“You get two bouncers an over. Ya gotta use ’em.” - Oshane Thomas quotes, chapter and verse, from the big book of fast bowlers’ justice.
Previously unposted, from May 31, 2019:
TELFORD VICE | Trent Bridge
CHRIS Gayle spewed more runs off the edge of his railway sleeper than most of Pakistan’s players did from the middle of their toothpicks here yesterday to power an emphatic start to West Indies’ World Cup campaign.
Before Gayle hit the afterburners, Oshane Thomas, the fifth bowler Jason Holder used in an all-seam attack on a pitch nearing the green of Nottinghamshire’s crest itself and under a thick duvet of swing-friendly cloud, thundered in to take 4/27.
Gayle’s 34-ball 50, all but eight of his runs muscled in fours and sixes, fairly clanged around a ground roughly evenly populated with both sides’ supporters. Those who could get in, that is: the International Cricket Council apologised and offered a refund to fans who had been marooned in queues because of problems with electronic ticket scanners.
Tickets had to be printed at the ground because they did not arrive in time to be issued to their holders, causing delays. The same problem affected Thursday’s opening match between England and South Africa at the Oval.
You wonder whether Pakistan supporters weren’t quietly relieved they didn’t have to witness their team emptying the magazine on stupid shot after stupid shot to bristling short ball after bristling short ball.
They shambled to 105 all out 20 balls shy of half their overs. West Indies won with seven wickets standing and 36.2 overs still in the bank.
Thomas, a flatbed truck of a man and an alumnus of Melbourne Cricket Club in Kingstown, from which Michael Holding and Courtney Walsh also graduated into the greater game, made no apology for spending his morning bowling at Adam’s apples.
“You get two bouncers an over,” he rasped at the merest suggestion that the aggro might have been a touch overdone. “Ya gotta use ’em.”
Sarfaraz Ahmed protested that, in these conditions, which were excacerbated by the early 10.30am start, the toss was too decisive: “That is why we wanted to bowl first. I think at the start we lost too many wickets. That’s why we didn’t come back into the game.”
Holder was having none of that: “Well, that’s the time that the cricket is supposed to start, and I can’t control that.
“You know, the toss is 50/50, so I can’t have full control of that, either. It’s the same for both sides.
“Whether you bat or bowl in the first half of the game, you’ve got to look to do it and do it well.”
Whoever does whatever whenever, Pakistan will have to find a way out of their mental maze before or indeed during their match against England’s juggernaut side. Ominously, it is scheduled for Monday at the scene of yesterday’s cricket against batting.
“I think first we have to back ourselves and not think too much about what happened today,” Sarfaraz said. “That match is gone, so, inshallah, we have the type of players who can win the next match for us. Inshallah we will bounce back.”
The West Indians’ challenge will also stiffen when they face Australia, Steve Smith, David Warner and all, in their next match on Thursday. That game is also at Trent Bridge, which could become the tournament’s equivalent of Wimbledon’s old No. 2 court, the fast surface known as the “champions’ graveyard” until it was replaced in 2009.
Holder issued an oblique warning to opposing teams to expect what they saw yesterday: “We want to be aggressive with whoever we’re playing against. It’s something that we need to do in order to pick up wickets. With the modern-day game, if you are not picking wickets up throughout the innings you’re going to struggle to contain teams.
“So we want to be aggressive even if we give up a few runs up front trying to get wickets.
“One of the things we’ve spoken about in the recent past is just trying to have that mindset to take wickets because if you’re not taking wickets you’re going to struggle.
Easily the most competitive moment of the match happened between innings and far from the middle.
At lunch, Wasim Akram had the good grace not to lose his temper with the stream of selfie seekers interrupting his commune with a plate of chicken and chapatis. Then his eyes alighted on a figure fresh to the room.
“Hey! The big man!”
Wasim was on his feet as he boomed, and the contest was on. Would his shorter, stockier frame have the advantage when his chest met Curtly Ambrose’s, err, lower ribs? Or would Ambrose’s broomstick arms settle the issue?
Of course they did: the beaming Antiguan lamppost won the hug hands down. Or, in this case, around the shoulders.
A shame no-one suggested they take it outside. For a super over.
First published by The Guardian.
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