Right-arm over

After around a million F5's (page refreshes) in cricinfo, I finally got to play the game. I have joined the county cricket club which was started recently. In India, I have played extensive "under-arm" cricket (with tennis ball) and not much of "ground" cricket. But this one, is the real deal.

Our team is a bunch of desis, some of whom have been playing for quite a while. I daresay that I bowl a decent leg spin, so there you go!. Batting - I am not quite used to these kinds of conditions - namely, pad, abdominal guard, helmet (all very uncomfortable, but very essential), so it is a bit hard running with the gear. But I hope I would get used to it.

Sarasota la marundhukku kooda cricket equipment illa. The salesperson at Sports Authority brought me a croquet set when I asked for cricket items. And then, adding insult to injury, she said, "Oh, I thought it was so-o cute that a guy plays croquet!".

So after settling for a guard worn for cycle-racing (err, it is similar) and a white tee-shirt from Walmart and an almost white pants, I was ready!. The first match of this season(!) was against a team from Ocala, FL. I was expecting another bunch of desis, but my jaw dropped when I saw that they were all Carribeans.

The match was 30-overs a side. We won the toss and decided to bat (3 more players on our side were still on their way, you see!). It was a mat pitch and we scored 131/8 in 30 overs. Since I am a specialist(!) spinner, I came low down the order - almost when the match was over - and scored 2 runs N/O.

After a short break, it was their turn to bat. Pacers started the proceedings and the first ball was smashed with such force I have never seen in real life to 4. Now I know how bowlers feel when Sachin smashes them around. But somehow we came back and plucked 4 wickets out of nowhere. Their chase was a mixed-bag. We bowled well in patches, and got wickets regularly. There were 4 pacers in the team, so I got to bowl later, and that too only 2 overs. I did not pick any wickets, but they did not score more than 8 runs in my "spell". But I did run-out 2 of their batsmen though. Very agile cover and square leg fielder, you see!. End result - we won by 5 runs. I think we had a bit of luck, as they were all set to win.

They were very nice and a sportive bunch. There was a lot of bantering on the field, and their accent was interesting, least to say!. Since we hosted them here, we had ordered lunch. The match had everything - a bit of rain, some blows taken by the batsmen, catches taken, catches dropped, etc. In short, a very enjoyable game. My respect to test cricketers and test matches has greatly increased after playing this one game. Next week, we would be having an informal match for our club sponsors and a pre-christmas party.

So, after watching cricinfo go back in time and reduce the scores magically, its time for some real fun!