Scoring 36 runs in a single over is not an easy task. Batters have to outsmart and get under the ball every time to achieve the rare feat. Recently, a teenager achieved it in a T10 league in Pondicherry. However, at no point a bowler wants to concede 36 runs or more runs willingly. Well, on February 20, 1990, it happened!
What led to full-blown drama
In a clash between Wellington and Canterbury in New Zealand, The Ervin McSweeney-led Wellington were in a do or die game to win the Shell Trophy. At one point of the game Canterbury suffered a batting collapse which reduced them to 108/8 from 86/3 while chasing a target of 291. However, they recovered with Lee Germon's gritty knock and the resilience of tailender Roger Ford.
The historic idea
With two overs left in the match, Canterbury were 196/8 which led to unusual tactics from McSweeney after communication with coach John Morrison. The plan was to make Canterbury go for a win after bowling a really expensive over. Leaking runs at this point was not an issue for them as long as they got the last two wickets.
The perfect pick
As a result, McSweeney asked Bert Vance to bowl the penultimate over. The off-spinner was known for his bowling exploits and had bowled 39 overs in six seasons.
An over of bizarre proportions
Vance bowled a series of no balls and Germon kept on hitting. The plan started to work as the wicketkeeper-batter was hitting boundaries after boundaries. Only one of Vance’s 17 deliveries was a legitimate one. He rolled his arm 22 times. Interestingly, even the umpire lost count of how many deliveries the off-spinner had bowled and counted one less legitimate delivery.
In the five-ball over, Vance had been hit for 70 runs by Germon while the other seven came off his partner's bat. Despite the miscounting by the umpire, Sweeney had succeeded in his plan of luring Canterbury into going for the kill.
The last over
Sweeney handed the ball to to left-arm spinner Even Gray. Germon continued the onslaught after gaining confidence in the previous over and scored 17 runs from the first five balls. Ford was on strike off the last ball with just one run to win. Unaware of the fact, he blocked it out and the game ended in a tie. Even Germon had no idea as the scorers were yet to recover from the bizarre series of events in the previous over. Only Morrison knew what was happening and he breathed a sigh of relief after the block.
The consequences and Wellington's sheer luck
Coach Morrison and captain McSweeney drew lot of flak for the 77-run over. The plan backfired as they ended up getting a penalty of four runs for slow over rate. Interestingly, they did not lose a point for going against the spirit of the game. However, Wellington still went on to win the title with 57 points in the bag as the results of other matches went in their favour.
