Bashers Pleasure vs Pudong July 15 – Getting it done in the Sun.

Bashers Vs Pu Dong – Bashers won by 9 wickets

Welcome to Basher – 336 Andrew “Sticky” Stump

Stumbling into the 7am pitch blackness of the cave-like cages, I was chuffed like a Thai navy seal to see the toothy grins of Swiper and the Korean. They looked in good shape given their surroundings.

Arriving at the ground it was clear it was going to be a bit of a sticky hot stinker. We were almost left with no game as we had a problem finding the stumps. When I see we, I mean Bambi and the problem seemed to be Bambi because the other team found them straight away.

On to the Toss. Everyone knows that losing a Toss in Shanghai in July is pretty much like giving the game away before a ball has been bowled. And blow me down if the stupid penis didn’t go and lose the toss and send us out into the sweltering heat.

The heat didn’t seem to bother Paps at all, who bowled a Bashers maiden first up and was looking the goods as he squeezed out 6 overs on the trot. Bambi brought himself on from the other end and uncharacteristically bowled a great line and length from the outset. The omens were looking good, as their batting quickly started to resemble the aptitude of Germany’s World Cup strikers.

Bambi showed complete mercy in bowling a guy out who just wasn’t seeing it. In a weird statistically anomaly R Singh was caught by R Singh off Paps’s bowling at the end of the 7^th over – they were 20-2. Their 4th partnership was their largest of the day taking them through to the start of the 16^th over at 64-4. The giraffe was given the ball and straight away proved his worth in the 11 with no fuss line and length. They had their version of a  danger man who started swinging but like badly hung door he swung the wrong way in the rough proximity of Sensation who took a gravity-defying sliding catch to his left to rid their most potent player. They suffered a bit of suffocating collapse at the hands of the Giraffe who ended up with a very respectable 4 wickets off 6 overs for 9 runs and with it the CricHQ MVP honors. They couldn’t really get it going and they someone got to 102 helped immensely by the Bashers who took pity to the tune of 28 extras.
The fielding display was pretty flawless with every catch taken and only a couple of half chances missed. So a very concerted effort in the field, even from Skiddy, who one Basher lamented a Dave Attenborough-esque query, how “someone who looks so much like a duck can run like Penguin”.
New Basher Sticky fielding a point took his first catch and is currently on a 100% catching record. Catches don’t win matches, Sticky wins matches, as he also has a 100% Basher win record.  And he gets to be from New Zealand, lucky bugger.

Time for a bat and a beer (if you weren’t opening). Oh actually Tango did have a beer. The Skipper decided that it was a good opportunity to get the net rate up for the season. So he sent in Tango and the knighted Dick to try and up the ante. The first over went pretty well really, going for a cheerful 16. A Tango pull shot didn’t quite have enough to get to the boundary but the openers were up to the task and to ran a 4 anyway. IT was just going to be that kind of day. The Second over went for 18 and at 34-0, 1/3 of the runs were chased after 2 overs.  #BowlingChange. The spinner put the brakes on as Tango navigated his way with full respect. 4 from the over and the innings had become relatively pedestrian. The next over was a bit more like it, going for 11. 2’s more 2’s -why are we running in this heat – lets hit some 4’s and 6’s and we were. We were 59/0 after 5 overs and over the halfway stage in the chase within about 25 minutes. The Bashers were looking the goods for a ten-wicket win before Tango flat-batted the ball to mid-off to be out caught for 35 off 24. In came Swiper with the Bashers sprinting down the mountain needing 22 of 133 balls. Things were not looking good for Pu Dong who needed Ronaldo, Messi and Jesus to turn up at the same time. But with Lady Dick watching the clock back home, Sir Dick decided to ramp things up. Swiper proved himself a selfless and helpful companion. When the score level at 102-all at the end of the 11^th. Swiper blocked out a Maiden so that Sir Dick who was on 46 could get back on strike. It was equally amazing that the bowler didn’t bowl a wide either. SD drives the first ball back down the ground for 4 to bring up 50 off 35 balls. and the Bashers destruction of Pu Dong is complete. Thanks to Skiddy for having Sir Dick carry the esky, be the fines master and lumberjack – welcome back.

Sir Dick and Sticky enjoying a laugh over a box and a beer #classic