The third Wednesday in November saw two stalwarts return to the nets, having been incapacitate or holidaying over the previous two weeks. To say there was a little rust in Hansi’s limbs is a case of dramatic understatement, but Bob Collins, like the well oiled machine he is was straight back into it, playing some lovely shots as he took first use of the net…It did not all go swimmingly, with his off-peg knocked back twice by admittedly excellent deliveries. Even prime Collins would have struggled with some of the beauties send down at him. Some lovely back-foot play indicated that when he gets in we can look forward to some very good top order runs as bad balls were punished with authority.
Saquib swung the ball outrageously, providing a working over for all batters, generating good pace and movement through the air. To top off his performance, Saq had a prolonged bat, showing good and solid defence interspersed with some big shots.
A sight all at Ivanhoe will be glad to see was John…getting some turn and finding a length that drew batters forward. Here’s to a return of ’22 which saw many first over wickets, something sorely missed last season. Let’s hope that this continues onto the early season wickets where some variable bounce will aid and abet his box of tricks.
There were frequent crashes as thundering and powerful shots from the blade of Mo, which in a game would have seen fielders searching in the bushes for many lost balls. The freedom with which he dispatched good balls bodes well for the forthcoming season – let’s all hope for some good batting tracks without too much variable bounce.
Utilizing two nets provided a great workout for all the bowlers and allowed everyone to get a good innings. There were a wide variety of approaches, Will getting in behind the line and protecting his wickets with aplomb, or Shez and Tai throwing their hands through the ball whenever it was pitched up or a bit wide. At times there was risk to life and limb as the ball sped back down the nets toward the waiting bowlers.
Here’s to seeing more at the next session!
Author: Hansi B