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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:11:12:22:41:59 by BarmierKev.

Thanks Kev for your time attending the meeting and posting revue, I hope the wine flowed freely.

North London.

To expand a little on AC season notes. The inherited red ball squad with the initial assistance of Afridi got us off to a good start, crucial to our end position. As stated Rocky, Rojo , Esky and Simmo were the ballast. RLC. With the addition of Malan that gave us a strong top four who got us over the line when we won. Leics and Glos won on merit at Radlett. Plus finally we were out batted at Hove by Alsop and Pujara.. A strange day weather-wise. T20. Here there was no improvement. AC pointed out that experience wise in games played we were behind the oppo compared to their players.. We left out an experienced T20 player and brought in inexperienced replacements. That doesn't suggest joined up thinking.

I'd suggest that the joined up thinking took place with regards to the concept of "esprit de corps", with which any military man, even "soldier" Sowter, should be familiar.

If given a direct order to move his typewriter three paces to the left, any member of even the Royal Army Secretarial Corps, Nicosia branch failing to obey that order would be letting his section, platoon, company and regiment down, let alone marking himself down as "not a team man".

For the sake of that concept, he must be dealt with. And so he was. The team moves on as a unit. The weak and energy sapping links are discarded. Younger guys came in to play roles previously allotted to those who turned their nose up at them. They may learn from the experience, but even if they don't, they did what was asked of them by the unit to the best of their ability. Much was also made at both Forum and the lunch on Wednesday of the unity and mutual trust that the players appeared to have for each other. - Esprit de Corps.

A slightly more crucial point as to T20 performance, as cited by AC, was that we just don't clear the ropes enough. The most successful teams hit a lot, lot more sixes than we do.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:10:08:12:44:08 by Primrose Hillbilly.

Agree with the above. We all felt the T20 team lacked hitting power so hopefully they'll address that, whether that's getting a power coach so existing players hold their form or overseas biffer. I think it'll help balance the squad...

Quote:

Primrose Hillbilly
I'd suggest that the joined up thinking took place with regards to the concept of "esprit de corps", with which any military man, even "soldier" Sowter, should be familiar.
If given a direct order to move his typewriter three paces to the left, any member of even the Royal Army Secretarial Corps, Nicosia branch failing to obey that order would be letting his section, platoon, company and regiment down, let alone marking himself down as "not a team man".

For the sake of that concept, he must be dealt with. And so he was. The team moves on as a unit. The weak and energy sapping links are discarded. Younger guys came in to play roles previously allotted to those who turned their nose up at them. They may learn from the experience, but even if they don't, they did what was asked of them by the unit to the best of their ability. Much was also made at both Forum and the lunch on Wednesday of the unity and mutual trust that the players appeared to have for each other. - Esprit de Corps.

A slightly more crucial point as to T20 performance, as cited by AC, was that we just don't clear the ropes enough. The most successful teams hit a lot, lot more sixes than we do.

I was on active service. Done any mate. I thought not. Get some in, afore you attempt in your usual style to trivialise. ,Never pulled a boot on. Teaching your grandmother to suck eggs.They would certainly tell you to get a haircut or on jankers AC remarks which I read differently to you, say that that pre season T20 think-tank decided it was to be 'a project'. This to improve the number of games played by our rookies so that 3 years down the line the games total will be closer to the oppo. So soldier Sowter was sent on season long leave on full pay. Excellent use of the few quid Mx haven't got.. An assumption being made that three years down the road we will still have the same players! One Steady Eddy brought into the squad but not used ain't likely to improve the six hitting. Needless to say. No improvement over SL and Dangerous Dan's era's in T20. SM. HQ 50 Independent Infantry Brigade. Kykko East Camp. Nicosia Cyprus. Roger. Over and Out.


Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2022:10:17:16:24:45 by Seaxe_man1.

Quote:

Sillyp0int
Agree with the above. We all felt the T20 team lacked hitting power so hopefully they'll address that, whether that's getting a power coach so existing players hold their form or overseas biffer. I think it'll help balance the squad...

It was clear at the pre-season forum that the hierarchy was well aware of that. IIRC they said that they realised that their batting was not as dynamic as others but the intention was to rely on high class bowling performances. Of course at that stage the assumption was that both Shaheed and Mujeeb would be here for a fair number of games and we probably expected to have TRJ. None of which transpired. Supporters (if not the hierarchy by that stage?) expected Sowter to be ever present as well.

So while it is true that we hit a lot fewer sixes, it seemed a bit odd to present that as almost a new discovery; it was old news.


Adelaide

Fair point. I've no clue what the pre season plans were but relying on bowling squeeze in T20 is high risk. Think we'll see that out in Oz over the next month! Especially with dinky boundaries

I suggest, Adelaide, that the "new regime" under Alan Coleman places a lot more emphasis on the data than previously occurred. To whit : knowledge about how many appearances a successful T20 unit has underneath their belts, and now the numbers as regards how many times they clear the ropes (and we don't).

The "moneyball" approach to cricket - certainly the white ball format, is detailed in "Hitting Against The Spin". The comment is made that this approach works in this format because it is a lot more formulaic and so, predictable in outcomes, once certain data points are achieved.

You know the ball isn't going to move off the seam, you know at certain stages where fielders are going to be, you know where the shortest boundary is, you know how many overs each bowler has left.....
- Get 170 on a half decent track and you need the oppo to muck it up, get 180 and that moves it closer to your end, 190 and a couple of bowlers really have to have shockers, 200 and you have to bowl very loosely and drop catches...

Contrast the "get A B de Villiers and we'll be alright" method to this, and at least there appears to be method and attention to detail behind the strategy. The six hitting should be fixable, given the science that is available in e.g. baseball, where the "slugger" batting "clean up" is a feature of almost all teams.

There was also a characterisation by AC of our T20 performances to date as a (relatively) low scoring, restrictive bowling side that was right out of the book too. I'm going to hazard that AC had set out his strategy to build round that "form", but Mujeeb's visa problems and no readily available replacement stepping up to the plate put a hole in the strategy before it started.

Interestingly enough, one of the things to also emerge was that the people surrounding the England ODI team's campaign spotted well in advance that England under M0rg0ne had very good records at all the grounds they were scheduled to play at in that World Cup, right up until the final at Lord's, where the stats indicated they would probably lose.

I have found the chapter detailing the technicalities of swing bowling, and how it mainly relies upon air turbulence on one side of the ball relative to the other a very good cure for insomnia. With any luck, the various diagrams will be better marked and annotated in subsequent reprints.