The Ashes & Hampshire Cricket Summer Thread

Lancashire beat Yorkshire easily in T20. Got to love Bumble...referred to it as the Ey-Up Cup.

 

It's done their NRR the world of good - which is important for them, as it is now only NRR which can deny them a QF place.

 

Hants Royals host Essex Eagles in a crucial top of the table clash at the Ageas Bowl tonight @ 7pm

Hants team news...Sohail Tanvir is unavailable after being called up for Pakistan's t20 international squad, David Griffiths is expected to play... Adam Wheater is included in the squad after not playing in the last match...

Likely XI
Carberry
Vince
Adams
McKenzie
Ervine
Dawson
Wheater
Mascarenhas
Wood
Briggs
Griffiths

 

I took my girlfriend to Lord's last night to see the Middlesex vs Surrey T20 game, her first "proper" cricket match (she's watched me play once or twice but that barely counts as cricket!). I have to say it wasn't great - I spent almost as long in the queue for a burger as Middlesex spent batting. I'm really not a fan of T20 in person.

 

Taking the wife to the Italy England game in the 6 Nations next year. Given how animated she gets watching Italy play football on TV, her at a live game could be amusing.

 

At the match tonight. Very entertaining game!

 

Essex penalised 6 runs lol!

 

Not for the first time in the competition either. Essex really need to punish Foster internally. Inexcusable, and could cost Essex a QF place now.

Brilliant run chase though.

 

Anyone know the format this year for qualification to the QFs? Now there are 3 groups, is it top 2 in each group plus a play off game between the 3rd place teams to decide that last 2?
Seen a lot of Notts this year in the T20. Their batting line up looks formidable with Lumb and Hales. So wish Hants still had Lumb.

 

The two third placed teams with the highest number of points will be the top two from each.

Ourselves, Lancs, Notts and Northants have therefore all qualified. Four more spaces available.

 

And it's not just Lumb and Hales for Notts. Taylor, Patel and Hussey are hardly bad either!! Although their bowling is their weaker suit, they have Broad and Swann to come in should they make it to Finals Day.

The four HOME QFs by the way will be the three group winners, plus the runner up with the highest number of points (so we need one more win to be certain).

 

Thanks, could get quite exciting again this year.

 

BBC seem to think we have made it through to the QFs already? Potentially devastating batting line up that Notts have, two England openers and a strong middle order. Will be tough for us to retain it this year.

 

Two massive final day head-to-heads to come. Warks-Somerset and Essex-Surrey could easily result in joy for one and heartbreak for the other. Or, potentially, joy for both.

At least two of those four will qualify, possibly all four. Middlesex, Glamorgan, Durham and (mathematically) Derbyshire all still in with a chance too.

There's also a Notts-Lancs shoot out to come tomorrow, to decide who wins the north group and secures a home QF.

 

Yes, we have qualified for the QFs, but we haven't yet secured a home QF. That is what we, potentially, need one more win for. (Just realised that I left out the word 'home' in my other post!!)

 

Brilliant 50 from Russell. This will throw a massive spanner in the works if Somerset lose here.

 

Monty and Tremlett both recalled to the test squad - no surprises there. Both were bowling in the nets for England prior the second test, Tremlett now has a few overs in his legs post-injury, and as I have already said, the Old Trafford pitch has really favoured spinners this season.

That said, I can't see us doing what we did at Cardiff four years ago and play Swann and Monty. Back then, we still had Flintoff at 7 and hence were still able to go in with three seamers. We don't have that option this time - not unless Bairstow is dropped (or KP isn't fit, but isn't replaced by Taylor) and Bresnan bats at 7. But I can't see us going down that route either.

But considering both the OT pitch this season, and how appalling bad the Aussies batted against spin in India recently, it would be quite interesting if we did play both spinners (plus Root).

 

Oh, and Finn being dropped from the squad altogether presumably means that he'll be available to play for Middlesex in their must win game t20 at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday. It will also be Morgan's second game back post injury.

 

England squad: Alastair Cook (Essex, capt), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Monty Panesar (Sussex), Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Matt Prior (Sussex, wk), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Taylor (Nottinghamshire), Chris Tremlett (Surrey), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire).