Story The ICC World Test Cricket Medal: ***Day Four Highlights***

[shantanu_rooney]

Dilmah Tea Party: Day 2

Your Score: 100%
Amazing

You got 10 out of 10 answers correct

Thats what I got/....

 

[just_cricket]

Apologies for lack of updates- especially after the SOTM has finished! I have just been extremely busy with cricket in my life, and other stuff. This story will continue for a while yet- I have the whole tournament mapped out, games played, results recorded. I have even prepared updates for some of the next few games as well.
I can't promise an update any particular time, but I will try to get one done over the weekend...

just_cricket added 2 Minutes and 27 Seconds later...

Thats what I got/....

Honestly?!

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Apologies for lack of updates- especially after the SOTM has finished! I have just been extremely busy with cricket in my life, and other stuff. This story will continue for a while yet- I have the whole tournament mapped out, games played, results recorded. I have even prepared updates for some of the next few games as well.
I can't promise an update any particular time, but I will try to get one done over the weekend...

just_cricket added 2 Minutes and 27 Seconds later...



Honestly?!

Yeah..I took the quiz...

Here is the result...

 

[Sartaj]

I would like to take part in the quiz,if allowed to.

bcvstheworld added 13 Minutes and 4 Seconds later...

Scored 60%

 

[hedger_14]

*Thinks shantanu_rooney kept taking the test until he got 100%*

 

[iridescentt]

Am I a bit too late?

Trust me, I'm not smart. Its a fluke I guessed the most runs in Asia thing and that IPL question ... eeny meeny minny moe ...

 

[just_cricket]

Photobucket is playing up for me- but other than a few images, I have written the next update for Session 3 of the match. There is a tiebreaker question for first place between shantanu_rooney and skrillex_x, so watch out for that, you two.
Update will be posted ASAP, as soon as I can get Photobucket to work for me...
And thanks to all those who voted for me in SOTM- as for those who didn't, well I'll let you off. To be fair, the other stories were all really good too and it was really close to the end...

 

[hedger_14]

Yeah. I chose yours. You really deserve that award. I hope this story is still going by the time, your story can next be nominated in a few months.

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Yeah you deserve the award JC, this has been a great story and hope you make it even better..:happy

 

[T-Hawk]

I've jsut read through this and I have to it's a wonderful read, the things you do like "sniko" and showing the LBWs is a very good idea, keep the great work up mate

 

[MaD]

Wow this is a great story, really putting a lot of effort, the presentation is spot on KIU

 

[just_cricket]

​

: Welcome back to the Basin Reserve for the Evening Session on Day Two. In reply to India's 383, New Zealand have made a solid start in the first 10 overs of their innings, with both openers still at the crease with the score at 39/0. Jamie How has made his way comfortably to 20*, while after a short struggle, Guptill has found his feet in this innings to be unbeaten at Tea on 17. There have been 2 extras- a wide from Ishant Sharma and a leg bye off the pads of Jamie How. But now, it's Zaheer Khan to bowl from the RA Vance Stand end- he'll be bowling to the right handed Guptill...

Guptill plays out the first over after Tea from Khan comfortably, a maiden. Then, Ishant Sharma's relatively expensive pre-Tea five over spell is recognised by captain Dhoni, and he makes a bowling change by bringing on Irfan Pathan from the Don Neeley Scoreboard end- running down the slight slope. How pushes a quicksingle into the onside and then Guptill really sets the wheels in motion, confidently clipping a four off his toes- a delightful shot. In the next over, Khan drops short twice to How, and is severely punished, How playing two cracking pull shots to the boundary. The second never got above about waist height and crashed into the advertising hoardings, and bounced back some 30 metres into the field of play. This shot brings up the 50 for New Zealand- 52/0 is the score after just 13 overs, a healthy run rate of 4 an over. As a comparison, India were 18/2!

The runs continue to flow, with both left armers bowling both sides of the wicket- whenever they slip slightly down the leg side, both openers are swiftly onto it, more often than not adding four runs to the total. And anything with a hint of width is treated in much the same manner by booming cuts and cover drives.
After 17 overs, Harbhajan replaces Zaheer Khan, and is promptly despatched to the long on boundary by Jamie How- a magnificent stroke, he used his feet to get to the pitch of the ball, it dipped a little but but he was already there, and just pierced the gap between straight midwicket and mid on.
Pathan tightens things up just a tad, bowling a tidy maiden to Guptill, but How re-energizes things when he again uses his feet and this time cover drives- against the spin- through extra cover for four, bringing up his fifty off just 67 balls.

