Story My Career Diary - Chapter 46

[MJ Rocks]

Great going but why don't you add new kits available in the game's download section ?

 

[RPHKR]

^He's playing for Australia A.

 

[hedger_14]

Chapter 41 (Part A) ~ Bailey Proving His Point​

After a short nervous break waiting for my chance to open the batting for the first time in List A cricket, Tim and myself made our way out to the middle. Tim took strike first, with Shane Bond to open the bowling. Paine was finding it difficult to deal with Bond?s sheer pace but he did well to bat out the over before stealing a single off the final ball of the over to regain the strike and we had one run after one over. I was off the mark with my third ball with a small flick to the leg side but runs were hard to come by and Paine?s frustration cost him his wicket as he tried to cut a ball way too close to him and Bond had taken the first wicket, Paine out for 2 and we were 1/4 after 3 overs. The next over was slightly better, bringing 4 runs thanks to a nice shot down the ground from Marsh which brought two. I was given a life though against Bond as my drive brought the edge and Fulton made a meal of it at slip. We got our first boundary of the day as Marsh went over the top and although was edgy, got the ball over the top and it raced to the boundary. Just as things were starting to turn back our way, Marsh got a beautiful delivery from Kyle Mills, cutting back into him and he was caught plumb in front of the wickets, and he had to go for 13, and we were now 28/2.

George Bailey hit his first boundary with a thick outside edge just wide of the fielder at gully and it raced away to the boundary. I wasn?t really timing the ball well and knew i had to get going so I had a go at Shane Bond but only managed to club it down the ground for a couple. George just came up to me, ?Don?t get frustrated. Keep at it and the runs will come?. Tuffey came on to replace Mills and Bailey got into him straight away, cutting over the top for four. It was a very frustrating innings though. Bailey was finding the boundary with ease while I was yet to score a boundary although I had made my way into the 20s. The frustration was too much though as I tried to force the issue with a sweep shot off Kyle Mills who had swapped ends and all I could manage was to pick out the fielder at short backward square and I was out for 26, and now we were 68/3 after 15 overs. I chucked my helmet down and just shook my head, disappointed in myself, as Voges made his way out to the middle.

Bailey and Voges kept things ticking over with the field now spread although they hadn?t scored any boundaries since Voges had come to the crease but they were still going at about 4 an over. Kyle Mills bowled out his ten overs for figures of 2/41 and we would be relieved to see the end of him. George Bailey brought up the hundred for us with a nice boundary down the ground off Vettori. He brought up his own fifty a couple of overs later as he punished a rare bad ball from Vettori, as he swept the full toss wide of the fine leg fielder for four and Bailey was really making a case for a spot in the Australian side with his immense form. Voges hit a boundary off Tuffey in the next over to move into the 20?s as 6 runs came off the over, and we were 125/3 at drinks, a run rate of 5 runs per over. That left us 140 runs to get from the last 25 overs, not impossible but Bailey or Voges would have to be there for at least another 10 overs if we were to have a solid chance at winning.

Short Scoreboard

Australia A - 125/3 (25.0 overs)

George Bailey 54* (53)
Adam Voges 25* (31)

Daryl Tuffey 0/25 (5)
Daniel Vettori 0/24 (3)

 

[Champagnepapi]

really good carry on reps for you hedger

 

[RPHKR]

Bailey is saving you, you'll get the score around 240. Don't be disappointed, there'll be another for you Hedgy!

 

[hedger_14]

Chapter 41 (Part B) ~ Bailey Forces a Close Finish​

Things were starting to look more comfortable for us as Bailey and Voges continued to work around the runs but in the 28th over, Vettori got through the defences of Adam Voges as the arm ball just went on to hit the off stump and Voges was on his way for 28 and Dan Christian made his way to the crease. Dan Christian wasn?t going to hang around, hitting Vettori over backward point for his first boundary. He wasn?t really having a great day though and as the required run rate continued to climb to about 6 an over, he went for it and only managed to get a thick edge off Vettori which carried to Redmond at point who took an awkward catch to his right and Christian was dismissed for 12.

