Somerset
Another T20 lesson from Kent?
By Grockle et al
July 7 2016
On the 7th of June with the CC1 to resume it is usually a time to look back on the first 'half' of the season as the T20 moves towards the knockout stage and the 50 overs start to appear on the horizon. This is most definitely a night to look at the side's T20 record and assess whether we have moved forward. Kent gave us a lesson in how to play this game in 2016 earlier in the season. Tonight MM and the boys can show them how far we have come in learning from that.
v KENT T20 @ Taunton Thursday 7 July 2016
Last week we were trounced by Gloucestershire. The bowlers manfully tried to keep us in a game where se batted first and then failed to provide them with enough of a cushion to work with. One Aussie import by the name of Klinger basically batted out of the game because of the poor batting strategy we employed creating a scoring rate that, at Taunton, caused the opposition very little problem.
That has put us in a position where we need to win all of our games to guarantee we make it into the knock out stage of this tournament in 2016 but we need to do more than that because if by the skin of our teeth we do get that far we need a different strategy for playing T20 with our squad. Earlier in the season Kent showed us how to structure a game in order to make it difficult for the visitors to stamp their authority on a fixture. It is time for Somerset to show that they have their thinking caps on and are looking to learn how to do that to opposing sides in our back yard - we certainly did not do that last week.
Tonight ghe present side at 4:50 is expected to be;
Allenby, Myburgh, Trego, Jayawardene, Gregory, van der Merwe, Davies, Overton C, Overton J, Groenewald, Waller
Michael Leask is 12th man.
If that is the side tonight then I have to say that personally it tells me that Somerset have learned absolutely nothing from the trouncing of last week. Jim Allenby is doing nothing with the bat and did not even bowl himself last week. The first six overs have been left to Johann Myburgh who at least is in a bit of form. Reolof van der Merwe who did the role for us last time he was here should move up to open with JM. Pete Trego, another player struggling for form is in at number 3. No-one is splitting Mahela and Lewis - very much the same kind of batsmen. The man who started to move it Michael Leask is not even in the side and Craig Overton who could do with the rest, is. Jove is presently batting at 9. No Josh Davey, no one taking pace off the ball. It's all the same stuff that has got us nowhere.
But it could all change after the toss.
It changes but not enough in my opinion. Mahela Jayawardene will open with Johann Myburgh with Allenby moving to 3. Michael Leask also comes in for Craig Overton. Kent wkn the toss and after a small wait for the rain to leave they bat first. Reolof opens the bowling from the New Pavilion end and goes for a creditable 3 while Lewis opens his county from the River and they add 7. Jamie's first of the 3rd is too short and is punched for four to the Caddyshack, his second is wide and a third is pulled but stopped before the boundary.
The "sellout" game this is 50% full presently but the weather is not good and the over from Jove is not making watching any easier. 17 of the 9 ball over (2 wides and a no ball) and that was because Davies got a flailing glove to a wayward bouncer. Too short and too early I'm afraid. The good thing is that Gregory immediately gets Latham courtesy of a sharp catch by the skipper. 27 for 1
By the end of the 5th Denly has hit the first 6 and they have 43. Groenewald bowls the 6th and his first two are short and wide and Kent pass 50with 2 boundaries. The carnage continues as Northeast hits boundaries off the first 4 balls to go from 2 to 18 and Kent are 59.
Max Waller takes the 7th from the New Pavilion and takes the pace off the ball.... he goes for four Doesn't anyone see the correlation. If you try and blast these sides out the batsmen simply put bat to ball and let the pace do the rest. If you make them come looking for the ball then you have more chance and they have to work for their runs. RvdM tries to pull them back at the other end as well and bu the end of 8 they have 72 which is only 9 an ovef instead of 10. 33 of these came from 2 overs in the first 6!
At 85 wiyh Denly on 35 we finally see some expertise as Max catches a screamer off his own bowling - watch that one on the replay. 85 for 2 and ALLENBY is on from the River! 94 for 2 after 10 and 200 is on we reckon.
Jamie changes to the River end for the 12th jn an attempt to try and get the wicket of Billings or Northeast before they settle in for the long haul to 20. Two sets of misfielding gives them two extra singles in the first 3 balls before Northeast goes to 50 with a six into the Trescothick off 27 balls with 7 fours and a six. 116 for 2 after the 12th and the skipper takes Max off and puts Tim back on. The light is very poor and Kent are getting away with everything they swing at but they afe facing no invention, no guile, no slow balls just the same pacet the same rate. He does sucker them into going big and Billings goes to a magnificent boundary catch from RvdM - watch that one as well 127 for 3. RvdM thenreturns for the 14th but the pace is only slowed and by the 15th they are 3 short of 150 and starting to accelerate.
