Our one day form seems crazy when you look at our 4 day form but at the moment a Somerset supporter will take anything he/she can get. Middlesex remain in Taunton for this fixture after smashing us in the CC1. Will we return the favour and maintain rou 100% record? Will the other alter egos of our batsmen take to the field? Will the weatehr let anything at all happen? enjoy your day if you are there.
It is likely that we will go with roughly the same side as destroyed Yorkshire only a little over a week ago. After this though 'all things must change' as international call ups take people away and others return to the fold to restart their 2013 summers. Today we choose from;
Questions are being asked about Steve Kirby and Arul Suppiah's future in the firsts partly due to age but also due to loss of form with the first seen to be leaking runs and the second unable to make them under any circumstances in his benefit year. Craig Meschede is knocking loudly on the first team door and Jack Leach has already opened it and plonked his stuff in front of a peg. Will Lewis Gregory do the same today?
Jos Buttler, Peter Trego and James Hildreth have put it together in the YB in a way they are struggling to do in the longer format, although Jos seems to have got over his minor early season glitch. The skipper still hasn't got his eye in but one expects that to happen quite soon and at some opposition bowler's expense. Alviro hasn't made the same impression in the shorter game that he has in the CC, but he needs to get his eye in also as he will be moving up to the SA short form side for the Champions League quite soon and we will be welcoming his replacement Dean Elgar who may be more of an allround fit for us and we expect good things from
At a time when David Nosworthy is re-assessing a side he has watched fail a number of times in these early days of the season, these players must feel they are in with a chance while those named plus another couple of usual 'certs' must feel the hot breath on the back of their necks as the young wolves run to catch up with them.
Middlesex should have no fear of us after their comprehensive victory in the week and will feel they have strategies to remove our power men while also feeling that they can deal with our bowling as well in a 40 over game as a four day one. In a series where only winning guarantees anything and with a side struggling for overall confidence in this first third of the season a victory for us is very important. Keeping that momentum going will also provide much needed impetus for our match against Sussex next week in the Championship - we have to start winning before we reach the T20 break or we will come back from it to an extremely difficult second half of the season.
The game starts at 12:45 GMT which translates to early evening for us in ExpatLand an a quarter to 2 for those in Gods Own County. Fingers, toes and everything else crossed for a good game and a Somerset win, more from those actually there as the day goes on.
We will bowl first after winning the toss with Arul Suppiah playing, no Alfonso Thomas and Waller getting the spinners nod.
Well, my first opportunity of the season has arrived and as usual it is a damp Dorset, this morning, but the forecast seems to improve the further north you go.
Off to Taunton, shortly, to take in the delights of a morning canal walk, toward Bridgwater, hoping the Kingfishers will display their glorious colour, the ducklings and cygnets will be in abundance and that this will all preclude a glorious performance by Somerset. If not, next visit will probably be after T20, so almost into next season!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:05:19:10:01:57 by Grockle.
13 man squad is same team as Yorkies last Saturday plus Jamie and Jack.
Can't see us replacing Arul with either of those so guess he will keep his spot and would personally expect an unchanged team saving Jamie for Sussex game next week.
Personally i'd love us to give Meschede a chance at 3 to play his shots.
That would leave MT, PT, CM, AP, JH, JB, AS, LG, AT, MW, SK.
Really need a win today to boost spirits from last weeks drubbing. Different competition I know but don't see how you can separate things that easily.
Forecast looks ok hopefully, lots of rain around English Channel and south coast, it's moving north later in day so just a case of if it hits Taunton before 7pm ish. Something to consider at the toss maybe Marcus.....
The rain on the radar is more a vast swathe than narrow band and it is much 'wider,' than it is 'tall.'
The primary direction of travel seems to be East-West rather than south - north. So places located anywhere that it makes landfall may get several hours of wet stuff, I would think.
Not sure if it will drift slightly northward as it moves West. If not, Taunton should get away with it. But I suspect it might be an all or nothing sort of day - full day or no play at all.
Wickham: do you think that if Wagner had written precludes to his operas the world might have been a better place? It would certainly have had more time on its hands.
Don't see Leach playing personally.
Maybe Jove in for Kirbs but I think we are keen to rest Jove when we can so would expect same team with Kirbs keeping his spot.
Think maybe Dibble or Cove could come in for Alfie or Kirbs this week v Sussex.
Think they need to do something in reaction to the Middlesex thumping but with availability can't see what we can do to change the top 7, apart from Barrow in for Suppiah but think they'll stick with Arul this time.
Don't know if it effects M5 southbound but there is an overturned lorry northbound between J22 and J21, Burnham to WSM, long delays reported until at least 1pm....
Sadly cannot get to today's game (No. 1 Son has requisitioned car, and no Sunday buses). A surprise to see Alfie out, is he injured?
And given his spectacular recent leap from apprentice to spearhead, I would like to see Jamie getting the new ball.
Well done to Yeovil Town on beating Brentford - the only Premier/Football League club whose badge has Three Seaxes - in the League 1 play-off final.
Hopefully the county of Middlesex can restore some pride in this Yorkshire Bank 40 match, although I fear that won't happen due to Somerset being an excellent one-day side and presently in a decent position.
Well if you want to suggest that SK got out the tail and that somehow undermines the efforts then we'd have to comment on the fact that two of Max's dismissals came (according to the commentary) from Middlesex batsmen chasing long hops and not from the guile of the young spinner. I wonder what the comment would have been had the four wickets been down to Alfonso Thomas' name?
Kirby was quite expensive still however, though Jamie and Lewis didn't particularly acquit themselves better in that regard either.
I think it's probably better to say that two men got out 7 of the opposition and the rest of the attack supported their efforts and well done to both of them.
Have to admit the opposition got further than I personally would have liked them to but presently what we can't seem to do in 4 days we seem to have no trouble doing in 40 overs so I suppose we should be thankful for small mercies.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:05:19:20:59:12 by Grockle.
I said it last week and will repeat it today - I hope we leave Pete opening when CK is fit. He looks so comfortable opening in this format.
Good to see Arul and Hildy get some runs, a very enjoyable win in lovely weather.
Hope those dogs are ok, why they hell didn't the owners just bring them in the ground? If it wasn't for scaring the dogs I kind of hope the police smashed the car window..
Max did well today. He confused the batsman so much they didn't know whether to smash him for 6 or 4 and consequently got themselves out caught.
Glad to see Arul hit some form and Pete has really taken to pinch hitting.
Kirbs was a bit wayward but he did take 4 wickets.
It was a good job Middlesex didn't repeat their bowling performances of last week.
In the end it was a good result after the drubbing last week.
It seemed probable almost throughout that we'd win comfortably.
To be honest I think that most sides visiting Taunton simply don't get it. The ones that have to bat first seem to think they'll get a competitive total if they just tick things over at a run a ball or thereabouts.
But more often that not, that's simply not good enough.
Yet there was no point where Middx seemed to make a conscious effort to push on. And they certainly made little conspicuous attempt to take advantage of the 8 over power-play at the start.
I thought we fielded well (though Middx were even better), I thought both sides bowled about the same - a sort of 6 out of 10 effort but the difference was our assertiveness with the bat.
I thought we were fairly poor in the field and could definitely have bowled better but are batting was and is just too good for everybody else.
Our top 5 on paper must scare all other counties to death.
Nice day, great win and sitting nicely at the top of the group after 3 games.
If we show up in the P40 format there is no team that can live with us, it suits our team to a T.
T20 we are strong but anyone can win/lose on a given day.
We know our current struggles in the 4 day stuff.
But the 40 over format is long enough for our talents to shine through.
When Alfie and George come back, along with Kiesy (and Compo if he makes the team) then we will be even stronger.
Watch out Leics next Sunday.....
Thanks lads for helping me to drive home with a smile on my face. Its was a splendid performance. Max managed to bowl at least one "buffet" ball per over, but 2 of them took wickets. I saw Lewis hold his side before he bowled his final ball so wasn't surprised to see him go off. Arul showed what I hope he will continue to do and Pete is not a pinch hitter any longer - he is an attacking opener.
We were ahead of the game from our first batting over..and AG is right-a good score is not good enough most times against us at the momeent and until the batting power nplay Middlesex showed no urgency. M sex ground fielding was superb, but a well deserved win.
