Pakistan - Media Frenzy...and some cricket!!
Cap'n Trigger
By Grockle
September 2 2010
Lost of sun, lots of photographers who don't know Taunton, lots of policemen about the place and..some supporters as well!! Peter Trego leads the side who have won the toss and will field first. Lots of players getting a feel for the pitch but few real 'newbies' except for Lewis Gregory. Buttler will keep but Kieswetter plays.
v Pakistan (Tour 50)@ Taunton Thursday 2 September 2010
A tourist game in early September against an international side in turmoil really. Three main players out and considerable media interest around the ground this morning. The sun is out and the crowd is fair - not spectacular but solid. Lots of press for some reason;
The Somerset side is;
Kieswetter, Compton, de Bruyn, Hildreth, Buttler(wk), Trego(cap), Suppiah, Turner, Waller, Willoughby, Gregory
So...hopes of a 'Young Guns' approach is not too evident. Lewis Gregory gets the call (replacing Meschede) who was on the team sheet. No Chris Jones (Hampshire negotiations still on-going?) No Dibble (well if he was ready one would have assumed he would probably play today) but a good vote of confidence in Lewis and good luck to him.
The game starts at 10:45 with a crowd already coming in. The Pakistani side sees some people returning from injury a(Umar Gul) and me old names Afridi - who might make some people take notice.
Ajmal Hassan and Mohammad Hafeez open against Charl from the OP (a maiden first up - straight on the money) and Mark Turner (BIG match for him) from the River. The two openers manage to sort out their feel of the ground and finish the first two overs with 6 on the board - 5 to Akmal and an extra.
The third over doesn't go to plan though as Turner gets his line right to Hafeez. He drives to a ball going away and Zander de Bruyn takes the catch to send the man back to the pavilion without a run to his name and his side with 6 to theirs! Excellent start. Azhar Ali is next in but he doesn't bother anyone as he drives the fourth ball of the same over to Gregory, giving him a great first touch of the ball, a second wicket to his side and a great start to Mark's opening spell.
The third ends with 8 to the Tourists and as Willoughby passes the bat in the fourth we all hope there is more to come. However, this is an international side and the two men at the crease, Hassan and Mohammed Yousef start to put the innnings back together. After 10 overs they have got themselves a little more organised and at about 4 an over they reach 42 (courtesy of a two run misfield off ball 5 of the 9th).
But Yousef takes a daft single to finish the 10th and is run out by a diving straight hit of the stumps from Pete Trego. Poor fielding one ball, excellent fielding the next (courtesy of a daft decision from a batsman just getting into a groove) and we have had the best of the first quarter. Alam is the next man in.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:09:04:14:11:00 by Grockle.
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
C Kieswetter, NRD Compton, Z de Bruyn, JC Hildreth, JC Buttler†, PD Trego*, AV Suppiah, ML Turner, MTC Waller, CM Willoughby
Pakistanis team
Shahzaib Hasan, Kamran Akmal†, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Azhar Ali, Shahid Afridi*, Abdul Razzaq, Fawad Alam, Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar, Saeed Ajmal
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Help us out here......
I see, you need to exit message board and go to Grockle's article on the front, doh!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:09:02:12:29:15 by doc h.
What probs are you getting?
Karren Akmal?!
Quote:Slow Left Chinaman
Why is this commentator so gleeful about the fact he can't pronounce Pakistani names?!
Karren Akmal?!
I'm looking forward to hearing "Eric" tackle the names this afternoon.....
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:09:02:15:46:20 by doc h.
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
It isn't the names as much as the fact that the players are swopping shirts and especially wearing those of people who aren't here because they are somewhere else.



Because he is nervous and it is difficult when the scorecard is pre-no ball incident and he isn't a professional doing it for a living SLC.
Give him a bit of a break. :-)

Quote:Grockle
Are there still breaks in the commentary?
Definitely improved for me....
Commentary presently dropping out.
Or is it just me?
Hildreth C&B'd by Afridi at 162 for 31

