The T20 Final v Sussex @ Edgbaston Saturday 15 August 2009

Scorecard

This is as I wrote it at the time.  Don't see the point in altering it because it was the way it was.  I have pictures so there are some little additions around them.

There's also the mascot race - I think the picture says most of it.  Not even sure who won because a couple were disqualified fr removing their footwear.  Needless to say - 'Stumpy' didn't.

Once more we seem to be bowling Charl through at the Pavilion.  The dark clouds are skimming around us and we are getting the last of the sunshine of the day.  Charl holds them in check until the last ball but that is chipped over the infield and they move to 47 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay.  Ben is still on at the City but needs to do better and Justin has a word as he comes back for his next ball.  This time Wright drops it down, is flumoxxed by an LBW shout and stands in the middle of the wicket while Kieswetter runs him out.  Second one down at 48.  Smith is in

.

Trego v Wright as International one day prospect?  No Contest IMHO  50 off 43 deliveries and 7 fours in the 7^th followed by more as Ben serves up a lovely half volley for Smith to murder into the Priory Stand.  Ben has gone for 18 and it is time for the skipper to have a chat with Charl before this gets silly.  Whatever he says doesn’t change it much and Smith puts the next one into the stand as well.  But he ends with 1 for 27 off his four and Sussex move to 63 for 2 off 8. Pete is introduced at the City and we put on the worry beads again.  This is another vital spell from the young man as we need someone to stem the tide and tie these men down with straight and full stuff.  And that is what we get as he goes for 2 off his first with some very good deliveries.  Max takes over at the Pavilion – big ask for the boy – this was Arul Suppiah’s  time in the semi.  He delivers though with his second.  Hamilton-Brown LBW for 25 and it’s 67 for 3 (but it was going down the leg side I’m afraid).  But never mind aye? Ed Joyce has arrived at the crease but it is Smith who belts it into the Stand for six.  76 for 3 at the halfway point.  It’s looking like a big total here and we cannot rely on Marcus Trescothick all the time.  Joyce is walking to leg and then flipping Pete away….so he bowls one straight and bowls him for 4 trying to swing across the line.. 

80 for 4 off the last ball of the eleventh.  Pete has presently bowled 2 overs for 5 runs and Joyce’s wicket.  Well done that man. Ben has changed ends after Max’s first and he’ll bowl to Smith with Yardy, his captain. Coming in at the other end.  His first ball is cut for four by Dwayne Smith who looks strong and aggressive and is possibly taking this game away from us with deft touches and big shots.  He takes 18 off Phillips (the 12^th) and he has taken 28 runs off his last 10 balls.  The hundred  arrives with a deft flip over the keeper from Smith 4 balls into the 13^th and by the end of it he’s helped to push the score on to 106.  Max is back at the Pavilion (no sign of Arul yet).    Smith hits 50 in 23 minutes off 23 balls 5 fours and 3 sixes and he adds a four straight after it.  Whatever Marcus can do this guy can do!    But Max keeps at him and has him stumped as he tries to reverse sweep. 

The Bad and The Good - but it was mostly excellent from Smith

122 for 5 but an excellent innings from Smith.  We’ve seen some immense batting today.    Smith hit 49 off 16 balls before he went!! In comes Nash and Arul comes on at the City and 123 for 5 becomes 126 for 6 as Yardy looks to cut the ball and is bowled by the man.  5 overs to go.  Nash and Arafat at the wicket and spin at both ends.  132 with 4 to go.  Alf is back at the City but Arafat clips him off his toes for four.  The next one clipped out there bounces and spins past Phillips for another four.  Followed by another four through the vacant slips….we can’t afford these. 

145 for 6 with 3 to go after this one culd put this into the 180’s!!  Big total. It’s 146 for 6 with 18 to go and Arul changes ends for the 18^th.  155 for 6 with 12 balls to go.  Peter Trego for the 19^th.  167 for 6 after his 4 overs for 26 with one  wicket.  Alfonso Thomas gets the last one this time and it needs to be a good one.  Arafat gets the first and takes a single – 168.  Nash gets the second  and a Waller misfield takes them to 170.  So Nash gets the next and it’s 171.  Arafat moves away from a bouncer and can’t reach it – 171.  Alf organises his field and gives Arafat a drive opportunity – 172. Last ball inswinger gets Nash for 28 and they finish 172 for 7. 

The general view here is that this is too many without a full team batting performance worthy of Champions.   Having said that,  the ONLY side that could chase this target down is US!   

