Situation Name - Richards Take 2 ?

Difficulty Rating = 4 (ratings go from 1 easy to 6 nearly impossible)

England are 9 down after batting less than half of their 40 overs limit v Pakistan. The so called 'one day specialist' Neil Fairbrother is at the crease and is commanding the bowling and has already reached 50 - with the Pakistani off spinner Saqlian Mushtaq coming in for a particular pounding. But after a collapse Fairbrother is now left batting with last man Alan Mullally, the team must firstly score a competitive score and then dismiss Pakistan on a very batsman friendly Port Elizabeth pitch. This scenario is called Richards take 2 as it reminds me fondly of Vivian Richards' fantastic innings of 189* v England putting on over 100 for the last wicket (if my memory serves me correctly!). England's premier one day batsman will probably need to emmulalte that fantastic innings if England are to win the game!

How did the situation arise ?

Well Stewart's silly run out started the whole thing rolling trying to run a 3rd to a mistimed shot out to mid off, he would probably have got away with it had it Wasim not hit the stumps with a direct hit. This then put England on the back foot, the captain out in the 7th over. Brilliant left arm over bowling from Wasim frustrated Hick and ineveitably a batsman who's just come in and trying to take advatange of the field tries a shot that probably wasn't on. The ball was to straight and shiver-me-timbers! Knight and Thorpe rescued the match, until Knight's leading edge went straight to Inzamam who held it and 2 overs later Thorpe was bowled trying to late cut a ball that was too straight and an inside edge knocked the ball onto the off stump - Thorpe had been frustrated for 5 balls with fantastic saves in the gully from Ijaz!

Flintoff played very well until a ball from Azhar swung a bit after bouncing and an inside edge gave a difficult chance to Moin Khan, which he grabbed. England 88 for 5. Next Hollioake out next ball mishitting a wayward bouncer (I was trying to hit it over the stadium roof I think!) instead a high steep bounce and a top edge gave a hard catch for Moin which he again grabbed.

Ealham's wicket was more bizarre that most. Ealham hit the ball and Azhar misfielded they ran one until Saeed's brilliant throw ran out Ealham on the 3rd umpire trying to run the 2nd (the field had been pushed back and the runs were drying up, England's plan was to run 2's and force the field in and then blast over the gaps!

The least said about Croft's wicket the better - I was basically trying a trick with the left hander (Fairbrother) where you play a defensive shot as late as possible and the bowl shootes down to third man and a kind of 45 position (that the Aussies used against Graham Gooch in the 1990's) anyway I wasn't paying attention and played that shot for the right handed. The ball hit the blade and another catch for Moin.

Fairbrother had started to dominate here and wanted the strike, on the 4th and 5th balls Gough tried to get a boundary without success. On the 6th ball I got desperate and slogged - and missed it completley!

And so there you have it 148 for 9. The run rate is very good (7.7) - well that has to be expected because the Pakistani side is very strong and can probably chase any target!, but 1 wicket left. The best advice is for Fairbrother to farm the bowling - he averages 40 and probably has the skill to do it. Mullally averages single figures and so hitting out with this batsman is decidily dangerous - better off attacking after 37 overs if your still batting.

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