England’s Nightmare Year Ends on a High

 

South Africa v England:

England’s Nightmare Year Ends on a High

 

December 31^st 2015

 

The year ends with England having played 14 Tests over five series: won 6, drawn 2, lost 6. On the face of it, it does not look like much of a record. One series won, two drawn, one lost and one still in progress.

Let’s put that record in some kind of context.

Back in March England supporters were looking with some trepidation at the year ahead. The World Cup had been a disaster and Test series loomed against the West Indies away, New Zealand and Australia at home and then Pakistan and South Africa, away. Even the most optimistic saw just one winnable series in that sequence and many fans predicted five straight losses, in some cases with a glee that revealed their own, personal agenda.

Most fans expected to lose 3-0 or 4-0 against Australia, 3-0 against Pakistan and feared cauliflower ears against South Africa and New Zealand. Not a few were expecting defeat in the Caribbean to add the icing to the cake of catastrophe.

However, the apocalypse has not happened. Just one series has been lost and that, one that was written-off as unwinnable and, even in that one, England were competitive and should have come out with a 1-1 result at worst, coming within minutes of winning one Test and saving another in extremis.

However, the year has also been marked with a sequence of “good Test/bad Test” performances that have been the despair of fans and the inspiration of the opposition. For each day of brilliant cricket – and there have been quite a few – there have been some desperate ones. It led to the usual calls from the Australian fans that their side was really the winner of the Ashes because they had the best batsmen, the best bowlers and the best performances.

Whereas, in the spring, we heard “I fear for England if Jimmy Anderson gets injured”, the reality has been that he has missed two Tests with injury and England have won both. Stuart Broad, written-off by many after the World Cup (when he was still feeling his way back from injury and surgery), has had an immense year, bowling with fire and venom and starting to show some of his old form with the bat. And Steve Finn has come back from injury, straight back into the Test team and, arguably, took the most important wicket of the match, just before the Close of Day 4.

Various players have been tried and discarded, temporarily or permanently (Lyth, Trott, Ballance, Buttler, Jordan, Adil Rashid), others have been recalled and done exceptionally (Finn, Compton, Taylor). There is enough competition for places that the management can say that it is not necessarily a foregone conclusion that a 100% fit Jimmy Anderson will return for the Capetown Test. Even among the “failures” there are some encouraging signs: Adil Rashid almost won one Test in the UAE with his legspin and then almost saved the second as a batsman. Chris Jordan won a T20 in the UAE with a brilliant super-over of Yorkers having struggled in the match itself and the howls of outrage at Liam Plunkett’s exclusion from the Test squad have shown what an impact he made in the limited overs games after the UAE Tests. So many players have made a case for inclusion in the World T20 squad that as many as half a dozen are going to feel desperately unlucky when the squad is picked.

However, good sides are consistent. Great sides win even from bad positions. Even there, there is some hope: from 49-3 on the first day, with the bowlers roaring in with conditions in their favour, England set up what proved to be a match-winning score. Nothing will show the team’s consistency like winning two or three consecutive Tests on this tour: we are, though, still some way from seeing that happen.

South Africa v England, Day 5: South Africa’s Tame Surrender

 

South Africa v England, Day 5:

South Africa’s Tame Surrender

 

December 30^th 2015

 

 “Sometime tomorrow, barring something miraculous, South Africa will take their winless streak to seven matches since the West Indies were overwhelmed in the New Year’s Test. Only the wicket of AB de Villiers stands between South Africa and another big defeat.”

 

“Moeen simply isn’t good enough”

 

The former was this Blog’s take on the match situation after Day 4. The latter was one fan’s take.

Having had AB de Villiers missed, albeit off a tough stumping chance yesterday, it took Moeen Ali just three balls to put matters right. In nineteen balls from Steve Finn and Moeen Ali, South Africa lost Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers and Bavuma and slid from a healthy 136-3 to a desperate 136-6 and Moeen had removed two of the three remaining recognised batsmen, including the one that all South Africans genuinely believed could bat through the last day and lead his side to a draw at worst, or even victory.

After AB de Villiers took a single off the fifth ball of Finn’s seventh over, between them Finn and Moeen produced 30 dot balls and three wickets – a total of 33 consecutive scoreless deliveries from the two bowlers seen as England’s most expensive; deliveries that ripped the heart out of South Africa. Four wickets fell for two runs in thirty-six balls. Any way you look at it, the South African capitulation was meek in the extreme.

Moeen’s spell was an astonishing 10-7-4-3, while Steve Finn at the other end was a willing and brutal henchman whose figures were only slightly less impressive.

It was all a far cry from the previous evening when South African fans were boasting that 280 to win on the last day was not going to be very many and that England would be sleeping nervously. As in the first innings, a single wicket led to the South African batting imploding in the most astonishing manner.

Since the New Year’s Test against West Indies, when South Africa made 421, their best completed innings has been 248 v Bangladesh. Seven times they have been dismissed for 185 or fewer and in the other two innings they reached the giddy heights of 214. There has not been a single century partnership and only two centuries: one of them against the hapless West Indians. Their average completed innings score in their last seven Tests has been 167.

In that sequence, South Africa have lost four and drawn three. It can at least be argued that rain saved South Africa from likely defeat in two of those draws (one against India and one against Bangladesh) and helped to massage some of the side’s deficiencies: the third match featured so little play that no conclusions whatsoever can be drawn about it.

