Sometimes you get to watch a special innings which blows your mind away. Even rarer are innings that you will remember ball-by-ball till the day you die. Then there are innings that come by frequently and that is really what makes them special.
Ian Bell's batting is one such innings. Everytime he comes out to bat you just know it is worth watching. You take out your popcorn, slip into your comfy clothes and eagerly turn up the volume. If you were able to put the whole thing in rythm, it would go like this:
release, bounce, leave.
release, bounce, duck.
release, bounce, miss.
And every now and then just to add some variation in the routine it goes
release, bounce, awkward hit.
release, bounce, scampered run.
But then we are back to basics because that is really the secret to being a great batsman.
release, bounce, leave.
release, bounce, leave.
And then out of nowhere, comes the grand finale. That fourth beat that you have been patiently waiting for:
release, bounce, leave...HIT.
It's like watching Michael Jackson dance. *sob*
7 comments:
Link needed. PLEASE!! Hahaha!! I missed it! Did it surpass Michael Clarke's leave vs Franklin??
http://cricket-online.tv/south-africa-vs-england-day-3-highlights-1st-test-centurion/
Link 2, from 5:05-7:10. It's the highlights so you won't get the full extent there. But the wicket is in it. He didn't surpass Clarke, but Bell strives for perfection. I am sure he will do it one day.
Oh, my. I feel bad for him.... almost! I cannot stop laughing! Thank you so much.
You are most welcome.
No, no, he doesn't hit it awkwardly, he can hit the ball beautifully, that is what is the great cosmic joke on Belly, that he is utterly gormless despite having a lovely looking technique. Have you ever seen him getting run-out a few years ago in Oz by Cam White? I swear he did the hokey-cokey about 3 yards away from the crease while in a frenzy of indecision over whether to run or not. He's a card.
No I haven't. But damn that sounds funny. I bet KP's one was just as good though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGgC1SeKZbU
You need the last few seconds of the clip but unfortunately they don't show the whole thing from his angle.
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