Iain O'Brien's Cricket Blog

tomorrow...

I'm going to sit down today and tomorrow and get the 'mother' of all updates done.

Just quickly, I'm back in the UK, sitting on my couch, it's raining outside, which makes a change from it snowing; which it has been basically since I arrived on the 7th of Jan.

The snow has been fun to be honest.  It's been a big change from 7years of no winters; my last one was in NZ in 2002.  I'm enjoying it and also enjoying the break.

Sunrise over Matlock: Riber Castle

So.... today and tomorrow I'll be head down buried in my computer with the biggest blog update of my time.  Thanks for your patience!

OB

Hi all

Been a while, huh!??

It 's been rather busy time this last month.  And that 's the reason you've not heard from me.

Currently getting filmed for a piece on TV3, it's a bit cheesy but they want me blogging as they tape..  And I said yes I would; that makes me cheeseer??

I'll get an update done, probably just before I get on the plane back to the UK.  Which, hopefully, isn't to far away.

I'll catch you soon; have a good Holiday/Christmas and take care.

OB

No blog tonight, I've had a few other things to sort out....  It's been a bit busy.

Check back in tomorrow and I'll give you the full run down.

Thanks for your support!

OB

Not good enough, simple as that. 

I can say though, tonight I was ‘balls out’ going for it, and I felt great.  I’ll be going ‘balls out’ tomorrow too.  I want this one; I really want to pull us back into the game.  I love this ground, I love playing here, I want to do something special and I don’t want this one to get away from us. 

I had got Butt in the first innings with a bouncer, which was going to be the base of the plan in the second innings.  It worked.  I got one just about perfect and Butt’s gloved it to Ross for the catch.  I also picked up the other opener.  It was last ball of the over; Fahat was on strike, Yousuf, the new batter, at the non strikers end.  Quite often, in this situation, you’ll bowl a bouncer to keep the new batter down the non strikers end so that the next over is started at them.  I went to Dan, who was bowling at the other end, and asked him if he wanted Yousuf, meaning do you want me to make sure it’s a ‘dot’ ball with a bouncer.  He replied “I want you to give yourself the best opportunity to get him out; nick him out.”  So I did.  I nicked him out.  I was happy making sure Dan could bowl to the new batter, I was even happier to have a wicket and Dan would still be bowling to the new batter. 

If we can keep Pakistan to around 250, again, and leave us a chase of about 400 we’ll at least have the best batting conditions of the match.  That’s the positive and we have to believe in every positive we can find.

The Pakistan bowlers bowled really well, and we nicked and missed the balls we should have missed and nicked.  I couldn’t believe how many times we, as a bowling group, went past the Pakistani’s edge without nicks in the first innings.  It got pretty unbelievable at one stage.  But we hung tough and caught some great catches; I was a little surprised that the one I took stuck.  I was very happy that I got to it, and even happier that it fell nicely into my hands.

We obviously need quick wickets, and yesterdays hopes, in my blog, couldn’t have been further from what happened.  Here’s hoping for a great day in Wellington and a better day of cricket for New Zealanders.

Delayed start, soggy out field, very quick lunch and we’re into it; Day One of the second Test is underway.  And a pretty engrossing day it was too! Oh, and before I forget, I was wondering if any of you ever do sports betting online? I could see hours (not to mention dollars) spent at this site https://www.partybets.com/bets.ap?sportName=cricket&sport=15440

We knew the outfield was going to be very wet as when we went to train the day before it was splashing a lot under foot just walking on it.  It was a lot better when we arrived this morning but still very wet and a bit splashy in places; hence the delayed start.  The problem with the wet outfield, apart from being a bit slippery, was that it was quite wet through part of the run up from the Northern end.  Running through the soggy bits isn’t the issue; it’s the water that gets transferred from the bottom of your boots to where you are landing on the pitch that causes the problems.  Eventually the pitch gets wet and becomes slippery.  This can become quite scary; hitting the crease at a decent running speed, trying to keep a stable front foot while delivering the ball can become difficult.  This did cause a couple of problems today, but it’s just part of getting the game played and sometimes you just got to get on with it!

Dan won the toss; I’ve written that a lot if you’ve followed these blogs.  Tuffey, playing in his first Test in five years opened the bowling with Tommy.  It is great to see Tower (Tuffey) back playing.  He’s been working so hard and finally gets his chance back in the Fern. 

The wind was blowing from the south, that’s the cold wind here at the Basin; it’s also not the common wind direction.  This meant that I would bowl from a slightly unfamiliar RA Vance Stand end and it’s fair to say it took me three overs to settle.  The next three were a lot better and cost just three runs.  I feel that also not having a decent bowl leading up to this match hasn’t helped me in regards to finding my rhythm quickly. 

