Gepps Cross vs Marion at Roma Mitchell Secondary College, December 17 2022

November 6, 2022

Joining New Zealand and England in the semi-finals are India and Pakistan. This was after the Dutch unexpectedly killed the Proteas’ chances by beating them by 13 runs, followed by the virtual quarter-final between Pakistan and Bangladesh, where the winner would qualify for the semis. It was to be Pakistan who scrapped home by 5 wickets, chasing just 127 to victory. Except for New Zealand, all other nations have a great opportunity to join the West Indies in becoming dual winners of the World Twenty20. Interestingly, it has been over a decade since either of these three teams won the title. Although I would like India to win (as it is my family’s mother country hence why I also support them), I also hope that New Zealand finally wins a World Cup trophy after recent years of heartbreak.

My chances of playing on the coming Saturday look bleak, with showers, forecast for the whole afternoon, but you never know. This season, whenever a washout was predicted, the weather turned out to be the opposite. Fingers crossed, as it will be my only game for a while due to family and music commitments ahead (not to mention one weekend of cricket lost to the day-night test match at Adelaide Oval between Australia and the West Indies).

November 11, 2022

Selections had come out last night, and my name wasn’t there. That was because I apparently was called into mandatory music practice on Saturday afternoon ahead of the concert, which will occur in a fortnight. It was a good thing, as the Saturday forecast did not budge. It is likely to be rained off at some stage during the day. My next game will likely be after I return from Singapore for a conference. Hence, I have more time to get my bowling right. However, I did practice some bowling this week, emphasising building a good rhythm, hitting the deck and moving the ball after pitching. My epiphany had come from watching clips of Sir Richard Hadlee that I felt I was wasting too much energy in my runup, denying me the opportunity to properly rotate my bowling arm to move the ball consistently. Hence, on the two occasions I practised, I focused on developing an economical run to the wicket. Not only did it not hamper my ability to hit the deck and move the ball, but I was also able to conserve my energy. Moreover, I soon became curious about biomechanics (like what if I kicked my left foot before landing, which resulted in some extra bounce with the movement).

Hopefully, once my concert is over on the 26th, I can make an effort to train where I felt I could potentially also work on my batting backlift and rhythm, which enabled me to make 33, 24 not out and 26 not out in my only chances at the batting crease in 2020. Nevertheless, the idea of making an appearance in training is to show Gepps Cross my bowling skills which could lead to bowling opportunities on the weekends, given that playing opportunities will be in abundance (according to Mick) on either side of the break.

December 10, 2022

Music Concert over, my attention was towards club training. But unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to training last week, nor was there training on Thursday with the day-night test match already commenced. By then, the T20 world cup was also over, with Pakistan unable to repeat the events of 1992 as England became the first team to hold both World Cup trophies.

Nevertheless, I still managed to get some bowling done over the week. I was very rusty on Monday, having not bowled for at least two weeks. However, the results were there on the other end. The ball wasn’t moving much at a gentle pace, and my line and length were all over the place. However, on Tuesday morning, I thought, what if I could try to pull down my front arm. Hence, I tried that for the rest of the week and lo and behold, I was moving the ball both ways after pitching while hitting the pitch hard. Due to time constraints on Tuesday and Wednesday, I only bowled two overs each evening, but I was getting instant results. I didn’t bowl on Thursday due to a slight thigh/groin stain; Friday was my scheduled leg day. I did bowl on Friday, but I only bowled one over due to chest soreness.

Despite the limited number of overs, I felt my bowling was on the upswing. I feel that hitting the pitch hard while moving the ball both ways should hold me in good stead for a very limited summer. The key, though, is to keep me fresh for bowling. Doing major chest exercises, such as the Bench Press the day before training or matches, isn’t a good idea, as I found out the hard way yesterday. I hope, though, on the coming Thursday that I can not only show the club what I’m capable of with the ball but also make sure I get some batting practice done, having figured out the stance and backlift which helped me two summers ago.

December 15, 2022

Even though I had arrived that morning from Singapore, I made an effort to attend club training for the first time since joining Gepps Cross, having managed an extra couple of hours of sleep in the early afternoon. At the start, all of us present were doing fielding conducted by the coach Daniel March. We were initially divided into four groups where Marchy would hit the ball in the air or on the ground. Someone will have to field the ball, get it to the guy standing over the stump (or rather hit it), and then throw it to the keeper. Whenever there was a bad throw, everyone had to do five pushups. It wasn’t too bad on both fronts, particularly on the punishment scale (better than being punished for dropping a catch). Like I did in a match last month, I didn’t get any catching opportunities, but I at least managed to field the ball cleanly and get a straight throw into the keeper.

Then it was time for some net practice. I had taken out my new 4-piece Kookaburra Senator cricket ball but struggled for control. Yet, I managed to move the new ball both ways on some occasions and on a couple of occasions, I got some bounce. Truth be told, I struggled for rhythm, but I was happy with what I saw as I was mainly pitching the ball up. The biggest takeaway was the batting. I recalled the stance and backlift from two summers ago and made a slight adjustment with my hands which enabled me to drive, cut and pull while also being aggressive against spin by coming down the wicket whenever the ball was flighted. However, I had struggled against the slow-medium bowling as I was playing the ball far too early, resulting in hearing the death rattle twice. So, I had to not swing the ball too early or come down the wicket to make my own pace.

Now I felt ready for the weekend. The selections were released an hour after training, which finished at 7pm. Unfortunately, my wish to play LO6s wasn’t granted as they failed to field a side with a minimum of seven players. Rather, I was selected to play in LO3s for the second time in six weeks. As I recalled my conversation with Macca back then, he may have played some part in my selection. Even though he is not the captain, I hope to get an opportunity to contribute this weekend with the ball in hand. If I can score some runs, that will be a bonus.

December 17, 2022

Since moving to Adelaide in early 2019, I have played on turf wickets at two secondary colleges: St Paul’s and Prince Alfred College. Today, I will play in a third secondary college, Roma Mitchell Secondary College, more infamously known for a COVID cluster last year. From what I heard, the wicket within Roma Mitchell had been curated by a SACA curator, former SA and WA quick Trent Kelly, which I heard was going to be a good cricket wicket. However, ‘Tricky’ Summers advised me that a couple of weeks ago, the wicket was slow and low. Remains to be seen how it will play today, though.

The captain, Adam Antrobus, won the toss and elected to bat, despite Marion not having the minimum number of players to constitute a team (seven). Tricky and Adam Drew gave us a solid start adding 45; Tricky played a few shots upfront while Drewy held the fort. After Tricky fell for a solid 30, Drewy and Ash Mac continued with a 61 run stand for the second wicket, where Drewy attempted to up the ante with Ash Mac as support. During his innings, However, during Drewy tried to work a delivery behind square on the leg side, he usually picked out Sam Streng, who fielded either at Square Leg or Short Fine Leg. Not so surprisingly, Drewy picked him out again, this time caught trying to glance down the leg side on 46. From 1 for 106, we lost wickets regularly as we tried to pick up the pace, but in the end, we managed 7 for 163 from our 40 overs. As for Ash Mac, he managed to get to 50 off just 60 balls, in a manner no different to how Pakistan’s Shan Masood had played in the recent T20 world cup.

Hence, we had a total on the board, but we noticed that Marion had usually tried to bowl at the stumps with the fielders providing strong support. These were the two things we needed to get right to come out on top. Nevertheless, we managed to do that with some help from Marion’s opening bat Josiah Woodberry, who carried his bat for 38 off 119 balls, an innings similar to Sunil Gavaskar’s in the 1975 Cricket World Cup against England. During the bowling innings, we deliberatively defended against Josiah but attacked the other batters to get him out. This strategy, dictated by our captain, paid off, and Marion only managed 7 for 134 in reply. Josiah and Ben Capper provided a similar solid start to us, with a 55 run stand before our captain broke that partnership. Thereafter, his tactics, as described earlier, bore fruit, where Marion lost a further 6 for 39 against the bowling of Adam, Macca, Craig Loader and Jono Makai. Even though Josiah and Sam Streng added 40 runs at the end, it was too late. Hence, we won by 29 runs.

As for my contribution, I didn’t bat nor bowl but ended up fielding the entire run chase. Yet, I was again appreciated by Macca for my intensity, given that I was seen hustling around the field and ensuring that I didn’t midfield the ball while saving some crucial runs in the process. However, a few hours later, I started to wonder, even though my fielding was appreciated, when will I get an opportunity to show the new club my all-round skills, especially with the ball in hand. It started to eat away at me as I was twice listed to bat at 9 and had not yet bowled a single delivery this season. The best thing to do for now is to sleep on it during the Christmas/New Year break and raise the matter before the season restarts on January 7.

Goodwood vs Gepps Cross at Cabra Dominican West Oval, November 5 2022

October 17, 2022

As I am quite new to the club, I am grateful that our secretary, Danica McMillan, put me in touch with the LO coordinator Mick Schooley, with whom I could get in touch regarding selections and availabilities. Unfortunately, now I have rehearsals before a music concert on November 26, it would be difficult for me to attend team training. Thankfully, Mick advised me that my selections would not be in doubt as I had a valid reason to miss training.

