The Cricket Thread

India beat Australia by 17 runs in the opening game of the Women’s T20 at the Sydney Showground. Leg-spinner Poonam Yadav takes 4-19. She should have had a five-for as she bowled the Aussies’ best batsman Ash Gardner but the ball was ruled to have bounced twice.

 

I never knew that rule so just looked it up.

- if the ball bounces twice before it reaches the popping crease, it's a no ball. If it bounces twice on or after the popping crease, it's a fair delivery.

Is this current?

 

Apparently it is, a no ball was called after reviewing where it bounced. Never seen it before in top level cricket!

 

Did you know (I'm sure you do, but I is telling you anyway, because that is how I rock ) that the term popping crease comes from pop-in crease...as to score a run in the early game it was necessary to pop the bat into a small hole dug for that purpose.

I'm here all week.

 

I can recall seeing it once before in men's cricket, but only once. Batsman, naturally, looked a little perplexed at first at what had bowled at him...before taking a step forward and just smashing it into the stands.

Can't remember who it was though.

 

In Women's World Cup T20, England beat WI by 46 runs and go into the semi-finals.

 

If ladies T20 matches rained off tomorrow, India and South Africa will progress through as group leaders with Australia and England going out. Not feeling hard done by...these rules are agreed before the tournament, but shame if that happens.

Heavy rain forecasted.

 

As expected England ladies out of T20....defeated by rain.

 

On the one hand it's a shame that Wood has retired from red ball cricket. I always felt that, if it wasn't for his injuries, he could be a useful asset in red ball. Left armer who can bat.

On the other hand, it's because of those injuries that actually this is barely news at all. So little red ball has he been able to play since we got promoted, that he's basically been retired from the format anyway.

With him being picked up for the 100, he'll be joining Rilee in probably only playing t20 for us going forward.

 

England’s tour of Sri Lanka called off.

 

I had a text from Hampshire CC last night and the forthcoming season is going to be delayed until the end of May.

 

County Championship will be cancelled IMO. Priority has to be the Hundred and T20 Blast for financial reasons.

 

I think the County Championship will prove to be unsustainable which is a shame. I enjoy the one day format most of all because the permutations are still there that are absent with the T20 format and you can see a result in the day. I have a season ticket for the T20 but was hoping to get to see the other fixtures on an as and when basis. I have tickets to see England towards the end of the summer and will be disappointed if the match at Lords is cancelled as this was going to be one of the highlights of my holiday.

 

There won't be any cricket this summer.

 

The 50 over competition will be the first to go this season. It was close to being scrapped ahead of this year any way. Many fans might miss a proper 50 over competition, but given this year was going to see it played as a side event full of kids and reserve players, I'm not sure too many will shed a tear at it being shelved. The question is whether that then gives the ECB the opportunity to keep it permanently shelved.

The County Championship in theory would then be the next to go, although I think they'll really try to keep it some format. Even it that means just playing a handful of games in August/September/October, with threadbare squads due to possible clashing with the 100 and/or t20 (if they even survive). Indeed, it's a form of sport which lends itself very well to radio and TV following, with very easy ability to both play it behind closed doors and provide multiple hours of live programming. That's only one step away from the norm.

The 100 and the t20, together with the England tests, will though be the ECB's main priority. But if we are only looking at August onwards (and who knows), they I struggle to see how there is space to include both. Unless the t20 is significantly streamlined down (eg like the early years - where there was just five group games per county), and/or the t20 is for non-100 players only. So even if the season isn't cancelled entirely - which must be a strong possibility - I can see them delaying the 100 by 12 months. Better to have one competition running as strong and normal as possible, than two which both suffer from restrictions, adaptations etc.

 

Shame, that's a nice agenda. I've enjoyed tests at Lords especially when the Tavern bar overlooked the pitch. It used to get. as the commentators said, boisterous" as the day wore on.

 

TMS are repeating the entire last day at Headingly, tomorrow. Sky are doing likewise on Saturday. Followed by the WC final on Sunday.

 

Ben Stokes has been named the leading cricketer in the world by Wisden, The first Englishman to win this since 2005.

 

I am reading Ashely Motes' excellent book "The glory days of cricket" which is about Hambledon cricket club. I have read an account of this in David Underdown's "State of play", which I would also recommend, but I think Motes' book really gets in to the detail of the story to such extent that you can really appreciate what went on in this village between 1750 and 1790. It is absolutely fascinating and written in a style which brings how just how magical this era was. There are so many nuggets of information in it and the accounts of the matches resonate exactly with how people discuss the game today.

I have been reading about the players who played for the club and how they are effectively divided between two great Hambledon teams, one from prior to 1770 and the other afterward. The former team was largely made up of local players from the region whereas afterwards the club was enhanced by drafting in some of the best players in the country, a number coming from the Farnham area which was another hotbed of cricket. There are some great stories as to how and why the rules of the game changed (introduction of the third wicket , for example) and the likes of the attempted introduction of pads. It is interesting to find out that one of the players who was rumoured to have been responsible for the lbw rule being introduced was a bloke called Thomas Taylor who was the publican of The Globe Inn in New Alresford. This might actually have been incorrect. Another story about the batsman James Aylward describes his fondness of drinking lemon juice to slake his thirst whilst in the middle of an innings and how he would be ridiculed by the spectators for this. Apparently, this is why the word "lemon" is sometimes used as an insult.

When Hambledon played England, as many as 20,000 people would turn up to watch the matches. Vast sums of money were bet on the results with no restrictions being placed upon the players from better. It is a really easy book to read and absolutely fascinating. It is the first time that I have read anything about Hambledon where I can actually visualize what went on. If you like the game and are local, this book is a must read. I am really enjoying this one.