Share your cricket stories

[Gambit]

Loved reading all the accounts! In my ongoing cricketing career, I've had some really memorable matches.Each of these matches has had an impact on me as a cricketer and marked my transition to the next level. Match I - 1993 (The Beginning....of the end?) I was in Class VI and our section had been 'challenged' by another section to a game of cricket. Our self appointed captain and class bully didn't find it too difficult to find XI volunteers. I had started playing cricket, for the first time in my life, just 4 or 5 months before this came around. Still, I urged him to include me as a batsman citing several non-existent and apocryphal instances of my great batsmanship. I managed to convince him and the XI of us managed to convince our Hindi and English teachers to give the entire class a free period during their teaching sessions so that our heroic XI could get some much needed practice. After all, our section's reputation was on the line. So practice was had and everyone was more or less $hit but in denial, so being the cocky bunch we were, the match wasn't called off. As I mentioned, I had started following and playing only recently and had watched Azhar's scintillating 182(197) against England at Eden just a week ago. He, instantly, became my hero. Anyway, D-Day arrived. Both sections managed to get the second half of the school day off and teachers and fellow students alike came to witness the epic. To mark the historic occasion, I had my dad buy me some swanky SS gloves. I decided on using the one and only bat that I had, an RNS Larsons blade. So amidst much cheering, the captains tossed and we were put into bat. Incidentally, so convinced was the captain with my tall tales, that he instructed me to open. It was a 25 over game. Me and my opening partner made our way to the pitch and he gave me a bubble gum telling me that even if our batting was comical, chewing the gum would make us look cool. I took strike. BTW this was only the second or third time I was playing with a cricket ball. The bowler, who to our relief, was equally $hit, bowled a wide ball which I chased, nicked and survived because the keeper dropped a dolly. The umpires, who were players from our team, did not see/hear the nick and called the delivery a wide, thus upholding the abysmal standard of cricket from all quarters on display. The crowd didn't care. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Anyway, I finally got a single off the 4th ball with a streaky shot and felt as if I had conquered the world. The feeling was euphoric. I was in the 'zone'! I held one end up and watched as my partners fell, one by one. I defended one ball after another. Even let quite a few go by. I think we were 20/5 after 11 overs(remember it was a 25 over game!). I didn't care. I was just happy to be there! By now, the crowd(primarily people from our section, including girls!) had turned. They were baying for my blood. 'Do or Die'/'Karo ya maro' chants were being hurled at me. The guy who came in at number 7 told me that the team had planned to give me a sound thrashing after school. I didn't even dare look to the side and only focussed my vision on the 22 yards that lay ahead. Enough was enough. I decided it was time to smack the bowling around. 12th over, first ball. Big swipe, ball in the air, catch dropped. Run refused. Run refused? What was I thinking! The guy at the other end was furious! Second ball, big swipe, only connected air. Third ball, down the track, BANG! The ball went through to the bowler who dropped yet another catch. The crowd groaned but the opposition didn't care. My batting was a boon for them! Fourth ball, another swipe, an edge, a single. Got to the non striker's end where I was thoroughly abused by the umpire(my team mate). Crowd jeering as usual. The guy at number 7 was awesome in comparision. He proceeded to smack the bowling around and treated me like a tailender! He faced 4-5 balls an over and took a single off almost every penultimate/last ball which wasn't too difficult given the comical fielding. We reached about 70/5 by the 20th over. With the 'keep the retard away from the strike' plan in full swing, I got to face the final delivery of the 21st over. Had a good swipe at ball that was outside off and completely missed. As the bowler was walking back to take his cap, the umpire, my blood team mate, raised his finger. WTF?! No one had even appealed. The fielders collapsed in dismay. Their captain argued with the umpire regarding the decision urging him to change his mind as no one had even appealed! It was too embarassing for me! I took my gloves off and started walking back to the 'pavilion'. The roar was intimidating. I daren't look up. If looks could kill, I would have died a thousand times. The only thing of concern to me now, apart from how to avoid an inevitable thrashing from my section, was my score. I dodged, ducked and weaved the hands that were aimed for my neck, chest and head. I managed to get to the scorer alive and say my name and the numbers against it. I will never ever forget my first proper cricket innings' score ever. It read a legendary: 5(68) I made 5 bloody runs! I felt like a hero. A king. A champion. We won the game by 3 runs. I dropped a catch and missed a run out. Neither was I offered nor did I ask for a bowl. And yes, to all concerned, I was soundly thrashed and had my shirt buttons ripped off. In short, this match was, for me, Baptism by fire. Welcome to cricket son.

