To be honest when I was set a score of 375 in 50 overs to win my latest Expert League match, I was not feeling confident. However, this would turn out to be my greatest victory playing iB Cricket on the Meta Quest 3. Wearing a Kent Cricket club shirt, a pair of grey shorts, I set out to build an innings to try and win my 55th recorded Expert league match.
If I remember rightly, I didn’t exactly get off to a blistering start, but I soon got into my stride and used the gaps nicely to keep the scoreboard ticking over. The run rate was 7.75 an over, so I knew that I had to realistically hit at least one boundary per over to be in with a chance of winning.
My heart sank a little when the off spinner came on to bowl. My regular viewers will know that I am not the best play of spin. It’s not getting out that’s the problem, it the fact that I struggle to score runs off the spinners. So this meant that I needed to score more runs off the pacer bowlers.
As the game progressed, I was able to use the gaps in the field. I especially made use of the log off and long on areas. If you time it right there are 2 runs to the fielder most of the time. I was also able to score plenty of singles both on the on and off side.
I think the game changed when I started to move my feet toward the ball against the off spinner. As my confidence grew, I was able to get to the pitch of the ball and drive the spinner to all areas of the ground. This was probably the turning point in the game. Keeping the scoreboard ticking over even against the spinner was very satisfying.
HOWEVER, unfortunately the wickets kept falling. My usual problem of not being able to retain my concentration created a situation where I found myself 9 wickets down with 92 still left to win from 3 overs! I had Graeme Swann and Jimmy Anderson at the crease. One more wicket and the game was over.
I just had to remain composed and just leave anything that I could not score runs from. I think I was given one life when mid-off dropped a dolly of a catch. The other problem going through my mind was that I knew that the last over would be bowled by the off spinner, so I did not want to leave myself a tricky 10 or 11 to win the match…
In this latest iB Cricket gameplay video, I am using the Meta Quest 3. The external battery head-strap is from the awesome KIWI DESIGNS. The VR cricket bat I am scoring runs with (and no bat tracking issues with) is from Mint3D.