T20: Strike that in the diary

By Lachlan Waterman

Home for Christmas and couldn’t get through the Clarrie Grimmett Gates quick enough. Adelaide v Melbourne, Strikers v Stars, Tait v Hodge, good v evil.
With the smell of gunpowder circling around the stadium, you know this is something a bit different. Not yet a convert of the shorter version of the short version of the game,
but quite prepared to keep an open mind. Let’s not forget the cynics who scoffed at day/night cricket, the white ball and coloured clothing.

Duf. Duf. Gangnam style. Bring it!!

No longer does the Z generation dream of donning the baggy green or playing for the state and working for SGIC but “joining the bash and making
shit-loads of cash…”

I’m convinced early. Convinced every generation does it better. Take the “Ramp Shot” for example – the AFL equivalent of the dribbling goal from the boundary.
This takes incredible skill but the modern batter makes it look ridiculously easy. The same applies to the bowling. The yorker, skidder, slower ball, slow bouncer are
now all required components of the bowlers reportoire.

It was once considered enterprising to open with an Off Spinner, now it’s mandatory.

Hodge get’s away early and The Striker’s are in trouble. With impeccable placement he acknowledges the South Australian crowd on reaching his 50.
Those that went to get the first round of drinks probably missed it. Brilliant. He spanks the Striker bowlers to all sections of the Adelaide Oval with traditional cover drives
and cut shots. With a Test double hundred and an average of 55 from 6 Tests he is “the one that got away” from the national selectors. He would be entitled to sue the ACB
for loss of income when he retires.

Duf. Duf. 175 to win.. ” We will rock you…”

Malinga knocks over Klinger and the run-rate sky rockets up to 10.

Then 12.

15.

Caribbean King Kieran Pollard opens his account with a nonchalent six but is bamboozled by the Stars slower ball.

The damage is done. 14 needed of the last ball. He only get’s six and the Stars shine by 8 runs.

What’s wrong with a bit of razamatazz?

Stars 175 Strikers 167
Hodge 88 Pollard 65
Faulkner 2/32

Comments

  1. Nothing wrong with a bit of razamatazz Lachlan! The Big Bash is a great spectactle and works well on TV. Support at the games still seems strong in the 4 states that field 1 team, but has dropped right off in Victoria and NSW where loyalties are split. I would get to at least one Bushrangers T20 game a season (as well as Ryobi Cup and Sheffield Shield as often as I can & still do) I haven’t been to a Melbourne Stars (the team I have chosen to “support”) game though, just can’t get passionate enough about a manufactured team to go when it’s on TV. Bring back the state based Big Bash!

  2. Great to hear you are a staunch supporter of the Sheffield Shield Luke.

  3. They missed a huge opportunity not placing the second Vic team in Geelong. The community and Urf Coast holiday goers would have got right behind it, then you would have had one Melbourne team. Who cares about a team based at Docklands?

  4. Spot on Cookie, a Geelong team would have been supported far greater than the Docklands team. I can see the Renegades relocating there now that the lights are going in. I think the A-League made the same mistake too…

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