We need it Jos
v Warriors CLT20 @ Bangalore Wednesday 5 October 2011
We face the Warriors with one objective to fulfill. We have to win the game. If the South Africans stop us doing that then they qualify for the semi-finals. If we win, we do! Alfonso has gone for a seam heavy attack dropping George Dockrell and bringing in Adam Dibble instead of the probably unfit Lewis Gregory. The side is;
Trego, Kieswetter, van der Merwe, Buttler, Hildreth, Compton, Suppiah, Thomas, Kartik, Kirby, Dibble
We have won the toss and the skipper has decided to post an early score and offer the Warriors the chase. It does not start wonderfully as Pete Trego is caught behind off the bowling of Tsotsobe with onlky 5 balls gone. This brings RvdM in early and we all hope he will last a little longer than the 2 balls oin the game on Monday. He plays his usual aggressive form of the game but helps a particularly reticent CK to push the score towards 50. His 32 off 16 gets it all moving but he is the next man to perish in the 6th over from Smuts when he skies one with 48 on the board. The Warrior bowling attack is tying the men down a little - 10 an over is what sides seem to be looking for. We are under that and James Hildreth is still finding it difficult to score at any real pace.
Although James manages to score at a run a ball when he is the third man out caught in the deep off Botha, we have a mere 75 and we are halfway through the 12th over. This is not enough and Somerset send in Jos to create something with his England partner. By the 16th we have 110 as the younger man puts two into the stands. This gets Craig moving and some boundaries start to come. They still have a lot to do though at 119 with three overs left.
The 50 partnership comes up in the 18th as they take 10 off it but 129 is not enough so boundaries are what the side needs. Ball one of Theron's 19th is 'Dilshaned' by Jos for four and he takes 2 off the next but he smacks the third to Boje and goes at 135 for 4 with 9 balls left. Craig takes a single to bring up his 50 and his new partner Nick Compton takes another off the next. We have 137 with 6 balls to come and Compo on strike.
The last over from Tsotsobe starts with a dot ball and then NC takes a single to put the big striker on.n He puts the third into the crowd with a full middled stroke. The next is cutter which results in another dot. The fifth is a bye and Nick has the last one. Prediction on a reverse sweep? No. Just a little smack for one and 146 for 4. It's not enough IMHO. I think the guys will be spending the weekend in Taunton.
The Reply
Alfonso opens as usual against Smuts and Prince who take 5 off the first with a boundary off the last ball. Kirbs shares the new ball and is his usual aggressive self and he goes for 6. Dibble is the third man into the attack but he is rewarded for delivering his first T20 ball with an opposition boundary from Prince. He goes for 13 off his first unfortunately coming back well from the initial boundary but losing it a bit at the end of the 6 balls. Kirbs comes around the wicket for the 4th trying to keep the variety coming. Pace off the 5th ball does for Prince as he gets a leading edge and sends it straight to the Somerset captain. It is 30 for 1 and goodbye Ashwell well done Stevo!!
RvdM takes the 5th as a critical bowler. The spinners have to hold the Warriors in check and turn the screw. But Ingram (a left hander) likes this stuff and takes 11 off the first 3. They have 42 after 5 and Alf comes in for the 6th to Smuts, he also puts the press on the dangerous Ingram and holds them down to 3 off the over.
On comes MK and he is also a key man in this innings. He has to maintain control for us to win. He also goes for 3 and the Warriors did not get to 50. Pete comes in for the 8th and immediately looks to take the pace off the ball. Nevertheless the South Africans pass 50 with the second ball and nearly get a four with the third but are thwarted by the excellkent boundary fieldsing of James Hildreth. This is followed by another good stop from Nick in the field. The fielders have to help the bowlers if the batsmen get hold of them. You can't do anything about aerial boundaries but you can scrap for every run on the ground. 56 after 8. The Warriors need 91 from 71 balls.
Kartik gets his second ball wrong, he drags it short and Ingram puts it into the stand. Control, Control, Control Murali!! BY the 10th they are halfway there with 9 wickets in hand and the climb to the semis is getting steeper. 71 for 1 and RvdM is on for the 11th. The second ball has a BIG stumping appeal. Craig is confident that he has the batsman with his foot in the air but there seems to be a big discussion in the Third Umpire's room. Smuts gets the benefit and stays in. After 11 they have 77 but they still have 9 wickets available.
