The Cricket Thread

87-6

 

England win!

 

Happy birthday for yesterday, Fran!!

 

Dangerman gone in the first over.

Finding it a little difficult to cope with the fact that we're playing in sunny, clear blue sky just down the road, and I'm here at home.

 

Here's a live stream for Hants' opening match against Sussex...

 

I see Somerset's points deduction has been suspended until the 2021 season. Makes sense.

 

I don't mind that we're bowling first to be honest. Both sides are heavily weakened in the batting and bowling - and whilst, yes, a weakened bowling attack will leak runs, it also only takes one poor shot each to put a weakened batting line-up in all sorts of problems.

The chances of our (weakened) bowlers going out there and bowling the opposition out for 150 first innings, are greater than our (weakened) batters out there and putting 350 on the board first innings.

 

Our batting is weakened and yet we still bat deep. Our tail consists of Dale and Crane.

 

Indeed. And who knows, with innings' restricted to a maximum of 120 overs, and a delayed new ball, a series of 20s and 30s throughout the order could prove quite useful in this competition. We'll see.

Part of me wonders if we might bat even deeper next week. Unless Came makes a score in this game, he will make way for Vince next week. But it's less clear who will make way for Dawson. It might, though, be Dale. Sure, we wouldn't ordinarily want three seamers which include Fuller and Holland, as both are more like 4th seamers. But needs must - and six bowlers (plus Organ) would seem almost too much. Plus, the regulations for this competition do help to favour spinners - so a lot of work for Crane and Dawson would make sense.

I guess it will partly depend on how the four seamers go in this game.

 

Stream's down already.

 

Why would you pad up to that ball?

 

Stream back just in time for the first wicket!

 

And it's gone again...

 

Better over from Fuller.

 

Well done Holland.

 

Well done, Dale.

 

On a hat-trick...

 

Go Dale!

 

And even more so now.

Getting a kid in Clark is one thing. Getting arguably their best batter first ball...

 

Rawlins and Garton are both one place too high in the order. So this is a real opening for us.