[Predator_05]

We won the game by 3 runs. I dropped a catch and missed a run out. Neither was I offered nor did I ask for a bowl. And yes, to all concerned, I was soundly thrashed and had my shirt buttons ripped off. In short, this match was, for me, Baptism by fire. Welcome to cricket son.

This anecdote of yours was pure class...:hysterical: Everyone always talks about their best moments, but the lousy moments make for equally good (if not better !) reading...:haha: I swear, dropping a catch is the worst thing you can do in cricket. One dropped catch and the team immediately turns against you; nasty looks all around. Four dropped catches and the team will stop the game and force you to play for the other side, substituting you for some 7 year old. I speak from experience...:haha:

[Lurker]

I took strike. BTW this was only the second or third time I was playing with a cricket ball. The bowler, who to our relief, was equally $hit, bowled a wide ball which I chased, nicked and survived because the keeper dropped a dolly. The umpires, who were players from our team, did not see/hear the nick and called the delivery a wide, thus upholding the abysmal standard of cricket from all quarters on display.

:hysterical::hysterical: Saala if nothing this website is filled with param comical g@ndoos. By the way those RNS Larsons blades were sh.it man! Was much better to clean clothes with it that hit a ball

[Holysmoke]

:hysterical: Shwetabh.. As for me, my best game ever was another epic clash of gully cricket with my building vs another building down the street. I was 11 or 12 years old, and frankly, not that good. Most of the kids in my building were a good 2-3 years older to me(which means they were a foot taller). Since we needed 7 people in the team, my friends had no option to include me in the team, thinking that if things got ugly, atleast my karate skills would come to use. Now, my batting is a lot like murali, or bhajji or some player of that calibre. I do not think before hitting the ball. I just see where the ball is, and take an almighty swing. I wouldnt compare myself with dhoni for that reason, yes, murali, or powar would be the closest to my "style" of batting. I was just playing the game since I had nothing better to do. I knew i would not get any bowling, and I was probably the last man batting. As things happenned, I was given an over to bowl, but needless to say, it was pathetic. I tried to bowl legbreaks, but I had absolutely no control over them, having just graduated from underarm cricket to overarm cricket. Then, after 3 wides, I was warned that if i bowled 1 more wide, my over would be "declared". I thought about trying to bowl something different.. and tried to bowl the googly. It landed close to off stump, just outside, and spun big, going between bat and leg(no pads) and just missing the leg stump.The next ball was the same, only this time, the ball hit the stump. I had a wicket! I was relieved, and decided that my over would be all googlies. Unfortunately, after that ball, the new batsman realised what i was going to do, and was up for it. I gave away 8 runs of my over, and didnt get another one. Even if the match ended there, I would have been happy with my performance. But no, something else was coming. During our chase, we needed 8 runs of the last over, and then 6 runs of 3 balls, with 2 wickets left. I was the last man in, as expected. My opponents had already started calling me "kaccha nimbu". So, 6 runs of 3 balls, and the batsman on strike hits it to a corner, and the fielder has to run around a car and throw. The batsmen try to run 2 runs, but the non striker gets run out in the process. I walk in, completely charged up, hoping that the batsman on strike hits a 6. He tried, but mistimed it, and we could only scamper a single.. that too because I had backed up well. I needed 4 to win off the last ball. Thats all I thought in my mind. All fielders were on the boundary, so I had no idea where to hit the ball. Even hitting a six would have been a risk, because the match was played in another building, and I didnt want to risk breaking a window. But somehow I didnt think of any of that.Since it was the end of the game, it was actually pretty dark. The sun had set, and we were playing under light, with whatever light we got from the dusk in the sky... All i was thinking of was "Come on, you can do it.. concentrate on the ball.. hit the bat to the ball". The ball was overpitched, and I had a mighty swing, and knew I hit the ball well. But I had no idea where the ball went.. I was looking around, for the ball. It was dark, and I couldnt spot the ball.. Suddenly, I saw a guy on the boundary diving. That was new to me.. we were playing on concrete, and nobody really dived on concrete.. So i saw him diving, and looked around for the ball... and saw the ball cross the line.. I was ecstatic.. and shouting.. my teamates came running from the pavillion(somebody's balcony on the ground floor) and hugged me.. I was the talk of my building :hysterical:. Later I found out that i was extremely lucky, because I hit the ball hard, and it went beneath a car, and then went to the boundary. When the ball went beneath the car, people lost sight of the ball, and it was hard to pick up again.. according to the opposing team, the reason we won was because of the bad light. (sore losers!). I was an instant hit in my building, with my friends calling me a prodigy and all. It didnt last for long, my friends figured out that i could only score straight, thru cover, and thru midwicket.. basically I had problems with all kinds of short balls, even waist high. Add to that my knack of hitting the ball hard, without thinking, (which meant i broke a lot of windows), and I was back to where I belonged. All my friends did later was bowl slow easy balls, and I would get myself out, in less than 10 balls(by losing the ball or breaking a window). I'm afraid that ploy still works against me

