v Worcestershire Twenty/20 @ Taunton Sunday 22 June 2008

Today's Scorecard 

Commentary on Somerset Sound (left menu bar link) 

After beating the Pears at New Road last week thanks to 40's from Ian Blackwell and Peter Trego and a beautiful late 4 for 27 from Alfonso Thomas.

Worcesterhire Scorecard

Followed by a point from the washout on Friday against Gloucestershire, we are not quite out of it but we still need to win everything and hope that Northants lose to someone else besides us!!.

The published team for today shows little change at the moment;

Trescothick, Langer, Kieswetter, de Bruyn, Blackwell, Trego, Suppiah, Phillips, Thomas, Turner, Willoughby

and that has become the setup we have come to expected and that says a lot for the performances of Arul Suppiah in the last few games and that of Alfonso through the whole tournament.  Both owuld probably be indispensible in a Twenty20 lineup for us at the moment.  Craig Kieswetter has been dong someintensive close catching work with Jason Kerr and I have to say he looks very reliable catching off the roller.  Omari Banks is out in the nets but has his left knee heavily strapped and all the bowlers are being put though their paces by the skipper who is facing the lot of 'em..Caddick is out there as well but don't get your hopes up.  It's also good to see Gareth Andrew back at the ground and Simon Jones in a cricket side, even if it is against us

It's a SKY game.  Watch the toss if you can because the reporter is going to grill the captains on England's removal from the Champions League because of the playing of ICL players.  Vikram is the only player that this affects....it will be interesting to see what the two skippers make of the question!!

We have won the toss and have chosen to bat first.  Wes is 12th man but the side is as above.

Off we go...and Justin is not going to be pleased as he flips a bouncy warm up ball from Kabir Ali straight to the in-fielder (Moore) and trundles back to the dressing room with a first ball duck. Trigger gets off the mark with ball 4 before Banger smashes us back to reality with a fiercely cut boundary off the last. 

Simon Jones opens from the OP. A bit more of a rolling run than of old but a hell of a lot of pace in the arm when it comes over to deliver the ball sraight and full.  He pings one off Peter's foot and has Marcus shutting the door on another and completes his first for 9 courtesy of a Trescothick flash at a 5th ball beamer and a boudary back over his head to finish his first off. 14 for 1 after 2

Just to let Ali and Jones know its not going to be all plain sailing, Marcus puts us past 50 in the 4th taking 45 himself and loads off Simon Jones...the dot ball is at a premium and the boundary isn't. He takes 20 off the 4th and causes Gareth to be brought on at the River for over 5.  His first ball is smashed to the scoreboard by his great friend Peter Trego and his second goes to the Botham with the same resulting score as Trigger gets into double figures. A full toss goes to the Brewhouse side as Mr T cuts him and then he goes to 50 at 69 off not a lot of balls (18, 9 fours and 2 sixes - a very fast one for sure). 

Kabir changes ends for number 6 with 70 up and gets the same treatment from the VC as he carts him to the shop corner of the ground over the outfield. Then he's down the pitch and the ball bounces off the Press box roof as we move into the 80's. This brngs spin into the attack as Batty tries to close down the scoring. What's more it works!!  Pete is LBW for 18 with his second ball at 83 for 2 (off 37 balls - fair going).  Ian is the new man and he's off the mark with a single second ball faced.

Mitchell comes on at the OP end, full tosses his second to Trescothick and it flies on to the new stand.  The next four is a more skilful stroke, splitting the field off Batty which brings up the 100 and it is immediately followed by one of those fours that a slip would stop...if there was one! But what is the pont of having a slip with Trescothick in this kind of mood?  He has 76 out of a total of 107 off 54 balls.

Mitchell comes back with a better second over spearing the ball into the feet and keeping the score down to 4.  It's 'NELSON' at half way - well for one ball until Blackie fours Batty's first of the 11th. 124 at the end of it. Ian is taking it easy but is starting to open his shoulders a bit in the 13th with a couple of lusty blows to take him into the high 20's and his side to 140 at the end of the 13th.  They're taking the singles and keeping the score ticking but the mayhem of earlier is calming down a bit.  Ian then reaches for one and spoons rather than fully smashes it to the boundary.  It falls into the grateful hands of Gareth Andrew and Blackwell goes for 32 at 144 with one ball of the 14th left.

Craig Kieswetter is the man in.  He negotiates the last ball and Jones replaces Batty at the River for the 15th. The keeper provides the boundary to take us past 150 after nearly running his partner out at the non strikers end twice.  Someone needs to tell him that his playing partners can't run as fast as he does!! 153 with 5 to go and Gareth back at the OP.  Craig murders his first but the Worcester man comes back and nearly yorks Marcus.  He still goes for 13 however and the VC is 5 short of his ton. Jones is on for the over that gives him that 100 out of 179 at the end of the 17th (53 ball 14 fours and 2 sixes).  Majestic performance and his highest score in this competition by quite a margin.

194 for 3 at 18 and Marcus bows out with a skier caught on the boundary by Batty for 107 (57 balls 15 fours and 3 sixes) off the first ball of the 19th.  Craig keeps it going though with a six to the CA off the second and it brings up the 200. Arul has joined him.  Kabir has the "wickie" though as he destroys his stumps with the 3rd ball for 28.  Zander strides out and is off the mark immediately. But Ali has the last word taking out Arul's middle stump at 203.  

Gareth takes the last over. Ball 1 - single (de Bruyn) Ball 2 - wicket Phillips bowled, Ball 3 - single (Turner), Ball 4 - single, Ball 5 - six (Turner) Ball 6 - run out (Turner).  End result 212 for 8.  Less off the last 10 than off the first.  It all calmed down a bit after a devastating three overs when we took them for 50 plus.  Marcus was always in charge and helped by Trego, Blackwell and Kieswetter but it was the 'Trescothick show' to a great extent.