Opening the batting for Pakistan was one Ijaz Butt, now chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the man insisting earlier today that the `Spot Bet Three` (alleged) would be available for the one-day series.
He didn`t do so well 48 years ago, either. Out for one in the first innings and a duck in the second.
More interesting, though, especially for our posters who support out grounds and festivals, was the list of venues for Somerset`s 14 home fixtures that year.
Just four of the 14 were at Taunton (three championship and the tourist match); four championship matches at Weston-super-Mare; three at Bath; and one each at Yeovil, Glastonbury and Bristol Imperial.
You needed peripatetic groundsmen in those days.
As SOON as they were asked, they should simply have said the 3 players will be removed from the squads pending investigation; instead of saying "over my dead body" shortly followed by "oh ok go on then".
Also Yawar Saeed gave the impression he hates talking to the media, and I thought, was pretty damn rude in his interview earlier when he kept on repeating "now he have 13, we ask for 3 replacements". Surely he expects the press to ask for clarification?
There were some good efforts from the Somerset players. Compton, de Bruyn and Hildreth batted well and sensibly, and Pete Trego and Arul Suppiah died valiantly in trying to force the pace. Why though the latter came in at No.8 baffles me.
One would normally expect Somerset to chase 265 in 50 overs at Taunton, but it was a very dusty pitch (probably having been used before this season), and was affording the Pakistani spinners valuable assistance.
I thought that Lewis Gregory, having settled into his length, bowled accurately enough, and from wicket to wicket, which was good to see, but I was a little surprised that there was no real pace there yet. Joss Buttler was standing up to his bowling for most of the time.
Despite taking three wickets, Mark Turner again disappointed me with his inconsistency. Is he ever going to achieve this? Personally, I think not, but do not despair, it is only my opinion - many others may well disagree.
Max Waller was the only spinner used, and on a pitch offering some assistance, his bowling did not come out with much credit in my view.
I wonder why Arul's bowling was never even considered?
All in all an enjoyable day, but not one which, at the present time, alleviates any misgivings and concerns that I have for Somerset's future bowling resources.
Good on ya PT.
Home captain Trego explained he had refused the request for Riaz to bowl only because he wanted to protect the fixture as a competitive one, so that 18-year-old Gregory would retain the figures he had earned.
"My understanding of it is that the game started as a List A game and to my knowledge, you're not allowed to play 12 players in a List A game," he said.
"Our youngster got four wickets on debut, so I was concerned if we played 12 it would be deemed a friendly - and he would lose his four wickets.
"I was worried about the legitimacy of the game because Lewis Gregory took 4-49 and he'd be savaged if he got those figures taken away from him. [www.ecb.co.uk]
old boy!
old boy!
Sorry.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:09:02:21:32:38 by Slow Left Chinaman.
Quote:cricketjerry-mouse
£2.50 new money. The sixpence in 1962 was `old` money.
I think I am right in saying that 6d (old money) is equivalent to 2.5p (new money). If that is correct, today's programme cost exactly 100 times what the 1962 programme cost. I am not aware that my income has similarly multiplied over the same period.
I think you're pretty much on the money CP. I was disappointed that more younger players didn't play and particularly bothered by the absence of Dibble. If he was ready then he would have played this game rather than Charl probably (not his format and Adam might have been a candidate for replacing Phillips should he be injured). IMHO if he wasn't in this game and Lewis was then the assessment is that he isn't ready yet despite second team performances.
Lewis was a bit legside but that triple wicket maiden broke the back end of the Pakistan innings and the bowled was really satisfying. Batting he got Gul's best ball very early - I doubt many would have kept that one out.

