Andy wrote:

UrsaMinor wrote:

paulbear wrote:

Well, we need a strong side and as we will have our players back from The Hundread so we should be alright to put out a full strength side.

I'd have Sam Hain and Danny Briggs back but Bethell will be with England and I'm not sure that Mousley merits a place ahead of, say, Shaikh. Who's available from the Overseas players?

For the Blast quarter final? Mousley is way ahead of Shaikh.

yeah its a crying shame both he and Hain will return from the 100 in the usual combination of poor form and lack of time at the crease. if Hose hasn't got injured we could probably have had Hain back for a game or two. just our luck to have Sam sat around in the dugout waiting for numerous inferior players to get out before he gets his handful of deliveries, instead.

Highveld wrote:

I would say that the Metro Bank cup has shown that Taz has moved ahead of Lintott as a spinner, and that Kai should be classed as the best keeper on the staff.

i was really wondering that, albeit Lintott's ability to contribute with the bat at 8 is likely a major factor in selection. although, picking Booth to replace (say) Ali may well mean we could pick an extra non-batter

Smith has been in the T20 team all year?

totally agree on Booth he looks potentially our best seamer/all rounder since Woakes and Clarke

I forgot to mention what a positive I think the competition has been overall.

we have discovered a potential star in the making in Taz Ali- should be in the T20 squad for the QF?
Michael Booth has announced himself as an excellent all round white ball player- should be in the T20 squad for the Qf

the 3 young batsmen have all shown enough flashes to confirm their potential and deserve another sustained opportunity next year, although, they each of them do need to kick on a bit next year and show more than flashes. Hamzah's run of 40,70, 50 in the 3 games up to and including Sunday was encouraging for him. Hamzah and Malik both seem very good fielders too especially with the absolute blinder Hamzah took yesterday.

Kai Smith continued to develop.

I'm far more optimistic about all of the above than I was at the start of the comp so I will happily take that

what a stunning catch by Hamzah, by the way. Like having Jim Troughton back

Today the Sussex left handers kept hitting our spinners, when they bowled from the City End, over or through mid off for boundaries and Barnard simply wasn't reacting to this until Lintott (not bowling at the time) instructed him to bring Zen into the ring from deep backward square (I don't think he touched the ball once there) and put Hamza back on the long off boundary and bring himself in closer on the one. 2 balls later, the Sussex batter (Alsop, I think) had to change his hitting area then holed out to Yates at long on. The field change brought about the wicket, needed to happen 20 mins sooner though. We're learning. And I must stress before people get emotional, this isn't a criticism of Barnard or a praise of Davies or whatever, just saying we should give Barnard time to learn the role when the change does come.

its so telling, that you needed to stress this. Imagining gnashing teeth and sour countenances, 'A MAN ON THE INTERNET JUST SAID SOMETHING GOOD ABOUT ALEX DAVIES, NOOOOOOOO'
'but surely, he was talking about Barnard?'
'THAT'S JUST IMPLIED PRAISE OF DAVIES IN ANOTHER FORM GRRRRRRRRRRR'

Andy wrote:

Can't say much more about the collapse than has already been said, can't defend that. Such a shame as we've batted so well lately in run chases. Thought Lenham bowled pretty well to be fair to the lad.

agreed, he varied his flight nicely, i though at least one of the wickets was as much due to that as it sticking in the pitch

I'm going to throw a bit of a hand grenade in here but I can't help noticing the double standards regarding Davies and Barnard

Davies gets a T20 team to the knockout stage for the 2nd consecutive year and gets a dog's abuse for it- and he got us to the knockout stage last year with a basically unbeaten record in his tenure as captain, recovering the team after a terrible start after we looked appalling losing (i think) every game (or virtually every game) under the lacklustre 'guidance' of Moeen.

He visibly injected energy and purpose into that dismally failing T20 team last year, until the usual QF bottle job which has roots deeper and wider and longer than Davies has been at the club to be blamed for. (for a start, and I'll throw another hand grenade in, our best batsman by far Sam Hain is a big-game bottler who has only once made a contribution in I think 8 T20 knockout games it is now. I say this as someone who near-worships Hain, but facts are facts, he has a horrendous record in knockout T20, just the 2017 final knock against Notts to his name amidst a series of limp, anxious failures).

