Glenn McGrath - one of Australia's all time top fast bowlers reportedly trained with and learnt techniques from baseball pitchers to improve his own bowling. Which was amazing and well worth it, considering he could bowl line and length and basically put the ball exactly where his captain wanted it to go ball after ball. He was rewarded with 563 wickets, the most taken by a fast bowler to date. He is in 4th position over all, with three spinners ahead of him, Anil Kumble from India is 3rd at just over 600, Shane Warne from Australia is 2nd at just over 700 and Muttiah Muralitharan from Sri Lanka is 1st at 800. A lot of time spent by these men running down a pitch to attempt to get a bastman out by lbw, bowled, caught, stumped, and various other ways, but all very skilled in their craft.
As a side note about Glenn McGrath: his first wife, Jane, died of breast cancer in 2008. In 2005, they started a charity 'McGrath Foundation' which has the express aim of providing women in Australia with breast cancer, a breast cancer nurse to help them and their families through their treatment. Each year the test played at the Sydney Cricket Ground is known as the pink test with players from both teams playing in pink coloured uniforms, and umpires, commentators and the fans at the ground all encouraged to wear pink and to give generously to the foundation. The players involved in the game also sign various things from the game which are raffled off with funds raised going to the charity. As of April 2016, the charity has placed 110 breast care nurses which according to the Glenn McGrath wikipedia page has supported more than 33,000 Australian families.
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On a much lighter note, I played cricket when I was younger, in Years 7 and 8 (last year of primary school and first year of secondary school in Australia at the time, nowadays, those are the first two years of secondary school). I had a far less stellar career than those four gentlemen, and every other that's played the game. I was, however, given the ball once to bowl an over in Year 7 cricket. An over in cricket involves six balls. If the bowler oversteps the line, or bowls with a bent arm, it is a no ball and a run is added to the batting team, and the bowler has to bowl again. If it is bowled and it is too far away from the batsman that they can't possibly reach it due to height or too far to the left or the right of the batsman, it is called a wide, a run is added to the batting team, and the bowler has to bowl again. If the umpire didn't take pity on me after about 20 attempts to bowl and stopped calling wide, I'd still probably be trying to complete bowling that over today.
I so much prefer watching skilled players of the game.
During tea break, Opener discussed things with the ladies that were part of his club. The club is called "Bowling a Maiden Over" and he is talking to them all about bowling a maiden over, unusual for a batsman to be wanting to go an over without scoring, but there you have it.
It was also getting pretty hot and steamy and he told a dirty joke to Mrs Pancakes which turned her cheeks redder than the Late Nights emotional lamp near them.
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That was his 7th emotional whim completed - he's done happy, flirty, confident, focused, energised, playful and inspired, and apparently I need to stop being so nice to him so he can go into a trio of the 'negative' emotional states. Make him pee his pants or hope that someone rejects his advances or some such thing.
There is a frog spawning location near his house so he's been there and picked that up and also dug up a dig site ... no t-rex arms, thankfully. Across the way there is also a fishing spot. He's currently using a bush for his business, which is fine for now, but he does hope to upgrade and
talk to his Lou soon ... and I don't mean his Aunt Lou.
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The main thing provided for the team's tea break was a fountain of mirth, which flowed chocolate.
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It proved a hit for all members of the club, especially the ladies, who held strawberries under the chocolate.
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Right then, Opener, tea break is over, back to work. No, I don't care how tired you are, or how badly you need the bush, or how you think you're in need of a wash, you can get timed out if you don't return to the 'field of play' once the return to play is called!
And return to play is called ... now.
Updated Scorecard
Bowling a Maiden Over - this occurs when a bowler bowls his six balls in an over and the batsman is unable to score a run off any of them. Glenn McGrath was well known for his ability to bowl these types of overs, and they were useful for building up pressure against a particular batsman or a team, so they are more likely to play a 'false stroke' and get themselves out. It also is a play on the meaning of maiden being "an unmarried girl/woman".
