Ever wondered a bowler running in to deliver without a keeper protecting the area behind the stumps? That is exactly what happened in a T20 match between county sides Worcestershire and Northamptonshire, reports ESPNcricinfo.
In the NatWest T20 Blast fixture, Worcs wicketkeeper Ben Cox shed his gloves and pads to position himself as a fly-slip on skipper Daryl Mitchell's call in the 16th over of the second innings!
Worcestershire posted 211/3 and in the end won by 14 runs. After the victory, Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes said: "In a game when you're trying to stop the opposition scoring, it's a legitimate tactic."
Inspired by Dhoni
He also stated that idea was derived from India's MS Dhoni, renowned for unorthodox field placements. The Team India captain decided to stand back for Ravindra Jadeja while his side toured England last year.
"One of the things I challenged the coaches in the winter to do, was to try and come up with some ideas that might just knock the opposition off their guard a little bit," Rhodes said.
"It came about when I watched MS Dhoni stand back to the spinners for India and I thought that was a great idea. Afterwards, he said he wanted another catcher around the corner and he felt he could do that himself, standing back. That's how it started us thinking about it," he added.
The on-field umpires Nick Cook and Graham Lloyd had a long interaction between them before allowing play to resume, allowing the improvisation as it is within the laws of the game.
Who knows? This might even lead to more and more captains adopting similar methods in T20 matches while defending huge scores.
0 comments :
Post a Comment