[Donny]

I suppose to take 10 wickets in an innings is pretty special so I'll quickly tell you about my 10/42. As it was a semi social match, we had agreed to both bat 40 overs out then divide the totals by wickets fallen. If 10 wickets fell, the lowest scorers could bat again. We scored 7/235. I then opened the bowling and was doing ok with 3/14 after 5 overs but got smacked for 22 in my 6th. over although I got a wicket, last ball. Not surprisingly, I took myself off. After 33 overs, they were nearing 200 and, at 8 down, they had 2 prime batsmen to bat again - having scored 0 & 1. I came back on and took 2 wickets with my first 2 deliveries. Back came their star batsmen. In my second spell, I took 6/6 in 4 overs. 10/42 overall but that WAS out of 14 wickets. It was only during after game drinks that someone was checking the scorebooks and noticed I also had taken a hatty. :wink_smile:

[Gambit]

Bump for the new guys.

[ludhianvi]

Share your cricket stories Why not share some interesting anecdotes from your playing days, or while watching cricket. Here's one from last summer: In the summer, I played some leisure type cricket with a bunch of friends in the evenings in a local park. The games used to get quite competitive and there were quite a few close matches. So in a 15 over match played using a cosco hard ball--the ball's outer layer feels like a tennis ball but it is quite hard and has broken a couple of fingers, we were chasing a score of 90 odd runs. With 26 runs from 24 balls to get and two more wickets to go, that's when I came into bat. We nudged the ball for singles for a couple of overs. Then the bowling tightened and game got a bit intense. My partner at the other end lost his wicket in the second last over and it was down to the last pair to get 8 from the last over to win the match. 8 to get from 6 deliveries and I'm at the non-striker's end. The pressure builds and I can feel my heart-rate getting faster. First ball: Double taken...I'm still at the non-striker's end Second ball: Single taken... Third ball: I'm facing and 5 to get from 4 balls. The ball is pitched on the offside and a cover-drive by me fetches another two runs. Still need 3 from 3 balls Fourth ball: Play and miss by me..Now I can feel the sweaty palms and heart-rate doubling--well atleast it felt that way.. 3 from 2 balls. Fifth ball: The bowler seems to give an aura of a victory even before the ball is bowled. The ball is pitched straight and aimed at the stumps. My eyes light up and wind up my bat, I may like to call it Yuvrajesque, I and hit it in the midwicket region. I run very hard and the umpire( own team's umpire), yells..."Take two, take two". We scamper for the second run and then over my shoulder notice that I had just pierced the field and hit a FOUR.... Game Over ... We win... And I hit the winning runs... Everyone cursing...they couldnt believe that a four was hit... Great moment that, still have dreams of that:eyedance: So what's yours?

[DomainK]

Thrilling Ludh, very thrilling. And I know what it feels like to do something like that and win a match for your team.

and the umpire( own team's umpire), yells..."Take two, take two"

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: