MIddlesex at Lord's Blast Number 5- Seems Bloody Cold!!
By Grockle
June 11 2024
No real change in the side although Jake Ball was considered but has a knee 'niggle'. Middlesex are struggling a bit but at Lord's it is never easy and Eskinazi's men will give it a good go
Blast Number 5 Middlesex @ Lord's Tuesday 11 June 2024
Somerset go into this one with an unchanged side of Smeed, Banton, TKC, Abell, Dickson, Green, Gregory, Overton, Rvd, Davey, Meredith straight off their massive win against Hampsire at Taunton on Sunday.
They win the toss and will chase once again and Overton opens the bowling on a cold evening in June!! Eskinazi, the Middlesex captain opens with Anderson. There is a short boundary to one side and Craig suffers from it i his first as Anderson especially finds the length. 9 for 0 after 1.
Meredith takes the second and worries both bats with the pace. Anderson tries to slog and goes to his second into the air caught by Overton with 12 on the board. COve then gets the opposition skipper as one hangs in the air and Josh Davey takes an excellent and very difficult catch- 16 for 2.
The opening pair have these bats in all sorts of trouble and Holden holes out to Gregory off the first ball of Riley's 3rd and it is 19 for 3. Meredith simply doesn't stop and after Overton bowls a maiden for the 4th he delivers an excellent line to Craknell and he snicks behind to put the home side at 20 for 4. The Powerplay ends at 23 for 4 wit Somerset on top!!
COve looks to bowl out with the 7th and Jack Davies tries for the boundary only to be caught on the rope by Dickson and it is 23 for 5 with the first ball of the 7th. He bowls out with 2 for 21 and 16 dot balls. Somerset decide to also bowl Meredith out with the 8th as they are pretty much on top presently. Higgins is looking to make some progress but he is finding Riley a handful to say the least. Meredith finishes with another wicket as Higgins looks to take the Tasmanian on and puts it to Sean Dickson who takes a vey good boundary catch. Middlesex 33 for 6 and our overseas bowler ends with 4 overs for 12 runs and 4 wickets (a career best for the man - well done sir!!)
Gregory keeps the pressure on with the 8th, the comentators say there is some pace in the pitch but Middlesex have also given away some of their wickets with daft swipes at bowlers who have their line and length sorted. A misfield from Smeed gives then a rare boundary to take them to 40 after which Green nearly runs out De Caires (Atherton Junior).
The 9th is given to Josh Davey and he is 'on the money' from ball 1. De Caires is nearly fooled by movement from the Scot. He top edges one at the end of the over and Lewis takes another high one before they get to 50 - 41 for 7. Lord's is very quiet. This is mayhem.
Helm joins Hollman and they survive the halfway point. 10 overs to go and Middlesex will have to do very well to survive the second half. Gregory puts in his second and has an edge put down by Banton - a pretty regulation keeper catch diving towards the slips. Came off the bottom of the glove. The ball is moving and Gregory nearly gets Hel LBW (Bit high). 45 for 7 after 11
Davey continues with his second and the 12th of the innings. The batting side are finding nothing easy to be honest but they do take quick singles to try and get to 50. Josh goes around the wicket and passes Hollman before he gets one away. Finally, at the end of the 12th they reach that 50 to an ironic cheer from the home crowd.
Ben Green comes in for the 13th and has Hollman caught on the boundary by Smeed FIRST BALL!! The 'master' does it again. 50 for 8. He then has the new guy Blake Cullen LBW FIRST BALL and it is 50 for 9 his 13th wicket and Greener is on a hat-trick with his third ball of the game. In comes Cornwall and he is a whisper away from getting the third. The U19 debutant gets off the mark and Green ends the 13th with 2 wickets. 52 for 9
Davey takes a third and ball 2 there seems to be a noise but the umpire says no to the catch behind. A number don't argue so it hits something that wasn't bat or glove. Cornwell gets away with a skier next ball which falls safe. He nearly gets the last with his last ball. 55 for 9 after 14.
Green takes a second and is straight driven by Helm immediately. He looks to come over the wicket to Cornwell and the youngster hits him for six and I am sure feels better for it. The highest partnership of the innings moves the score to 68 for 9. Cornwell skies it again and falls short of a fielder once more. 70 for 9 with 5 to go.
Gregory returns for the 16th with the last Middlesex bats hoping to get to something around the 100. Somerset would like to get this last one put to bed. This pair are having a swing and it is just up to the visiting bowling attack to just keep doing what they are doing. Keep it tight and make them work for anything they get. Lewis does that and goes for 3.
