hedger_14
ICC Chairman
Chapter 29 ~ White Entertains
It was my chance to shine now with the ball in hand. Moises just told me to keep it reasonably tight, vary your pace and you will stay on. I had started well with a dot and a couple to start the over but it annoyed me when I tried the slower bouncer but found there was a huge top edge landing just short of the fine leg boundary. 4 runs and I wasn?t happy. I finished strongly, only 1 single scored off the last 3 balls so it was 7 off the over. Dwayne Smith was going to continue from the other end after taking the wicket of Hodge in his first over. The power play fielding restrictions were over so we were allowed more men outside the circle. That didn?t stop Dave Hussey getting off the mark with a boundary though, hammering it over wide of long on, even though there wasn?t any long on there. I was fielding at mid on as I can?t field down at fine leg so I went over to Dwayne and told him to either put a man out at midwicket or long on or bowl it outside the off stump rather than on off stump. He didn?t make any changes to the field so I was hoping he would be planning to bowl it wider.
He did bowl it a bit wider but had conceded a few singles to the offside. 5 balls in and it was 7 off the over. Hussey made it 11 off the over with a nice back foot straight drive over Dwayne?s head for 4. It was a bit too short and deserved to go. Henriques had given me an over but told Dwayne to have a rest. I wondered who was bowling next and I saw Steven warming up a bit so Moises must have been introducing spin. I had a fine leg, third man, cover point, long off and mid wicket on the fence and the rest were inside the circle. I had started well getting hit around for a few singles but that was it. With 2 balls to go in the over, I finally got it on the right spot and Dave Hussey playing a nice forward defence hesitated before setting off for a risky single and that hesitance might have cost him as Henriques was quickly on the ball and through the stumps down with Hussey not even in the frame, so it probably wouldn?t have mattered whether Hussey had hesitated or not.
I had 1 ball left in the over but it was White that was on strike with Bravo at the other end. They got a single off it so it was 5 off the over and a run out. Steven Smith was about to bowl which could prove either good or bad. He didn?t start too well though, second ball swept away for 4 by White. Smith came back well though putting it in the same area but a bit more flighted and White went to sweep again but the flight did him and there was an LBW shout. ?Not out?, said the umpire though. Bravo tried getting in on the sweeping done by White but he couldn?t hit the ball. Now 6 off 2 balls had turned to 7 runs with 1 ball to come in the over. When they say, ?No balls hurt?, they do. Smith had bowled a no ball and the umpire was quick to signal it which gave Bravo the chance to go over the top but found a very thick edge but it went flying away for a boundary. Another delivery to be bowled as well. A dot ball finished the over though and it was 12 off that over. Henriques stuck with me and gave me another over. I had started well with a good length ball cover driven by White for a single and then a slower bouncer to Bravo which he couldn?t get bat on it and it pinged off the helmet and Bravo went down as Dan Smith cleaned up.
It was a good over, only 6 off it in the end. Smith although expensive in his first over, continued from the other end, in an attempt to dismiss White. White was innovative first ball, giving himself some room whilst dancing down the wicket and playing a lofted square drive over backward point for 4. Shot of the match, I would reckon. He tried to go over the top again next ball but it didn?t work, the ball just going straight to Phil Hughes at backward point. White was out for 40 and the danger man was gone. Aaron Finch was now in. Only 1 single was scored off the final 4 balls of the over so it was 5 off. We had edged our way back into this with the wicket of White. 85/4 after 11, Bravo not out 7 and Finch on 1*. I however, had lost the ball and it was now in the hands of the captain.