With seemingly no time for team training, the only choice is self-training, which is bowling by myself at a nearby net. Back in 2018-19, that tactic did me no harm as I had then embarked on a superb purple patch with the ball for Ginninderra 5th Grade, taking 17 wickets from 7 matches before my work transfer took me to Adelaide. The only downside will be the lack of batting and fielding practice, but I trust my fundamentals and any game-day practice to be prepared.

Anyways, after a warmup consisting of a run around a dilapidated tennis court and dynamic full-body stretching exercises taken from my current weight-training drills, it was time to finally bowl with a cricket ball. Today’s aim was to visualise bowling over the wicket to both left and right-handers. As I was able to do in previous drills, I could swing the ball both ways against the left and right-handers from over the wicket. Even if the occasional delivery went down the leg side. Yet, most of my deliveries were at least around the off-stump line (and maybe around the fourth or fifth-stump line). To the right-hander, not all deliveries moved sideways appreciably. Some deliveries kicked from a length, and some held their line (perhaps due to the concrete surface I was bowling on in Mawson Lakes rather than my ability). Nevertheless, today was a successful exercise as I could bowl with control most of the time, courtesy of the twelve-pace runup I settled upon during my drills.

However, after bowling the equivalent of six overs, I had to cut my bowling practice short as I felt a pinch on my lower back and slight hamstring tightness (perhaps considering it had been almost twelve months since I had last held a cricket ball). As a warm-down, I ran one lap of Mawson Lakes oval and walked the other to finish up before it was time to go and freshen up ahead of music practice.

October 23, 2022

Last night I learned from Mick that Justin tore his Achilles Heel during the heavy defeat to Ingle Farm, which meant that a stand-in captain would be required for the time being. It will be good if he can take over as he’s currently the LO coordinator, but I am sure he will put in a word for me to the eventual stand-in captain, if it is somebody else, regarding my bowling abilities.

I am targeting a return to the pitch on the coming weekend. However, a potential early evening event and rain throughout the afternoon are strong indicators for me not to make myself available. As I would need to make a call by Wednesday/Thursday, I will need to monitor the forecast on a daily basis. The weather will be a big indicator of when I can go for another round of outdoor bowling practice. For now, Friday afternoon seems to be the best time for that.

It was not a surprise to see Australia go down to the Kiwis in last night’s Super 12 curtain-raiser. It all went pear-shaped when Aaron Finch tossed the coin and chose to field first. To be honest, I do not see them defending their crown, let alone qualifying for the semi-finals, as history is against them. No team has won a home World Twenty20 nor defended their crown. It will be the 1992 50-over World Cup all over again, just as last year’s Twenty20 campaign mirrored the 1987 50-over World Cup. While my opinion may be unpopular, I would be very happy if Australia proved me wrong by defending their crown on home soil. I am trying to keep my expectations very low. I am hoping England, New Zealand, India and Pakistan will be my semi-finalists.

October 28, 2022

Throughout the week, I realised that if I just pitched the ball around the good length area, I can get the ball to move both ways. Whenever I bowl half-volleys or almost yorker length, the ball doesn’t move. The secret to bowling the ideal length lies in my front arm. When it is at 90 degrees, the ball will pitch around the good length area. If it is less, I will bowl fuller and short if it is more than 90 degrees.

Until yesterday, my deliveries were kissing the wicket as I sought to swing both ways, meaning that my deliveries lacked pace. Hence I made a considerable effort to pull that front arm up, down and harder. This resulted in me generating more zip and bounce, which I hope holds me in good stead this season.

My debut for Gepps Cross will have to wait for another week as my evening program took preference. Still, today’s weather would be a good opportunity to put in one last bowling effort before next weekend, with wet weather set to dominate the whole working week (in a way it is not too bad as it will keep me fresh from bowling).

Like last week, I visualise bowling to the left and right-handers when trying to bowl a good line and length. Aside from the few deliveries I bowled down the leg side, I felt I was in control, and I was in a good rhythm. In addition, I found that if I pump my arms while maintaining the ‘loading’ position on my bowling hand, I can move the ball after it hits the pitch. Thereby, I felt I was bowling at a good pace (perhaps not express but hopefully enough to cause problems for the batters). There were times that I had lost momentum in my run-up, but I soon regained the momentum once I fixed my run-up by adding an extra stride or two (I suppose, though, that it will depend on the surface I bowl on, which makes it important for me to measure it on Saturdays).

I also worked on some slower balls, which is vital in a one-day match. In the past, I used to premediate my grips for slower balls as I run into bowl, which make it easy for batters to decipher. This time, I tried to add some deception by altering my grips at the last minute. I can say it worked as well as showing my grips in my run-up. Two things remain, though. First is deciding when exactly it will be time to bowl (i.e. how is the batter playing? and will I need to bowl one at all?), and second is whether my slower balls will be deceptive at all or not.

More remarkable was that I was bowling with an overworked right rear delt, which could result in over-bowling throughout the whole working week. Upon reflection, it has, on occasions, done me more harm than good because when it comes to bowling, I am a perfectionist, meaning that I would continue until I am satisfied. Right now, I am in a happy space and will trust my fundamentals come game day if I don’t bowl again next week. I must realise that I am now playing the game for fun.

Moving to the Twenty20 world cup. With England’s shock loss to Ireland and the washout against the Aussies, the host nation yet could still prove me wrong. After beating Sri Lanka handsomely, they need to do likewise against Afghanistan and Ireland. Moreover, they must hope the Kiwis top their group undefeated while Sri Lanka loses to England. Any opposite result will ensure that it will be a reprise of the 1992 50-over world cup. Australia’s death bowling needs to get up to speed while hoping that captain Aaron Finch hits good form with the bat.

November 4, 2022

As the weather improved, I continued to bowl more overs throughout the week. Again I felt I had a good rhythm as I continued to hit the pitch hard. However, as I was mainly hitting a full length, I realised that I will need protection not just down the ground but also around the deep mid-wicket/cow corner region. This will depend if the game is in the balance or the batters are on top. Yet, should we be on top, I could afford to be a bit more attacking (perhaps have a second slip if I am moving the ball away from the bat).

Yesterday, I was going to make my Gepps Cross debut in LO6s. However, this afternoon I was told that I was bumped up to LO3s. Instead of driving to Kidman Park, I have to drive to Cumberland Park, near Cabra Dominican College (the alma mater of former Aussie quick Jason Gillespie). As it was difficult to really identify the ground on Google Maps, I will have to arrive really early just to make sure I am at the right place. That is the only thing it is making me nervous. Given I was told that LO3s is a pretty strong side, I am hoping not only do I get a bowling opportunity, but I also don’t want to embarrass myself (especially in the field). Mick assured me that I will be ok as there will be some good guys within that side that will look after me. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

November 5, 2022

I tried to make sense of my surprise promotion to LO3s as I did not want to ask why I got promoted despite not attending a single training session. One of the theories I came up with was that I would play with the club president Shane McMillan who is coincidently captain for today. Let us leave it at that. It was a relief to find the ground in the first place, where thankfully, I noticed some guys wearing Gepps Cross Merchandise. The oval is a typical school oval where the boundaries are pretty short. In other words, mishits can go for six, leaving no margin for bowler error. It was no surprise that I had noticed that last week’s match was a 250 vs 219 game, thereby coming to the conclusion that we would need to bowl really well.

Macca won the toss and chose to bat. Doc Tansell and Tricky Summers got us off to a solid start before Doc held out for 19 to end a 36 run partnership. The wicket proved to be slow and low, at times two-paced. As the ball got older, so did the run scoring. Thereby it was no surprise that we collapsed pretty badly. Aside from Tricky, who made 27, Gaurang Chauhan, who made 32 and Gurleen Singh, who made 21, no one else made a score of note, myself included. As the pitch was slow and low, I knew I had to apply the forward press. Despite this, I couldn’t quite hit it off the square, and when I finally played a serious cut shot, it instead took the edge and carried to slip. I didn’t trouble the scorers as I did when I first batted in Adelaide three years earlier. If anything, my backlift was the issue, which I only realised after returning from the cricket.

Defending just 127, we needed early wickets. However, Goodwood’s start mirrored ours until Smit Patel caught the edge of one of the opener’s bat to Macca at first slip. After that, the symmetry continued. Liam Beames bowled the left-handed opener before Andy Leonard’s offices claimed two LBWs dismissals. Sadly for Andy, he was hit for four consecutive sixes around the deep mid-wicket/cow corner region, the shortest side of the boundaries, and he was soon out of the attack. Smit Patel bowled that batter who hit the sixes, and then Macca took the sixth wicket with just twelve needed to win. By the time he finished his over, Goodwood needed eight to win. He was planning to give me an over, but a bizarre sequence of events paid plan to that. Smit was hit for four through cover, then conceded one before a delivery missed the batter, stumps and Doc who was keeping which crashed into the helmet, resulting in five penalty runs. The match was over.