Dan turned me around to bowl with it for my second spell.  I had been bowling at around 125-129kmph in my first spell, this next spell I reached 144kmph a few times and hung around in the 140’s quite a bit.  I felt great, the wind behind me and bowling from the end that I have made mine for Wellington and New Zealand.   I picked up the first wicket after getting Butt to hit one straight up to Tower at mid on.  The openers had done a great job; they left very well on a tough surface and played the right lines.  This wicket opened the gates up.  I bowled a really good over to Umar next up and really made it uncomfortable to the youngster in just his second Test.  Dan then, picked up two wickets in one over, Farhat and Yousuf, and we’re then well on top.  I kept making Umar’s life difficult and was really feeling great at this time.  I was feeling quick and aggressive and really wanted a couple more wickets.  Dan congratulated me on my spell at the end of an over, this means I won't be bowling the next one, and I really wanted to keep bowling; I was feeling great.  I made a unhappy grunt at him in protest, I really wanted to bowl, he then reminded me that there was only two minutes until tea.  Arrrh, that'll be why I'm done then; sorry Dan, I got that wrong.  Smiles all around.

Those wickets didn’t come for me, but we finished the day with Pakistan 161/6 and we’re in a good position to knock them over tomorrow and have a decent bat.  We’d love to set up a big score and help out poor Wyvern Hunt (91 not 93 as I had written), who presented us with our caps last night, and make this Test match a little less close.

Time for a bath, catch you tomorrow night...

It’s just a quick one tonight before we head into tomorrow’s second Test match.  As I’ve said in previous blogs this Test is a special one for a few reasons.  It will be the 50^th Test match held at the Basin Reserve.  This ground holds a very special place in my heart as it’s my home ground, where I’ve learnt how to play cricket, not just take part.

Tonight our caps were presented to us by a proud 93 year old; he’s been to every Test match at the Basin.  This kind of love for the game means a lot to us players.  We love the game, but we also love to play in front of a crowd.  No point more proven than last week in Dunedin where the crowd pulled us along and possibly shaped an amazing final day.

It’s been a tough build up for this Test.  We’ve not been able to get outside even once to train since we arrived in Wellington.  This is not perfect, but it is also not the worst.  It was a tired team that walked off the park last Saturday the enforced lower key training sessions may well play a part in helping us stay stronger for longer.  We’ve still be training, but you cannot train at the same intensity indoors as you can out.

I’ve just been out for a curry with a very good mate and feel really good; properly excited in anticipation of another Test at the Basin.  Test wins at the Basin are special, they are celebrated differently to other Test matches; why?  I don’t really know, but it is such a great ground to play at and that may have something to do with it.  I’m not getting ahead of myself here, we’ve got some bloody hard work in front of us to achieve a win here, but we will be ‘balls out’ going for it from ball one.

Wellington, if you’re reading this, get along, help us out, make some positive noise like there was in Dunedin last week.  Make it a special five days, make it a Test to remember for you and for us.

Black Cap #229

Wellington, on a great day, is amazing. Today is a great day, and not just because it’s a great day in Wellington.

The first Test of the summer was a beauty. Whichever way it was going to go on the final day it was going to be an entertaining day of Test cricket and well worth the admission charge. And they turned out to watch. It was a great atmosphere right from the start of the day. It only got better and in that last session, when we needed four wickets and Pakistan needed 40 runs, the Dunedin crowd was the twelfth man out there with us on the park, fighting hard with us. It was amazing and I have never played in front of a crowd like that. With the intimacy of the ground and the closeness of the crowd, the 2,200 people that were there, made it sound and fell like 60,000; great job Dunedin and to those who travelled to be there for the last day (you boys who drove up from Queenstown, great job!!).

We won; but you already know that. It was amazing; but you already know that too. I can’t really explain the feelings that are still running through me now, but what I can tell you, if I could bottle this, save it up somehow and tap in to it when times are tough, life would be so much better. I just feel amazing. I feel like I’ve always wanted to feel from playing this game. I’ve been a part of a winning Test team before, but to have played a big part in a win when things were really against us is just absolutely amazing. Just remember Pakistan needed 55 with five wickets left. The odds were really stacked against us at that stage.

I'm getting there; got a few things to sort regarding this finger, so just give me a little more time.  Should have it done tonight.  It is hard to type without this finger though!!

Day Three

I woke this morning to a lot of noise outside. It was either raining very heavy, a tidal wave was coming or there was a gale coming through. It was the later and that meant a tough day at the office for me. I bowl into the wind, that’s one of the jobs I have made my own. It is something I have prided myself on and if you’ve read a lot of my blogs you’ll know this; if you haven’t; when I was starting out for Wellington I picked the worst job in the team and I made myself good at it. There’s always a vacancy for the worst job in the work force. Doing that job has meant tough days at the office, but it does mean that I’m at the office, and I really do like my office!

I was two not out overnight and was looking forward to sticking around with the bat as long as possible. I’ve made a goal for myself every time I go out to bat to face 50 balls. If I do that the partnership should be up around the 50 run mark; even if I’ve only scored 10. Batting with Bondy was going to be fun, we were going to take every run on offer, and I knew he was pretty keen on hitting a couple of big balls! I was pretty happy too that Asif and Gul were not at full pace; they looked pretty tired from the day before.