Dibble is back on. He gets Ingram to pull the third, the South African top edges and is a simple victim for Compton on the boundary. 79 for 2 and well done Adam! The other Smuts joins his brother at the crease with his side needing 66 off 49 and one brother nearly runs out the other one out off the second ball faced. 82 for 2 after 12 and a good over from the T20 debutant. MK is back on and tempts the more established JohnJohn to go for one. It doesn't go to the boundary. It goes into Arul Suppiah's capable hands and the Warrior's are 82 for 3. In comes Johan Botha and he takes his side to 87 at the end of the 13th. It's better but it has to keep going.
Dibble gets the 14th as the run rate rises to well over 8 (8.77) but it is well within the compass of a good T20 side. There is a huge need for wickets because we do not want to be going into the last 5 overs with the Warrior middle order intact, The pressure is rising on both sides because the winner finds themselves on the receinving end of a LOT of dollars. Adam finishes off well with a good tight over. 1 for 24 off his is very good.
91 for 3 at the start of the 15th which is bowled by Steve Kirby. His second ball is skied by Botha and Arul is under it...but fumbles it!! Much to the chagrin of his bowler. The commentors ask whether that is the turning point? He seemed to have it under control and then lost his balance as the ball arrived and dropped it. The Warrior pair are looking to push the singles and the pressure tells because Botha tries the big shot again and this time Arul holds it!! 98 for 4 with one ball of the 15th to go. Kirbs goes for 8.
Now it is down to the nasty sharp end. 30 balls and 48 runs needed. 6 wickets in hand and spin back in with MK on for the 16th. There is nothing in it as we were 99 for 3. The hundred comes up with the first. But wicket 5 comes as Smuts K plays all around the third and is given out LBW. Nicky Boje is in and he can still take this away from us. MK bowls his last and keeps them to 103 with 4 to go. Kartik ends with 2 for 23...well done that spinning genius.
Alf comes on for the 17th. Somerset have taken 4 for 32 off the last 4 overs and we have the best men left to take this one home. But there is a boundary from the second ball - the first in 5 overs. 39 needed from 21 and Boje can do that! Thyssen probably isn't going to do it. A dot takes it to 2 runs per ball 38 off 19 and a single off the last is not really what the Warriors want. 7 off the over and 37 needed off 18 balls! Can we throw this away? They need a big over in double figures to stay in this one. 12.3 an over is what they need!!
Kirbs takes the 18th - the most important over of the game probably because if they get after him in this one the last 2 will be a problem. Boje gets a boundary off the first and they take 13 off the over. They still need 2 runs per ball but that's still possible. 23 from 12 and Alf backs himself for the 19th. 23 from 11. Ball 2 sees the back of Theyssen as MK takes the catch on the boundary (after a slight worry as he takes it really low to the ground)!! Parnell is in needing to help his side get 23 from 10 balls. The skipper bowls the third to Boje and they take a single. 22 from 9!! 22 from 8 as Alf pulls out the slow ball. Ball 5 is another big skier and Parnell goes for a duck as Arul takes a second on the boundary. 125 for 7 22 from 7 with 3 wickets left. Dyili is in but Boje is on strike. A leg bye and 2 runs off the captain's last with two wickets in the bag. The man is what they say he is!! 2 for 17 off 4 from the T20 Boss.
RvdM takes the last against Boje and Dyili. Ball 1 is a single. 20 off 5. Boundaries are required now. Ball 2 he bowls Dyili!! 127 for 8. 20 from 4 balls. Ohh this is good. This is very good!! The new man is Theron and he is facing. He bowls a yorker and gets a dot. 20 from 3 balls. Ball 4 is a dot and they need 20 off 2. A big hit leaves 14 from the last. We win by 13 runs and we.....
ARE IN THE SEMIS!!
Absolutely brilliant boys and on we go!!
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Quote:Grockle
Have to agree. It isn't enough I'm afraid in this tournament. As I've said in the report. I think the boys will be back in Taunton for the weekend.
Quote:Bath Bob
Unbelievably brilliant. So pleased for all the team after the disappointments of late August to mid September. True resilience.
Top four side in the world is quite a statement (and no, there is no point in qualifying it with t20 as there is no longer format equivalent).
Could be a heavy weekend on the sport front mixing CLt20 with Rugby World Cup. Going to book a reserve liver!