I had no regrets because I had a good time running around and was well-appreciated, especially by Macca. Not only was he impressed with my ability to stick around, but also my safe ground fielding (surprising, to be honest, because I thought I was average). Macca initially assumed that I wanted to play two-day cricket, but I advised Danica and Mick that I am only available for one-day matches only. He had hinted that he would try to get me into LO3s, but I wanted to at least try playing in LO6s first. Regarding my fielding, there was one time when that batter who hit Andy for four consecutive sixes was on strike to Beamesy, and he hit a ball through backward square leg. I was fielding at deep forward square leg, so I ran desperately to try and stop the boundary. In desperation, I tried to stick my right hand out to palm it away from the boundary. It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective as I kept the ball away and saved three runs, much to the appreciation of the whole team. I wished we had enough runs on the board where I could have at least gotten a bowl.

As family and music commitments may result in me missing a fair chunk of the season, I really hope that this club will become fourth-time lucky as they are truly a family-friendly club with people who are very understanding of my situation and are willing to support me whenever I could. I hope I can get out to training where possible and at least get a chance to bowl in matches. Having done a lot of bowling in the lead-up to this match, perhaps there is no harm in keeping myself fresh for the coming weekend, given I have other commitments during the week.

T20 Cricket watch. As anticipated, Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign was a dead ringer with their 1992 50 over World Cup campaign as they crashed out following England’s victory over Sri Lanka and their sloppy cricket even in victories against Ireland and Afghanistan, which prevented them from improving their net run-rate following their thumping defeat to the Kiwis. Australia needs to start planning for the 2024 campaign in the West Indies and the US by identifying some quality young batters and keepers like Josh Inglis, Josh Phillipe, and Ben McDermott and death bowlers like Nathan Ellis. New Zealand and England are through while it is up in the air as to who else will join them in the semi-finals.

October 4, 2022

A new season beckons. It will start in four days when teams within the ATCA two-day competition will kick off the season with a one-day match. As for me, both work and family commitments have and will prevent me from attending training and making myself available for selection. As it stands, I am targeting a return to cricket later this month.

Yet, it will be with a new club. My season with Adelaide Warriors was very forgettable. Lack of opportunity combined with lack of faith by captains and teammates alike resulted in me getting shuffled around the field every time I dropped a catch while only bowling fifteen overs all season. It wasn’t like I wasn’t trying (I wasn’t bowling too badly either), but it seemed that the club was very result oriented despite the warmth I had felt from the players. The feedback I got during that season was that I had to put myself available for selection more, but that’s really out of my control.

Thereby I had decided to switch to Gepps Cross, a decision that I had decided towards the end of last season. The secretary Danica MacMillan, was very helpful in actioining my clearance which only came through last week. Thankfully, no one from Adelaide Warriors contacted me about my request to move clubs. They probably know why. Let’s leave it at that.

I had joined Gepps Cross as they were going to field an LO6 side, which is the kind of my preferred standard based on my current priorities. Yes, this club may have some two-day sides, but there is no way (this time), I would be swayed to play two-day cricket. Not so much for my uncertainin availabilities, but after some retrospective, I felt that I was in the side for my adhesive batting more, as opposed to my bowling whenever we have decent bowling depth. Which I felt was the case, most of the time, ever since I started playing two-day cricket ten summers ago. I had finally come to peace, that one day cricket will be my calling. I can bat for sure, but I prefer to bowl, which has always been my strength.

Speaking of bowling. Despite my disrupted build-up, I managed to work on some drills indoors regarding my bowling action. First of all, I worked on the fundamentals of my bowling action, so that I can move the ball both ways without giving early clues to the batters as to how I intend to swing the ball. Secondly, I managed to work on my run-up, whenever I had the space to do so. I had come to the conclusion that I can maintain my rhythm with twelve paces (as opposed to fourteen) after three weeks of drills. It must be noted though that I am yet to bowl a single bowl to a single batter. That is something I would want to rectify as soon as my commitments will allow.

Adelaide Warriors vs Pembroke OS at LJ Lewis, November 27, 2021

November 15, 2021

Looking back, I was very nervous which as a result both my rear deltoids and right wrist were stiff. That contributed to my inability to swing the ball as I liked over the weekend. Now it has been two weeks that I have been unable to swing the ball and it is more to do with the stiff wrist tilt. Luke Wimbridge had warned me about following that habit and it was clear that I did not heed them. Even though I was able to swing the ball at practice with the tilted wrist, it is clear that I need a technical change. Watching YouTube videos of Kiwi quick Adam Milne and Luke’s videos on Facebook reinforced the need to avoid the tilted wrist. Why did I fall into this trap in the first place? It was to find an edge for the extra pace that I picked up at training back in September. Looking back though, it is clear that this kind of delivery should be used sparingly. Perhaps the bit of extra pace that will go with the angle following a couple of outswingers to the right-hander for instance.

That alone, my tactics will need modification as well. I usually bowl straight but on Saturday I was bowling mostly on the pads when the ball failed to swing with the tilted wrist. Instead, I should start with a fourth-stump line to see if I am able to move the ball and accordingly adjust my line. Moreover, during a bowling spell in a match, I must buy myself some time out in the middle to try and outsmart the batter as opposed to self-preserving in getting each ball to swing the ball to my desire. I am hoping once I correct the habits, this will lead towards an improvement in moving the ball come match days, provided that KP still can trust me to deliver with the ball in hand. Having struck twice in seven overs across two matches, I really want to continuously prove to him that I can do a job. It will be a disaster otherwise, that will lead me into a massive mental meltdown that I had several weeks ago, which I wish to avoid. I suppose, there may be no harm in replying back to KP with something like “Really well, can’t wait to have a bowl when my chance comes” when he asks me how I’m doing. In that way, if I come across as confident, then it gives him confidence in me.

November 22, 2021

I finally figured it out after 30 minutes of toil. I was simply trying to bowl too fast and in the process, I couldn’t move the ball of the straight. As a result, for two weeks in a row, I was exposed by my inability to swing the ball away from the right-hander. My run-up wasn’t at fault, it was more to do with me trying to whip my arms across as fast as possible. Once I started to slow things a touch, my heavy balls were coming out – Outswing with a bit of bounce, which was clearly missing. And I was able to get the ball to move off the concrete pitch in the nearby Mawson Lakes dilapidated nets. If I could do that, then I should be able to swing the ball on the turf pitch. It also helped that I broke away from the wrist tilt habit. Moreover, I had a really good session under the warm sun which was slightly physically taxing but hoping it will pay dividends as the season will heat up from December.

As usual, following my net session, I was always trying to explore any little tips and tricks to bowl that little faster from countless YouTube videos. It hardly matters though if the body is sore and I know from experience when I have on countless occasions, tried bowling full steam despite being sore. It all stems from the mind, as it seeks perfection and thereby confidence ahead of a match. At this stage, there are at least 12 people (including myself) that are available for our next match against Pembroke OS at home. Initially, I was contemplating whether to request KP to give me another go knowing that family commitments would exclude me from selections the following week. However, I’m better off not doing anything at all. It will a blessing in disguise if I get overlooked since I will have more time to attend to my bowling ahead of a potential match on the 11th of December (the final match prior to the Holiday break).

November 26, 2021

Today was developing an understanding of my bowling technique. I found that I can get through my action faster if I push my front arm forward as opposed to upward. The result was that pushing my front arm upward resulted in me bowling short and slow deliveries as opposed to fast and full. Moreover, when I ‘slide’ my bowling arm down my hip as opposed to pushing my arm to the side away from my body, I get the ball to swing after pitching as opposed to slight seam movement.

I kept bowling for an hour in trying to go through my allotment of tricks in preparation for tomorrow. After the session, I was confident and declared to KP that I am ready for tomorrow. Sometime earlier, I wondered if I was better off sitting out but KP asked me to play due to player shortage. When I looked at the team sheet when it came out at lunchtime, Boree was listed to keep. I assumed that he needed an extra seamer as a result, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if Amit Patel, will be sharing the keeping duties with Boree like he did against Kilburn. Having declared my readiness to bowl which KP was happy to head, I was hoping not only for a better return but also more overs. If Boree was not to bowl at all, I have to stand up and fill the void. If offered the opening bowling position which is likely to be with Imran Soni and Viren Shah, I will take it. However, I must be prepared to come on as a change bowler like before.

November 27, 2021

As a home team, we were very disorganized today since we had no team kit. As a result, we started late but, courtesy of quick thinking led by one of the vice-captains Amit Patel in which he managed to grab two sets of stumps and bails and cones, we managed to start as soon as we can. I think we started about 1.15 or so. Earlier, KP won the toss and chose to bat.

We had a new opening partnership with Amit going to open with Boree. They added 36 before both of them got out soon after each other. Even though KP got off the blocks quickly, he was out LBW for 17. We were wobbling a bit at 3 down for about 60 but the other vice-captain Amrish Patel with Hari Iyer steadied the innings by raising a half-century stand. Once again, after a good partnership, both batsmen fell. Amrish for 40, Hari for 16. Thereafter, we had a mini-collapse.

I walked into bat at no. 10 this time with four overs to go, with strict instructions to ensure we batted out the overs. I survived for three overs, trying to give Sonu Gupta the strike as much as possible as he was getting on a roll. I then held out on the third ball of the over, trying to hit out but failed to clear the Point fielder. Having crossed, Sonu then smashed a six before a run-out ended the innings on 187 with Sonu not out on 32.