Gregory takes the 16th from the River one has to ask where the skipper has gone afger his one over. The pace men have gone the distance pretty mu h all evening so where are the allrounders taking the pace off? No Trego at all no Leask and no Allenby. Kent go over 150 with the third ball. 155 for 3 and BACK TO JAMIE??? Where is the logic in this?
Still no Allenby as we continue with pace from the River with Tim. 13 off the over. Jamie continues. They are also struggling with the over rate they have to start the last by 6:57. A better over with only 4 off it. But 4 overs 1 for 39 is not going to win us many matches. Lewis takes the last one just inside the time. So the skipper has once again let his pace team take the weight and go for lots while one lf his spinners has not been bowled at all one all rounder has been played as aspecialist batsman and the other has contributed 6 balls. At 178, RvdM gets another boundary catch and Stevens is on his way. A six off the 5th ball and then a single gives us 188 to win.
Abject captaincy I have to say. I was ready to give the man the benefit when he took some responsibility but when you have tried a bowling option and you have others and you don't use them you are not doing your job I am afraid. Unless he makes 100 in the reply of course.
THE REPLY
Rabada - a big South African bowler comes in to Johann who immediately hits him over the top for 2. A single later on gives us 3 off the first. Claydon takes the second and courtesy of a Myburgh boundary we reach 9 off the first two. He hits another four in the 3rd before slamming one straight into the gut of the cover fielder and it's 14 for 1. Allenby in at number 3 (why not Pete Trego seeing s we have lost our stroke player). The next 3 balls are dots and we end with 14 off the first 3. On comes Stevens and he has MJ with his first ball and it is 14 for 2. No pace.... take the speed away and force them to push it into the middle in the air.
22 from 4 and a big job for Jim and Pete to get stuck into.
Well Pete is more than willing as he goes for Claydon and for Griffiths who takes over at the River, we go past 50 in the 5th and then to 59 at the start of the 7th. This prompts Kent to bring on spin, as it should and Trego takes issue with that as well taking 3 runs a ball of the Kent men as he moves to 46 in the 8th. Meanwhile his skipper looks to get him on strike any chance he can get. 79 for 2 at the end of the 8th. Rabada returns from the New Pavilion. He goes for a very frugal three but we are still up with the rate. Treadwell is introduced to put the press on but Allenby lap sweeps him early. He goes for a few and we resch 90 at 10 overs with spin on both ends. Pete goes to 50 off 28 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes. Unfortunately the skipper steps back to cut a four ball and is bowled.91 for 3.... two spinners on and no James Hildreth to play them... Leask goes for one is stumped, given out and then called back as Billings calls him back because he missed the stumping. Good to see and Pete thanks Sam as they pass at the end of the 11th. 93 for 3. The press is most definitely on.
Pete tries to keep pushing but comes up the wicket and is caught lofting on to long on by Latham. In comes Lewis - possibly Jove instead but at least Mike Leask is in with some time to sort himself out and push on. They must keep up with the rate though to be in with a chance in the last 5? Is this Lewis' night to shine perhaps?
Treadwell takes the 14th and we end it with 124. The first ball of the 15th gives us a bit of luck and a boundary but the next ball is a comedy of a run out, they get the first, the fielder fumbles,Leask takes the second and Gregory doesn't look up the wicket or move. 129 for 5 and RvdM in.
We need 56 from 5 but lose Lewis bowled by Stevens the crafty trundler who ties him down so tight he can't get it off the pitch. Jamie gets a four through but he follows that with a full ball which bowls the young man - T20 bowling at its best!!
Davies is run out and it all comes untangled as we need 48 off 3 Tim joins Reolof but Griffiths bowls him at the start of the 18th. and it is 145 for 9 with just Max left. 150 comes up in the 19th and the two Somerset men just work to stay in for the full 20. vdM makes it 25 off the last over with Max facing Rabada.
Max flips his first to the Gimblett. The next is fast and full and ties Max into his crease. They get 3 off the next and need 3 sixes to win with Reolof on strike. Rabada fires it in fast and past our man. The next goes for four so we need 14 off one and we get a single. We lose by 12 runs and it wasn't that close. Credit to the last two for staying in, credit to Pete for taking it on but that's about it people.
Digg
Delicious
Facebook
Reddit
Stumbleupon07/07/2016 17:02
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:09:16:37:11 by Grockle.
Who opens?
Did any of the younger players working at Taunton earlier this week show enough to be considered?
