FAKE50 - The shape of things to come?
By Grockle et al
February 10 2021
With a February break I thought it might be interesting to run a 2020 version of the one day RLODC as it probably would have taken place had the virus not killed that more effectively than the ECB plans would have. With the '100' imposition on our domestic cricket season the results were....interesting to say the least.
FAKE 50 - The shape of things to come?
Running the 50 over season fixtures on Cricket Captain 2020 is interesting. What would a 50 over tournament be like with a squad of players that did not include any really high profile white ball specialists but DID include most long format international players and nearly ALL sub continental overseas players not taken by their country's international calls.
I ran the simulation with the squad as expected - the programme had already moved Jamie Overton to Surrey (he didn't actually go at the start of the season but he probably would have if the RLODC had been running). Dom Bess was still with us as he had not made the decision to go to Yorkshire yet. Babar Azam was our overseas player (Cory Anderson was also there but only as a T20 contractee so unavailable for the 50 over). Because Babar was in demand with Pakistan I looked for a guaranteed reserve for him and settled on Shehan Jayasuriya from Sri Lanka who was cheap and available for the whole season with a decent batting and bowling set of stats for a side with lilttle game experience.
The rest of the squad makeup was as follows; We would play this without
Tom Abell, Tom Banton, Lewis Gregory, RvdM, Craig Overton, Max Waller, Eddie Byrom - all contracted to 100 franchise sides
Jack Brooks - who according to my simulation had retired from white ball cricket
Jack Leach - who was with England at the time of the RLODC (though suprisingly Dom wasn't)
We did have Vernon Philander who was not an overseas player and was starting the contract that now has gone the way of many things because of the virus.
So our Somerset 50 over squad was;
Captain: James Hildreth Overseas Player: Babar Azam Reserve: Shehan Jayasuriya
Established players: Steve Davies, Josh Davey, Dom Bess, George Bartlett, Vernon Philander, Tom Lammonby, Ben Green
Newbies: Ollie Sale, Will Smeed, Kasey Aldridge, Lewis Goldsworthy, Sam Young, (Ned Leonard is on our squad list but not in the simulation) plus 2 Academy students called Alcock and Ewing - not sure if they are real or not.
A squad of 16 (only one oveseas player available at once) with the possibility of Jack Leach being released at some point - though in our case with the loss of Dom as the international season moved from long format to shorter games. ONLY 10 players with any real first team experience and some of that very new.
Such will be the nature of the 50 over season in 2021 I would assume. Each county will be affected in different ways but the squad will be patchy. In the case of 100 counties, the venues may also be because one would assume 100 'lockouts' will mean the 50 over matches will NOT be played at the main grounds but at whatever outground facilities are available.
It should also be mentioned that the 100 will take backrooom staff as well. In Somerset's case that means no input into the county 50 over season from Jason Kerr or Marcus Trescothick who will both be based at the 'home' of ECB Western white ball cricket in Cardiff helpiing out Somerset's rivals for an audience 'Welsh Fire' (allegedly not allowed to be called 'Western Fire').
What fun!!
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021:02:26:10:34:06 by Grockle.
I am lucky to be presently living in a place (Bermuda)that takes COVID 19 seriously and as a present they will give me the second vaccination injection on 13th February because they accept teachers as 'essential workers'.
As i have a week of half term at the same time and as I was asked to consider it I think I might try and run a 'fake' 2020 50 over tournament using the actual 2020 squads before we get into a 2021 season.
Last time we had a fake competition, we won it. I think this one might be harder to get right but it will possibly be more realistic - No Mike Carberry for us I'm afraid or Mr Kervezee. But it will be Jamie Overton's last hurrah as a Somerset player I suppose.
I'll appreciate contributions from members of the Somerset "Selection Committee" once again if you want to get into it.
Who knows
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021:02:03:00:47:57 by Grockle.
Whose bloody bright idea is that one?
Absolute Idiots!!
Are there 💯 fixtures around then? Anything going on at Lord's?
Grizzers
It is being talked of as a development event, and the coaches have been fed the speil about using it to bring through young players.
There will be so few high quality county players involved the arguement doesnt hold if it's largely 2's cricket just being played under the banner of 1st team in name
The truth is. Around 100 if the best county players will not be playing in the 50.
I also fully expect red ball bowlers to be rested diluting it further.
Should we be doing well in red ball, and MDL Davey Brooks arent picked up for the 100 do we think Somerset will be flogging those 3 for a month in 50 cricket (with key red matches coming in September)
We will also have no coach. It's not being talked about but Kerr & Tres are part of the Welsh Fire set up so they will go missing for 5 weeks peak summer (again branded as another wonderful opportunity for our other coaches)
It will be a glorified 2s competition with zero marketing & PR around it. It will keep the stalwart county member interest initially 1 because of loyalty 2 in a sort of anti 100 protest.
