The Cricket Thread

You have two of them??

 

Don't worry, they'll lose one to Surrey soon.

 

It’s true, we have two Rews, how about you?

 

Another good double Brave win. It won't be often that we're so dominant with the ball that Tymal is only required to bowl 10 balls.

Seeing Donald fail yet again in the 100 (he's wasting a space in that BP team) is an illustration of how the 100 is a level up from the Blast. The likes of Donald, Abell, Higgins and Critchley are decent at county level, but they do struggle at a higher level.

 

I just struggle with the Hundred. For many years I've been able to go home and after a positive result and say to my wife, "Hampshire won Fawlty". Southern Braves won Salty does not have the same ring to it. Never will.

 

Sonny Baker is bowling so well

 

Very good again from Baker and Currie. They keep on getting better this season.

Not sure why Spirit would pay big money for JOverton, only to hold him back so long. Poor use of resources.

 

He is such a big hitter.

 

Yep. His strike-rate was miles ahead of everyone else, albeit greatly aided by only having four fielders on the boundary.

To send him with only 11 balls left, when the required rate was getting out of control, was a right mess-up. In the end the deficit was only 10 runs, so if he'd been in just a few balls earlier then who knows.

 

I see there's been a revamp of the T20 Blast. There's now a North, Central and South group where teams play their group opponents home and away plus one home and one away game against two opponents from the other groups. The knockout stages including Finals Day will be played directly after the group stages.

 

Oddly Somerset have gone into the Central group which is excellent news for Hants!

 

Dewald Brevis has just hit a 42 ball ton against the Aussies, 9 fours and 8 sixes what a talent!

 

41 balls apparently!

 

That's where they played when it was originally three groups in the early days.

I'm in agreement with the change back to 3 groups, but it really should be 10 games only (ie home and away vs the other five teams in each group). The extra two games, against sides in other groups, is both unnecessary and causes an imbalance in opposition. What if, for example, our extra two games are vs Somerset and Lancs, whereas Sussex get Derby and Worcs? It's clearly just a way to placate the counties who would have refused to accept a reduction from 14 games to 10, despite that being the fairer option.

I also like having the KO stages straight after the group stage.

 

Yeah, hopefully it will be done in a fair way. Presumably the top 2 from each group go through with the the two best 3rd places sides joining them?

 

Yeah. Which to be honest, I don't like. Getting rid of that, and replacing it with a clean top four from each group, was the one benefit in my eyes of reverting to the two group format. But the negatives outweighed that one positive.

I did hear that the ECB considered making it the eight teams with the most points, regardless of which groups they come from. But ultimately they've decided on the top two from each plus the best two runners up.

 

That could have caused controversy!

 

Brutal from Livingstone

Almost Pollard-esque. Almost.

 

Livingstone at his best in that chase. Feels like a long time since he's played an innings like that.

 

So it's one change, McMullen for Abbott. Barker has a calf niggle keeping him out and I assume that Wheal is still injured. Tom Prest gets yet another go, I'd have put Fletcha in instead, given him a run out.