Quote:Big Jim
Why, are we in the IPL?
Quote:Chinaman
Just got home in time to catch the last three overs live (thanks to streeter's fantastic link). Incredible over from Alfonso, 2 wickets for 2 runs I think, just nerves of steel. Sorry not to catch Dibble in action, his figures look excellent.
This suggests we might be better off batting first if possible?
What a performance. How can any Somerset fan not love T20 now?

Quote:Cricinfo
6 - The number of catches held by Owais Shah and Arul Suppiah in the 2011 edition, the highest for any fielder. It equals the record set by Daniel Harris in 2010.
Quote:Cricinfo
Wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter is part of the Somerset squad taking part in the Champions League T20 and by Wednesday night will know whether his team will be part of the semi-finals or whether he will be making his way from Bangalore to Hyderabad.
Quote:Brian Rose
The club's Director of Cricket told somersetcountycc.co.uk: "Alfonso has proved himself a brilliant leader and is largely responsible for the tremendous spirit in the side.
"He has taken a squad that was depleted when we arrived and feeling low after losing to Surrey at Lord's and led them to four victories in five completed games, which is a stupendous effort.
"We have talked about captaincy a lot during the trip and I impressed on him the importance of keeping a cool head on the field because he is an excitable character by nature.
"The way he has taken that advice on board has been tremendous. It's very easy to get carried away in the heat of a T20 battle, but he has remained so cool under pressure.
"It took a very brave captain's decision to bat first when we won the toss against Warriors because the pitch was damp.
"But Alfonso backed his own judgement and then saw the game plan we had formulated carried out to perfection.
"The penultimate over he bowled was world class and sealed the victory. No amount of praise can be too high for him."
Quote:ChinamanQuote:Cricinfo
Wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter is part of the Somerset squad taking part in the Champions League T20 and by Wednesday night will know whether his team will be part of the semi-finals or whether he will be making his way from Bangalore to Hyderabad.
Anybody have any info about whether we get to keep Craig for the semi?












Quote:Grockle
Ahh but the Surrey faithful would be having the same conversations...though I'm not sure the ECB would be as disinterested if it was Surrey - old boy network don't ya know :-)

Quote:Bagpuss
One wonders what would have happened had the Chennai Super Kings, the other team for whom a 'home semi final' was set in stone, won their group thus qualifying to play their semi against Bangalore. Would the match have taken place in Chennai (group topper's advantage), would they have tossed a coin to decide it, or maybe played 20 overs at each venue.
Or would they have altered the semi final line up so Bangalore slotted into the group winner's position in the semi finals, relegating the winner to second place and off to Chennai to play the Super Kings. Maybe fortunately we will never know. I have my suspicions.
Oh, and by the way, according to the Cricinfo CLT20 pages Somerset have FIVE slow left arm spinners in their available squad. Did someone mention cloning somewhere?
[www.espncricinfo.com]


Quote:Grockle
Naxxer - yes the ECB Chairman does have connections with the club - we were his springboard option to the position he was actually after :-)

Quote:old boy!
A wonderful knock by Warner today, but the fact that he can switch so easily from left handed to right handed must surely bring forward very quickly the time when the LBW rule will be altered to mean that the reverse sweep or shot will also bring in the LBW opportunity.

Quote:SheptonPaul
Warner's six was hardly a reverse sweep - it was a right-handed lofted on-drive straight out of the MCC coaching manual - apart from the switch of feet and hands before the shot, of course.


Quote:RobboG
RCB off to a flyer