(I also recall distinctly Davies getting 1000 CC runs last year and it scarcely causing a ripple of recognition on here.)

And St Ed of Barnard, forum darling, his team snatches competition failure from the jaws of success, to seemingly near-universal acclaim.

Look, I love Ed and he's had another good year in this comp but not nearly up to previous standards, and until the ton at the weekend was having a pretty mediocre competition with the bat. He also got out especially early in the comp playing shots certain other players (mentioning no names) would be taking abuse for playing.

I think there are a couple of factors specific to T20 in play here, not least that nowadays we go into the QFs with our best two batsmen robbed of time at the crease and form and touch by the 100, not Davies's fault.

I also think that on here and among members particularly, T20 (for various reasons in my opinion, some pretty churlish) is willfully downgraded as the least important comp, so I suppose i can see why not getting to the knockout stage in 50ov can be counted equivalent to doing so twice in T20. In fact, not just equivalent but better, just about everyone praising St Ed's captaincy and looking forward to the next campaign after what was ultimately an unsuccessful debut as captain, nobody doing the same for Davies for getting to 2 QFs.

I'm being both a little facetious and exaggerating just a little for effect. But only a little, 'well done Ed, credit for the this campaign!', I see above; credit for what? having his worst 50ov tournament with the bat in 3 years (pretty sure his wickets were down too), and captaining a team that failed to get to the knockout stage?

Imagine the reaction if he'd got us to 2 consecutive knockout stages.

I'll leave the mini-rant on this thought, Barnard and Davies have exactly the same number of match-winning centuries in the 50ovs this year. The reaction to those centuries was a comical study in contrasts. Its not a complement to say the seemingly constant need for club supporters (of any sport) to find a whipping boy makes the club supporters concerned look just like football fans. If there is a club, and a forum, there will be a whipping boy, and there will be a darling. Its like BBC 5live on Saturday at 6pm on here half the time, which really, really isn't a complement.

will be done inside 40, what was all the fuss and panic about again? ha. love the youngsters coming good, gives me a warm feeling, it does.

fair to say, given we bat (very) solidly to 10, and we were chasing a moderate target, and if NRR may be a factor, that it was worth taking above average risks early on.

paulbear wrote:

We are seeing the future of our batting for the next few years. I am quite optimistic.

me too! but I mostly am (especially compared to some on here!! ha)
looking forward to watching Zen's innings on the stream if i can

would be great for Hamza and Kai to bring it home

Bald_Reynard wrote:

ITE7376 wrote:

Bamber at 10, Booth at 9, we are batting veeeeeery deep today. I like it.

The way Lancs are going (after losing an early wicket) - and the reliability of our opening 4/5, I think we're going to need a long batting lineup!

you spoke too soon, super Taz Ali (among others) did his thing. 3-39 off his 10, I get more giddy and fangirlish over Ali the more I see. And he's ripped out top order batsmen, too. I'll be checking the stream out with bated breath later just to watch his overs and plotz out.

RE our batting top 5: a tiny, wee bit unfair. Barnard and Yates are fundamentally sound and Barnie is due a good score in this comp, I think 50ovs is Yates's 'sweet spot', certainly in white ball cricket. I also feel Malik and Jani have shown indications they have the makings to make it at this level, Jani especially with the Scarborough innings. And Hamza showed decent ability and cricket brain last Sunday

give em time, this comp is all about development.

Bamber at 10, Booth at 9, we are batting veeeeeery deep today. I like it.

Indeed we have Rushworth supposedly player-coaching too

placing a high premium on 'mentorship' next year

Andy wrote:

Re. Mousley, I feel like he leaves us for the Hundread with his game in pretty good shape every year then comes back looking totally out of sorts for the September run in. He either doesn't play or bats 7 and hardly gets a hit or just bowls 5 balls. He'd benefit so much more from playing ODC and batting in the top 4 for us and constructing his innings and also bowling a bit more in different game situations, middle overs etc.

