Stubborn batting contained by over bowled, say (9)
I believe the answer is:
obstinate
'stubborn' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'batting contained by over bowled say' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'batting' could be 'in' (cricket term) and 'in' is present in the answer.
'by' could be 'at' and 'at' is located in the answer.
'over' could be 'o' (cricket abbreviation) and 'o' is found within the answer.
'bowled' could be 'b' (cricket abbreviation) and 'b' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'ste' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for obstinate that I've seen before include "Stubborn or unyielding" , "Cussed" , "Stubborn, obdurate" , "Inflexible" , "Stubbornly persistent" .)