James Hopes started off nicely with a boundary off Styris third ball, timing it to perfection through the covers and the ball raced away for four. Bailey knew it was time to start going for it and showed his intent with a six over mid off as Vettori gave him a nice full toss and Bailey was now into the 80?s. The run rate slowed down a bit over the next few overs before Bailey moved onto 90 with a nice drive down the ground off Styris for 3 runs. Hopes got himself out though as he tried to force the issue but only managed to hit Vettori straight to Guptill at cover and the New Zealand skipper had his third wicket. Hastings followed him for one when he tried to smash Tuffey out of the park but only saw his middle stump go flying and we were now in deep trouble at 191/7.

George Bailey seemed set for another century despite the fact that we were looking like we?d lose. Geeves was happy to play his shots though and edged straight through the gully off Tuffey for four to frustrate the New Zealand paceman. Shane Bond came on into the attack with George Bailey on 98 but he couldn?t stop the skipper from scoring his century as he worked the ball onto the legside for two to bring up his 97 ball century. It was going to be close but Bailey would have to stay in there and really looked to get a move on with a lofted cut shot off Tuffey for another boundary.

We needed 42 runs off the final 6 overs with 3 wickets in hand Our chances were reduced when Brett Geeves edged Styris through to McCullum for 12 and now we had 2 wickets in hand and had Jon Holland at the crease. Holland edged Bond through the slips for four but Bond got his revenge next ball with another edge but McCullum dived away to his right to take a superb catch and the game was all but over now. Tait batted for a little while and with 2 overs remaining, we needed 20 runs to win. Only 6 runs came off the next over leaving us 14 off the last over to win. New Zealand made a surprising move to bowl Jesse Ryder rather than Shane Bond but it didn?t prove to be costly as he went for two singles off the first two balls before Bailey top edged him through to McCullum for 127 and we were all out for 253, losing by 11 runs, Tait finishing not out on 6. It was a close game but in the end, Bailey?s century wasn?t enough to get us over the line. We needed to rebound strongly for Game 2 though.

 

[hedger_14]

I've also updated my statistics on the first page and also player details in a different format.

 

[Champagnepapi]

two bad for bailey he was looking for a win but at the end he got out on the bad time. Great updates there.

 

[RPHKR]

253 is a defendable score with great bowlers in the lineup like Bailey.

 

[hedger_14]

Um, we were chasing and we lost

 

[RPHKR]

^ROFL! Can't stop laughing at me!!

 

[hedger_14]

Chapter 42 ~ Preparing for the Second Match​

Tim told us we could relax Monday so we went out for a few drinks after the game. I probably had a few too many, waking up the net morning not feeling too well at all and I couldn?t remember much of what happened the previous night. I didn?t do much for most of the day, just deciding to rest for most of the day before Moises came in and told me that most of the team were going down to the pool and asked me if I wanted to come. The rest of the afternoon was enjoyable, with the water nice and cool while we had a bit of fun and even had a game of water football which was fun although my reactions weren?t that great and found myself under the water a few times.

This morning I felt much better and went for an early swim before breakfast. We had training a few hours after breakfast and I really worked hard on my batting, trying to pick the gaps better and play some aggressive strokes. It went pretty well, I thought and Tim praised me and told me he wanted me to bat like that tomorrow. More endurance and fielding training followed but I felt much more confident and relaxed going into the second game.

After training, Tim called us over to name the side. I wasn?t surprised to see myself named down the order this time, at number 5, with Shaun set to open the batting with Tim Paine. After a poor performance with both bat and bowl in the opening One Day match, James Hopes was dropped for my New South Wales teammate, Moises Henriques and Ben Laughlin was brought in for John Hastings. George Bailey was going to be the one to watch again though as would Tim Paine if he got going.

