Vitality Seven - Smarting in the South Hampshire Away
By Grockle June 19 2023
No Abell, No Overton, No Davey against a side who are dangerous and will remember their decisive defeat at Taunton not so long ago. Hampshire will want revenge and we'd like seven in a row. Sun in Southampton and a game to relish. Sean Dickson returns with something to prove and the exciting prospect Shoaib Bashir makes his T20 debut
The solid Abell is not there, our seam attack is pretty much halved and we go with 2 spinners. It will be 'interesting' as Hampshire win the toss and will bat first.
Henry opens against McDermott and Vince and gives away 7 runs without biting into the Hampshire line-up. His openning partner for this game is Lewis from the Northern End. Commentators say it looks like a tired wicket and there seems to be little for the bowlers as the skipper is more expensive and goes for 10. Nevertheless Somerset do get in there early as Will Smeed helps Henry by holding on to a McDermott boundary attempt halfway throught the third and the home side are 23 for 1.
Albet joins Vince (in for the injured Prest) and he faces Peter Siddle for the fourth. There are no more wickets as Henry continues at the other end (35 for 1) before the Aussie has his second. Vince is looking dangerous as the Powerplay ends with 53 on the scoreboard. Peter goes for 19 off the 6th and already the cisitors need wickets. It's not going to be another masssacre of the Southeners it seems.
Shoaib Bashir starts his white ball career with the seventh and looks cofident as he goes for 9. Somerset continue with spin for the next one as Roelof joins the fight. Hampshire are scoring at 10.6 an over and a quick 50 partnership arrives at 73 just beofe the end of the RvdM over with 39 scored off the last 3. It could be a big score in front of a partisan crowd in the sun.
Gregory returns to try and make a breakthrough but gets nothing but 9 more runs for his trouble. The 'in form' Green takes the 10th and shows the boys how to do it having Albert caught Henry on the boundary at 83 and going for only 3 to make the halfway score 85 for 2.
On goes the 'press'. RvdM holds the 11th 89 for 2. Green gets a six off him the first ball of the 12th but then bowls 5 dots to hold the score at 95. Nevertheless it is significant that James Vince goes to a 37 ball 50 off the first ball of Gregory's 13th. But that is it for the Hampshire man as he sends the next one to the bucket hands of Matt on the boundary and it is 97 for 3.
Weatherly and Whitely takes the score to 100 before the over ends but Lewis has come back well after losing 10 off his first. He has presently only given 23 off 3. The 2 W's push the score on as Somerset run through their bowling options; RvdM 14th 112 for 3, Bashir 15th, Green 16th 132, Henry 17th 139. A much tighter back end to the first 10. By the Siddle 18th there is a need for the batting side toi look to push. Weatherly brings up the 50 partnership as he moves into the 40s and he then brings up the 150 with a six. They move to 156 by the end of the over when Peter fields a hard driven ball to stop runs and seems to have damaged his right hand badly while doing so. You can't fault the bowler's commitment but it looks like a bad injury to the webbing of his bowling hand and it could be very significant in how Somerset look at the rest of this and next month!! It most definitely will make him a real doubt for the Essex four day game on Sunday.
Gregory takes the penultimate over and sees Weatherly go to a very composed 50 during it from 34 balls. Hampshire take 14 from that one and face Green in the last on 168. He goes for 2 from his first, has Weatherly caught going for it by Will with his second (170 for 4). 2 dot balls follow then an agricultural six from Donald before a 2 to end the innings. 178 for 4 meaning we need a difficult 179 to keep the winning streak going into the next week as the Blast breaks for a tagged on Championship phase over the first part of the week.
The Somerset Reply
Well at least we have the game in our chosen form, chasing a total though we didn't win the toss. It is a score we can get but without the solid Abell after the openers the line-up looks a bit fragile and it is a big night for Dickson who returns after a little better form in the seconds. Smeed still hasn't really fired up front and the back half of the middle order hasn't really sorted itself out yet as Lewis hasn't fired himself in that crucial number 6 position. But off we went with Bants and Will versus early spin in Dawson who went for 15 (Tom 5 and Will 10). Turner was tried for the second and was a good deal tighter with a mere 3 while Currie lost 10 on the third. A decent start but the pair still don't look confident in their work as illustrated by a very risky single taken 2 balls into the 4th. Banton is lucky to still be there, only because the stumps were missed by a millimeter. Turner finishes that over with 41 to Somerset and the 50 comes up with a Banton ramp in Ellis' 5th.
