Setting Up the Analysis Session
Woke up extra early before dawn just to catch this Western Australia derby live. Brewed my strongest coffee because ain’t no way I’d survive this 4am start otherwise. Laid out my tools on the kitchen table:
- Two screens split between live stream and spreadsheet
- Red notebook for scribbling key moments
- Old-school AM radio tuned to local commentary
First Innings Tracking Chaos
Hitting refresh every two minutes when the live score bug inevitably froze. Jotted down boundary patterns in my notebook while simultaneously typing strike rates into column D. Spilled coffee on my stats sheet when Marsh got that unexpected LBW – total panic trying to transcribe umpire’s call before replay ended. Noticed their middle order collapse happening faster than my spreadsheet could calculate. Had to abandon color-coding and just scribble “TOP ORDER FAIL” in all caps.
Second Innings Meltdown Mode
WiFi dropped during powerplay overs. Nearly threw my router out the window while scrambling to hotspot my phone. Missed three overs worth of data entry – still mad about those missing dot balls. Ended up balancing laptop on one knee, radio under chin, updating bowling figures with grease pencil on refrigerator door. Temporary solution until broadband came back. Pro tip: Always keep analog backups when Aussie internet acts up.
Crunching Post-Match Numbers
Stayed up past breakfast cross-referencing my chicken scratch notes with official stats. Spent forty minutes arguing with myself whether to label Bancroft’s innings “gritty” or “painful” – settled for scoring it “3/10 for entertainment”. Made pie charts showing how economy rates decided the match but ultimately deleted them. Raw stats spoke louder than my wobbly graphs. Final decision: Highlighted the death over specialist as game-changer with bold red underline.
Sharing The Raw Experience
Published my messy notebook scans alongside cleaned stats. Left the coffee stains visible because that’s real match tracking life. Got roasted in comments for my fridge scribbles but stand by emergency methods. Key takeaway? Never trust tech alone for crunch matches. Always keep paper and panic options ready.
