractionally behind the over rate.

The buffet for bowlers – a real mukbang of wickets – inside the powerplay continued. While University got out of the blocks significantly faster than Eden Roskill, they too lost three wickets inside the first four overs. Ben Beecroft advanced down the wicket and chipped Uni’s first boundary down the ground. When he tried a second time, Jeet Kumar held his nerve and foxed one through the right-hander.

Sandhu couldn’t help but fill the scorecard with his name. He had two of the first three wickets including dasher Allen – who had driven and pulled classical boundaries. The pull, in particular, was gloriously despatched well in front of square. When Allen tried to force another, Sandhu’s extra bounce lifted a top edge towards the gully area where the keeper ran around for a comfortable catch. Eden Roskill’s belief built visibly.

A fourth followed when Tom Malcolm decided to take on Sandhu at mid-on. The big man stooped low, collected the leather and threw the stumps down. The Eden Roskill fielders had great faith in their captain – some even celebrating before the ball had hit the stumps.

By ten overs, University were in deep trouble. Scoring above run-a-ball had proved difficult throughout the match and University required more than eight an over. Eden Roskill riskily kept five fielders in the ring during the chase. It opened up the opportunity for boundaries, but the extra fielder in close helped build the pressure.

A similar middle-order collapse put University in further trouble. Harjot Johal bowled a terrific bouncer to Charles Lowen. Players enquired about Lowen’s wellbeing, before the skipper resumed his innings. Jimmy Ellis threatened an improbable heist, but most if not all hope was lost when his outside edge when through to the keeper. Rowland was on a hat trick as he chimed in late in the piece. While the hat trick delivery was safely negotiated, Rowland’s wickets significantly haltered his former side’s charge home.

Oddly enough, and this probably sums up the match, both sides were 94/8 at the 17-over mark. Eden Roskill had a big finish. University did not. Lowen instructed his tail, and gently hinted to the umpires, that time was up, bat the overs hoping his side could get close enough that run-rate penalties may get his side home.

The slow-over rate would ultimately prove inconsequential with Ben Hawkes caught calmly by a retreating long-on on the last ball over the match. Eden Roskill made it three from four in the competition with a 20-run win.