The Cricket Thread

If Root hadn’t had his two moments of madness, which I saw live, none of that would have mattered. NZ’s bowling attack shouldn’t have been good enough to bowl a team like England out in less than 80 overs but they produced enough good balls to do just that, except for Root and Brook. Those two wickets, the most important in the team, were just completely squandered.
You have a point about Leach I agree, but I would argue that Anderson is possibly the better batsman and should be above him in the order.

 

QDK won't be returning to the Bowl this summer, because he hasn't put himself forward for next month's 100 draft. Some of the big names who are in the draft include Starc, Boult, Babar, and Afridi.

Pretty much every Kiwi is there, because they need to over here for immediately after the 100 anyway for the Eng-NZ white ball series. I'd imagine we'll sign at least one of them, due to Fleming taking over as coach.

 

England making this more difficult than it should be

 

It's not a good track to bat on TBF.

 

It isn't, but they have so many balls left, should be no pressure to play the sort of shots Moeen went out on. Unless you are Malan, you should just be nicking singles at this stage.

 

Malan ton won by 3 wickets.

 

Great knock by Malan seals the win

 

Both have re-signed for Hants. Ellis in particular I'm delighted about. Quality bowler.

 

So Hants T20 line up will look like:

Vince
McDermott
Prest or Donald
Weatherley
Whiteley
Howell
Fuller
Dawson
Wood/Wheal - I suspect these two will rotate to give Wood some rest
Crane
Ellis

That's a very well balanced and strong line up. Batting goes deep, we've got a great and varied bowling attack - got 6 genuine bowling options there as well. Hants will one of the bookies favourites to win the title looking at that.

 

Bang 4 - 2 chasing 327.

 

Bang to rights England won by 132 runs.

 

Crap, didn't realise Dawson ruptured his ankle ligaments playing in the PSL. Mind you he says it's 6-8 weeks out so could have been worse. On the plus side it could give Prest an opportunity to impress in the CC.

 

Bang target 157. Currently 71 - 2 7 overs

Bang won by 6 wickets.

 

Bowlers did their best to keep us in that (albeit on a very helpful pitch), but ultimately it did always feel like we were about 15 runs short. Very rarely will you ever defend 117.

 

Interesting test match going on in Christchurch between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, with NZ requiring another 270 or thereabouts to win with 9 wickets left.

 

At last Kohli has scored a test century, four years after his previous oñe.

 

Bang won by 4 wickets.

 

Bang 122 - 1 14 overs England's fielding has been awful.

158 - 2 20 overs.Target 159.

Lost by 16 runs.

 

Dawson signs a new Hants contract until end of 2025 season.

 

Prest has had a last minute change of heart, and put himself into tomorrow's 100 draft. (And even if he doesn't get picked, the basic fact that he's now in the draft means that he'd be eligible for being a replacement player during the tournament, eg to cover for injuries.)

I suspect it might be to do with the rumours that they'll be more flexibility this year between the 100 and the 50 over competition, in that players left out of the starting XI by their 100 side could be temporarily released back to their county. Prest did say last year that the reason he didn't put himself into the draft is because he didn't want to risk a month of just carrying the drinks. So if that will be avoided this year, it makes sense that he'd put himself forward.

It means that we'll have 11 players in the draft tomorrow: Prest, Whiteley, Wheal, Albert, Gubbins, Donald and Currie, plus Turner, Kelly, Campbell, and Petrie.