: Well that has been a really, really good innings from How so far. If he can continue and make this into a big score, we can safely say it has been a coming of age innings- he has played some exquisite strokes, and while Guptill has played very well and within his own style, How has really exceeded expectations here and looked in a class of his own- I don't often say this but it has been a treat to watch him so far.

How then sweeps a single, and just to quieten down, plays out another maiden from Pathan.
The runs then just keep coming- with both batsmen in at the crease the loose balls that are dished up just keep getting put away for boundaries- and there are plenty of loose balls! Harbhajan in particular seems to have little control, and although he is turning it quite a lot, it is slow turn and both batsmen just wait for the bad ball and let the spin take it on its way through the leg side. Guptill brings up the hundred in just the 27th over with an on drive, and still the runs do not abate. How pulls another four, but then Guptill caps all recent beautiful shots with a truly amazing, effortless flick over the on side for six.

: Well that is just an incredible shot- full of disdain for the delivery and the bowler. He just flicked it, seemingly over the infield, but in fact in a matter of moments it was sailing into the crowd! Stunning!

The next ball, he clips another in similar fashion, this time for a one bounce four. This brings up Guptill's 50 off 99 balls- while not as quick as How's it has still been a very good innings.

And the runs continue to flow from the bat- Zaheer Khan returns for a brief stint in place of Harbhajan Singh but cannot prevent the batsmen breezing along at a decent pace- after 30 overs the score is 119/0.
But, 5 overs later, at the hands off Ishant Sharma, change is brought about...

: Sharma, bowls to Guptill. And it's a short ball, Guptill hooks in the air, good looking shot, down to Long Leg but there's a fielder under it! He runs in and takes a good catch! GUPTILL IS OUT! It's Zaheer Khan who takes the catch- a good one under pressure with hordes of New Zealand fans behind him in the crowd, ready to let him know about it if he shelled it, but in the end safely taken...

So Guptill has to go, caught Khan bowled Sharma for 67. It's been a good innings, but he has relinquished the opportunity to make it a great one.

Daniel Flynn is the new batsman- who in contrast to How and Guptill is coming off a poor match against England with two failures. Let's see how he fares here. There are about two more overs left, so at this stage his only job is to see the day out and be there for some run scoring tomorrow.

How glances Khan for four in the next over- and, despite a nervy start for Flynn as a thick edge just fell short of Rahul Dravid at first slip, he clips the last ball of the day away for two to see New Zealand off at 141/1 at the close of play on Day Two...

: So in the end, a successful day for the New Zealanders. That, indeed, is the first time in almost 6 years that a New Zealand opening pairing has put on 100. In this case it was a 135 run opening stand. Jamie How, I think, holds the key to this innings- he's not out on 67, and it's now down to him and the likes of Flynn, Taylor and new addition Ryder, to make this a big innings and surpass India's score of 383- at this stage, anything is possible.
For India, the key now is for Sharma and Singh to get back to their best- both have the ability and spark that perhaps Pathan and Khan don't quite have on such a flat pitch. Both Sharma and Harbhajan bowled abysmally earlier on, but in Sharma's second spell he showed a bit more of his pace and fire.
So, all is set for a brilliant game, join as again tomorrow for Day Three of this match...

Now to the winners of the Dilmah Tea Party Quiz: Here are the awards

Despite, well, perhaps 'dubious' claims, Rigor and Doully have decided to treat all scores as honest ones, and the prizes are as follows:

5000vcash to CG123, BKB1991, Gary123, gutterman, hedger_14, and bcvstheworld. (30,000 vcash altogether)

And to award 1st and second place, we have a tie-breaker question- only shantanu_rooney and skrillex_x may answer this, if anyone else does than they will not be sent their vcash and another question will be chosen.
The first to answer the question correctly will be awarded first place, and 50,000 vcash. If the first person to guess is wrong, they have to wait until the other has had his turn at answering the question. So you can guess alternately.

The question is:

Who is the player pictured below?

...

 

[CG123]

Great update... as usual JC. KUTGW.
As to the question I'm glad I don't have to answer it, as I have absolutely no idea.

 

[just_cricket]

Great update... as usual JC. KUTGW.
As to the question I'm glad I don't have to answer it, as I have absolutely no idea.

Mmmm, I wanted to have a question that would require genuine cricket knowledge-, you can't just go to Cricinfo statsguru to get the answer.
The rest of you will be sent your vcash when I get around to it...
EDIT: I have decided that if anyone else knows the answer, they can PM it to me- the first person to answer correctly will get a further 5,000 vcash

 

[Sartaj]

Can i answer that question?

bcvstheworld added 0 Minutes and 57 Seconds later...

Oops...sorry.
I'm not supposed to.