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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2014 7:13:46 GMT
Something of a must win, I think - and if Sussex get two pts on Friday night, they will put themselves in a very good position from which to qualify for although Sussex, Glam, Kent, Glos and Somerset have all so far failed to play much quality cricket in this competition, one of them still has to qualify for a q/f place.
The momentum of recent results has been with Sussex and several of the others are in freefall. Sussex's next three opponents are Glos (one win in five), Kent (one win in seven) and Glamorgan (no win in four).
After that it gets a bit more difficult with away games against Hants and Essex, both of whom are playing consistently high quality T20 cricket. At least we don't have to play Surrey again - they looked like an irresistible force last night and brushed Kent aside with something approaching disdain.
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Post by hhsussex on Jul 3, 2014 21:46:07 GMT
Something of a must win, I think - and if Sussex get two pts on Friday night, they will put themselves in a very good position from which to qualify for although Sussex, Glam, Kent, Glos and Somerset have all so far failed to play much quality cricket in this competition, one of them still has to qualify for a q/f place. The momentum of recent results has been with Sussex and several of the others are in freefall. Sussex's next three opponents are Glos (one win in five), Kent (one win in seven) and Glamorgan (no win in four). After that it gets a bit more difficult with away games against Hants and Essex, both of whom are playing consistently high quality T20 cricket. At least we don't have to play Surrey again - they looked like an irresistible force last night and brushed Kent aside with something approaching disdain. And now a Glamorgan win against Middlesex, which pushes Glamorgan ahead of Sussex and, given that Glamorgan will next play Somerset, who are second-last, will place considerable pressure on Sussex to beat Gloucestershire tomorrow night to have any hoipe of qualifying as fourth-best. How much of these devious calculations and their impact is understood by the Friday-night crowds, and does it matter very much to them? Middlesex, after all, are appallingly and deplorably last, have excellent crowds and are doing very nicely thank you in the Championship without a backward glance. In other words, are we talking about two different kinds of game that only interact at the margins, both for players and for spectators? Could it be that T20 success or failure shouldn't be linked to Championship performance, and instead, should be regarded as a contest that is played according to a rather different set of parameters? |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2014 23:47:38 GMT
Could it be that T20 success or failure shouldn't be linked to Championship performance, and instead, should be regarded as a contest that is played according to a rather different set of parameters? Yes, and increasingly a different set of players to meet those different parameters - which is putting a huge strain on county playing budgets. It's OK for Surrey who can afford to pay the likes of Pietersen., O'Brien and Azhar Mahmood to play only as T20 specialists, and then pay top-whack salaries to a whole bunch of different players to replace them in red ball cricket. But can Sussex really afford to pay full salaries to players deemed unsuited for four day cricket (Beer, Liddle etc - plus Arafat for other reasons). Or vice versa, can Sussex afford to employ players such as Wells, Magoffin, Anyon and,until quite recently, Joyce, who have been ruled as unsuited to the T20 side? On paper Sussex has a reasonably sized first-team squad. But in reality what we have is (i) a small squad for red ball cricket and (ii) a small squad for white ball cricket, because so many on the club's payroll are only employed to play in one form or the other. It wass intersting to hear KP saying that he felt like a club cricketer again as he now only plays once a week for Surrey. The problem is that all these 'white ball only' guys are being paid a full salary for their quota of bowling four overs or batting for 30-40 balls per week. It's one of the reasons I think LVCC and T20 need to be officially separated, the first to be played by trad counties and the second by commercial franchises. To compound the problem, Big Bash crowds this season are down on last year's T20 attendances. Something is going to have to give because the finances just don't stack up. Intersting article on the topic here: www.alloutcricket.com/cricket/fe ... CDjsi27.99 Two key quotes from the piece. Players agent Rod Barry, who advocates a soccer style divison bertween PL and the rest: “The obvious answer is to have a division below that is semi-professional, which feeds into the top division.” And Matthew Fleming, who represents MCC on the ECB's governing board: “If you ask me, have I seen a business plan in cricket that I would invest in? The answer would be no.” |
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Post by grandavefan on Jul 4, 2014 8:17:56 GMT
Where's the money? White ball cricket!
Oh don't forget 50 white ball cricket for these non red ball specialists.
Luke Wright was a white ball specialist not many months ago.
It's a bigger issue than red or white. It's more how the management manage. All these guys start as red ball players.
Sometimes opportunity at the right time and place is as much to do with it.
Personally I advocate a clear out of the coaching staff. Not all, but changes. A fresh look at how the game is played. I think our 4 day cricket is sterile.
I think Nash has improved his 20 over captaincy 10 fold from last year. proactive and he discusses things ahead with 1 or 2 of the more tactically inclined. I want him to continue as captain. He's been a breath of fresh air. No Joyce in the team for me!
As for crowds, it's too bloody cold in May on a Friday evening! Mid June is just about bearable. 'shall we go to cricket and freeze or stay in and watch the TV' I know what I'd do!