We had a defendable total on the board and we were off to a good start. Viren had both openers caught off attacking strokes before Boree won an LBW shout. Thereafter, there was a recovery, similar to our innings, with their left-hander in an aggressive mood. I was due to come on the 21st over, but now I regret my attitude which was why Chirag Modi was preferred, following a drinks break. I was surprised by the opportunity but in hindsight, I was probably making an excuse knowing my weakness for left-handed batters.

It worked out in the end but my afternoon got worse. I missed a regulation skier. Actually, I almost had it but I lost control and the ball spilled out of my hands and onto the ground. And it pained me for the rest of the match even though I tried my very best to raise my own spirits. Eventually, Chirag broke through as he claimed five of the final seven wickets to fall. He had the left-hander caught behind as he tried another leg-side heave. From there he ran through the rest of the batting. In the end, we won by 36 runs but it could have been a lot worse, which made KP very concerned.

Even though I am three from three in LO4s, it seems as though that I am becoming a liability especially if I am not getting many opportunities with the ball in hand. Given that the move to LO4s has not worked out as I expected, internal questions will be raised about whether my competitive juices have definitely dried out. I have the week off due to family commitments to find a way to salvage my love for the game before it gets too late.

Adelaide University vs Adelaide Warriors at Park #12, November 13 2021

November 8, 2021

Having been challenged to bring more variety into my bowling by KP, I took up the opportunity to head to the Mawson Lakes nets with one of the new balls I got for my birthday. But first, I needed to fix my load-up position which deprived me of any swing which turned me into a buffet bowler. People have said that swing is in the wrist, but I find that angling the seam while keeping the wrist in a neutral position was giving me optimal results. And so, it showed today as I got extravagant movement both ways. For the inswinger which has been my least frequently used delivery, I had resorted to the grip demonstrated by the late Bob Woolmer in one of his coaching videos. That grip helped me to develop decent swing, but it has been tricky to get it to land on the perfect spot which was on a sixth stump line outside the off-stump to a right-hander. Bowling that delivery to the left-hander wouldn’t be a problem though. That aside, the crosswinds I encountered over the weekend took the sting out of the ‘Rohitpindi’ express. Thereby, I started to run in like a sprinter by pumping my arms which added a bit of potency to my deliveries. Moreover, my follow-through finishes up right up to the batter, perhaps adding to the intimidation factor. Despite encountering the crosswind again, my momentum-building run-up nullified the crosswind and still bowled some heat. The ‘Rohitpindi’ express is back and better.

Once the load-up issue was solved, I played around with angles. In addition to running in close to the stumps, I experimented with going wide of the crease and back while I was able to control and land the outswinger. Playing with angles in my view should confuse the batter to some degree as to where the ball is going to land, maybe being sucked into playing a delivery they should be left alone. The angle where I am delivering from together with the direction of my front arm dictates where the ball is going to pitch. Mixing these two ingredients up is critical to prevent batters from getting themselves into a rhythm.

November 11, 2021

Yesterday I was watching some old cricket footage – West Indies vs South Africa 2001 Test Series. One passage of play amazed me. Carl Hooper, the then West Indies captain was bowling. He brought in a short leg and the next ball, the Proteas’ batter attempted the sweep and was bowled. Geoffrey Boycott on air said something like ‘That was well bowled, he (Hooper) played on his mind’. That got me thinking that I could try to do something similar like after two dot balls, will he be itching to hit a boundary? But it depends on each batter. I could, in these circumstances put my mid-on and mid-off back, bowl outside off-stump, and see if he will go for the boundary shot. These aspects of gamesmanship are required in cricket as it is a mental game.  

Another change I will need to make is my starting field following a chat with Adrian Wright whom I was introduced to through a mutual family friend. By default, I operate with a 5-4 field as I want to bowl stump to stump moving the ball both ways. But if I was going to operate on an off-stump or 4th/5th stump line, I will change to a 6-3 field. Keep a slip and a gully, take out a leg-side fielder and place him into the covers. Depending on how I go, I can push mid-on and/or mid-off back or have a cover sweeper while keeping a cover fielder inside the circle.  

November 13, 2021

In the lead-up to today, there was going to be some doubt whether we will have a match as there were heavy amounts of rain over the last two days. The rain created doubt in my mind whether firstly the pitch will be ready to play on and secondly, will the conditions improve for us to get playing at all today. Yesterday, our fixture against Adelaide University was shifted from Park #10 to Park #12. I knew having driven by Park #10 that it had no covers, but I did see that Park #12 had covers already. Hence, it was a smart thing to do by the home team to request for this shift. The good thing is that we have a game of cricket for sure, but it remains to be seen how much of it we will get today. I will be grateful if we got a game at all as family commitments will prevent me from playing the following weekend.

Personally, it feels a bit odd coming back to Park #12 to play having briefly trained there with Adelaide University when I first arrived in Adelaide.  From memory, Park #12 has two pitches. There is one pitch that is closest to the hard wicket nets on one side of the oval and there’s another pitch that is closest to the turf nets on the opposite side. I suspect that we would be playing on the former as the latter is the main pitch used for SACA Premier Cricket fixtures. It is an opportunity for me to show Adelaide University how much I have improved since I left them ahead of the 2019-20 season. It might be time to unleash the ‘Rohitpindi’ express once again. While I am anticipating crosswinds, I am confident that my new run-up will negate it better than it did last weekend. If I can control my front arm and put it in the right areas under helpful conditions, I will feel that I at least did my job.

We got a full game indeed and it went down to the wire. We were sent into bat by Adelaide University. Unfortunately, Boree’s inconsistency with the bat continued. Only managed five following his splendid hundred last week. The top-order effort was this time carried out by Amrish Patel and Brijesh Panchal who added 48 for the third wicket. When both fell – Bijesh for 20 and Amrish for 39, we were in desperate trouble at 5 for 78. And it did not improve at all despite Amit Patel’s efforts in constructing 30 runs. We were bowled out for 135 just at the start of the 34th over. I had come in at No. 11 and played out two deliveries. Then at the start of the 34th over, Amit tried to hit over the top but was instead caught at point. That was initially a waste. We could have nudged our way to 150 runs as I could hang around. Nevertheless, we had a total to bowl at and we made a great fist of defending it. Boree bowled out a tidy nine-over quota while dismissing both the openers. Imran Soni bowled a tidy six-over spell. I came on a took a wicket in three overs. Then Manav Jaggi struck in the 19th over. After Blight and Roberts briefly steadied the innings with a 39-run stand, Manav dismissed both batsmen. At 7 for 99, we were in charge. However, Ansari and Rajendiran chipped away at our target and got the required remaining runs under single figures. Then, another twist was in the tale. Chirag Modi, bowling with a whippy shoulder action from a couple of paces, clutched a caught and bowled offering from Ansari. In the same over, I ‘froze’ under pressure. Ed Finlay clipped the ball to me at forward square leg as I was deep but having tried to attempt a run out at the bowler’s end, I threw it wide but it eluded Chirag and the batters went for an overthrow. Order was soon restored with two overs to go. Finlay tried hitting over the top but Boree took a good catch to give Manav his fourth wicket. That left us one over and one wicket remaining with four runs to get. Rightfully, Chirag with his experience was bowling it. He conceded two singles on the first two balls. Then, there was a mix-up on the next ball as the ball went to Sonu Gupta. With the batters out of their ground, Sonu threw the ball at the bowler’s end and directly hit the stumps to spark wild celebrations in the middle. The win didn’t quite sink in for me until we got off the ground. I had nearly blown it with my wayward throw and in my first over with the ball where I conceded two boundaries. Thankfully, there were insignificant blemishes. I didn’t bowl too badly though. I had got into my rhythm and in my second over, I trapped Reddy LBW with a full delivery. However, nerves had started to creep in as we started to work into their batting. I started to relax when we had them 5 down before drinks but again started to tense up as they got closer to our score. Despite the work I did on Monday, I still wasn’t able to swing the ball, but I was able to vary my angle of delivery. I was initially going to bowl after drinks, but KP wanted to try Chirag for an over. In the end, that was a masterstroke as he’s an experienced cricketer who again delivered when it mattered the most.

Later Boree thought that our win was like the classic 1999 World Cup semi-final between Australia and South Africa in which a tie resulted in a runout. It indeed, felt that way.

Adelaide Warriors vs Kilburn at LJ Lewis, November 6, 2021

October 25, 2021

Last night, that dropped catch continued to weigh on me heavily which was clear that I do not possess the mental strength to cope in a competitive grade. I was hopeful that all my previous experience in tough competition could have helped me in great stead. But now, my own sensitive personality has now started overcoming me. Which explained why I am unable to move on. Thereby, I messaged Suresh Wadala, our club manager that I sadly do not have the stomach for the battle and am considering withdrawing myself from selections for the season. Instead, I took his offer of playing in the LO4s. Afterward, I had apologized for letting him and the team down despite their efforts to accommodate me into the team. I hope though that over time Mandeep and Vikram would similarly respect my wishes. If I do encounter them, I will have to apologize for letting them down as well even after providing me with initial support. Had I stayed and continued this mental struggle, I might have cost the team an opportunity for finals which would have destroyed me.

