Barney Rubble
International Coach
Yesterday, in my first match as captain of my school 3rd XI team (I'm not very good), the opposition rack up 185-5 in their 30 overs. Our team have very fragile confidence, and therefore everyone was pessimistic about our chances of winning from that position - especially seeing as we had dropped five good chances in the field.
However, I told everyone at the break that if we went out with a positive mindset and took things one over at a time, a second victory in three seasons was not out of the question - I went out to open the batting, and my partner and myself got off to a rocket start; we raced along at 8 or 9 an over for the first five or six, without playing any big shots, until my partner swung across the line and was bowled. Our no3 is a decent player, and usually plays for the 2nd XI, so with him alongside me I felt we had a chance at a good partnership. We knocked it around, in a very professional way, at about six an over for a good twelve overs, and were beginning to construct the perfect run chase as we built a partnership of 79.
It was then that it began to rain. The umpire said at the beginning of the 21st over that if it didn't stop by the end of the over he'd abandon the game - my partner decided to slog because the game was about to be abandoned, and got caught at long-on, which meant the game was abandoned immediately, as it started to rain heavily.
Not only was it infuriating that we were on the verge of a thrilling run-chase, had wickets in hand and sufficient time, given the aggressive nature of the batsmen to come, to knock off the runs, but it was also infuriating that in my first match as captain, I was denied the opportunity to win the game, and I was on 47 not out when the rain came! I've only ever scored one 50 before (71), and I had no idea what I was on until the match ended - there were at least two shots that were inches from being four instead of one, as well. All in all, a really frustrating day!
However, I told everyone at the break that if we went out with a positive mindset and took things one over at a time, a second victory in three seasons was not out of the question - I went out to open the batting, and my partner and myself got off to a rocket start; we raced along at 8 or 9 an over for the first five or six, without playing any big shots, until my partner swung across the line and was bowled. Our no3 is a decent player, and usually plays for the 2nd XI, so with him alongside me I felt we had a chance at a good partnership. We knocked it around, in a very professional way, at about six an over for a good twelve overs, and were beginning to construct the perfect run chase as we built a partnership of 79.
It was then that it began to rain. The umpire said at the beginning of the 21st over that if it didn't stop by the end of the over he'd abandon the game - my partner decided to slog because the game was about to be abandoned, and got caught at long-on, which meant the game was abandoned immediately, as it started to rain heavily.
Not only was it infuriating that we were on the verge of a thrilling run-chase, had wickets in hand and sufficient time, given the aggressive nature of the batsmen to come, to knock off the runs, but it was also infuriating that in my first match as captain, I was denied the opportunity to win the game, and I was on 47 not out when the rain came! I've only ever scored one 50 before (71), and I had no idea what I was on until the match ended - there were at least two shots that were inches from being four instead of one, as well. All in all, a really frustrating day!
