The first three sixes that Mitchell Marsh hit in scoring the fastest century for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were no ordinary shots. They were neither pulls nor slogs. Neither did Marsh charge the bowler nor did the bowler overpitch. And the bowlers in question were the very epitome of metronomy: Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
All three of these deliveries were pitched at a length close to 7 metres, which is bang in the middle of the good length band. All three sixes were an extension of the off-drive.
This was colossal batting after LSG had been asked to bat first on a strip where they failed to chase 156 in the previous match. Lucknow has been an unreliable home ground for LSG, producing low scores and not letting their big-hitters from overseas trust the surface.
However, Marsh, a strike rate of only 139 in this IPL until this innings, was playing shots that require not only the specific skills he has but also trust in the surface. “A few of the Indian boys sort of said before the game that it looked a little bit better than the previous time we played on it,” Marsh told the broadcasters later. “So I just tried to maximise the powerplay as much as I could. And, yeah, get as many runs as I could.”
Marsh can make it sound simple but if you have the gifts he has and the training he puts in, perhaps you would as well.
Among the tallest openers going around, Marsh has the reach to be able to access good lengths the way others can’t. This is what makes him a dangerous player, a prized get for LSG. And then there have been years and years of nets, range hitting and strength training, trying to perfect the lovely clean swing of bat he has.
Some of those nets sessions would have included facing Hazlewood, against whom he had played only 15 balls for 16 runs in competition before this encounter. To take his countryman down would have been a specific task for Marsh because once you let Hazlewood get into his work, he is difficult to dislodge off his lengths.
Marsh charged first ball at Hazlewood, who shortened his length but also went too far wide outside off. On the reload, Hazlewood was back to his good length, but Marsh was coming, no matter what. He had heard enough about the pitch from his team-mates and seen enough from the first over to be able to trust it even if Hazlewood didn’t overpitch.
Hazlewood didn’t, but Marsh still struck. At one of the bigger outfields in this IPL. What followed was pristine hitting and the bit of the relief Rishabh Pant and his team-mates must have been after during a season in which they had won only two out of nine games before this one.
At the toss, Pant had no hesitation speaking about building towards the next season. They already have something to work on with the emergence of Indian fast bowlers, but their batting has remained a puzzle for them.
Marsh’s ability to hit good balls for sixes without having to give up his solid base is a big piece of that puzzle put in place.