The Reply

Vikram and Graham start for the Royals. Charl opens at the OP to Solanki. Single off the first, second is wide and the third is down at Hick's feet and sliding away.  Vikram has trouble with delivery 4 which spears in and lands on his foot.  He's limping but he still sends the 5th to the new stand boundary.  Then the mighty South African yorks him with ball 6. 7 for 1. Turner is the opener at the Colin Atkinson (or I suppose Botham end with this wicket) and he thinks he's got Hick caught behind off the third....didn't hit it though.  Hick belts one up and into Blackie's hands off Mark.  11 for 2 and the openers have gone guys and gals!!  Davies and Smith are in with 12 after 2.

Charl is bowling well and has them in all kinds of trouble.  He has his line sorted and they are struggling to do anything with him.  But it's Turner who benefits as Davies is caught by Langer off the first ball of the 4th with 15 on the board.  Kabir is the next man in and he hits an absolute sitter to Zander who drops it!! Easy as they come and Worcestershire should be 4 down. 23 for 3 after 4.  Hope Kabir doesn't makes us pay!!

Charl is still on and Smith bottom edges his fourth and they have 25 for 4. Moore replaces him and the Worcestershire pundits in the box are checking out the largest margin of victory in a game.  Moore seems to have the reputation of being a 'blocker' but he comes striding up the wicket to CW, who simply doesn't deliver the ball and then looks down the wicket at him with a smile on his face.

Turner stays on at the River and Kabir gets the message that he means business when he tries to pass him with a drive which Mark fields and throws past him at the stumps in one fluid movement.  'Hello Kabir, my name is Mark and I'm a bowler'!  Nevertheless, these two have put the wheels back on the Worcestershire wagon and after 6 they have 36 with no further loss but they are 38 behind the D/L rate required and 47 behind our score at the same point. Moore top edges one over the keeper and Kieswetter nearly gets to it.  It's all a bit desperate at the moment for the visitors.

Phillips is on at the River end for the 8th as they pass 50 with the last ball of the 7th - a good over for them.  His first goes for four, his fourth is loose and goes for 4 but his 5th is driven back by Moore, dropped by Phillips and it rolls onto the stumps and runs Kabir out for 27 at the non strikers!  Poor bloke but 63 for 5!!

Arul replaces Willoughby (28 runs for 2) at the OP and Moeen puts his first into the graveyard. Suppiah goes for 11 as we go to double spin with Blackwell on at the River for the 10th.  But it isn't looking good as they take 9 off the first half of the over and 10 off the second half!! 93 at half way.  Phillips is turned around and is now coming in from the OP - no Thomas yet!! They reach 100 at the end of the 11th and Arul has changed to the River for the 12th.  They seem to be resting their best 20/20 bowler. It isn't a problem though as Arul bowls Moeen for 16 with the last ball of the 12th and it's 106 for 6.  Jones is next in...we still haven't seen Batty or Mitchell but we do see Thommo for the first time in the afternoon bowling from the OP end. He bowls Moore with his fourth ball - can he do anything wrong in this format?  108 for 7 becomes 114 at the end of the 13th.

Before the end of the 14th, Jones belts one to Marcus and it's a wicket to Arul and 127 for 8 for the Pears!  Batty finally arrives with this game effectively gone for his side.  Thomas is now bowling his 'death' deliveries and Mitchell is struggling to handle them at all.  He squeezes a single to get off strike but Batty handles the man no better and with 5 overs to go they need 82 to win.  It isn't going to happen as Batty is bowled by Suppiah at 139.  Four overs, 74 runs or one wicket.....hmmm wonder what the end result is going to be?  Well Mitchell smacks the first for four and take a single off the second to give Gareth a chance to make a name for himself.  Mitchell steps way outside his stumps and scoops it the other way...straight into the hands of Trescothick and we win by 67 runs!!

England v England A Women's Twenty20

The women's version comes straight afterwards and as I'm here I'll mention a few things.  England won the toss and decided to bat but it wasn't the best of choices as the opening bat was bowled first ball...embarrassing! 

Generally the stature decreases.  The ladies are more slight and smaller and there are far more close fielders as there are not going to be as many power shots to all parts.  However, the timing is there and there are some excellent boundaries on the floor with the minimal of effort from Charlotte Edwards (she's one of those at the crease).

The bowling is not exactly fast.  The opening bowler for the A side is 'pacey' for women's cricket but little over medium pace in relation to the male game.  Her opening partner at the other end is floating up fast spinners really.

The fielding is enthusiastic and everyone is moving about, long boundary throws are relayed but that's no different to some older pro's.  Some longer throws are still parabolic though and not as accurate as they have become in the first class game.  Up close they come in flat and hard.

The rate is slower as well, none of that "smack it everywhere" stuff.  England go past 50 in the 8th but they were only at 27 in the 5th so Clare taylor has upped it a bit moving to 36 att he end of the 8th.  They place more and take two's.

The appealing is a little less 'bassy' than in the other version but it's certainly no less enthusiastic and it happens almost as often whether the ball was a wicket taking one or not!!

That's yer lot I'm afraid.  ther duties call so I can't take you to the end of this one I can only tell you how it is at the halfway stage of the first innings. The 5,200 crowd has dwindled to a couple of hundred but the cricket goes on...England are 67 for 2 after 10. 

View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

Related Articles:

• Glam Slam?
• The Bear Facts - the Reply
• Northants Twenty20 - Off We Go