The lengthy discussion between the two umpires, Marcus and the Middlesex openers arose because Alfonso Thomas was on the Somerset team sheet at the toss, but had been replaced by Arul when Somerset went out to field.
This was quickly spotted by the umpires, who informed the two batters and asked Marcus for an explanation. Hope we are not in disciplinary territory here - and possible points deduction.
The laws state that no player shall be changed after the nomination at the toss without the consent of the opposing captain.
I see that at this early stage of the season only three counties have secured maximum points: SCCC, Notts and Leics, the latter having played only one match. We have much the superior scoring rate.
If they were scared to death they should have been brave enough to explicitly set out to score 270+, having been invited to bat.
I never really got the sense that Middx were that unhappy with their run-rate. No idea why they appeared to think it would be sufficient unless they were fooled by our inept CC batting?
Obviously, if they'd set out full of aggression and things had gone wrong they might have been bowled out for 150 and been absolutely thrashed so perhaps the summit of their ambition for this game was to not lose so heavily as to destroy their run-rate. Or maybe they just don't have the players to play an expansive game even on a perfect batting track?
Incidentally, if England find themselves batting on a plum batting track in the Champions' Trophy they may find the same problem as Middx if Cook, Bell and Trott bat for too long a period and Jos/Morgan barely get to the crease.
BJ, Tango has done nothing to upset me. I just don't think he's an ideal candidate for our one-day side. I believe all players must be skillful in more than one area and he worries me with his inconsistent bowling. He certainly has plenty of heart and is excellent at encouraging his team-mates.
I thought the Middx fielding was sensational and saved a lot of runs.
Lewis was grimacing after deliveries a couple of overs before he pulled up.
Seeing Mike's shot of Arul getting a tennis shot to a ball and getting caught had me wondering why it wasn't called as a wide. If the batsman reaches a wide/high delivery does that negate the 'wide' call?? Seems wrong to me.
Was a good day to be at TA1. In company of Tractor - ebullient as ever. Good weather and a very good team performance.
Great to see Arul coming good at last. Tregs and Tres made a very good start until Rossington pulled off a stunning diving catch to dismiss Tres. Hildy and Jos did what they do best - finish!
What a fielder Max is - worth 10-29 runs a match in the field. And although he does bowl some buffet balls he always seems to make things happen in the short form of the game.
Middx failed to press the accelerator inexplicably but their outfielding was superb. Malan and Denly caught the eye.
Hope we can translate some of this one-day form into the Championship!
I doubt Middx would have objected to Arul playing instead of Alf - an out-of-form batsman with no big name reputation in this form of cricket - vs one of the best one-day bowlers in the country, if not the world.
The umpires seemed content, Tres may have given a perfectly reasonable explanation, and the game proceeded normally - I'd be amazed if there's any post-match comeback.
LoL: I hesitate to mention it, but getting through the group league stages is not usually our problem - it's the set-piece at the end
You are correct AG. It cannot be a wide if the batsman hits it. Jove got "no balled" a couple of times for very similar deliveries and the correct call in this case should have seen Arul returned to the crease.
Hope that Jove will quickly learn (or better still be taught) the difference between "bowling short of a length" and bowling short.
Was really very surprised when the announcer said that Steve K had gone for 50+ runs as I thought he had bowled pretty well and hadn't noticed runs stacking up against him, particularly as all of his overs were powerplay and death overs.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:05:20:12:16:29 by Railboy.
I think people are being slightly too disparaging about Middlesex' score of 252 - in just 40 overs, if you lose a couple of quick wickets you'll be struggling however good the track is.
I was in the MT stand but trained my binoculars on the scoreboard and there you all were, but without a picture to remind me, I can now only visualize, Tractor, the Californian hot dog and I believe a man from the Yeovil area.
But, seriously, I think they need to go back to two divisions, with promotion and relegation, even if that means playing each other team only once (rather than home and away).
There are far too many dead rubbers in the current Pro 40 competition and lots of teams do not really take it seriously once they've lost their first couple of games.
The alternative, I suppose, is to retain the current format but have quarter-finals. But the issue with that is that it's probably then a bit too easy to qualify for the Quarters?
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