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Learning On The Fly
All the preparation, all the planning, all the simulations that contribute to the learning elements that form the basis of muscle memory - nothing can be more satisfying than entering the innings with the team in trouble, away from home, in foreign conditions against an oposition that is fiercely contesting available positions and driving your team to a position of strength.
Sam Harper, after his most productive Shield season (677 runs @ 35), quality BBL season (371 runs @ 61, SR = 155) and leading run scorer in the LPL (425 runs) demonstrated his ability to handle the Indian spinners in their own backyard.
Taking the initiative to set the intent, Harper jumped across off, exposing his stumps to the first ball he faced from off-spinner Kotian, paddling him away to the right of square leg with supreme control.
"I think just not having or letting the spinners settle over here was a plan going into the game," Harper said after stumps. "So yeah, any time I felt like I could use my feet to get to the pitch of the ball, I was going to try and put them under pressure and get them off their length.”
"Yeah, also manipulate their field a bit. I thought the left-armer [Mulani] specifically was bowling quite well. So use a sweep or two here to just put him under a little bit of pressure and take a risk and then get the field you want. And hopefully you can dial back the risk from there."
When you put a good ball away, it messes with the mind of the bowler, however good he might be.
Harper, applying a combination of sweeps, deft use of feet, with calculated strategic risks, allowed him to transition a problematic 5/104 in the 34th over to a score of 9/358 in 116 overs when he departed.
More credit due for learning on the fly as he was on the bench for the first game, using the time to great use in watching the game closely to be ready when his time came.
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