Chris Rogers raises his bat after scoring 116 at the MCG on day 4. Image: SBS
It’s
safe to say that the pressure has been on Chris Rogers to score runs this
series, and nobody else has been more brutally honest in acknowledging this
point than himself, as the batsmen around him have all lofted the bat for
centuries this summer…
But with
a finesse drive through the covers, perfectly timed and with the ball gliding
toward the boundary, the Melbourne crowd erupted as Rogers took off his helmet
and raised his bat to thunderous applause, the weight was lifted off his
shoulders.
If we go
back to mid-2013, Rogers was a surprise selection to many for the Ashes tour of
England as the 35 nearly 36 year old appeared to be picked out of left field
after making his test match debut in Perth against India way back in 2008. Scores
of 4 and 15 didn’t help him capitalise on his opportunity as soon after his
national contract was terminated.
However,
as the turmoil ridden Ashes tour went on, his selection became more apparent as
the embattled Australians looked toward an elder statesman with endless
experience of English conditions and a batting temperament to match. With
almost 20,000 first class runs to his name, piled on in Sheffield Shield and
the County Championship, Rogers’ experience helped him escape criticism that plagued
the likes of Ed Cowan, Usman Khawaja and Phil Hughes with the axe that promptly
followed. All in all, Rogers enjoyed a reasonably successful tour on his behalf
despite the 3-0 series loss as he scored 367 runs at an average of 40.77
highlighted by 110 at Durham, yet it still felt as though Rogers was yet to
truly cement his place at the top of the order.
The
selectors stuck with Rogers for the home Ashes series, but he was was hot and
cold through the first three tests despite dominant Australian victories.
Coming into the Melbourne test, Rogers had two fifties for the series, but he
was adamant that he wanted a big knock, it was time to get greedy.
At 2/41
on day 2, Rogers was working himself in at the crease when he was cracked in
the side of the helmet, cutting his face just below the temple. A resilient Rogers
played on and from this point onwards, he became the new Justin Langer, timing
the ball beautifully, cutting the ball with finesse square of the wicket and hooking
like he was facing a beach ball. He was eventually dismissed for 61 but in the
second innings, we saw more of the same, everything came out of the middle and
he perfected the late cut in a sublime innings, the best hundred of the summer
so far.
An Injury
cover for Matthew Hayden in 2008 may have given him his Baggy Green, but it is
only now that you feel Chris Rogers has cemented himself as a part of the
Australian team.
If he
keeps playing like this, he can play until he is 80...age is no factor.
Article by Tim Wray (@Wray24)
No comments:
Post a Comment