Marcus and Justin return to the middle with a big hill to climb needing 173 in 120 balls 8.63 runs per over).  BIG ask.  Banger faces Luke Wright and puts the first back to him.   But it’s Langer who goes to the boundary first and we are behind the rate with 6 off the first.  Langer faces the first ball of the second over from Arafat.  He takes the single and Marcus hits 8 off the next two and in the over passes 1000 runs in 20/20.  Wright faces him for the next over and he hits a big six off his first  and then nearly kills the umpire with a four straigh back past him off his second.   Wright nearly gets Langer but he pushes a single and is nearly run out looking at whether he is being given out LBW.  He isn’t and meanwhile  Tresco has put Wright into the  Hollies.  18 off the over and 34 for 0 after 3.  Langer on 6 and Marcus on 27.   Kirtley is on at the Pavilion for the fourth.  But Marcus hits him for six as well. 

Six after Six from the Master.....

But a shot too far....

and how pleased is Kirtley - the Trophy in the bag?

Unfortunately he doesn’t get enough bat on the next one and is caught at 43 with 3.5 overs gone.   33 off 15 but they send in Zander!  The right man to keep this going?  Not enough from the big man and it is now down to the rest of the team to show they don’t need Mr Trescothick.  I would have been happier to see one of the big hitters coming in next and the ‘anchor men’ become the guys who push the ball about and keep the score ticking and let the big men smack boundaries.  This is an error in my view. After 5 it’s 47 for 1. 

Langer hits a 4 off and takes his side past 50 off 32 balls with 5 four and 3 sixes,  But he is bowled next ball by Arafat swinging across the line and losing his middle peg.  51 for 2 and in comes James Hildreth.  If there was ever a time for James to do something in front of the TV…….this is it!!   Yardy brings himself on earlier from the City than he did in the semi.  Slow ball stuff is working in his opinion so he’s going to probably use all his slow men…and he has a few.  Sussex are pressing and we are wilting under it.  They can let us push the singles because we need 119 runs off 70 odd and that isn’t going to get us there.   Beer is introduced from the Pavilion – a leg break man.  If this is how they are going to do it then the next man we should put in front of them is Arul Suppiah and as I have that thought, James skies one and it’s 57 for 3. 

Bye Bye James - Will Beer shows how much it means

In comes Craig Kieswetter.  It all looks inevitable I’m afraid.  The start of Trescothick wasn’t enough and we seem a little lost by having to work without him. 58 for 3 after 8 and we are now behind the rate required.  Yardy is still on at the City End and Hodd misses a stumping chance off his first ball but he gets him quite soon after and at the halfway point they are 65 for 4 with no boundary for 4 overs.  Pete Trego is the next man in and really the last option to go big with this game.  71 for 4 after 11.  Just over 100 off 9.  75 for 4 after the 12^th leaves about the same off 6 less. 98 off 8 is really hard to envisage and as they aren’t piercing the field one expects the two guys to fall on their swords quite soon trying to get out of this straitjacket.  I would personally rather see us go down swinging that limply accept the inevitable but they need almost 2 a ball and big runs do not look at all probable.  Yardy bowls his four for 17 with no wickets….but he doesn’t need them.  80 for 4 with 7 to go and they are still running singles.  Peter starts to wind it up by sending two balls from Beer into the Hollies and then a four.  Trego takes 16 off Beer’s last three balls and spoils Beer’s very good figures.  99 for 4.  While Pete is there it is possible but there are only 6 overs left and 74 needed. The 100 is up off  84 deliveries and the bowling of Hamilton Brown but PT dies trying and loses his wicket to the safe hands of Smith at 104.  27 runs off 14 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes. 

In comes Arul and our last real hope?  It must be too late now needing 69 off 33.  107 on the board and 66 needed from 30 balls.  Yardy brings Luke Wright back at the Pavilion and Arul knocks the first back to him.  108 for 6 and Zander goes caught to a one handed leaping catch from the Sussex skipper off Wright.  Ben Phillips is in but this has gone.  Zander made 22 and was the wrong man in at the wrong time. With 4 to go they need 64 and it is almost a boundary per ball.

Then it falls apart entirely.  It's almost like the dam that Somerset have been holding back through sheer will finally fails. Phillips lasts 4 balls, scores one and then gives Kirtley another wicket via the hands of Hamilton Brown. Suppiah follows trying to push it on and Kirtley has 3. Max Waller is run out without facing as we lose the plot before Aarafat wins the cup for his county by forcing Alfonso  to push one to the Sussex captain.  All out for 109.  We lose our last 5 wickets for 1 run but the job had already been done and the last men wuldn't have got us there.

The dream ends in chaos and we have been beaten by a better side.  Congratulations to Sussex but we need to take the positives from this.  We competed until the middle of the last game.  We were finalists in a competition we were also rans in last season.  We've shown in all cricket formats this season and we have the chance to reset the record on monday when we meet this lot again in the 40 over version!!

A good day all in all.  Some really good performances by our boys - just a match to far perhaps.

View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

Related Articles:

• Wild Wild day on the Lackey's Holiday
• Gladdies in the Sun