The Chris Morris ‘How to’ manual

116 to get and 50 oddballs to play. The lanky Chris Morris walked in to bat. However, that wasn’t just any stride. It had swagger, bravado and most importantly, it was a determined one. The Delhi Daredevils who had made their way into the stadium were stunned in acute silence. You could have heard the ice of the gin and tonics clinking each time a fan took a sip of the alcoholic beverage. For Morris, however, ringing in his ears was his victory music. He was visualizing victory even though it was literally a Mission Impossible situation.

The IPL has seen a plethora of tight finishes. The current season of the IPL however, has been somewhat of a bummer in terms of cricket entertainment. Until of course Chris Morris’ bat eventually decided to do the talking. And in he walked to help out his countryman JP Duminy in the latter’s lone war against the bowlers of the Gujarat Lions.

James Faulkner is no Mickey Mouse bowler by any means. His 2015 World Cup winning medal should attest to that. Moreover, he had been a part of the now defunct Rajasthan Royals. He had also conceded just 7 runs of his first over, subsequently picking up a wicket as he did. That, however, was about to change.

The South African cricketers love golf. Whether Chris Morris loves to tee off or not, it didn’t matter. He was about to tee off against the likes of Faulkner. Morris’ first ball against Faulkner was nothing more than a gentle chip. With a golf club, a chip travels more than 40 odd yards. His chip there travelled. And traveled right into the second tier above the head of James Faulkner. Five ounces of impact smashed into the second tier of plastic chairs vacated by the fleeing spectators. He meant business. He also meant every letter of the word ‘Carnage’.

The next one was a gentle prod. A prod, generating immense impact from those massive and muscular yet lanky wrists of Morris. How was he doing this? The ball was in orbit and the Daredevils faithful at the vast expanse of the Feroz Shah Kotla was running for cover apart from jumping for joy. The determination had paid off. Although they were still deep in the woods, their South African samurai Chris Morris had arrived. He was going to be the one to get them to a point of victory. As far as he was concerned, losing wasn’t an option.

Suresh Raina has been considered for captaincy of the Indian side in the past. However, at that moment, the heat was well and truly on the southpaw. It was time to throw the ball to a veteran. The veteran came in the surprising form of 44-year old Pravin Tambe. The latter has been a part of the IPL ever since people realized that age was just a number and the wily Tambe had variations to boast of. Those variations didn’t mean a thing unfortunately on the night.

The ball once again went into orbit as Tambe read the writing on the wall. The scene was something of a Hollywood movie as it seemed as though Thor himself had descended from Asgard onto planet earth to defend her people. Morris’ bat exuded the thunder of the universe.

He reached his half century in just 17 deliveries as the run rate had been trimmed from 13 odd to about 10. His irresistible itch to send every ball out of the ground was something simply remarkable. Seven deliveries had been deposited into the stands. It was insanity and immensely damaging for those on the receiving end.

The unbelievable Morris concluded his innings of 82 from 33 deliveries. It was a blitzkrieg of sorts. However, what would have disappointed him the most would have been the fact that the Daredevils lost the encounter. The disappointment was evident on his face.

However, (and I don’t know how many people would agree with me on this point) Delhi Daredevils’ loss was perhaps the IPLs win. The attendances for the games had dropped to a point where plastics seats in the stands were visible. Now that sight in the IPL is simply unheard of. As disgraced in cricket as he would be, Lalit Modi once stated that the fans are key to the betterment and the profitability of the game.

That, however, is a completely different topic. At the moment, this innings from Chris Morris should suffice in pulling crowds back to the Indian Premier League.