At 52 Currie takes the last of the Powerplay. Both Somerset batsmen go for him and it looked good at 69 with Tom on 35 and Will on 38 at the end of 6. Hampshire tries to change the pace by re-introducing Dawson in for the next one. This works as Banton top edges to Turner and it is 70 for 1. TKC arrives but Hampshire continue with spin with Mason Crane taking the next and worryingly getting spin in his first few deliveries. The double spin does not continue tough as Currie replaces Dawson. However there is a good tussle between the Somerset pair and Crane at the other end.
Will Smeed goes to 50 off 30 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes in Crane's 10th but he then goes for 52 caught Ellis with 1 ball of the over to go. In comes Dickson with a lot to prove and some crease time needed before the Essex CC1 game on Sunday. Confidently he cuts his first for four taking his side to 103 and at the halfway point Somerset need 73 off 10 overs. The ball is most deinfitely in their court tihough Crane is still there to get past.
Ellis takes the 11th and Crane continues with the 12th, after which 65 are needed. Dawson bowls the next one and still we keep our wickets intact and move the runs needed to 57. This changes in the 14th when Turner bowls a circumspect Dickson for 19 with a bit of an edge into the stumps. 122 for 3 brings Lammonby in also needing a more confident outing before the four day game and 54 needed by the start of the 15th.
Dawson bowls out with this one as Hampshire have tightened up coonsiderably after the opening pair's more free flowling scoring. After the 15th we still need 52 but that is entirely 'gettable' in a modern day T20 game. Crane finishes with the 16th and TKC sets out his table with consecutive sixes off him. 141 by the end of that one needing 38 from 4 - now it is most definitely on. But however massive that over was, Ellis comes in to bowl the next and goes for a very important 3. He may have won this with Tom Lammonby taking most of the sttrike and scratching about. This puts pressure on Kohler-Cadmore to push the score along when he gets the opportunity.
He faces Turner and thin edges the ball to bring up the 150 but unfortunately he then top edges and is caught behind to leave wiith a good 43 leaving 23 needed off 14 at 153 for 4. Now who do you send in? You would hope it would be the explosive and in form Green but the skipper sends himself in and he also scrabbles around with TL reaching 156 for 4 and leaving 23 off 12. Elllis is frugal in the 19th as well. 22 off 10 becomes 22 off 9 when Tom Lammonby comes up just short caught on the boundary by Donald. Green finally arrives but Ellis is working now and it is 19 off 6 after an excellent over from the Hampshire man. The pendullum has swung in favour of the homw side and early big shots have to happen for Somerset's unbeaten run to continue.
Currie is thrown the ball. A first dot is followed by Gregory being run out without adding to the score. Green does keep it possible with a massive six off the third and the fourth is a wide. Ben gets a four with the next and then takes a single leaving Roelof with 6 to tie the game after no real time at the crease. You'd back RvdM if anyone to get there but he only manages a single and out undefeated campaign ends with a loss by 4 wickets 6 short of the score needed. I think the game ended when Lewis chose to send himself in to pair with a scratching about Lammonby, Tom needed someone to push him on and Ben was the man to do that. Roelof is still a bit rusty but Lewis is struggling to push on. We didn't and Ellis won the game for his side
A good game, a disappointing loss - though with a weakened side. We now go to Chelmsford for a change of format before carrying this on next Friday with a much anticipated derby in Bristol against GLOS!! Bring it on
Vitality Seven - Smarting in the South Hampshire Away
Posted by: Grockles.com (IP Logged)
Date: 19/06/2023 22:04
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:06:22:11:59:29 by Grockle.
Interesting selection problem. Banton back? I believe he’s fit and available. Dickson surely has to keep his place. Lamonby probably was under threat but did enough up front and in the field in the last game to earn a reprieve Unless they choose to give Banton more recovery time, looks to me that Smeed’s inclusion is tenuous.
Hampshire, who are away to Middlesex at Radlett tonight and so play twice in 24 hours, will be without their hard-hitting young batsman Tom Prest, who is injured. They bring experienced former Middlesex batter Nick Gubbins into their squad of 14 on duty for both matches.
If it's a greenish track? I'd definitely omit Smeed, and have Banton open with Lammonby. I like a RHB/LHB combination better, anyway. Smeed doesn't have the defensive technique to cope with a moving ball, which is entirely unsurpising given his recent cricketing activity. If the pitch looks flat? Maybe move Smeed down to 4, the other side of TKC, and give him another chance. Because of his lack of defensive technique, I really don't think the top of the order in T20 is the best place for him simply because, if there is any lateral movement for pace in T20, it will come with the new ball. Smeed is particularly unsuited to batting at the top of the order on the type of fresh tracks that we have produced recently for the home games with both Hants and Middx and for last year's QF vs Derbys.
Gubbins has often been a plague on SCCC in the past.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:06:06:10:56:37 by AGod.