No James Hildreth consideration?
If Jim Allenby is not going to bowl should he play? If he doesn't who will captain?
What are the other batting options?
What are the bowling options?
Can we turn around our league form and seriously compete for the next stage and beyond?
Well we need to win this one so something had better change.
See you there
Kent not only gave us a lesson earlier this season but have done, I think, four times in a row. As Maynard said one feature of the succession of defeats vs Kent has been our inability to trouble their top order.
The need to score at something closer to 1.75 per ball than about 1.2 has been a general feature across most of our games.
Re-organising the batting seems fundamental to increase the scoring rate.
One thing about the scoring rates. If Johann Myburgh is he only one lower than James Hildreth doesn't that suggest a flaw in using scoring rates to pick batsmen seeing as he is in a vein of form at the moment?
From the squad of Allenby, Trego, Myburgh, Jayawardene, Gregory, van de Merwe, Leask, Davies, Overton C, Overton J, Waller, Groenewald, Van Meekeren, Davey
I'd be leaving out Allenby for reasons already stated.
I'd open with RvdM and Myburgh with MJ and Trego at 3/4 depending on who goes first. Gregory, Leask, Jamie Overton and Davies would be your middle with Gregory as the anchor if MJ goes early. Max, Meerkat and Davey would complete my side. I'm happy with Tim if people think the bowling needs his experience. In which case Meerkat would be my twelfth man. Again I am disappointed that Hose is not considered though I struggle to get him in
It may not work but at least we have tried a new block. I'd personally gamble any movement forward in the competition to re-organise our line up because if we scrape through with what we presently offer then we will go nowhere near the round after that.
Just putting it out there.
Bogey team, eh?
Personally, I'd open with VDM and would give consideration to MJ as well.
Why MJ? Because he's the classiest player in the team (and the one with the best career T20 strike rate all rolled into one, so I'd like to maximise the time that he has to bat.
Why Roelof? Because he batted at the top of the line-up for us before and did well at times.. plus the default reason that what we have been trying has not been working.
I think Van Meekeren should play as did well in the T20 World Cup so has prowess in this specific format. Personally, I'd have given Dom Bess a go in this as he and Leask had been the two outstanding players in the seconds (T20 wise).
Having been handed, instead, a squad consisting of that named above, then I would pick:
VDM
MJ
JM
JA or PT (toss a coin unless JA is going to bowl himself in which case leave PT out)
Leask
Gregory
Jamie Overton
Davies
TG
Waller
Van Meekeren
I've got TG in ahead of Davey as much because I suspect the former can hit a longer ball than the latter as for any other reason.
IN terms of those previous defeats vs Kent, I suspect Jamie did not play in most of them. I'd be tempted to give him and VM the new ball to give Kent two different up-front bowlers to face. I'd consider giving VDM two of the first six rather than the one that he sometimes gets.
Waller, TG, JA (if he wants to) and maybe ML to bowl a lot in the middle overs. LG to bowl mainly near the end.
MJ as opener? No worries. Allenby has to offer himself a bowler or sit it out.
Sorry need to use my binos. It was MM himself leading circle time. Jim down on scorecard to open with JM however but hope is still there until the toss.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:07:16:37:31 by Grockle.
I think, realistically, the most we can hope for is that they might change one opener out of two .. I think two new openers would be a touch too radical for them.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:07:17:12:37 by Grockle.
Grizzzly
Having just asked why Jamie is bowling this over he has finally got Northeast for 75 and it's 16o for 4.
Before that no player had gone within 10 meters of the boy while he worked through his over.
Looks quite a lot.
I'm sorry but my benefit of the doubt has gone out of the window during the last couple of games. I've watched a man supposedly in control of a side willing to play very little part himself. Bowlers who are struggling get no conversation, bowlers who could be options are not used, players in the side as allrounders are left our of the attack.
Throughout the second half of that innings there was a desperate need for variation, where were the suggestions? where was Leask even for an over? Where was Pete at least for an over? Where was Allenby after bowling one himself. Where were the slower balls?
Not impressed in any way.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:07:19:15:46 by Ronniesabre.
Kent have not even been having a particularly good campaign yet it seems that, yet again, they are far, far too good for Somerset.
This T20 campaign has, I'm afraid, been a very, very damp squib.
In addition to our batting shortcomings, it may also be the case that other teams are far more savvy with the ball than we are.
As Grockle suggested, a reluctance to take the pace off the ball combined with persistent short stuff is not very smart at all.
I know we have the theory that we should bowl short because the ground is wider than it is long, but I'm afraid it comes under the "if it's broke you need to fix it," label once again.
