The following is a fictional work composed by Lachlan Stevens (i.e. me). It bears no resemblance or significance to the real life career of the Spinner, Dan Cullen.
Australia was off to a Tour of New Zealand. It consisted of two warmup matches, a myriad of ODIs and a few tests. Picked for the touring team, for the first time in a while, was Daniel John Cullen. He had not been picked for an Australian side for six months prior to the commencement of the tour.
Warmup Match - Australia vs. Northern Districts
Australian Side
Adam Gilchrist
Shane Watson
Matthew Hayden
Ricky Ponting
Michael Clarke
Michael Hussey
Cameron White
Dan Cullen
Brett Lee
Glenn McGrath
Shaun Tait
We won the toss and elected to bat first. It was a dusty pitch, and that paved the way for some good spinning action later in the day. However, the batting for Australia started horribly. Gilly was the first to go, only managing to last for a ball. When he got back to the pavilion, he was devastated. We consoled him, only to see Haydos return after only an over. Punter was still in a good mood, though, and I trusted that he would do something for the team. I was right, but unfortunately for us, Shane Watson returned a short time after. That was when I started to get a bad feeling. At 3/34, surely if we can't stand up to the bowling attack of Northern Districts, we've got no chance at beating New Zealand?
Michael Clarke left the pavilion. He looked cautious. What followed was a good show of cricket from Ricky, and Clarkey. For the next 15 over they put on a good partnership, adding a good 65 to Australia's score. 3/102. Things weren't looking as bad, though I was still feeling serious doubts. However, Ricky was the next to go, edging an attempted leg-glance to the keeper. Mike Hussey got his gear on and left for the field, and I could sense he was readying himself for one of those fabled "Finishing Jobs" he was so good at. For 11 overs, they put together a solid partnership, Clarke scoring his 50 and Mr Cricket putting on a solid performance. I was becoming a lot more relaxed about the situation, until Huss was run out. I saw it as a little weird that they'd tried to run in the situation, but I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles. 5/178.
Cameron White was next on the ground. Being a rather aggresive player, it took alot of his concentration to slow the game down, and keep the runs ticking over while staying safe at the same time. Clarke edged ever closer to his century, reaching 72. Whitey whittled away, and had set himself up for a good total, with about 15 before his wicket fell, caught in the deep. This was my big moment. Stepping onto the field, I felt a little nervous, having only scored 2 runs in ODIs. Well, 2*, and I'm really more of a bowler, so I guess it doesn't matter that much. Michael said that if we wanted to set a competitive total, we'd need to take our time, and slow the innings down a little. I peered at the scoreboard. 6/203. We had around fifteen overs left at this stage, so there was scope for a larger score if we just knuckled down.
The first ball I faced was one from the Northern District's speedster, Corinthian. As the ball left his hand, I thought one thing - Yorker. At this stage I saw my ODI career flash before my eyes, as I tried hard to get my bat down. Bang. I looked down. The ball was rolling back towards the bowler. I'd survived. The next bowl I nudged one into cover, where the field had been set back. Running a quick single, I felt rather relieved. The next few overs didn't see many runs, we barely did anything, simply blocking, and getting a few quick singles. It took us up to about 6/215. Michael Clarke then fell pray to a brilliant Yorker. As Brett came out onto the field, I felt I had to do something. The next ball I took a swing - and hit. Watching the ball fly towards the boundary for a six, I felt a little more confident about the game. The next ball I did it again - but missed this time. Looking back at my wicket, I noticed the bails were missing - damn.
Australia only managed one other run after I'd left the field. I was disappointed, but we always liked a challenge. My 10 runs wasn't too bad. As we sat, discussing team tactics during the innings break, I felt a little more relaxed.
Daniel
Australia was off to a Tour of New Zealand. It consisted of two warmup matches, a myriad of ODIs and a few tests. Picked for the touring team, for the first time in a while, was Daniel John Cullen. He had not been picked for an Australian side for six months prior to the commencement of the tour.
Warmup Match - Australia vs. Northern Districts
Australian Side
Adam Gilchrist
Shane Watson
Matthew Hayden
Ricky Ponting
Michael Clarke
Michael Hussey
Cameron White
Dan Cullen
Brett Lee
Glenn McGrath
Shaun Tait
We won the toss and elected to bat first. It was a dusty pitch, and that paved the way for some good spinning action later in the day. However, the batting for Australia started horribly. Gilly was the first to go, only managing to last for a ball. When he got back to the pavilion, he was devastated. We consoled him, only to see Haydos return after only an over. Punter was still in a good mood, though, and I trusted that he would do something for the team. I was right, but unfortunately for us, Shane Watson returned a short time after. That was when I started to get a bad feeling. At 3/34, surely if we can't stand up to the bowling attack of Northern Districts, we've got no chance at beating New Zealand?
Michael Clarke left the pavilion. He looked cautious. What followed was a good show of cricket from Ricky, and Clarkey. For the next 15 over they put on a good partnership, adding a good 65 to Australia's score. 3/102. Things weren't looking as bad, though I was still feeling serious doubts. However, Ricky was the next to go, edging an attempted leg-glance to the keeper. Mike Hussey got his gear on and left for the field, and I could sense he was readying himself for one of those fabled "Finishing Jobs" he was so good at. For 11 overs, they put together a solid partnership, Clarke scoring his 50 and Mr Cricket putting on a solid performance. I was becoming a lot more relaxed about the situation, until Huss was run out. I saw it as a little weird that they'd tried to run in the situation, but I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles. 5/178.
Cameron White was next on the ground. Being a rather aggresive player, it took alot of his concentration to slow the game down, and keep the runs ticking over while staying safe at the same time. Clarke edged ever closer to his century, reaching 72. Whitey whittled away, and had set himself up for a good total, with about 15 before his wicket fell, caught in the deep. This was my big moment. Stepping onto the field, I felt a little nervous, having only scored 2 runs in ODIs. Well, 2*, and I'm really more of a bowler, so I guess it doesn't matter that much. Michael said that if we wanted to set a competitive total, we'd need to take our time, and slow the innings down a little. I peered at the scoreboard. 6/203. We had around fifteen overs left at this stage, so there was scope for a larger score if we just knuckled down.
The first ball I faced was one from the Northern District's speedster, Corinthian. As the ball left his hand, I thought one thing - Yorker. At this stage I saw my ODI career flash before my eyes, as I tried hard to get my bat down. Bang. I looked down. The ball was rolling back towards the bowler. I'd survived. The next bowl I nudged one into cover, where the field had been set back. Running a quick single, I felt rather relieved. The next few overs didn't see many runs, we barely did anything, simply blocking, and getting a few quick singles. It took us up to about 6/215. Michael Clarke then fell pray to a brilliant Yorker. As Brett came out onto the field, I felt I had to do something. The next ball I took a swing - and hit. Watching the ball fly towards the boundary for a six, I felt a little more confident about the game. The next ball I did it again - but missed this time. Looking back at my wicket, I noticed the bails were missing - damn.
Australia only managed one other run after I'd left the field. I was disappointed, but we always liked a challenge. My 10 runs wasn't too bad. As we sat, discussing team tactics during the innings break, I felt a little more relaxed.
Daniel
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