Quote:cricketjerry-mouse
More interesting, though, especially for our posters who support out grounds and festivals, was the list of venues for Somerset`s 14 home fixtures that year.
Just four of the 14 were at Taunton (three championship and the tourist match); four championship matches at Weston-super-Mare; three at Bath; and one each at Yeovil, Glastonbury and Bristol Imperial.
You needed peripatetic groundsmen in those days.
Well, we had a great peripatetic groundsman in Cecil Buttle (ably assisted by others, of course) didn't we Jerry?
Maybe, you never knew him, but if you did, I am sure that you would remember him with as great a sense of affection as do I.
You are absolutely correct in reporting what the scorecard (reproduced in today's match programme) for the Pakistan match stated in respect of Somerset’s home fixtures for 1962.
Incidentally, I was at that Pakistan match, and remember the disappointment of it all being over by the afternoon of the second day, despite Somerset's comprehensive victory.
In those long - off days, the County Championship consisted of 17 counties, and sides played each other twice (home and away) making a total of 32 games - 16 home fixtures and 16 away.
With the afore - mentioned tourist match, Somerset played 17 home first - class fixtures that year.
7 were played at Taunton, and the rest as you stated. Bath, at that time, usually had a three-match festival and Weston - super - Mare also 3 matches. In fact, as far as I am able to ascertain, 1962 was the only year that Somerset played as many as 4 matches in one season at my beloved Clarence Park.
The reason why the other 3 matches played at Taunton did not appear on the scorecard? Well, I assume that as they had already come and gone before the Pakistan game, there was little point in advertising them further. Or perhaps the printer simply didn’t have any more room on the scorecard to fit them in.
We also had a lot of peripatetic supporters too, cjm.
Very pleasant to be able to watch a top class cricket game at the ground without worrying about maintaining or preserving our status in any competition- haven't been many of those this season!
A little digging reveals that I too was at that match, but only on the first day. I should have been at school, but it seems nobody missed me. Those were carefree days indeed, when one thought nothing of hitchhiking (as I did all over Britain and Europe without a qualm)
This is what I wrote on my returm home:
Hitched lifts to Taunton via Bridgwater. Wandered round shops and then to County Ground to see Pakistan all out for 99 before lunch. Alley four wickets. Unexpected sensation. Had lunch in town. Afterwards Wight and Atkinson had grand fast stand: Atkinson 84, Wight 87, Alley 37. Then Stephenson and Langford had rapid stand of 76: Langford 43, Stephenson 66*. Somerset reached 331/7 in 240 minutes. Most enjoyable day’s play. Lift home with three men next to whom I sat.
What a fantastic statement from Capn Treegs - to realise exactly what it meant to Lewis on debut, and what it would have meant had the game been downgraded.
A very good day's cricket. Extremely well supported, generous applause from a large crowd for both sets of players. Even the one no-ball from Pakistan late in the game was greeted with good humour.
Over 5000 cricket-lovers in today, and rather a lot of 'Security' - including about 8 who sat pitchside of the boundary boards (there was a boundary rope around the entire area approx 1 yard in from the boards) with their backs to the cricket, watching the crowd all day. Target practice for the batsmen if ever I saw it!
Lastly, well bowled, Marky! Big fan, always have been - 3 for 52 from 9 against international opposition. Hope he stays.
There appeared to be no trouble, abuse or protests and the tourists were given a very warm reception.
During the course of the game, I kept thinking to myself that Taunton was the ideal venue for the Pakistan team to find some solace from the present adverse publicity that engulfs them.
In that respect, well done to Somerset CCC for all that they did for the team, and to the good people of Somerset and beyond who were present today.
Two other things of note pleased me today - simple soul that I am:-
Firstly, there was a collection on the ground for the Pakistan Flood Appeal, which raised £2,850. It was then announced that Somerset CCC had made this sum up to £5,000.
Secondly, Peter Trego lined his players up outside the Andy Caddick pavilion at the end of the game, so that the whole team could shake hands with all the Pakistan players and match officials as they came off the field.
In this context, the result of the game matters not one jot, does it?
I had a chat with Richard Gould at the end of the day and he was also appreciative of the response of the people of Taunton. He did point out that all there had to be was one daft action and we would have been all over the world before the end of the day and all we got was positive comment all day.
There was a sad little attempt by a betting internet site to get in on the action as a big blue square balloon came over the top of the Pegasus Flats with "no ball?" on ths side of it. Unfortunately the game had ended and the ground had all but emptied...how upset they possibly are.
One other nice aspect to this event was that at a dinner function last night at the ground during a Q and A session Murali Kartik mentioned the site and reading it. I also happened to see him this afternoon by chance and thanked him for the plug.
What a thoroughly good day even though it might have been even better with 9 more runs on our board.