Pete is now going after Griffiths and brings up the 50 with a sharp run single 26 off 9 balls.
Gawd knows where this kind of batting has been but rejoice that it is here!
Still, hopefully he will have time to play himself in this time and can then explode should Pete depart.
At least Mike is getting a better chance tonight.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:07:20:14:23 by Grockle.
In this format, have any SCCC players lived up to such hype as there is, Nailsea Fizz?
It was a night when I would have rather seen Hildreth walking out to play Treadwell and Cowdrey than Leask but I would have rather seen anyone walking out but Jim I'm afraid. No authority on the pitch, no use bowling one over and 20 at number 3 is simply not good enough.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:07:20:36:53 by Grockle.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:07:20:55:15 by Ronniesabre.
The view on the radio is that SCCC simply do not have enough batsmen (or people that can really bat in white ball cricket) in the team.
There is a big difference between batting in red ball cricket and batting in white and there have been lots and lots and lots of players who can hit the ball miles in first-class cricket (a la Overtons) who have never been able to do much with the bat in short form games. In Somerset terms, one thinks of guys like Johnno and Jonah.... both could hit the ball miles and miles and miles. Both often did so in the CC. Neither ever did very much with the bat in short form stuff, though.
I agree completely that we have inadequate batting skills to do the job, and wonder whether all the hype re CG is just a distraction. Wouldn't be sorry if we look elsewhere in 2017.
Not sure how we will tackle things from here as it is a full root and branch change that is needed.
Going to need a pretty big drawing board over the winter to get our T20 house in order.
Grizzzly
We seem to me to be some way off competing for honours in any form of the game but the reality is surely that it's very difficult to build a squad that can be super-competitive in all formats.
We need to strengthen our squad but finding "multi-dimensional players," is particularly difficult and particularly expensive.................ergo if we aim for multi-dimensional players we may find ourselves being consistently out-bid by the likes of Surrey and/or we will only be able to afford a very small number i.e. probably one of new signings.
We are one of the best supported clubs in ALL formats, irrespective of our form, and therefore should compete to the best of our ability in all formats.
I am afraid I find the weather more frustrating than the form of SCCC.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:08:09:51:32 by Roger ivanhoe.
It might be that T20 has become a kind of "thing in itself," that sells tickets to a thirsty crowd that aren't that bothered how good the on-field product is anyway.
Now, you might say that ticket sales in a given year will depend on how the side played the year before. That may well be right, but we were also a mediocre T20 side last year and yet the club has managed to sell all the games out even despite the fact that the ground has increased capacity.
I think the club will always have its two overseas signings and they will aim for at least one to be a famous crowd-pleaser.. so if the sales depended on Gayle then the club could still go for that or equivalent in the future.
But my belief is that - except for the two overseas players - this club should stop:
a) picking up new players that are primarily here for white ball cricket e.g. Allenby
b) employing players that only play white ball cricket e.g. Waller
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:08:10:37:25 by AGod.
and long form cricket then there will be the specialists and we need to adjust our thinking.
On another tack, I would also point out that there are 64 days per year (in theory) of red ball cricket vs a lower number of white ball days so there is more substance to the red ball calendar, more attrition resulting etc, therefore more players with red-ball capabilities should be required within a squad, IMO.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:08:13:11:08 by AGod.
However you count it a substantial amount of income depends on white ball cricket - not just in ticket sales, but catering, merchandise and not least sponsorship. You may only be interested in red ball success - no, that's unfair, you may prioritise red ball success over success in shorter formats - but there are many supporters who think differently.
The ECB under Andrew Strauss have embraced the shorter formats like never before. They are playing ODI cricket and T20 cricket the way the rest of the world has for at least five years, probably longer. They realise that different skills are needed in the different formats - not lesser skills, just different. The age of the specialist is upon us at England level and to some extent this will be reflected at domestic level too. Lancashire will accommodate Haseeb Hameed and Steven Parry, Somerset should do the same with Jack Leach and Max Waller.
Look at Surrey, or the English footy team come to that.
We also won most of our silverware back in the 1970's/1980's, when we could by no means be described as above.
Grizzzly
Back when our sides took part in the T20 Champions Trophy (or whatever it was called) then T20 success would have been more profitable but our teams no longer participate.
I'm not sure Max's four overs in T20 games are worth the investment. White ball specialists really need to be all short format specialists to be viable surely.
You've also got the weird Abell player - not T20 but white and red above that. Isn't that the difference? The T20 and the other format players?
I assume we'd have complained publicly had we not been paid?