Now, having made the switch, that weight soon came off my slight frame (as I write, I weigh around 78kg having been 87kg halfway through the winter). Rumit was happy to hear of my decision as he thought that I might be able to fulfill the role as an opening bowler following their defeat to Walkerville in a high-scoring encounter despite yet another brilliant hundred by Boree Kieng. I had advised captain Krunal Patel (KP) of my decision although I was only to be available next weekend as I will need to set up the house for Diwali. After what I had gone through, a break away from the club will do me a lot of good. That opening bowler position isn’t guaranteed but I hope I can rediscover my enjoyment for the game.

November 6, 2021

In the lead-up to today, I had decided to return back to the action that I bowled with on my very first training session of the season which lead to my moniker, the ‘Rohitpindi express’. It is based on the nickname given to former Pakistan tearaway, Shoaib Akthar who was well known as the ‘Rawalpindi express’. Back in 2015-16, I was known as the ‘Rohit express’ when I showed off bowling quick in the nets but it all fizzled out. I made that decision based on the fact that I had been able to get my outswinger going at a zippy pace. The only concern was that I didn’t get my inswinger going at all, which I hope will be a work in progress moving forward.

I had to scramble to get to the ground having attended the Diwali function in the morning. Having been given the hurry-up, I’d assumed that we were bowling first. It started to rain when I arrived at the ground and so having arrived, I was out to help put the cover on the pitch. As a result, we started 30 minutes later which meant that we can play a full match until 7pm. That was probably the actual reason why I got the hurry up, as we were batting first.

The initial overs were very challenging for Boree and Pinkesh Modi on a sticky wicket. Although Pinkesh fell having battled for a few overs with a broken finger, batting got easier. Boree to his credit survived the initial tricky period and later flourished. He raised his second hundred of the season, making 122 at better than a run-a-ball. But he had help. Amrish Patel made 16 in a 46-run stand and Ravish Modi made 43 in a century stand. These contributions set up a massive flourish from our middle order led by our captain Krunal Patel who made 30 off 19 balls, enabling us to post 8/267 from our 40 overs. Surely, the game was going to be in the bag.

But Kilburn through their openers, Ahmed and Shafa were off to a flyer against the bowling of Boree and Imran Soni. I had spilled a hot chance off Boree’s bowling which could have dismissed Ahmed. In hindsight, I should have taken the chance with two hands instead of one. After seven overs, I was given an opportunity to bowl. KP asked if I was ok bowling into the wind. I had replied that I had been bowling into the wind in the past. In my mind, I had done an adequate job bowling into the wind especially with Maxy Clarke going great guns in C1 with the ball back in 2019-20. My first ball was hit for a boundary, but I took a wicket. Ahmed tried to cut me but the edge went to Boree. In fact, my first two overs went for just seven runs. But then Ali Khan really tore into my bowling. He came down the wicket and walked across his crease but all I could offer was the same line and length although I had varied my pace. He still hit me for boundaries. Thinking about it, I could have used my crease to vary my angles. The actual truth was that I couldn’t swing the ball which would have been due to my load-up position. Later in the night, KP challenged me to observe and outthink a batter moving forward as he views me as a key bowler.

That start helped Ali Khan get set as he took down whatever was served at him. Most of the time, it went for a six. It felt that while he was still in, Kilburn could win the game. But Amit Patel struck as Ali Khan mishit a slog which was well caught on the boundary by Amrish. Ali Khan smoked 109 off 65 balls. An innings that wouldn’t be out of place in a Twenty20 match. Nevertheless, his wicket turned the game extraordinarily in our favor. Wickets tumbled to the spin of Amit, Ravish, and Sonu Gupta as Kilburn failed to keep up with the asking rate. I finished proceedings by catching Reza Ibrahim off Ravish’s bowling but not before a juggle before a tumble into the ground. Having taken the catch, I held the ball up before throwing it on the ground casually. The first person to meet me was KP, then Ravish, and then the rest of the team. Kilburn bowled out for 203 giving us a comfortable 64 run victory. It felt good not only to have contributed to the team cause but also given an opportunity to contribute. Even though I have done some good things, I have some work to do with my bowling. I need to fix my load up while expanding my variety in terms of angles and lengths. At this stage, I feel best served bowling on my own to rectify these flaws.  

Adelaide Warriors vs Adelaide Lutheran at LJ Lewis, October 23, 2021

October 2, 2021

As I have learned from various people including my former captain Chris Arcella, match practice is the best form of practice. This is because you can gain experience from playing out in the middle which can be used in subsequent games. Adelaide Warriors were initially planning to schedule a practice match between the LO1 and LO4 sides but in the lead-up to today, which was when the match was scheduled for, the LO4 squad members will not be able to spare a full afternoon. Given that it is a long weekend, it made sense from a family point of view. Luckily for me, my family had no plans as such for today which made it easier for me to put my hand up. However, in the lead-up to today, I was battling with that thigh niggle from last weekend’s practice. Hence, I was wrapping myself in cotton wool by avoiding intense cardio while rubbing the affected area with Voltaren at least three times a day.

Initially, I felt I was fit and ready to go for the practice match, which was to be against Blue Brigade Sports Club. However, the niggle reappeared while I was batting which left me battling throughout the match. The captain, Mandeep Singh had wanted to look at my batting and had asked me to bat at three. I completely struggled against the extra pace where I was dropped before scoring. However, I managed to hang around for 32 balls for nine runs before I held out at the deep as I had become a liability. My innings contrasted with several other guys who smashed boundaries at will which helped us to 174 even though we were bowled out before we used our allocated 35 overs.

I only disclosed the niggle to my captain and vice-captain after completing an over with the ball from a short run-up. Apart from conceding a boundary on my second ball and the last ball of my three-over spell, I didn’t bowl badly. I had a decent shout for an LBW and had induced a top edge which was dropped. Despite my handicap, we won comfortably courtesy of a six-wicket haul to Suresh Wadala whose variations had Blue Brigade in a spin. For me, though the best ball of the match went to the 2nd vice-captain Shubhang Shah who struck first ball when the batter padded up which I suspect was a googly as Shubhang was a leg-spinning bowler.

Despite the win, there were concerns in our all-round game as pointed out by our captain. One of those concerns was the fitness of several of our potential regular bowlers, me included. The feedback was fair, and this fact will become a major motivating factor ahead of the season opener in two weeks’ time. The biggest announcement that came was that the prime focus is to ensure that the squad has enough eligible players to come to the finals where the minimum criteria is eight games. This implies that people will be rotated depending on who is available. That itself is personally a good thing as I can spend time with family without having to grumble over missing a match. After all, I need to ensure that I play at least eight matches as opposed to aiming for every single match.

October 10, 2021

The focus this week, was to regain my fitness so that I can go and bowl at practice again. I was still rubbing my thigh with Voltaren three times a day, but I was able to push myself with the running. On Wednesday, I ran at 15 km/h on the treadmill and initially didn’t feel any niggle afterward which was a positive sign. Then on Friday, I ran at 20 km/h again on the treadmill and again, did not feel anything whatsoever. I had immediately declared to Vikram, that I was fit and ready to go even though I was unavailable for the upcoming practice match.

Even though I had regained my fitness, I needed to get myself back into the cricketing groove. At this point, in our private WhatsApp group, I had proposed to meet for training this Tuesday as no showers are currently forecasted with the rest of the week under a rainy cloud. At the time of writing, no one has responded to it, implying that I may have to resort to bowling on my own at Salisbury North Oval. Moreover, even though I had indicated my availability for the season opener against MSCC, there is no guarantee that I’ll get a game which will be the case when there are more than 11 availabilities.

October 12, 2021

Training was on as four others have indicated that they will attend which itself is good enough for me. I needed practice with both batting and bowling to help myself prepare for the weekend should I play. If it wasn’t the case, I would have commenced a trend that I wouldn’t hesitate to do even if it cost me valuable game time, which was to withdraw from selection. I was willing to take that stance as going into a match without any practice could spell disaster to both myself and the team.

Today was a good opportunity to correct a few mistakes with the bat especially towards checking the grip, stance, and backlift which deprived me of fluency with shotmaking in that practice match against Blue Brigade. In that match, I didn’t adopt the back and across method that was inspired from watching the likes of Alec Stewart, Greg Chappell, Mark Waugh, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne bat, which was partly successful in practice but didn’t proceed with it was costing me time to get forward to the pitched-up delivery. It is time to experiment today to see if it helps my footwork.

Moreover, it is a good opportunity to start monitoring my bowling workloads as over bowling on my very first training session of the season led to my niggle which took a while to overcome. Given that we as a club are only playing one-day matches, it would make sense not to bowl any more than 54 balls (equivalent to nine overs, the maximum allocation in ATCA 40 over matches).

However, practice did not go to plan but there are some positives to take back. The back and across movement was very helpful against the dog thrower but my tendency to slog the slower bowlers to the leg side was due to my grip. From what I remember, the tips of the two fingers and the thumb on the bottom hand were supposed to pinch the bat handle. I didn’t remember it while I was batting. As for the bowling, my stiff upper body muscles prevented me from getting through my action quickly, and ended up banging the ball in through my muscular strength, depriving me of swinging the ball both ways. It forced me to think by resorting to changes of pace especially when bowling to the big-hitting duo of Suresh Wadala and Imran Soni. This experience was good if I have a bowl against big hitters throughout the season.