I nicked a four and got a cover drive away of Gul. I was premeditating a little with that ball. I was guessing it was going to be full, and if it was, I was going to hit it as hard as I could. I had the wind behind me so if I didn’t quite get it, if it was in the air, it should still, hopefully, carry over the straight fielders. It was too wide to hit straight, so I just flung the bat at it, and it came off ok; sweet.

My first bowling spell was eight overs before Lunch and then three straight after. Eleven overs of the first 14 to be bowled into that wind that day. It was hard work, and I was going well. I felt good, my rhythm good and my speeds were right up there. I felt like I was really doing my job, I was keeping the runs down so we could attack from the other end, and I was also making life tough for the batters that were in. The’ into the wind’ role is often measured by how many wickets are taken at the other end, and in my first spell there was three; I was doing my job.

But that was where it ended. I came back for my second spell and I was average. I leaked more runs that we all wanted; I couldn’t keep things tight and quiet from my end. We went to Tea and I was pretty pissed at myself for that spell. The bothers Akmal were together and playing with freedom. Umar, on debut and dropped (a toughie), was really taking the counter attack to us, and it was paying off. Kamran was hanging with him and also scoring well. I got an opportunity from the downwind end, I was really looking forward to this spell, a chance to let loose, to bowl fast and express myself. I still have to bowl well, keep things tight and build pressure. I did none of the mentioned. Absolutely none of them! I got smashed. It wasn’t good enough at all and after my poor spell into the wind previous I was feeling pretty average. My first 11 overs went for around 30, my next 10 went for 70. Not good enough. The Akmal’s batted well, not going to that that away from them at all. I just didn’t bowl well enough and it meant they got away on us. We probably could have bowled Pakistan out for around 200 had we done things as good as we started.

Bondy’s return was brilliant. He had four wickets at the end of the day. He bowled fast, really fast after Lunch and picked up three wickets in 10 balls. A game changing spell, and had Flynn of taken a screamer at gully, it would have been a 4 wicket spell and Pakistan would have been six down for around 90. Game on!

Eight down at the end of the day, we’re still in a great position, pick the two wickets up cheaply in the morning and rest up for a massive 4th innings charge to win the match.

Day Four

Bondy and Tom (Martin) opened up and it was Tom who picked up the first wicket. We were off the park when Bondy picked up his 5th wicket. It has been a brilliant come back and a pleasure to share the field with him again. Yesterday Bondy did the hot paperclip through the toe nail trick to release the pressure that had built up because of the constant banging on the end of the boot. It was hurting a lot and I know how much this hurts, both the banging on the end of the boot when smashing down on it at delivery and then the paperclip through the nail. He was at it again when we came off again today. His big toe is a mess and he’s bowled through some pain to get the first innings job done. I too needed to do the same, but I was staying clear of the paperclip this time. That just hurts too much. I sourced a very small drill bit and between thumb and finger I drilled my toe nail until I reached the blood beneath to release the pressure. It’s not a nice feeling and it doesn’t look to good but it does make things a bit better.

Guptil was doing some short ball work in the nets before warm ups, under arms from five or six meters, and he wore one above his right eye. I’d normally say he was silly for doing that without a helmet on, but I was doing it the other day, so who am I to talk! I didn’t wear one though!! So with his eye a bit puffy and vision maybe not quite 100% he and McIntosh opened up for us. Two down with no runs on the board, Guptil and Flynn back in the shed; and I called our first innings the worst start possible. Taylor scored his second 50 of the match in a partnership with Mac and we started to look better until a mix up left Taylor run out; really not what we needed.

We lost wickets reasonable regularly from there and at stumps, drawn early because of bad light again, we are 244 in front with two wickets in hand. Elliott and I head back out there tomorrow to put as many runs on the board as we can before bowling for the win.

The rules around ‘light’ have changed. In the past the Umpires offer the option to the batters to ‘go’ or ‘stay’. Not anymore, it is their decision alone. The batters get no option at all and in our camp that has caused a little annoyance. We have lost a wicket in both innings just (one ball) before the Umpires have taken us off for bad light. And yes, it does play a big part; it was very hard to pick up the one ball I faced in the first innings and the two I faced tonight. The second ball I faced tonight I didn’t really pick up till it was about half way down. I was very happy it wasn’t a short one!

We’ve got some work to do tomorrow, we need as many runs as we can muster and then we are going to need a huge effort from the four bowlers to take the 10 wickets we’ll need for the win. Whatever happens, it’s going to be a great days viewing and I hope to either see you at the ground, sitting in front of your TV, listening on the radio or following it on cricinfo.

I’ll catch you on Sunday, I won’t write tomorrow night, hopefully I’ll be celebrating (mildly) a very special Test victory.

I’m done, I’m pretty well knackered.  And to be fair to my team mates I’m going to have to do this write up tomorrow. 

We didn’t get off the park until 7.40pm, back to the hotel for 8.30; straight to see the massage therapist and then out for some food.  I’ve just got back and it’s 10.40pm.  I have to sleep.  Sorry.

It was a tough day, a whole lot of good and one bit of bad; and that bit of bad lasted a little too long for our liking!

I’ll do a whole run through tomorrow night and cover off my batting (13*) and my bowling (the two halves of it), and also a great come back by one great bowler!