Especially pleased to hear of LG's successful debut & even moreso re the conduct of PT, who I reckon would make a worthy successor to Marcus, once he decides to hang up his bat, (albeit in a good few years time hopefully !).
Grizzzly
Many thanks also to those who provided reports of the match.
I couldn't agree more with the sentiments in Clarence Parker's posting of 23.28 yesterday.
I took so many yesterday it has taken me a while to sort them out; I have reduced it down to seven photos.
A very enjoyable game, if England have the same problem with Pakistan slow bowlers like we did they will find it hard to score quick runs.
If Buttler had grounded his bat trying to get in he may have made it, he is young he will learn.
A Razzaq hitting a catch to Hildreth off Gregory.
F Alam is a very correct player I have about five photos of him playing with a straight bat, this shot for his 50.
F Alam.
Until he was beaten by this ball from Mark Turner.
I didn’t know much about Lewis Gregory’s batting, unfortunately we didn’t find out much yesterday, bowled by U Gul.
He made up for it with his bowling earlier in the match.
M Hafeez leaving the field after being caught by Zander De Bruyn bowled by Mark Turner.
M Yousuf dealing with a short ball from Mark Turner.
S Hasan responding to the applause on reaching his 100 runs.
As I said a very good one day’s cricket a pity we couldn’t have had a three day game.
I think he had every right to bat above Buttler, not least because he needs to keep reminding the selectors of his competence; Buttler is already highly visible on their radar.
My only disappointment was with the technical problems of the commentary, which got worse the longer the day lasted; that may be a local difficulty and I really appreciate being able to listen directly to Grockle and his colleagues.
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
On Marky Turner I hope he stays. He is a wicket taker and the runs position is only amplified as he plays only one day cricket.
Give him a contract, the new ball, play him in the Championship and let him bowl more Solanki balls... Im sure he will respond. In attack we are a bit samey and could do with his extra pace and energy to liven it up.
We need another bowler definitely but if we needed two would we be able to find any bettter that Turner?
As presumably we all know, he has now been released along with Michael Munday and Robin Lett.
At the time that their releases were made public, Brian Rose said of David Stiff - "David can't get consistency in his bowling on a day-to-day basis and it wore him down. He didn't have the consistency that is required for the first division."
Mark Turner is now almost 26, and I just cannot see that he has "the consistency required for the first division" either, having seen at first hand his performances at both first team and second XI levels.
Perhaps better judges than me can recognise it, and if so, and Somerset award him another contract for next year, I really hope that he succeeds and proves my opinion to be totally wrong.
The 31 wickets was taken from only ten games, he had a better strike rate than Willoughby, though his Average and Econ. rate was a bit high.
I'd just like to point out that Brian Rose wasn't the only person in a position within a county who rated David Stiff. Someone prominent at kent when he started there was saying that he was the most feared bowler in youth cricket when he arrived there and he couldn't understand what went wrong there.
When they released him 17 counties enquired and double figures came in with offers, The main problem seems to be he has pace but cannot get control to an adequate level for consistent work. Some of his wickets last year were great balls - but the second season you don't take the same people by surprise.
Shame but you can't have one without the other and things don't seem to be moving forward at all.

old boy!
Mark? Well I don't think he'll play any more games at Surrey than he does here but he has been working on this for a while now and there have been others at the ground for who it never happened even though the fastest bowler of the time said that with control he would be the second fastest.
The shame was there that finally some control started to suggest itself as an injury ended the career.

As of course did both Yorkshire, in his early days, and Leicestershire - for whom he signed after leaving Kent.
Three counties can't all be wrong surely, let alone four?
Hear, hear to your posting, old boy. The point of my last posting was that Turner at nearly 26 years old is (in cricket parlance) no longer a 'young' fast bowling prospect.
If, like Stiff, he doesn't have "the consistency required for the first division" (IMHO of course) now, then I doubt whether any more future investment in him is going to show a positive return.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:09:03:23:01:52 by Grockle.
The focuys must now be on Hayman and co to see if they can step up a level.
I have just looked up his stats. on Cricket Archive, and from this season's Second XI games, only some of which appear on there, he averages about 28 runs per wicket.
In fairness, statistically speaking only, I suppose it isn't too bad, but I did not personally witness anything that suggested to me he is ready to step up and play a full part in County Championship cricket. In the 4 seasons that he has been a Somerset player, he has only appeared in 4 CC matches.
Just my opinion of course.
Good luck to him anyway in his future career, be it at Somerset or elsewhere.
Gregory, Mechede, Dibble but no speed there though the first one may well be the first to move up.

Should this be true (and of course we will all have to wait to see), I wonder how the forthcoming Twenty20 and ODI series can possibly still go ahead?
I, along with every other lover of our great game, will be sickened and saddened if the speculative claims that the team would deliberately lose two coming one-day matches, are proven to be true.
Let’s just wait to see what, if anything, might be revealed.
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Hope its wrong.
For that reason, the ICC said that they wouldn't employ him.
When he was appointed to his present post two years ago, the ICC and ECB agreed a monitoring procedure that included surveillance of his mobile phone calls and monitoring of the dressing rooms.
Just wait and see what may be revealed.
old boy!
The conversations around the place were naming Younis as one of the possible candidates for the NOTW to go to tomorrow.
The tour is in jeopardy if it deals with officials on BOTH sides of the management!!