Top job from Billings to call the man back, great to see some honour in the game,but what shocking umpiring to give him out in the first place.
Leask appears to have come under fire for the run out which came at a pretty critical point but I wouldn't put all the blame at his door. The boundary fielder clearly fumbled the pick up, which presumably he saw and the big screen seemed to suggest that he had reached the far end by the time the ball arrived - sadly for him Lewis had not left it! No idea about the levels of communication, and pretty daft to keep on running when it's clear your partner is rooted. I still think Leask is worth a few more looks in this format.
Perhaps such feelings caused Matthew Maynard to over-estimate Jim Allenby's abilities?
Because he was so familiar with Allenby he should have had a good idea of the level of JA's abilities... But perhaps the problem was that MM had a less good idea of the standards required these days in CC1?
After all, I don't think Glamorgan were ever in CC1 during his management tenure there. And you have to go back a long time to his playing days in CC1 - back to a time when it wasn't necessarily the case that players that stood out in Div Two would be quickly snaffled by CC1 sides.. in other words back to a time when there was not such a gulf between the divisions.
[b][He got very little encouragement from his team mates. When he got his last wicket there wasn't a colleague within 10 meters of him. Last night he sorted all his problems out on his own.
/b]
Was this not because we were within a minute of being penalized 6 runs for not completing our overs in the allotted time.
I'm not working with Rodders famous hindsight. I welcomed him when he was signed, he'd been a thorn in our side enough times.
I counselled giving him time to adapt and show the same and occasionally he did. But over a period of time he has failed to consolidate his senior position in the one day game. I understand why he was appointed captain, it made sense at the time but if you cannot keep your place because of your batting form and seem to be unwilling to bowl I can't see why you are picked.
"Sack everyone" is the usual gut reaction and it will achieve nothing. MM got his post after interview and against Ashley Giles. I would have rather kept DN than taken Giles but most saw them both as strong candidates in relation to Nosworthy and again he had to be given time to sort things. I think he has an honesty of assessment that we have missed. I think he took difficult decisions last year.
I think he is now in a position where his reaction to the issue of Jim Allenby will define him. If he continues to allow a man so woefully out of form that he is affecting the side continue to under-perform while others wait for an opportunity then he will have a poor case to put in front of those who accuse him of favouritism.
Jim has to step down. Maybe others also have to look at themselves but we must have a captain who isn't failing every time or our 50 over campaign will be over before it begins. If he finds his form again then let him fight his way back into the side - no problem with me BUT Matthew has to make another difficult decision or he may be saying goodbye to his own post I am afraid.
I've said to people, wait and see, well some have waited but it's halfway through the season and I for one saw nothing on Thursday....absolutely nothing that gave me faith in Jim Allenby leading our 50 over campaign. He's had his time to convince us....he hasn't. For 2016 it is time to move on.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:08:20:11:28 by Grockle.
Saying that you have to question why the Captain allows it to get so close.
I am sorry to say I have to agree with your posting of 19.53 regarding Jim Allenby.
Saying that J.A.'s Captaincy has impressed Nasser and the Sky team tonight at the Oval.
If Jim's captaincy is better tonight then let us hope it brings a result because we need one and it's welcome.
But where the hell has it been for the last 10 games and is it too late to save him?
I personally think so unless he produces an individual authoritative batting performance tonight. If he isn't gong to play as an all rounder then he takes up a space unless he can be a creditable batting option
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:08:20:39:09 by Grockle.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:08:21:37:36 by Mike TA1.
More Somerset headlines
- Metro50 Game1 - Welcome to the next stage - Notts at Welbeck
- Blast Finals Day Semi 1 - It's Northants Again!!
- Blast Quarter Final Here We Go at Headingley
- Blast Game 12 - Simple Beat the Pears!!
- Women's Blast Game 12 - Fanx Tara Towie
- Blast Game 11 - Northants Part 2 - Gregory Back?
- Women's Blast Game 11 - Blazing Away\!!
- Blast Game 10 - Derby to the Wire as well
- Women's Blast Game 10 - Down to the Wire v Essex
Somerset latest threads
- Metro50Game 3 - Sunday v Warks
- Poll: 2026 Best Blast Player
- Poll: Best CC1 Player Part 1
- Metrobank 50 Game2 - Home Derby
- Members online forum - the future of SCCC
- Metro50 Game1 - Welcome to the next stage - Notts at Welbeck
- Blast Finals Day Semi 1 - It's Northants Again!!
- RIP the GREAT Gary Sobers
- Metro50 NOT "Developmental" by choice
- Blast Quarter Final Here We Go at Headingley