The ECB never had much common sense.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2014 8:45:13 GMT
Where's the money? White ball cricket! Oh don't forget 50 white ball cricket for these non red ball specialists. Luke Wright was a white ball specialist not many months ago. It's a bigger issue than red or white. It's more how the management manage. All these guys start as red ball players. Sometimes opportunity at the right time and place is as much to do with it. Personally I advocate a clear out of the coaching staff. Not all, but changes. A fresh look at how the game is played. I think our 4 day cricket is sterile. I think Nash has improved his 20 over captaincy 10 fold from last year. proactive and he discusses things ahead with 1 or 2 of the more tactically inclined. I want him to continue as captain. He's been a breath of fresh air. No Joyce in the team for me! As for crowds, it's too bloody cold in May on a Friday evening! Mid June is just about bearable. 'shall we go to cricket and freeze or stay in and watch the TV' I know what I'd do! The ECB never had much common sense. Agree with most of that. But was someone like Liddle ever really a red ball cricketer? He's been in the game for ten seasons now, and all in those years he's played a grand total of just 20 games of three or four day f/c duration - and many of those in uni games rather than the LVCC. And there are more and more young cricketers now coming through as white ball cricketers, debuting for their county sides in T20 and 40/50 overs stuff, and some of them never graduating properly to the four day stuff. Certainly agree that it is about how management manages. Who deciced Joyce was not a T20 player and then reversed the decision mid-way through last season ? Sussex decided Paensar wasn't a T20 player, but Northants before and Essex since reckon his bowling is a mjaor asset in the short form and that outrides any fielding weaknesses. Sussex says Luke Wells is a four day player and not suited to T20. If he he moves to another county, a different management might take a different view... |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 4, 2014 10:14:10 GMT
What I don't understand is why 1st class cricketers can't adapt their game. Take Luke Wells. He has the mindset of a
Championship player, yet can't change this for T20. Luke Wright, on the other hand, was always a white-ball player but
maturity is now helping him adapt to the Championship.
One feels too many players have become seduced by white-ball. It is an easier game because it doesn't involve
much concentration or mental agility. You either get a big score or you're out early. Only Joyce seems to have
found that balance, although even his scoring cannot be considered fast enough unless he has a player like Wright
at the other end.
White-ball has made cricketers lazy and irresponsible, imho, where the gamble of shot selection is all-important.
Sometimes it comes off, sometimes it doesn't, yet no batting coach is going to complain about a terrible missed swipe to
cow corner and being bowled if the team require 10 runs an over.
It is the bowlers, though, who have really had to up their game as batsmen get physically stronger with bats
to match. Yet, how many seamers, the cannon fodder of white-ball, have improved in recent years? You can probably
count them on two hands in T20. I would place Yasir on that list.
White-ball is a god-send for the batting swashbucklers and why Championship batsmen must adapt and vice-a-versa.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2014 10:28:20 GMT
One of the msot perceptive posts in the short history of the unoffical message board, if I may so s&f...
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Post by flashblade on Jul 4, 2014 12:24:13 GMT
Back on topic (only temporarily, I'm sure!) the weather forecast for early evening in Gloucester is dire. Could be 1 point each.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 4, 2014 17:38:12 GMT
bm, I have sent you a birthday wish in return!  |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 4, 2014 18:50:56 GMT
One despairs. Yet again, a Sussex seamer lets the side down. A must win but rain affected match leads to 15 overs. Penultimate
over is bowled by Arafat, a master of T20 seam bowling. 7 runs, I wicket.
Hatchett bowls the final over. 19 runs, 1 wide, no wickets. His final tally being 3 overs for 42 runs or 14 runs an over.
What became a 138 total, should have been 128. Those 10 extra runs could be the difference between Sussex winning
and losing. Let us see. No T20 side can compete for honours when their seamers bowl so inconsistently.
edit: Just gets worse, Wright out on the third ball of the innings.
edit: Wells now goes for 3. A disastrous start.
edit: Nash out for 25 off 10 balls - we need a miracle.
edit: Machan out for 28 off 19. 65-4. The batsmen just can't keep going.
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Post by mrsdoyle on Jul 4, 2014 19:16:42 GMT
Watching this on telly my question is, should Hatchett have been bowling the last over, what experience does he have at doing that?
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Post by deepextracover on Jul 4, 2014 19:20:01 GMT
Nash, Beer, Brown, Piolet, Machan, Finch, Machan and Wells. All Sussex lads?
Now watch us lose this and everyone call for more experience and expensive imports. Robbo can't win.
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Post by deepextracover on Jul 4, 2014 19:20:52 GMT
The young lad Tom Smith looks good for Gloucs. Could do a job?
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Post by mrsdoyle on Jul 4, 2014 19:30:02 GMT
Nash, Beer, Brown, Piolet, Machan, Finch, Machan and Wells. All Sussex lads? Now watch us lose this and everyone call for more experience and expensive imports. Robbo can't win. Not me, really pleased to see Sussex/youngsters in, isn't Hatchett local too? |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 4, 2014 19:34:32 GMT
MrsD,
Hatchett was born in shoreham and educated at Steyning Grammer School, so yes, a
local thoroughbred. I have no idea why Nash asked him to bowl the last over. Why
wasn't Yasir the death-bowler?
I fear those extra 10 runs may be the undoing of this match. 101-5. 38 to win off 4 overs.
It should be 28 off 4 - far more doable.
Arafat goes... Despair mounting. All hopes on Will Beer's batting.
29 off 3 overs. Should be 19 off 3.
23 off 11 balls required.
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