October 13, 2021

As a result of me banging the ball in, I was getting slight lower back pain while the stiff upper body muscles were still there. I did manage to find a YouTube video that can alleviate the pain which now I’ll have to do. Even though I was able to fit heavy weights for my lats, biceps, and back, I wasn’t confident in going for a run on the treadmill for the fear of aggravating my back. As for the bowling, I managed to stumble on a YouTube video on the 4 tent-peg theory presented by former first-class cricketer and bowling coach Ian Pont which will have to be a reference point moving forward. Perhaps, I may have to take a step back to practice this theory from the crease bowling extending to my usual run-up. Just to avoid any suspicions, I will have to communicate this across to all the batsmen I’ll be bowling to in practice. If I want to avoid that, I must consider coming to practice at least 30 mins before practicing on my own before going to my usual run-up.

That aside, I had just made a difficult decision to withdraw my availability for the week. It was partly due to the excessive availabilities (which will be the case throughout the season) but more importantly, I must attend a cultural event which starts at 6pm sharp. I could have negotiated my way to leave early but based on my experience, the club will not agree to it (which may impact my selection moving forward). Had I been picked for the season opener, which was in the Tea Tree Gully area, I would have to leave by around 4.30-5pm to come home, freshen up and get dressed to get to the event on time. If there are any positives from my sacrifice, it would be that firstly, any rain leading into the match might cause the match to be abandoned if the pitch was not covered.  Secondly, I will have another training session to find my feet before going into the deep end in a home game against Adelaide Lutheran.

October 19, 2021

I didn’t really miss much as Round 1 was abandoned well before a ball was bowled. ATCA had made this decision considering the continuous rain during the week. It was a surprise decision for us considering that LJ Lewis which was to be the home game for LO4 had covers put in place. Nevertheless, it was quick thinking within the club to arrange a LO1 vs LO4 interclub match which was a high scoring game where a superb hundred by Boree Kieng meant that LO1 had to chase 237 in 40 overs which they managed to do, courtesy of fifties from Vikram and Rahul Rana and a cameo from Surjeet Parmar, a.k.a Fanta for his bubbly personality which probably reflects his batting. I wonder though, would I have made much difference? Maybe, maybe not. I would have been smashed around like I was at practice or came out with respectable figures. Who knows?

I did everything at today’s training session. I started off with fielding having arrived late to practice. I caught every high-ball chance that came to me by tracking the ball and running towards where I perceived the ball may hand to give myself enough time to steady myself under the ball. After that, I was requested to bowl. As I was about to grab my cricket ball, my captain Mandeep Singh said to me along the lines of “Take it easy”. He knew that I suffered a niggle earlier this month after too much bowling at practice last month. From memory, I bowled the equivalent of six overs where I applied the four-tent peg theory. It wasn’t until towards the end of my bowling stint that I rediscovered my rhythm through my run-up (enabling me to swing the ball both ways and get my off-cutter to grip the pitch) as earlier I was running in too fast. Towards the end of the session, I got a bat. Even though I finally figured out the pinch grip, I was still struggling for fluency with my batswing which resulted in me hitting mostly to leg. It was then I realized that if I started swinging the bat as early as I could (given that my hand-eye coordinator and reflexes are not the greatest), then I can get into better positions with my feet, which is what had happened. As a result, I started hitting the ball better and was able to use my feet to Suresh Wadala’s spin. Again, it all has to do with rhythm this time with the bat. This was the session I finally got to really know my techniques which I can use as a checklist whenever I go and play. It was indeed a massive confidence-boosting session.

October 22, 2021

I have been selected for tomorrow’s clash with Adelaide Lutheran at our home ground LJ Lewis. During the off-season, the club managed to get a pavilion erected at the ground. Rather than getting changed in the open, we can do it indoors. I haven’t yet checked out the new change rooms. Tomorrow will be the first time I’ll be using it. As for the actual match, I was contemplating whether to request an extra net session to continue practicing my rhythmical bat-swing but in the end, it wasn’t necessary. I am going to back myself to remember it come game time. If needed, I can request throwdowns before going out to bat.

One doubt I had was the length of my run-up. After a brief session on the power climber at the gym, I went to the Mawson Lakes cricket nets to fix up my run-up. As it turned out, my rhythmical run-up needs 16 steps from the popping crease. On Tuesday, I had estimated 13 steps which made me suspect that I had been unknowingly overstepping the popping crease and over pitching the ball half the time. Hence, while that aspect has now been fixed, I probably need to do a test run tomorrow so that I don’t overstep the crease tomorrow.

October 23, 2021

Today was a forgettable day which left me questioning myself again whether I should really commit myself to cricket at all. I had dropped a hot chance at long-on off Fanta’s bowling. I had initially gone for a reverse cup, but it brushed my fingers and went for four. While I was able to realize that I could have taken on my side like a slip fielder’s catch, that drop brought me down yet again. It became a distraction as I mucked up a throw to the bowler as well as nearly running myself on the first legal delivery I faced. I found it hard to overcome the disappointment of letting people down thereby questioning myself. I would be happy to spend more time at home as opposed to going through the motions on the weekends whenever I’ve dropped a catch. However, If I could crack this mentality through self-motivation then it will do me a lot of good.

My contribution was very quiet. I bowled one over, got hit for four yet got my outswinger going but I had been doing a lot of chasing and retrieving in the lead up to my solitary over, which was why I was short of a gallop. I was hoping then that I might get another opportunity later which never came. I have no idea why I only got one over, but I do not want to question my captain’s call publicly. His decisions need to be respected. Chasing 208, I was hoping that at least I might have been given a greater opportunity with the bat. Instead, I strode out at no. 9 which we needed over a run a ball. I managed to hang around for a little bit with the early hinge of the bat that had helped me. But I got out playing across the line rather than playing straight. In the end, we lost by 51 runs.

While it is earlier in the season, I felt out of my depth. But this is my team and I want to be a part of it. This is because the leadership team has already demonstrated the true value of the club which was to build a family-friendly atmosphere. The only thing I need to do was to self-motivate myself back into a positive mindset. As for the limited opportunities, I need to grasp them to make myself be counted.

A fresh start, September 25 2021

Last year was a shocker off the field while I was trying to balance both my cricket and family commitments which proved to be a disaster. It was a shame that my actions left me no choice but to leave PAOC and start afresh having fallen out of favour. Nevertheless, I must acknowledge that PAOC gave me the opportunities which Adelaide Uni couldn’t guarantee, and I responded with runs, wickets and catches in the handful of games I was there for, thereby justifying their faith and confidence in me.

However, I needed to start afresh at a new club with a new mentality, which I managed to do by joining the Adelaide Warriors. So far, they have shown to be a very family friendly club and so far, several people in the club have gone out of their way to look after me. I remember one time when a couple of people from the club who were also on the Indian Mela organising committee, took me aside, shared their food and we talked cricket and the club. One of them assured my wife that cricket will not get in the way of family which matters the most. That statement gave me the confidence to just go out and enjoy whatever I am doing, whether it’s cricket or family.

While, training had started a few weeks back, I didn’t really rush towards grabbing my kitbag since there was work to do at home. Previously, I used to be desperate to go to training as I was over-serious about my game. If I was disappointed over a net session, I would be looking to go to the nets every day until the eve of the match to regain my confidence. Now, I should take the positives to keep my mind fresh and confidence high towards the match.

Today, my new mentality worked at training. Having been short of a gallop as I hadn’t bowled for a while, I regained my rhythm having adjusted my grip and eyesight and started swinging the ball both ways at pace which caught the eye of the new leadership group for the season as I troubled all the batters I bowled to, even though I couldn’t rattle the stumps. With the guidance of the seniors, I learnt how to be a thinking bowler which will help save runs and possibly gain wickets. My pace was the result of the intense diet and fitness over the last two months that resulted in a weight loss of 8 kgs. I had initially swaped the BowlFit program with the program that I received some time ago from Southern Cricket, as my technique was honed through them. As the weight ballooned towards the high end of the 80s, I added both HIIT on the Treadmill and power training which resulted in the significant weight loss.

On the eve of the training session, Vikram Rajpurohit messaged me to advise that I was to be added to the LO1 squad, which seemed that the team manager, Suresh Wadala would have had a say as he had told me that he was going to recommend my name. From what I learnt previously, LO1 is a tough division, more tough compared to the C grades in ATCA. Nevertheless, having performed well in higher grades in ACT Premier Cricket, LO1s will be no different if we bowl with a 4-piece ball compared to a 2-piece ball I was using in LO6s.

Given that I maybe a critical piece of the LO1 jigsaw, I will need to look after my body in terms of diet, fitness and workload. Before leaving training, I was experiencing soreness in my inner thighs and right now as I write, my soreness has transferred to the shoulder. As I’m only going to play one day matches where I’ll bowl no more than overs, I will need to be smart with my bowling workloads in the lead up to every match. If I don’t play every week, that will be good for the body.

Prince Alfred Old Collegians vs Hectorville at Park 15, December 5 & 12 2020

November 18, 2020

As a result of the latest relevations about COVID spreading through a pizza as well as the growing of the current Parafield Cluster, we are going to into a six-day lockdown. Yesterday, all community sport including cricket was temporary cancelled for two weeks, which meant that we will lose two weeks of cricket. Having managed to build up a decent bowling rhythm with a now bustling run-up and delivery stride, this is a bitter blow together with the closure of gyms. Which meant, that I was going to be confined to home workouts until the gyms can reopen

November 30, 2020

First day back in the gym and felt very energetic as I was able to progressively overload on several of my strength-based exercises. This is courtesy of a high carb while maintaining adequate protein diet that I had to put on as a result of my gradual weight loss over the past few weeks. Whilst my weight has pushed over to the standard BMI levels of 25, I should remember that about 0.8-1kg is the weight of the skin. Thereby technically, I am still within the BMI level of 25 based on this fact when I did my recently EVOLT weigh-in last month.

Irrespective of this, I was foolish to cut carbs which triggered the weight loss since carbs is actually a critical component in a cricketer’s diet. Considering that I am an allrounder these days, I need sufficient fuel in order to bowl and bat in a single match like I have been doing in the past. Being able to get through a few shadow bowls with the pre-lockdown bowling action implies that the latest addition of carbs has not hampered the action. The action will be put to the test on Thursday, weather permitting.

December 4, 2020

Yesterday I felt a bit rusty with the bat considering that I haven’t played nor trained for 3 weeks. I had completely forgotten how I held the bat which helped me start the season off with a bang. Nevertheless, I managed a few good drives off Dan Mosey whilst managing some short arm pulls off Connor Craigie. I just don’t understand why he always likes to bowl short every time I go into bat. I am starting to get a bit fed up with him even though I am starting to play him better. My performance in the nets was down to a sore shoulder from having to carry the kit to training after parking the car right on Dequetville Terrace.

But that sore shoulder didn’t really affect my bowling nor fielding. I bowled mainly straight but also got a few to swing away while I managed an overarm direct hit during fielding drills at the end of training.

Today, I was selected to play in Cs under Maxy for the second time this season (the first time was in Rd 1 which was washed out) but it meant that I have an opportunity to play two-day cricket this season as long as today’s and tomorrow morning’s rain doesn’t affect the pitch which should have been covered by 7pm tonight as per the ATCA instructions. Considering that I am expected to miss the next round of fixtures, this is a welcome sign for me. Should tomorrow be a wash out, I will at least be able to play next weekend rather than having to wait till the start of the new year if I was in LO6s.

I managed to get some Intel into our opponents Hectorville from Jeet Patel who used to play for them. He told me to watch out for Gary Dwiar and Stephen Lessing who are pretty good at dispatching bad balls while he thinks that there are also some good medium pacers/spinners that we need to be mindful off.

But from our line-up, we’ve also got some awesome bowling depth. Maxy and Yogi I presume will open the bowling, then there is Raj Gopal, Stephen Otanelli and myself to follow. I am hoping to be the 5th bowler but will be surprised if I came on first or second change. Nevertheless, my focus would be to bowl dry for whatever number of overs I am given.

December 5, 2020

There had been some doubt about whether we would be able to play at all. When I went to the shops in the morning, rain had fallen on the car and while I was at the shops, it continued to rain. Nevertheless, the pitch at Park 15 which wasn’t covered at all, was not affected by the rain which meant we were on.

Once again, I arrived at the ground late which was the last thing I wanted having frustrated Maxy with my lack of time management last season. By the time I arrived, Maxy won the toss and chose to field due to the past and the current overhead conditions. However, prior to us going out to field, the sun came out which was slightly frustrating.

Thereafter the Hectorville openers P Ritchie and Soulsby provided their side with a solid opening of 49 but not without incident. In the first over, Campbell Porter effected a direct hit at the non-striker’s end which wasn’t given. Then Josh Clarke dropped P Ritchie off Steve Ottanelli before he had the batsman then bowled off a no-ball. After nine overs of Otters and Yogi, Maxy brought on Raj at Yogi’s end, and himself at Otters’ end.

One thing that hasn’t changed from last season was Maxy’s modus operandi of bowling straight which led to a profitable season with the ball earning 27 wickets. Today he bowled four batsmen. He first clean bowled both the openers as well as Patel.

After Raj bowled his seven overs for 22, I finally got my chance. After bowling a tidy over that went for just three runs, I induced an edge from Barwick in my second over which went low down to Jacob Leak at slip to his left which he couldn’t cling on. But there was a mix-up and Leaky fired a throw into Sudsy (Josh) to effect a run-out. Soon after, I induced another edge, this time from Staggard off a perfectly pitched outswinger which Sudsy and Leaky dropped much to my frustration. While I managed to beat the bat a few more times, my first spell came to an end after four overs when Maxy decided to attack with Otters and Yogi prior to tea albeit unsuccessfully. They were 4 for 100 at the break.

Following the resumption of play, Otters had enough after one over and Maxy took over. That proved pivotal as Maxy clean bowled Staggard. Then it started to rain, and it got heavier which forced the players off the field. Thankfully it was only for 15 mins. Following an inspection, we were back on the field. It did start to rain again but it was drizzling, and the ball started to get damp. It was precisely around this time that Maxy brought me back on for a second spell. By then, we had a change of keeper as well. After dropped a few chances and had conceded 23 byes, Sudsy had enough keeping. Connor offered to take over, but Maxy went for Raj who also offered to keep. Over the course of his stint, Raj found the courage to keep up to Maxy which is never easy since Maxy bowls at a skidy pace. He even kept up to me as well.

Meanwhile, Maxy obtained his fifth wicket courtesy of a good low catch by Connor Craigie at short mid-off to dismiss Stephen Lessing, one of the danger guys Jeet had been telling me about. He later finished with 5 for 35 from his 14 overs. At the other end, while I was able to swing the damp ball away from Lessing’s bat, I wasn’t able to get a critical breakthrough after three overs. So Maxy gave me one more and still there was no result after four deliveries. Knowing it was going to be my last over regardless, I instinctively decided to bowl the split fingered slower ball. I delivered it, Pazeski swung at it across the line and was bowled. I mentioned this in the huddle and Leaky told me it was a cheeky move to that affect (don’t know what exactly he said). Anyways, I got a wicket at that matter. I got another over as a result but with no further luck. For now, that was the end of my spell and I never bowled again as Connor and Otters cleaned up the tail.

Connor was the surprise package since by default he delivers a bouncer barrage. So, when he cleaned up Crawford (who was holding the innings together with 40) with an inswinger, I told him that he is a much better bowler than I thought he was. His immediate response was “Shut up!”. Later on, he bowled another inswinger to trap Singh LBW before Otters cleaned up Premaratne to end their innings at 168. As the innings finished after 5 o’clock, Maxy decided to finish the day there as opposed to batting. Perhaps the safe choice considering our batting line-up.

When I checked the book, the actual top scorer was extras with 45 and I also checked my figures which was 9-3-17-1. A good thrifty return to C1s which was the result of hardly bowling a short ball and mostly bowling the length I had been bowling on Thursday: full to good length with some swing. Maxy was thereby pleased with my efforts.

In the end, we were lucky to play after the rain delay unlike most of our sides which were washed out except for our LO6s who proceeded to end their winless run with a comprehensive win over Modbury by 60 runs. As a result, we were lucky to have Patty Sadlier come on as a substitute fielder when Yogi had to leave early.

A job well done with ball in hand. Now it’s time to score runs. Maxy is expecting everyone to come to practice at least once over the coming week to get a hit which is my intention. I am hoping, weather permitting, I hope to go on Tuesday.

December 12, 2020

If there was a lesson to be learnt, it was not to commit towards two-day cricket ever again. In hindsight, I should have made myself available only for last week which meant a game in LO6s instead of C1s. I had been caught in the crossfire between setting up the new home which we got on Thursday and help the C1s chase 168 in 72 overs on a hot and humid day. From the club’s perspective, I had put my house ahead of my club and even though I had advised Maxy of my predicament in the lead up to the weekend, C1s took the defeat really badly and they weren’t really happy once they were bowled out for 143 in 51 overs.

Tough lesson learnt. One day cricket is the way forward with two-day cricket now in the oblivion as family takes precedence. I am not disappointed as this will allow me to play alongside my friend Vivek while enjoying myself in LO6s.

Prince Alfred Old Collegians vs Adelaide Lions at Prince Alfred College (Back Oval), November 7, 2020

November 3, 2020

Even though I had taken a catch over the weekend, I had done it with a juggle which wasn’t very pleasing to me. It must be noted that this particular technique gets me into trouble at the same time. As a result, I messaged our team coach Latchy if he could help me fix my catching technique. He said no problem.

So, I rocked up to training, did my warm-up run around the oval and a few stretches with Vivek before approaching Latchy. Unfortunately, I caught him when he was going to pad up and bat. Thereby, he suggested that I could wait for him to finish before seeking his helping. However, as VD was about to start a fielding session with a couple of others, Latchy suggested that I could go and work with VD instead.

This turned out to be the right call as VD helped us a lot with our catching. He had noticed that by default, I was attempting to take every high ball catch with my palms down which looks ungainly when the ball is from shoulder height onwards. He suggested that for these kinds of high balls, I should look to take them palms up which soon became easier to adjust and adapt to. He also had worked on our slips catching too, making sure that we started from a low enough position for us to take any sort of catch especially those below our ankles.

