Australian batsman George Bailey finally got a chance to play for the World XI side in the Independence Cup but it did not go the way he expected it to be. Bailey made a terrible comeback in international cricket after almost a year. Bailey got picked up in the World XI side as a wicketkeeper replacing Australian wicketkeeper Tim Paine. The 35-year-old kept wickets for the first time in his international career. But it was his batting that became the talk of Twitter in the second innings.
Bailey came out to bat after World XI lost two wickets in two balls in the fifth over. The visitors needed a partnership to get back into the game. Bailey picked up a single on the second ball he faced as he retained strike for the next over. The Australian batsman ended up playing the first maiden over of the T20I series as he could not get the ball past the 30-yard circle in the last powerplay over. Ruman Raees bowled a maiden over and the pressure was on World XI to keep the required run rate in check.
Bailey tried to take on Imad Wasim in the next over. After taking two singles from the over he tried to release the pressure on the last ball. He went back into the crease and tried to cut the ball away for a boundary. Instead, he dragged it back into the stumps losing his wicket and getting the side under immense pressure with the required run rate moving in the vertical direction.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to his T20I inning with a strike rate of 25.
Faf Duplessis be like: We were 6 balls short! Credit goes to George Bailey for giving maiden over to Raees #PakvWorldX1 #CricletComesHome
— Ali Munawar (@ImAlimunawar) September 15, 2017
World XI Lost Because Of Slow Batting Of George Bailey #PAKvWXI
— Sir Oggy Billa (@SirOggyBilla) September 15, 2017
Thanks George Bailey #PAKvWXI
— Faraz Arshad (@MrPharaz) September 15, 2017
George Bailey should be given Pakistani citizenship.
— Ujjwarys Targaryen (@SinhaSaahab_) September 15, 2017
George Bailey 3(12) as horrendous as it can get. Expected better from you mate. #PAKvsWXI #IndependenceCup
— Zak Mirza (@Iamzakirmirza) September 15, 2017
A painful 12-ball 3 on his
international #comeback for#George_Bailey. World XI in
trouble. #PAKvWXI— M Rakib Ahmed (@MRakib313) September 15, 2017
Just when I thought George Bailey could make it a bit interesting, he went out. #PakVsWorldXI
— Ehsan Ashar Saani (@ehsan_ashar) September 15, 2017
Very strange to see ben cutting and george bailey playing for world 11
— joelkalajzic (@joelkalajzic) September 15, 2017
Fraud of the day.. George Bailey
— Bilal Hashmi (@bahashmi) September 15, 2017
Lmao George Bailey
— Hammad (@itshammadd) September 15, 2017
The deliveries Bailey used up was one of the reasons why World XI players succumbed to the pressure and kept losing their wickets and losing the match by a margin of 33 runs.
