Today it’s all about preservation on two fronts. First, Jamaica Tallawahs will want to preserve their 100% win record against defending champions Barbados Tridents. Second, I need to preserve my health! Yes, I feel the common cold coming on. Woke up with scratchy throat on Friday. Immediately took medication and drank lots of fluids, so this morning I felt better, but it is still there. I think the cold air conditioning (whose remote is nowhere in sight for adjustments) in the media centre has contributed. The sweater on Thursday didn’t keep me warm enough, so today I am trying out the denim jacket. Mi need some Cornmeal porridge!
Back to Sabina Park. From all indications, the ground was going to be fuller today so we head out earlier and get here by 4:45 p.m. Patrons were seen walking briskly up George Headley Drive. An emaciated pale coloured kitten emerges from under a vehicle and crosses our path. We stopped and watched as it sniffed a stone in the middle of the road, oblivious to the waiting people who didn’t want to squash it. At least it wasn’t black. When I get to the entrance gate, the security guard commented that he noticed that I stopped for the “pedestrian”. 🙂
Hailed up various cricket peeps as I wend my way across behind the Kingston Cricket Club to the Media Centre in the North Stand. I hear some activity and see that Digicel has set up a cricket experience area. A tall fella is being fed tennis balls from a machine. (Hey, did you see that Serena victory at Wimbledon?? Simply unstoppable!) There are nets all around so no chance of onlookers being hit.
Digicel Cricket Experience areaOh no. Pastry. Nice, delicious looking pastry, in a glass case, just to tempt me. I tell people I don’t have a sweet teeth. Rather, ALL MY TEETH ARE SWEET!
Sweet treats at cricket!But I exercise restraint when the vendor (Althea Wright from T Mar’s Bakery & Catering Services) approaches me to find out what I wanted. ” I had ice cream already today,” I tell her. She said she had wanted to bring ice cream to sell but couldn’t get the dry ice to keep it frozen. She thought I had bought it elsewhere on the ground but I clarified it for her.
Took the stairs instead of the lift. It wasn’t because it wasn’t working lol. Needed to work off the ice cream. Greeted Daren Ganga. (When I see him, I recall that very first interview that former team manager Ricky Skerritt had arranged for me. Spoke to him in the lobby of the Jamaica Pegasus and wrote this article. One day I will give you more details about that conversation.) Ahead of the match, chatted with Mr Becca about various cricket subjects, including club cricket.
Jamaica again has lost the toss. No biggy. Barbados has decided to bat. Hmmmm……5 overs into the match and I am wondering is this the real Tridents team? Santokie has them under wraps. Many dot balls. And my word, the Jamaican team is fielding with vigour! Even Chris Gayle is diving! After 10 overs, there are only 2 extras! And more importantly, Barbados has only scored 56 runs with 2 wickets gone. Holy moly! This is going to be a walkover.
Jamaica doing well to keep the scoring in check and the crowd noisy. Those vuvuzela! Ugh. Dang you South Africa!
Then boom! The lights go out. It dark. It’s only for a minute or so though, except that the lights don’t come back on immediately. The covers come on and I wonder why. Is it because they have to protect the field while the players and officials wait for the light? Well, I sound find out that indeed it was rain. *get eyes checked*
Curry mutton, crispy pork, pork sausage, fried rice, veggies, chicken, roti skinI head over to George Headley for dinner, early tonight. It was raining indeed, I see. The ground is wet. Not good, because I have on open toe shoes today 🙁 Dinner is lovely. Take a look. Over in the Party Stand, Sizzler and Bugle perform. The spectators are delighted.
Before play resumes, the umpire reminds us that Andre Russell had bowled the last ball after the lights went out and that Jason Holder had played it. On resumption, they decide that is a dead ball. I said to myself “rahtid, suppose when him bowl again, him out Holder?” Nah lie. Same thing happened. I have ESP.
Oh, here is another ESP moment. Before I headed over for din din, I got up and was walking around the media centre to try and get warm. I spotted a fella with things in his hand. He looked unfamiliar, and when I looked closer, there was the air conditioning remote! I told him he must have been reading my mind. Got him to turn off one unit on my side and raise the temperature of the other FROM 18 (!!!!0 to 23 Celsius. Much more comfortable. See, think it and it will happen.
Back to the cricket. The Tridents finish their 2 remaining overs and after a late flourish by Polly, (Cho) end with 146/7. Not a huge total at all. I decide to stay and watch the Chris Gayle show from George Headley. Sadly, today it was not a feature film, but rather a short. Well how about the other Chris. Nope, out too. Time to go back to my base. But first, I’m on a mission to find Panadol. (Earlier, one of the Guardian Volunteers had gone to find some but brought back Aspirin. Not good for the stomach, so I declined.) I see two people by the Ambulance and they direct me to the Medical Station. I tell them what I want. After the standard screening questions e.g. blood pressure (“perfect”), when last I ate, she told the fella to give me 2 Panadol. Yay! He asks me the score. Two wickets down.
Just as I am entering the area for the lifts, I spot a media colleague from St Kitts who is with two fellas trying to find a box. I direct them to the correct area. Then I ask him what is happening as while walking over, I had heard noise, thinking it was us scoring a bag of runs. Four wickets down! Spun out by Peterson. Hmmm…..looking shaky. Before the start of these home games, Gayle had told journalists that 3 out of 4 wins would satisfy him. Is this the game he was prepared to give up?
Chadwick Walton steadies the ship a bit then he gets out disappointingly. Andre Russell hobbles out to join him. The crowd roars because while bowling, a batsman hit the ball straight into what could be his already bad knee. He is maintaining about a 100 % strike rate but running between the wickets is difficult. What a trooper! At teh end of 17, 34 runs are needed in 18 balls. Not impossible, and you will recall the game when he scored a 6 off the last ball to win, after upping the scoring rate once he came to the crease. Can he do the same thing here?
He is really hobbling now. Run rate required is 12. I think I should pack up my tools. Wait nah…..a Russell 66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666. Ok, that’s probably just a fluke. Yep. Hits one high in the air and Keiron Pollard takes it on the second chance. Probably for the best. Needs to rest his knee for future games. I suspect the will rest him for Sunday’s game against the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
Ok, time to pack up. Run rate creeping up again. Rusty Theron is bowled. He is mad at himself. Except for perhaps Daniel Vettori, the overseas players have not played their part. Mahela Jayawardena got a duck tonight.