Yeah I think his bowling would benefit greatly from having to bowl a 'spell' rather than just the occasional opportunistic overs that you get in T20

Makes perfect sense, replace the fading aging Rushworth with.... hmmm. Barker is 39?

bumping this old thread I happened to be at Himley CC last night for the Floodlit League, and who should be opening the batting for Himley but our old friend Ed?

unfortunately the expectations of the good-sized crowd for fireworks was dimmed when ed got a first-baller. Plus ca change and all that

on the subject of Hundred selections, I don't think Mousley would be anywhere near it if he didn't bowl (AFAIK recall his batting in both years has been absolutely wretched, poor scores and even poorer optics, just looking totally at sea, which he can do not infrequently)

I also have a by-now strong suspicion (it started halfway through the blast) that Mousley's bowling has been found out at the top level (last year his economy was 6.7ish, this year 9.7ish)

I don't think he was bowling well at parts this year, in terms of executing to the field he was set especially. But at what point does 'bowling really fast off 4 steps' become too predictable? apparently it has happened, I reckon. His total lack of ability to deceive in the flight (the trajectory of the ball on the odd occasions when he does try to 'flight' it is the epitome of 'dead duck, gentle floppy loop' and looks entirely easy to predict length on) means his margin for error is nil and the batsman's range of options they have to anticipate is very limited

I'll be surprised if he is a fallback option to bowl his full 4 overs on a consistent basis in future

oxfordbear wrote:

ITE7376 wrote:

Andy wrote:

He's been available just not getting selected. Apparently he's been sat in the 'dug out' at games with all the gear on.

---

thanks I'm going to lock myself in my bedroom listening to Smiths records now.

FFS no other batsman over 1000 t20 blast runs in the last 2 years and just for one example you've got some **** child called McKinney who's played 10 T20 blast games in his entire life, and literally didn't even score a quarter of the runs Hain got this year, he got 109 runs in 10 games FFS, 109, and he's had one little flourish hit a couple of sixes in 29 runs and the reaction to it, you'd think they were witnessing a peak Viv Richards and meanwhile the most prolific run scorer in the country sits on the bench and, this country, this country, I give in.

But finally gets a game for Rockets as replacement for Hose. Batting at 8 behind Moores and Ahmed. Riduculous. Wonder if he'll even get a bat. If so he'll probably be expected to hit 20 off 4 balls.

exactly i can see it now, comes in with 10 balls to go, doesn't perform a miracle, gets dropped as he 'doesn't start quickly enough'.

back to the bedroom and the Smiths records for me, I need to cheer myself up a bit

Tayls79 wrote:

Grareful for the information provided above. Wonder what he thinks of it all? It could be a good thing for him thats he's realtively close to home with a new baby with minimal work for decent money. Or annoyed at the lack of involvement? Being carded at eight behind Ahmed, Willey and Moores must be a bit frustrating.

I can only imagine it to be depressing as **** for him. Looking across the whole tournament there must be at least a dozen batsmen playing regularly, with demonstrably inferior career records, and not just that but nowhere near the runs he has scored this year (he's 9th in the blast tournament)

to be fair to Willey and Moores they have both outscored Hain this year and Moores has got his runs at a better rate IIRC (although Willey has struck at 140 to Hain's 147.......), so, bitter as I am, I can swallow those two. And again with Moores, I'm pretty sure he has a better track record of successfully being able to 'go heavy right from the off' than Hain, plus both Willey and Moores are left handers and the Rockets in particular seem to have an active plan to alternate right and left handers throughout the top and middle order. I'm also pretty sure over a 3 or 4 year period Hain will have outscored both of them by a decent margin. Mind you he scored nearly 100 runs more than Hose at a better SR and Hose still got picked ahead of him...

the ones that really grind my gears are the child Rehan Ahmed (300 runs at 139 vs Hain 440 at 147) and Max ***** Holden (a whopping 229 runs at sR149) ahead of Hain. again, Holden is left handed so that could well be at least partially tactical, but still...........

much of the scouting/selection for this whole thing seems to be along the Bazball 'vibes' lines. This beanpole McKee kid from Durham with 109 runs in 10 games in the Blast, he'll probably get another innings 30 runs with a few sixes some time and get a Big Bash contract off the back of it.

Hain just doesn't give them the 'vibes' is my only explanation