Will they be reducing gate prices as a result of the lowering in standard?
They certainly have not reduced the membership prices as a result!
The current climate has pushed lots of these issues under the carpet & they think people will be grateful for any cricket come mid summer.
If you look at existing T20 cricket:
It has a market among the lager lot who just want a urine up in the sunshine.
It has a market among fans who also follow other cricket.
It has an awful lot of people who have no interest in it (mainly people who have no interest in cricket).
The Hundred?
It figures to be as per the above but with ZERO support from fans who follow serious cricket.
There is no logical reason whatsoever to imagine that people who have no interest in cricket are suddenly going to be beguiled by Graves' unmitigated DROSS.
It being played on outgrounds by 💯 counties may also have an effect - interesting how that pans out.
Non 💯 counties will see it as work for their professionals NOT in the over hyped rubbish
It can't be cancelled by the ECB idiots and can't be promoted as it doesn't fit their commercial model ( even though their model makes NO sense)
Is there money for winning it
The ECB and their mouthpieces seem to be selling the 💯 as the counties' competition now as if we have taken ownership of it.
Different stance after the seeming disinterest of the 'sleeping giant' of that urban cricket audience desperate for the new initiative who have only been waiting to be awakened.
50 over comp only.
Babar Azam is our overseas player but may not be available
Vernon Philabder is howevet as COVID did not happen
1st match is away to the Bears on 20th July
At that point we are top of CC1 and are awaiting a Quarter Final in the T20 against Liecs away.after qualifying 4th in Group B with a 7/6 record
The 100 is taking place it seems... no idea how that will affect the squad presently.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021:02:07:17:37:06 by Grockle.
How are England going to produce a world class 50 over team in future, when there is no 'relevant' domestic competition in that format ?
Grizzers
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021:02:07:17:34:17 by Grizzers.
LAMMONBY
HILDRETH
PHILANDER
SALE
LEACH
BARTLETT
GREEN
DAVEY
SMEED
YOUNG
DAVIES
EWING
ALDRIDGE
GOLDSWORTHY
BESS
ALCOCK
JACK BROOKS has retired from white ball cricket and it seems 2020 predicted that Jamie would leave because he has
Everyone else is contracted elsewhere
BABAR on international duty
Not a huge choice really
Bartlett, Lammonby , Green, Hildreth(c), Davies (wk) Goldsworthy, Bess, Philander, Aldridge, Davey, Sale
Any suggestions? Only leaves 3 players in the hutch!!!
I can set this up where I buy a 'chesp' reserve overseas player to cover Babar and be available.
The 50 over restrictions do not stop me picking international players. So suggested ECB restrictions must not have been finalised
Would that be sensible?
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2021:02:07:18:42:04 by Grockle.
Azam was also away with Pakistan and it was not certain that he would be allowed to play by the ECB in what they were defining as a 'development' competition.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021:02:07:18:43:31 by Grockle.
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
2021? I'm assuming he's there but with the same possibility
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Think Lammonsby could easily provide the sixth bowling option
162M 142I 14NO 4861RUNS 161HS 36.57AVG 9100s2850s
952OVs 42M 4417R 134W 32.96 5-35BEST 4.84ECON
I've never heard of him but ge's left handed, all rounder and available all season as a reserve. He waa also cheap!! I assume he is related... we can but hope.
Opening side;
Lammonby, Jauasuriya, Bartlett, Hildreth(c), Davies(wk), Smeed, Bess, Philander, Davey, Sale, Aldridge
Farmer
221 for 8 with 60+ coming from Josh Davey and Vernon P. James Hildreth highest score of 38.
Dom 2 for 50 1 for Philander, Lammonby, Sale and Jayasuriya
They stayed in it but came up short with 4.4 overs to go losing by 3 wickets.
68 for Burgess did us. Not enough in the bank unfortunately.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021:02:08:13:56:40 by Grockle.
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Gonna make one change in that we need an extra spin option. Jack is not available and would probably weaken our batting so I've brought in Lewis Goldworthy (SLA) for Kasey Aldridge to work with Dom and Jayasuriya while keeling our seam attack of Philander, Davey, Sale and Lammonby. It should also shorten the tail a little
Surrey... somewhere in Surrey 26 July is next!!
Bottom of the group but with a game in hand!!
Jove was with Surrey by the way. Did us more damage with the bat than the ball.
Bartlett is looking good (he has more data from 2019)
Surrey had Amla, Clarke and Morkel but Naser did most of the damage
Tom Lammonby and Ben Green starting to earn their corn!!