1. Tim Paine (WK)
2. Shaun Marsh
3. George Bailey (C)
4. Adam Voges
5. Brendon Hedger
6. Dan Christian
7. Moises Henriques
8. Brett Geeves
9. Ben Laughlin
10. Jon Holland
11. Shaun Tait

 

[hedger_14]

Chapter 43 ~ NZ in Trouble as Disaster Strikes​

We arrived at the ground to see a very dry pitch at Christchurch, which was surprising after the green pitch here only 3 days ago. After losing the toss for a second time, we were again to be bowling first. If Bailey wasn?t batting so well, I would have suggested we need a new captain. New Zealand made 3 changes to their eleven that won the first match, with Watling, Elliott and Patel coming in for Redmond, Styris and Tuffey, obviously trying to take full advantage of the dry pitch by playing two spinners.

1. Brendon McCullum (WK)
2. BJ Watling
3. Martin Guptill
4. Jesse Ryder
5. Peter Fulton
6. Neil Broom
7. Grant Elliott
8. Daniel Vettori (C)
9. Kyle Mills
10. Shane Bond
11. Jeetan Patel

It didn?t take long for McCullum to get going as he smashed Tait?s second through the covers for the first runs of the day. McCullum backed that up with a beautiful on drive off the last ball of the over bringing his second boundary. Watling was much the same as he took advantage of a half volley from Geeves and dispatched it over mid off for four before a good comeback ball was top edged for Watling?s second boundary. With them really looking to get at our bowlers, George Bailey made a surprising move by bringing on Adam Voges. McCullum struggled to get the left arm spinner away as he only conceded 2 runs off the over. Watling?s aggressive mentality proved his downfall as he cut Geeves straight to deep point in the next over where Holland took the catch and Watling was out for 8, bringing Martin Guptill to the crease. After two early boundaries from Guptill, we looked to contain New Zealand with 3 tight overs to put the run rate to below 6 an over before Guptill showed his abilities again with a nicely timed pull shot along the ground which raced away for four. Geeves had struck again though, Guptill looking to work it down to third man but only managing to edge it through to Tim Paine and Guptill was out for 16, New Zealand now 41/2.

Geeves was really on his game tonight as he continually bowled a good line and length to Ryder and really frustrated him. Ryder was one who liked to score runs quickly and tried to force the issue but could only manage to miscue his pull shot and Moises was under the high ball for a while but took the catch and Geeves had a third wicket, Ryder out for 1 and New Zealand now in big trouble, at 47/3 after 10 overs. Voges was given a spell after 5 overs for 16 runs while Ben Laughlin was brought on into the attack and it wasn?t a bad over until he got hit for a boundary as he conceded 7 off his first over. I was expecting Brett to bowl at least another two overs but he was brought off after 6 overs, with figures of 3/31 and surprisingly, George told me to bowl. It wasn?t the best start as I went for 7 runs but it could have been worse.

Ben bowled a maiden over from the other end as McCullum struggled to score runs. It was my next over though where disaster struck. After two dot balls, I ran into bowl and as soon as I landed, I knew something was wrong. The ball was a dot but I immediately went to ground, clutching at my hamstring and I think I might have torn it. I immediately motioned for the physio to come on, and they quickly rushed out. After trying to walk and finding it very painful, they stretchered me off the field and took me back for a proper inspection.

After a long time, which felt like an eternity, Tim came back in. His look as soon as he came on was all I needed to see. I dropped my head and couldn?t believe it as he told me the full extent of my injury, ?I?m very sorry to say that the injury is very bad. You will have to miss the rest of the domestic season to recover. However, you should be back to full fitness by the start of next season.? I just shook my head and couldn't believe my luck. I was on top of my game but this injury had brought me tumbling down. What could I do now but be determined to be fully fit by next season?

 

[RPHKR]

However, you should be back to full fitness by the start of next season.? I just shook my head and couldn't believe my luck. I was on top of my game but this injury had brought me tumbling down. What could I do now but be determined to be fully fit by next season?

My bad.
Good update and storyline there Hedger. Much interesting.

 

[Champagnepapi]

my favorute star is gone

best of luck to him for the next seoson then great updates there