While bowling was promising as I get a few deliveries to swing, I felt I had a good net session with the bat. Carrying on from Saturday in terms of both tactically and technically, I drove with conviction and defended the deliveries that was going to hit my stumps. While I mis hit a couple of pull-shots, I managed to middle one from the middle of the bat off Tom Taylor’s bowling. All of this was good enough to impress Sads.

November 6, 2020

As expected, Vivek and I were selected in LO6s since I was going to be free tomorrow and not next week. After the selections were released last night, I got in touch with the captain, BA about my selection and said that I was hoping to get a trundle despite last week’s effort. BA assured me of bowling opportunities since Jemmett, Brabs, Raj and Hugh were going to play 2-day cricket in Cs and Ds. That meant, I have a good opportunity to perform a similar role like the late Eddy Barlow for South Africa and the recently retired Shane Watson for Australia did in international cricket. Opening the batting while being part of the bowling attack.

Looking at the lineup, our bowling lineup seemed rich on seamers. Apart from BA and myself, there is Vivek and Brent Hillier. The question being who will open the bowling with Jemett and Brabs returning to 2-day action. I had told BA about my intentions to take the new ball but it’s ultimately his decision come tomorrow. He had already encouraged me to open the batting again. I suppose why not. Not just based on my results but also the fact that we’re playing at the back oval of the college. That meant, good batting pitch, fast outfield and small boundaries.

Last time I batted there, I made the only score past 50 in a two-dayer in Cs against Athelstone, 67 not out off 113 balls with 10 fours and a six from number 8, taking the score from 6 for 72 to 188 all out, which proved to be a match-winning performance. A return to familiar territory which had been just about 12 months ago. Could this be the opportunity to redevelop a batting consistency I had a few years ago? Time will tell although I am vary about our opponents, Adelaide Lions. I should focus on batting for time, if I score runs, then that’s a bonus.

Even though I was feeling sore in the upper back courtesy of the Overhead Dead Ball Slams together with the Bench Pulls exercise, I went for some bowling while sporting the posture band. After several deliveries, I managed to find my rhythm that allowed me to pump my arms at chest level before pulling my right arm prior to releasing the ball. It resulted in outswing and while I was able to get inswing to go, I usually sprayed the ball way down the legside. This is exactly what had happened last weekend when I tried the same delivery which led to my downfall in the two over spell.

Having bowled the equivalent of six overs, I was called upon by a couple of guys at the neighbouring net for a bowl. I obliged, as it would give me adequate practice ahead of tomorrow’s encounter. Even though the batter was standing slightly outside his crease, I induced a few leading edges through late bounce and movement before slipping in a full outswinger that slid underneath him, pitched on middle and hit the off stump. He was stunned. As far as tactics go, I should keep it simple by sticking to my stock ball, the outswinger until I can accurately pitch the inswinger. Depending on the day, a slower ball or two may be required.

November 7, 2020

By the time I had arrived right on 12.30, we were going to bowl first. Before stepping out to the field, we had a bit of a ceremony as this week was NAIDOC week. It was simply about respecting the traditional owners of the land, the aboriginals, through a statement read out by BA. We soon started play. BA and Brent Hillier opened up despite having offered to open the bowling yesterday. BA started to pull his calf muscle having just started his third over, which meant I was due to bowl soon, but then asked me to give him one more over as he tried to bowl off three paces. It was later effective as he was able to bowl out his 9 overs on the trot, only giving away 21 runs despite conceding two boundaries in his first while having Seneviratne bowled around his legs in his final over.

I instead took over Brent’s end which was after he had Hennayake caught off an airy square drive by Clement Ting at a deepish point, a result of the funky fields BA had set keeping in mind the short boundaries at the back oval. I nearly had a wicket in my first over as Seneviratne chipped a leading edge back down the pitch which I managed to fling myself towards courtesy of my follow through, but I couldn’t hang on. Sharp chance gone begging.

Nevertheless, I wasn’t to be denied. Gunasinghe played across an inswinger and was given LBW. I got a wicket, and I didn’t celebrate like I normally would. I had decided to tone it down having been inspired by the no-celebration celebration by Pakistani left-armer Ruman Raees. I bowled a maiden next over to Papadimas where I managed to finally get my outswinger to go before going to drinks unscathed after six overs. Not quite though. I busted at the bottom of my bowling hand trying to take an impossible reflex catch to a very hardly hit ball back at me. It remained painful for the rest of the match.

Adelaide Lions were 3 for 54 at drinks, but when BA decided against me bowling later as he wanted to give others a chance, they went Twenty20 mode and quadrupled their score at drinks as the batters teed off. Vivek replaced me and managed to bowl a couple of overs, but he was not spared and was replaced by Scott Greber. Nelson Ellis bowling his uncomplicated Jeff Thomson like action, got his first wicket for the club. Ali Raza miscued a pull shot straight towards me which I was able to hold on despite a little bobble courtesy of the busted hand. It was the same delivery that got me into trouble at practice on Tuesday which in a way retribution for me. He bowled reasonably well in his six over spell.

Meanwhile Papadimas and Nipuma teed off as they reached a century stand in about 12 overs as nobody was spared including me who come on to bowl at the death to complete my last three overs. I had gone for 17 as well as getting a ball lodged into the roof which prompted BA to take out last week’s ball. Eventually, I went for 12 an over in my last three, ensuring a personally difficult ask to concede 3.5 runs per over for the rest of the season. I tried an assortment of slower balls and full deliveries, but the batters got some help with the short boundaries. I managed to get Nipuma LBW with a slower ball, but I was smashed over my head for six the next ball by the new batsman. The Lions finished with 5 for 221 from their 40 overs, a tough ask.

Having bowled at the death, I needed a break knowing my history of cramp from the past. Instead, Paddy England and Johnny Coop opened the batting, which provided a solid start with little urgency as they batted 18 overs for 32 runs. However, we typically suffered a massive batting collapse. Paddy having compiled 21 decent runs, held out to Seneviratne at mid-off off Gunasinghe before the bowler swung through the gate to dismiss Damien Heath four balls later. We went to drinks at 2 for 33 with Clement getting off the mark on his first ball.

First ball after drinks, Clement pulled a short ball straight to midwicket and having smashed a similar ball for a flat six, Johnny was given out LBW despite getting a clear inside edge. Nelson who played some impressive shots to the boundary was bowled trying to go for it. It was 5 for 63 and I was in. I had wondered even before the match whether to ditch the helmet today knowing that there’s no mandatory requirement to wear a helmet, a decision taken by the ATCA prior to the season commencement. Which meant, opportunities to bat like the Antiguan greats of Sir Vivian Richards and Sir Richie Richardson was still possible, in terms of the headgear. Thereby, I strode out with a floppy hat like Sir Richie which could backfire on me if I got an injury on my face, but I was lucky in many ways at least from the injury perspective. More on that later.

Scott, father of Josh and Liam (who plays 1st grade for Adelaide Uni) held out despite making a pact with me to play risk free cricket for the remaining 14 overs of the innings. In came BA who told me to ease off on the quick singles. Too easy. He hit a boundary and took a couple from a bottom edge before was out LBW trying to sweep a full ball. Brent also was out LBW, having been hit on the toe. Vivek came in and survived for a little while, in the process scoring his first run for the club. But he also fell LBW.

It was 9 for 82 and in strode Venkat Lingampally. Earlier, I had played a late cut off Sooriyabandara to get off the mark with a boundary and later managed a clip on the leg side for a single. I nearly got out to him, failing to get over a drive on the up only for the man at cover to drop a relatively simple chance. However, that failed to deter me to drive him through cover-point for another boundary.

Back to Venkat. He suggested that I protected him for the last six overs where I tried to hit boundaries before pinching a single off the last ball of the over. After a bit of grumbling from the sidelines having refused a second run which would have got Venkat on strike, I had to tell Venkat that he should back himself and that he should try to score as much as we could. It worked, Venkat played straight and scored his runs through deflections through the vacant third-man region, even for a couple of boundaries.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to finish matters off, they brought back their opening bowler Weerasinghe but I dispatched him for a couple of boundaries only after appearing to edge one off him that just fell short of the keeper Papadimas. One was a pull shot through wide mid-on, the other was a clip through backward square leg. I managed one other boundary which was a thick edge through the slip for four in the last over of the innings before pushing the last ball of the match for a single.

I had finished unbeaten on 24 off 43 balls, again topping the scores for the second time of the innings. More importantly, I made another double figure score unlike previously where I followed a decent score with a single digit one. Progress is being made in this regard. They were surprised as to why I was batting so low which I had to explain that I needed a rest having bowled at the end of their innings.

Nevertheless, Venkat and I put on 29 for the final wicket in those six overs, which was easily the second highest stand of the sorry innings. I was telling Venkat that he needed to believe in his batting considering he was there at the end against Blue Brigade Sports Club in a low scoring thriller.

Despite the disappointing team performance, I take solace in my own all-round performance. I took a catch, took the most wickets (2) and scored the most runs (24 not out) which shows that I am in a good cricketing space even though I am off to Canberra next week to see my niece for the very first time.