Bazball What?: Father-Son Duo Withstand 208 Deliveries Scoring Just 4 Runs in Division Nine Derbyshire Cricket League Fixture

In stark contrast to what the English national cricket side is surging to move in, a father-son duo got some heads scratching with a snail pacer partnership in the in a Division Nine Derbyshire Cricket League match between Darley Abbey Cricket Club’s 4th XI and Mickleover 3rd XI.

Father Ian Bestwick and son, Thomas, batted 208 balls for just 4 runs as Darley Abbey Cricket Club demonstrated resolve to try and hold on to their wickets instead of attempting to chase down the target of 272 runs set by Mickleover.

The chasing side ended the game at 21/4 in 45 overs as Ian battled a mindboggling 137 balls without feeling the need to get off the mark, while his son did better, on paper, with four runs off the 71 deliveries he faced. Notably, young Bestwick’s only run-making shot was a boundary.

Thomas said the players were buzzing with the result as the game ended in a draw, and said that at one point his determination was to not score. He also pointed out the spirit of local cricket.

“Our dressing room was bouncing. The players were all grinning and thought it was brilliant. It shows you how good local cricket can be. We had been in the field for three hours chasing leather all over the place,” he said.

“They came off and were dejected, but at the end it was like we had won a cup or something. The atmosphere in our dressing room was second to none. It was brilliant. Towards the end, it became a thing where I was determined not to score,” he added.

The 48-year-old Bestwick Senior said, “It’s gone round the world. It has been mentioned in Australia, Pakistan, and Qatar”

He also jested that he has received friend requests from around the world following the memorable innings.

“I have had friend requests from around the globe,” Ian said.

In an age where the English cricket team are posing towards an ultra-attacking manner of cricket with swashbuckling strokeplay and an accelerated rate of run-scoring, evidence from instances such as the said game makes one question about the effects of Bazball dripping down the traditional English cricket system.