Thought Lammonby looked good at the front end but Banton has been pretty solid in that area... Surely its Smeed whose position is in question. Dickson looked better but he hasn't been driving forward in the seconds T20s so I'm not sure what has pushed him forward other than we've signed him.... ?
We have a whole bunch of white ball batsmen... perm any from a bunch. TKC & Abell stay... put the rest around them.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:06:06:15:23:51 by Grockle.
Yep, rationally you'd have to think Smeed's place would be in doubt, but I'd be surprised if they drop him - I do like the thought of him playing a bit lower down the order.
Toms Banton, Abell and K-C have to be nailed on, and I'd love to say Tom K-C stay in for a fair few overs for a really big innings. He's able to change a game in an over, as he's already done this season.
I too did not understand what had pushed Dickson forward on Sunday, but given the opportunity he grabbed it with, what turned out to be, a match winning innings. Can’t ask for more than that and surely can’t be left out for the next game?
Bit of a 'laggy' livestream with poor crackly audio unfortunately. Some are better resourced than others I suppose but at least we get coverage... and they aren't charging £5.99
That's very much a Somerset batting order theme... witness how hard Lammonby and Rew found it to rotate the strike in the CC at Old Trafford. I think it's something pretty much the whole batting line-up needs to work on and in all forms of the game - finding the singles etc
How to lose a T20 when in such a good position? Simple send Lammers in to bat and waste 2.2 overs for his 8 . Everyone else didn’t have a problem. I’m sorry but there is little justification for him currently batting at 5 . If ever a poor lacklustre innings cost us then it certainly was tonight.
The biggest problem with our batting order is Gregory at six.
It's ridiculous that managment don't appear to have noticed that he has barely scored in this format for...er.... FOUR AND A HALF YEARS.
In 2018, he was brilliant.
Since then? I think he has all of one 50 in 4.5 campaigns. His average is very poor over that time. Even his strike rate is mediocre. He just uses up balls that somebody else (VDM? Green?) could potentially score more quickly from.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:06:07:22:08:33 by AGod.
Whatever the longer view of Lewis is, he presently is not your shock and awe batsman in this position. You have to be flexible. Ben Green & RvdM are the men to gamble on. Given Tom L's present form it might have made sense to gamble one of them before him.
He's the skipper & may have thought it was his job... laudable but not logical I'm afraid. We had this one but our conservative strategy and Ellis took it away I'm afraid.
The stats? Pretty pointless really AG not sure what you are trying to prove except 'told you so... nurr'
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:06:08:07:44:28 by Grockle.
Certainly Lewis junior appears to be out of favour in both red and white ball . No real reason why he shouldn’t be called up for T20 to replace Lammers .
The Gregory stats are there, Grockle, to head off the usual and oh-so-predictable "form is temporary, class is permanent," type quotes that some like to produce.
How long can one sensibly attribute poor performance to "form," for!????????
As for his position relative to Greener?
Ben Green 2023 strike rate: 163
Lewis Gregory: 93
Greener was also 22 points better last year (still a wide margin in T20 terms)
Management need to open their eyes!!!!!
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2023:06:08:07:37:49 by AGod.
The point about Gregory's captaincy, Nailsea, is not really his actual captaincy - it's the point that it gives SCCC a reason to just pick him every week, regardless of his actual performance. That said, it's looked to me as though Peter Siddle has been directing a lot of things in the field in this T20 campaign, but he won't be doing so for the forseeable future, if ever again for us, sadly.
Ben Green showed last year that in white ball cricket he is capable of hitting a long ball and is willing to go for it from ball 1. That is what we needed last night because there wasn't time to consider the position.
In T20, especially at the sharp end there sometimes isn't a 'wait and see' option and Somerset take that route too often with resources available to take the more direct path. It isn't the first time
Lammonby was superb on Sunday, 34 off 23 balls, a run out and two catches (one of them outstanding and match-winning). He had a few bad balls while batting last night and now people want him out of the team! Amazing!
Agree SP2. Lammonby has played some great innovative knocks in the past and shows he has the skills. If only we could get him bowling again as our seam attack is a bit samey
TL's career SR of 141 in T20 is certainly very presentable.
Where he does struggle is rotating the strike.........so if the big shots aren't there because of a tough pitch and/or good bowling, it becomes a real struggle.
There are no doubts about certain players' abilities.
The question is always "who are the best eleven players we have to put on this pitch in front of this opposition on this day"
If guys are out of form and others aren't I'm for 'meritocracy'. You do have to have faith but you should also play your best side in each game. We have never really beem flexible enough in our T20 games either in team selection or in terms of using them in the actual game itself.
The only skipper who did really won us the trophy in 2005
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