Perhaps there should be a moratorium on all international cricket for a while, whilst whistle blowers are invited to come forward?
The club will have to decide whether they think there Is any serious prospect of getting him fit and, if not, whether they want to keep him purely for short cricket.

When a team has a pacy but sometimes wayward bowler, it is NOT, IMO, the conventional thing to have them play vast amounts of one day cricket and no 4 day cricket. To wit, how much one day cricket, relative to the amount of CC cricket they played, did the likes of Stiff or Van Troost play?
Generally speaking, if a team is going to gamble on a bowler if this type they will do it in the longer form of the game. However, Mark always seems to have niggles that mean he cannot be considered for the long stuff.

old boy!
I respect both of these gentlemen for their knowledge and insight into the game, and when asked whether he (should it of course be his decision) would give Mark another contract, Phil gave an emphatic - "No."
Sorry to say, I have to agree with him. He has been with us for 4 years, is nearly 26 years old, and if he can't perform at CC level now, I doubt whether any further investment in him by Somerset will pay any dividends.

At least 50% short-pitched OB? Really? I must have blinked to miss half his deliveries then, although they were very quick!
Had I not been to those last 2 games (in which Mark played), I would have relied on CP quoting what he heard on the radio, and OB reporting he saw at least 50% of Mark's deliveries being short-pitched. What percentage do you want, OB? Does it apply to all fast bowlers or just Mark? Should we tell the visiting batsmen this exact percentage so they can guage their shots better?
Just my opinion, but I'll stick to it, supporting Mark, hoping he's offered and accepts a new contract with Somerset.
Now, let me sit down and peruse the Sunday morning papers to check whether the current footy scandal outweighs the current cricket scandal.
Mark's future at the club is still under discussion, I gather. I imagine that to a degree it will depend whether Brian Rose can sign the one or two seamers that he wants, or alternatively whether Mark sees his future elsewhere.
Have to agree with Wickham - he has been very obvious in his efforts to improve and I also have to say being at all the home games he has played, Northants was a definite improvement and Glamorgan was a good performance. It wasn't a case of bad batsmen not putting away bad balls it was a case of batsmen being tucked up and struggling against more line balls.
I have personally seen improvement. What I personally need to be convinced of is consistency but will have to leave the chance to see that in the hands of the coaches and the contract people who know far more about this than I do.

In theory, I suppose Mark could pre-empt the issue should he get an offer that he likes from elsewhere but with Mark having seldom been considered fit enough for 4 day cricket, in recent seasons, I would doubt whether any kind of offer that he could not refuse would materialise.
In his favour, though, I would say he bowled the best ball I have seen from a Somerset player all season.
The pace, bounce and direction of the first ball of Worcestershire`s innings in the 40-over match at Bath, as far back as May 23, so suprised Vikram Solanki (no mean player) that it lobbed off the top of his bat straight to Kartik at second slip. Turner finished up with 4-36 as we rolled Worcester over for 164.
Ball of the season is plainly a subjective choice, but can any posters suggest rival deliveries?
I don't know if it rivals that one CJM this ball took Dexter by surprise in the t20 against Middlesex this year from Turner.
Mike Munday's ball to take out Godleman in the Essex CC1 at home was another pearler

Damn fine judgement there LoL - I find the amateur ones are the worst! :-)

LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter

old boy!
I know but I'm not clever enough to 'burn it' onto CD!!
Cluck Cluck Cluck!
England can only beat what's in front of them, but surely the continuation of this tour IS bringing cricket into disrepute.
Why not refund all the ticket money and use the quarter of million pounds taken from the fixer to pay the innocent Pakistan players some money.
old boy!
Banned Pakistan bowler Mohammad Amir has admitted playing for a village team but says he thought it was a friendly and did not contravene his suspension. [news.bbc.co.uk]
'Addington Village' is a stop on the Croydon tram system. That's about the only village-like aspect to the place in my (thankfully restricted) experience of the place. Let's just say that when I was working in south London the locals were not flattering about Addington and its residents. The word 'chav' may have been used.
