Iain O'Brien
Happy Days was filmed inside a studio apartment
It's Friday night, I'm sitting on my bed in my new place, that I only moved into last Thursday, watching South Africa bowl to the Aussies on the telly, and I couldn't be happier.
Iain O'Brien
25-Feb-2013
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It's Friday night, I'm sitting on my bed in my new place, that I only moved into last Thursday, watching South Africa bowl to the Aussies on the telly, and I couldn't be happier.
My place is hardly huge; it's one room and an en-suite. Kitchen, lounge and bedroom all in one; it'll do for now as I don't need too much space for myself and my couple of bags that I've been living out of for the last five months, although the bar next door could do with being a little less noisy. In saying that, as soon as I make this place home I have to leave, and, again, I couldn't be happier.
I head off to Australia for the Chappell-Hadlee Series on Tuesday and in doing that I will check out of my accommodation and then move back in when I return, into a bigger apartment though that time!
Full postSix and out
And like that Wellington Firebirds are out of the State Shield, the domestic one-day competition, and there is still one match to go
Iain O'Brien
25-Feb-2013
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This last game was against Canterbury; we had been given a sound hiding by them at their place early in the competition and we needed a win, let alone revenge win, to stay a chance in the competition.
We batted first on a track that we had already used twice in the previous two matches at the Basin. It was looking a whole lot dryer and tired than it had done in the last match against Northern Districts, where it was a very good one-day track! We really needed to score huge and hope the pitch got harder and harder to score on as the match went on and, hopefully, give us a chance for a bonus point by keeping them to 80% of our score; neither of those was to happen. We scored 217 off 49 overs which was Duckworth-Lewis-ed up to 220 as we lost that over in the middle of the innings because of rain.
Handy start with Jesse and Belly putting on 48 for the first wicket, but that was where that ended. The next best partnership was just over 30 and the rest averaging around 15; really not enough if you need to put a big score on the board.
Full postA win and a house
Ahh, that's better
Iain O'Brien
25-Feb-2013
Ahh, that's better. Back on track with a very good win against a very good team. The papers call it an upset although I just happy with it being a game where a couple of us (Wellington Firebirds) played better than they did. We are a good team, we've just been playing some average cricket.
Belly won the toss. I felt it was an important one as it looked like a deck that certainly would help the bowlers. It did, we just didn't bowl to well to start with. It swung and did a little off the track and it looked like, to start with, we really tried to bowl quick and swing it big. Sometimes those things just happen without trying too hard as you get carried away with the conditions, wind up and it comes out all wrong.
Full postLaughing at the Aussies while trying to rent a flat
As it stands I won't be a part of the one-day series against the West Indies
Iain O'Brien
25-Feb-2013
As it stands I won't be a part of the one-day series against the West Indies. I got the phone call a couple of nights ago and was told that they were staying with the same bowling unit. How can I argue? They're going great, doing their jobs and staying fit; everything they should be doing! And on the other side of it I'm doing everything I can to show that I'm up to international one-day cricket. I'm bowling in the positions that the selectors have asked me to; I'm hitting the areas, pretty much, that I should be but I probably haven't got the wickets that they'd want from me.
Our most recent game against Canterbury was another one of those poor performances that don't do anyone any good. You can come out of some bad matches with a couple of people doing well. This one though, no one really shone out. We put in a pretty good bowling performance and a score of about 270 was probably what Canterbury should have got to; we held them to 242 by picking up wickets towards the end of the innings.
I bowled my 10 overs by the 40th and took myself off the park. My back, which has been tightening up in the last match, was getting pretty sore. It didn't affect my bowling but it wasn't great to be standing around with in the outfield. I got some treatment as soon as I was off the park and it loosened up quite quickly, but as there was no point me heading back out there I took the time to keep resting it and doing the back arches that would help it settle down.
Full postOutdone by Otago
Days like yesterday hurt
Iain O'Brien
25-Feb-2013
Days like yesterday hurt. It doesn't matter that I had a reasonable game, as it's the end result that really matters.
We got destroyed by a team that has, over the last couple of years, played some impressive one-day cricket. Otago have never, generally, been considered favourites in cricket for a long time. We (Wellington Firebirds) went into the match as one of the two stronger teams in the country (us and CD) aware of what kind of cricket Otago can play. If they get their tails up then they are as strong as opposition as there is around. And yesterday they had more than just their tails up.
We had just come off a good close win against a strong Auckland team a couple of days earlier; that was the first win I had been a part of since the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong, it had been a long time! From there and into the gym the day after and training at 10am on New Year's Day.
No resolutions, as I don't do them, but I certainly have goals and if you've been reading, then I don't have to mention them all. Apart from the obvious short-term one (getting into the ODI team, there, I told you so you don't have to go back and read...), there are still two Test matches towards the end of this summer, against India, that I am targeting to continue my Test match form.
Full postGetting into the one-day groove
It's New Year’s day and I'm on the couch resting up for tomorrow’s one-day match against Otago
Iain O'Brien
25-Feb-2013
It's New Year’s day and I'm on the couch resting up for tomorrow’s one-day match against Otago.