Josh bowls out with the 17th and Helms takes him for a cover drive boundary but he then tries to go over the top and Reolof takes the last at 78. All done and dusted
The Reply
Helm bowls to Banton at the start of this innings. He gets a single to start the scoring. Middlesex have 3 slips in place hoping for something. Smeed flashes hard and is also away in the first over. Will hits straight up and goes to a catch from Cracknell Somerset are 3 fo 1 and TKC is in. He takes 1 and we are 4 for 1 with 19 to go.
Cullen takes the second and TKC gets one going through him that is splilled by the keeprer. He may not have hit it!! 9 for 1 after 2. It isn't looking easy out there and you hope for Somersetian patience
Cullen continues and Banton hits an orthodox bounday followed by one he got a noise on but Rob Bailey says no. It did look like he hit it!! Anyway, 20 fo 1 after 4. There is a little bit of rain floating about as the young Cornwell comes to bowl the fifth. Banton hits him on the hand and he has to go off for treatment. 21 for 1 at 5. This is not easy. At the end of the Powerplay it is 27 for 1... Helm has bowled well.
Cullen continues with the 7th and TKC takes a four on the up to the cover boundary. This pair are keeping the Middlesex fielders on their toes by taking singles to keep the scoreboard moving. They pass halfway doing that well with Banton on 22 with TKC with 15. Going OK at the moment at 40 for 1 after 8.
Anderson opens his account with the 9th with Somerset needing 3 runs an over. They keep milking the singles and if it keeps going this way they may open up after 10 to get the NNR up, without taking too many chances. Smeedy got the red mist, these two have been very sensible.
Cullen takes the game to the halfway point and TKC opens his shoulders with a massive six to the boundary to bring up the 0 partnership and take the runs required under 30. 55 for 1 off 10 - no more than this needed.
Higgins starts the second half - it should not go the distance as the visitors need 23 from 59 balls. Banton flips one around and fools Brooks on the boundary who comes in then is caught in two minds and it goes over the rope. He then hits a more orthodox boundary through the covers. 14 needed from 55. Middlesex turn to the spin of Hollman and Banton flips him to the boundary to take the score under 10. They need 7 going into the 13th with the sensible Banton on strike who hits the first ball for 6 to leave 1 off Higgins. Middlese now have a conference...not sure why, unsure what they plan to do to save the one for 47 balls. Bants reverse sweeps for 4 49 not out.
We win by 9 wickets and we played that one perfectly (still think he hit it) TKC took a run a ball 30. We may go top on the run rate!!
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:06:15:10:05:19 by Grockle.
The squad is;
Smeed, Banton, TKC, Abell, Dickson, Lammonby, Green, Gregory, Overton, RvdM, Davey, Meredith, Ball, Leach, Baker
The game is on SKY so no livestream I'm afraid... back to the radio once more 😁👍🏼
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:06:10:21:40:54 by Grockle.
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Somerset have won the toss. No change the side from Sunday... Seems Ball would have played but has a niggleon his knee so Davey stays in.
Somerset will bowl first
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:06:11:18:56:25 by Shepton Paul 2.
Front page IS up tonght for this game as SKY are covering it. I'll try and update it as we go.
Craig looked a bit more like it tonight
Need to take advantage of this chance to reverse (and outweigh) the NRR damage from the fairly heavy defeat at the Oval.
Unsurprisingly, the crowd looked chilly & somewhat underwhelmed. Not really a great advert for T20 cricket tbh.
I'm not complaining though. That was an extremely professional performance all round.
Grizzers
Result.
Not a great game for the neutral but two wins after two defeats is a very big plus, and there are some great bowling figures there.
Bowlers did well but Banton was the most sensible I've seen him. He bossed that completely
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2024:06:11:22:34:35 by Grockle.
A great four-day pitch.
The RR looks good after that great win.
Somerset have just lit up the Home of Cricket by dismissing Middlesex for their lowest-ever T20 total. Yet three of the four posts previous to this one make no mention of the bowlers, yet place themselves ahead of an umpire standing just 22 yards away and say Tom Banton was OUT.
Some very good bowling and some excellent over-the-shoulder catches and a... misfield.
I know it's hard to judge in a 10-minute version but Somerset's fielding and all-round game did look very good. And that Meredith bloke looks pretty tidy too.
Middlesex seemed obsessed with playing the short boundary every time, which really didn't work for them.