Random Cricket Photos Post 69


#RandomCricketPhotosThatMakeMeHappy

As frustrating as it is to see Mohd. Shami, the batsman, he also is a throwback to the good ol' days of cricketing tailenders. With the requirements of the modern game making a decent batsmen out of pretty much every bowler, we don't get to see the adventurous and funny number 11 too often these days. (That's why Umesh Yadav's blitz was so satisfying to watch today.)

These 'bunnies with the bats' like Phil Tufnell, Courtney Walsh, Paul Adams infused a comic relief into tense matches. Often taken for granted by the bowlers as walking wickets, their resistance used to get the crowds going. And nothing better for the crowds than to see the tailender biff a few for boundaries.

Here is another ideal number 11, Alan Mullally, taunting and sledging Glenn McGrath after he had somehow managed to cart him around for 16 in the dead rubber of 1998 Ashes. In hindsight, Mullally's runs would prove worth gold dust as England would win their only match of the Ashes by 12 runs.

This was two years after he had eked out 5 boundaries off Wasim Akram when challenged by coach David Lloyd to score 30 runs for 30 Guinness beers. When he reached 24, he signalled to the dressing room to get them in. As luck would have it, Akram got him with his next ball.

"Walking off, I told him that he was an idiot because he could have shared the Guinness with me. Wasim said that if I'd told him about Bumble's promise, he would have bowled half-volleys to get me to 30."

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