A quiet night last night, went out and had a couple of beers with some of the Wellington boys, home by 12.30 very sober and very much looking forward to sleep. I'm not one for the late nights too often, especially when I know I have to get up and train the next day. I just can't operate tired, let alone, with a hangover, at all!
Full postBack in the domestic circuit
A beautiful day in Nelson, Trafalgar Park looking great, it was just a pity that there really was only one team in it; and it wasn't us.
Iain O'Brien
25-Feb-2013
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A beautiful day in Nelson, Trafalgar Park looking great, it was just a pity that there really was only one team in it; and it wasn't us.
Wellington Firebirds, my domestic team, took on the Central Districts Stags in a one-day game. Both teams are the 'form' teams of the domestic season. So it shaped up as a very competitive match. To lose by 82 runs wasn't quite the result that was expected by either team.
I got back to Wellington from the Napier Test on Wednesday, straight to the gym and then the rest of the afternoon off. It had been a tough five previous days especially as we had bowled every day. I thought I'd get my gym work in early so I could enjoy Christmas Eve afternoon and the whole of Christmas day off. Boxing Day I was out for a run early before heading down to Nelson for a 'net' in the afternoon. Last time I did this flight I had some more issues with motion sickness and I wasn't looking forward to this flight at all. I had my little pill that is supposed to make me fine with the movements and it wasn't needed. One of the nicest flights I've ever been on. Sun was shining and the scenery is just amazing. I really do appreciate living in a beautiful country with some great views from plane windows.
Full postThe use of referrals
Three appeals are too many
Iain O'Brien
25-Feb-2013
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So, the 'Referral System' and my views on it; well, let me explain it first.
If either team is not happy with the decision of the on-field umpire from an appeal then, under this system, they have the right to refer it to the third umpire. Each team gets three unsuccessful appeals per innings; that's a minimum of 12 per team per Test match. If your referral is upheld, as in you disagree with the on-field decision and the third umpire agrees with you, then you don't lose that referral. Following? The system says the footage has to 'conclusively' prove that the on-field umpire has made a mistake for it to be overturned. But, they are only allowed to use TV replays, no sound, no 'snicko', and no 'hot spot'.
Got it? Good.
So, in reference to Baz's [McCullum] dismissal, with the technology that is currently available, only the TV footage, there was no way to say that Baz definitely did not hit it as you couldn't see 'daylight' between the ball and the bat because of the camera angles, therefore the third umpire had to stay with the on-field decision. But if you look at the trajectory of the way a ball and the plane the bat was following there was no way that Brendon did nick that ball. A decision that angered not just Baz, I can tell you. And this is where this 'referral' system fell over.
Shoe on the other foot, had the on-field umpire given it 'not out' and the Windies referred it to the third umpire, again with the footage available, the decision would stayed with the on-field decision. So from the replays he was, therefore, both out and not out depending on the on-field decision. Confused? So were we! And this is not the reason why the system was introduced. It needs some tweaks.
Full postMental cricketers, and christmas greetings
Some real weird emotions ran through me, but mostly disappointment that I couldn't have been the difference on the fifth morning
Iain O'Brien
25-Feb-2013
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Day five and I've bowled ever day of the Test. The body was pretty tired, I didn't have the muscle soreness that I would usually, but the body was feeling tired. I knew I was going to have to work hard for every bit of rhythm and pace out in the middle.
Early bus to the ground for the fifth day in a row; there's no point spoiling what has been working. And when I say that, I mean it. Cricketers, generally, are superstitious. Although ‘superstitious’ is almost the wrong word. If something is going well then we will repeat those things we have been doing. A shirt you've worn when you did well is then considered lucky and will be worn day after day. The breakfast you eat before you head down to the ground will be the same as the day before, if you've had success. A lucky bat, a lucky pair of socks. Any day when you done well, I can almost guarantee you that cricketers will try to replicate the actions that honestly have nothing to do with the end result because we are mental! We have issues. We believe in silly routines that hopefully will bring us continued success.
So I get to the ground early and tape up my feet to save more blisters appearing. The feet are still sore and aren't going to get any better in the short term. I'm not complaining and I'm not the only one going through pain to play, not at all. It's just that it's my blog, and I can only really speak on my behalf. The blister on the ball of my left foot is the one the hurts the most. Every time I land to bowl it gets smashed up. But Iain, just get on with it, just bowl. Shut up and bowl!
Full postThe plan to get Shiv
While we were waiting for Shiv to come out, Dan asked me to warm up, we had a plan that we were going to implement against him
Iain O'Brien
25-Feb-2013
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I don't know if you can hear, but that's a bath running in the background, and once it's full, I'm going to sit in there and finish writing this. Why, because I can, I want to and mostly because I feel like I need a damn good soak.
Now that's a day of Test cricket; two down at the start of play and seven down at the end. With momentum swings at crucial points throughout the day it was one that could have gone any way. We're certainly not disappointed with where we are; three wickets in the morning and we'll be right back in there.
Bath run, lovely!
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