Shoaib till Lunch

Surrey won the toss and decided to make the most of their financial outlay and bowl first.

More importantly Shoaib is bowling from my end.

His run up is so long, it feels as if he is starting underneath the press box.

He doesn’t look like he will make the crease, but he does, and he fires down a bouncer at a good clip.

His second ball was even quicker at the chest, and a no ball.

Second ball, take two, was quick outside off.

The third ball is a slower ball down the leg side.

Fourth ball was a quick Yorker, Shoaib takes a few deep breaths after dispatching that one.

Fifth ball is a riser outside off and slaps into Batty’s gloves.

Sixth ball looks like a slower one again, but is full and straight.

1-0-2

Ormond has made way for Shoaib, in real terms I wonder who is fitter.

The first ball of his second over was taken by Batty in front of second slip, it was a wide, but that seems like an understatement.

The rest of the over is much more mundane, he strays down the legside at one stage and gets clipped for 4.

2-0-13

He seems to be all about the slower balls today, have counted 3 in 2 overs.

First ball of the third over is his best so far, on a good length, takes off and beats the bat, yet again hits Batty’s hands very hard.

Next ball strikes brown hard on the pad as well, he looks like he has found some kind of Shoaib style rhythm.

No, I spoke too soon now he is bowling crap down the legside again.

3-0-14

3 ordinary short balls, two down the legside and a knee high full toss that looked like it came at a similar pace to a Stuart MacGill shocker.

It’s been a long spell, time for a break perhaps?

4-0-16

With that huge spell he is rested.

In the field he is walking in hard, looks keen, is talking up the team, no sorry that is Ramps.

Shoaib is stretching a lot, groin and hamstring, talking to the umpire, and looking a little bored.

He just dived to save a four, which is a good sign, even if it did look like slow motion.

Next ball he chased one, and while it took him a while to warm himself up, by the end he was flying and saved the third. Although he did spend the whole time looking over his shoulder to see if he should be running at full speed.

Shoaib did seem to get excited over Alex Tudor’s bowling, and he is the only one to do so since 2001.

He is alternating his stance between tea pot, arms crossed and the arm hold behind the back, interesting stuff.

At one stage he did a commando roll, even though the ball was not in play, and nothing was happening in general. Great stuff.

I just realised that Shoaib has had no real contact with any of the Surrey boys, which is fair enough, new team and all that, except that one of them is a former team mate in Saqlain.

I will watch this for further developments.

Lunch, he walks off arm in arm with Alex Tudor.

Those two have a special bond, that only under performing quick bowlers can have.www.cricketwithballs.com... fighting the war on tony greig