“Every dog has its day”, is said when one consoles a poor soul.
“You wait for it”, they say and I do agree. Sometimes, one has to wait for it – and as a reward, you get to see the mother in season eight finale.
Not every time one needs to wait for eight years; some days 28 balls are fine. Eoin Morgan had one such day yesterday.
When Morgan came out to bat, his team was swiftly squandering a very good start in the chase of 167. In nine balls, Sydney Thunder had lost three wickets, including the big one of Shane Watson.
Sydney Thunder, the team which Morgan plays for in BBL, haven’t got anything going for them this season. That Pat Cummins, one of the brightest fast-bowling talents in the country, was their leading run getter before the game against Melbourne Stars says all about the direction in which the team is headed.
If the batting glitches were not enough, Andre Russell, the Jamaican golden boy, brought in to be the X-Factor of the team, is struggling to be a factor on the field at all, and injured himself once again in this game.
Someone was required to arrest the fall of wickets and keep the runs flowing. Morgan although arrested the fall of wickets, he did something similar to the run scoring as well.
To say runs were hard to come by would be misrepresentation of facts in legal terms. Runs to Morgan were like baseball to an Indian – no knowledge what it is, no idea whatsoever. Definitely not Morgan’s day.
A good player of the reverse sweep, Morgan tries his hand at one against Adam Zampa, only to miss it. On the next delivery, Morgan again tries a reverse sweep; Zampa beats him, slower in the air this time, and he misses it again.
He goes for a third reverse sweep; Zampa floats it outside off and no run again. You have to give it to Morgan – the lad is evidently brave, although misguided at times. Nine runs off 16 balls is his grand total at the moment.
The struggle continues, particularly against Zampa. Against the faster men however, Morgan hits a few. Not out of the park obviously, but somewhere in between.
Timing has deserted the English captain, although he keeps collecting twos in the outfield.
Timing is not necessary every time as ugly heaves and edges do just fine.
Is this still a twenty-over game?
With Pat Cummins accompanying a sluggish Morgan, there is no certainly no way back for last year’s’ champions you suppose. 72 in the last six is not something that you can roll over easily.
The guy is an international cricketer after all! But you don’t get eager. It has Morgan written all over it. A little bit of flash, a lot more frustration. It’s just a boundary you say. It’s too late now.
A six off the next ball and you disregard it as twice lucky. Surely he won’t be able to sustain this you say to yourself! In two balls, Morgan has moved from 22 off 32 balls to 32 off 34 balls.
You laugh away at the fickleness of cricket.
The target is now brought down to 47 in the last four. With the help of some good running and well-timed boundaries, the score has moved along.
Morgan takes on Scott Boland, the Aussie death overs expert and slams him for two boundaries, bringing up his fifty.
Add to this a wide and one no-ball, and what seemed like a usual over, turned into a big 14-run over! With 33 off the last three, you do want to be proven wrong now.
Ben Hilfenhaus bowls a tight over, conceding just seven runs, four of which came from a thick edge. With more than 25 to get in the final 12 balls, big hits are needed dearly.
After five good balls, which only yielded four runs, Boland runs his fingers across for a slower one. Morgan pulls it, and it’s a six.
Just for a moment it looked to be a catch, instead it kept on sailing. Morgan is surely is in his stride now.
Two singles of the first two balls and the pressure was back on the batsman with Pat Cummins on the strike. Cummins had been missing the slower ball all through the innings.
The first quick ball he faced, it was deposited for a six. Poor Hilfenhaus bowled a slower one the next ball and Cummins pulled it towards short cover for a single. It’s seven off two now.
Morgan drills the next delivery to long on and dives to complete the second. Five more off the last ball, a six is what is needed. Although not many may remember, Morgan had done something similar before in a T-20.
With hope of a yorking the English batsman, Hilfenhaus ran in bowled a length ball on the pads.
It’s a six! Eoin Morgan has done it and Sydney Thunder avoid elimination.
In his last game for the season before heading to India, Morgan gave the best parting gift his team could have asked for.
To come up with such a performance and that too when you are faced with elimination is not a child’s play.
Eoin Morgan, by grinding and waiting, made a day which was not his, his only. The waiting did prove fruitful, for both Morgan and the audience.
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