By Marcus Uhe
It says a lot about a team’s mental resolve and resilience that they can respond from a season-low with the bat by having their opponent’s in major strife by stumps.
It’s exactly where Parkfield finds itself in its Dandenong District Cricket Association Turf 2 contest against Parkmore, with ladder ramifications significant on both sides of the equation.
The same side that took 6/8 to snatch an extraordinary win over Coomoora in the face of certain defeat will need to draw upon those reserves of resilience and fortitude to rescue points once more.
Asked to bat by Pirates skipper Niranjen Kumar, Parkfield set a new season-low with the stick, posting just 81, but with four quick-wickets before stumps, hope is not lost.
Bowling with a liberated ‘nothing to lose’ mentality at their backs, two wickets apiece from Hansika Kodikara and Roshane Cooray has the Pirates vulnerable at 4/35, with key batters Satheesh Fernandu, Kyle Gwynne, Josh Tonna and Johann Brohier all surrendering their wickets.
Parkmore’s perished quartet comprise four the top six Pirates run scorers this summer, with not-out batter Hewafonsekage Fonseka and seamer Ankit Saxena the outstanding duo.
Parkfield skipper Steve Cannon couldn’t answer when asked which side of the coin he’d rather be on, but by Saturday evening, he will have an answer, one way or another.
“If we put the ball in the right areas and hold our catches, it’s only six good balls,” he said.
“They need 46 runs and we only need six good balls – that’ll be the message.
“That’s the good thing about this year, we’ve proven ourselves right a couple of times, taking 6/8 against Coomoora and then last week winning outright, we think ‘why can’t it happen again?’”
Parkmore’s bowlers executed another superb display of seam bowling in the first innings as the dreadful summer of Parkfield’s top order drags on.
Cannon is at a loss for the source of batting demise, clearly frustrated by a second team score below 100 in three rounds.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” he said.
“If I had the answer, we wouldn’t have got bowled out for 81.
“If we can fix the batting, we’re still in with a chance, but you can’t be trying to defend 81 or 130 each week – you need to be posting some decent scores.”
Saxena struck with the third delivery of the day to send Dishan Malalasekera on his way for a second ball duck, with Avisha Wilwalaarachchi removing fellow opener Nathaniel Cramer in the fourth over for just two.
Sahan Jayawardana’s move up the order did not recoup results, making just 14, while Shahwali’s Mosavi’s wicket gave Wilwalaarachchi three in his opening spell.
Kodikara and Travis D’Souza dug in for the long haul and defending desperately for the remainder of the session, offered marginal width or opportunity by the typically metronomic Parkmore attack.
Boundaries became increasingly valuable as Brad Van Twest and Fernandu kept the pressure on following excellent opening spells from the new-ball pairing.
Kumar made a captain’s breakthrough by trapping Kodikara in front for 11, and an inspired choice to throw the ball back to his primary weapon on the stroke of tea proved a stroke of genius.
With one over remaining before the interval, Saxena ended D’Souza’s 89-ball occupation on 20 by bursting through his defences and sending the bails flying on the final delivery before Tea.
Parkfield dragged the innings into a 63rd over before the Pirates wrapped up proceedings with the score on 81.
Wilwalaarachchi finished with 3/19 with Saxena and Fernandu each claiming two.