Quite apart from the fact that there are rumours of open revolution around the South African team (there are suggestions that AB de Villiers has threatened to retire unless someone else keeps wicket, that Dale Steyn is close to retirement after a series of injury problems, that Hashim Amla may be sacked for the Third Test if he does not resign first), there is even a suggestion that Graeme Smith could be persuaded out of retirement, presumably as a replacement captain!

As many as six members of the side for the 1^st Test are likely to be either unavailable or are in danger of losing their place. And even the good news – for example, Dane Piedt’s admirable second innings bowling – comes with a substantial caveat, namely that he was by far the least economical bowler on either side (Ben Stokes, at 3.2 runs per over was the only other bowler with an economy of over 3 on either side) going at 4.2 an over, almost double Moeen’s 2.3. While Piedt had the consolation of six wickets, he conceded almost as many runs as Abbott and Morkel did combined in nearly twice the number of overs that he had bowled. In other words, his wickets have been bought at a price and he has not been able to seal up an end to help relieve the pressure on the weakened seam attack.

In contrast, Moeen, despite concerted attempts to hit him out of the attack, has 13 First Class wickets so far on the tour – one more than Steve Finn – at an average of 16.8 and an economy of 2.8. With the ground at Newlands expected to help spin, Moeen’s form looks set to give England a big advantage in the 2^nd Test.

Purists scratch their heads and wonder why he is playing, but Moeen has a Bothamesque ability to make things happen, even if he is bowling a consignment of liquorice allsorts.

While South Africa are wondering who to play, England seem likely to have to drop someone to make room for Jimmy Anderson. The betting is that it will be Chris Woakes who, although taking only a single wicket right at the end of the match, was tight, economical (only Stuart Broad on either side had better economy in the match) and bowled well. There could even be a case for saying “sorry Jimmy, there are no vacancies yet”, although a fully fit Jimmy Anderson would add potency to the new ball attack.

Whatever happens, England cannot afford an Ashes-like “one good match, one bad one”. South Africa are down right now and taking a count; they cannot be allowed back into the contest.

Day 5 to England

Key man of the day: Moeen Ali

South Africa v England, Day 4: South Africa’s Inexorable Slide Continues

 

South Africa v England, Day 4:

South Africa’s Inexorable Slide Continues

 

December 29^th 2015

 

Sometime tomorrow, barring something miraculous, South Africa will take their winless streak to seven matches since the West Indies were overwhelmed in the New Year’s Test. Only the wicket of AB de Villiers stands between South Africa and another big defeat.

For most of the morning it seemed that the only plan that South Africa had was, at various moments, to hurry or to delay the declaration. No attempt was made to win, or at least attack for wickets. The main South African tactic seemed to be to let the England batsmen commit suicide against Dane Piedt and occasional bowlers.

At the same time, Alistair Cook missed a trick: why he did not declare when Chris Woakes fell, at 315-8, with the lead past 400, one will never know. This would have sent the message to the South Africans “we set the agenda – you cannot bowl us out”.

At the same time, it is hard to criticise England, who have done just about everything right. Those who thought that Alistair Cook was playing Father Christmas by giving South Africa only 140 overs to survive.

Even in the great blockathlon in Delhi, South Africa only survived 143 overs. Eight times in the last three years South Africa have batted out 140 overs or more and seven of those innings have led to wins. If they bat out 140 overs this time, good luck to them – an extra five overs would make no difference to the result and they will have deserved to save the Test.

However, with Steve Finn striking in the last over of the day to end a stand of 48 between de Villiers and the almost scoreless Faf du Plessis that had threatened to give South Africa hope of a near-miraculous escape, England know that they are one strike away from breaking through.

Dale Steyn is a real doubt for the 2^nd Test and, some suggest maybe even the 3^rd, but was asked to come out to bat for the last three balls of the day. The most likely outcome is that England’s bowlers will gain a boost early in the morning and the loss of a competent tail-ender who could help to lead resistance if the remaining recognised batsmen can combine in a major stand. It was not exactly a vote of confidence in JP Duminy who should have come in next, but who has only reached 20 twice in his last 11 innings. The England bowlers will feel confident that they can remove Steyn and Duminy inside the first hour; if they do, South Africa will be in desperate straits.

England will want to strike early, but will also look to Moeen Ali to remove the tail although, in this Test, Steve Finn has been England’s wrecking ball, striking devastating blows when required.

England have dominated all four days so far, by differing margins: one more good day, possibly even just one more good session and they will go one up in the series and leave South Africa with a series of substantial headaches and just two days to resolve them.

Day 4 to England

Key man of the day: Steve Finn

Key man on Day 5: Moeen Ali.

 

 

 

 

 

 

South Africa v England, Day 3:

South Africa Start to Fall Apart at the Seams

 

December 28^th 2015

 

One of the major questions going into this series was just how serious the South African decline was. Since beating Sri Lanka away in July 2014, 1-0 in a 2-match series by dint of hanging on for a draw in extremis in the 2^nd Test, they have not beaten a major opponent: but then, they have not played many. Zimbabwe were seen off in a one-off Test in August 2014. The West Indies were beaten in South Africa 2-0 (3 Tests) over Near Year 2015. Rain meant that the series in Bangladesh in July-August ended in a soggy 0-0 draw, although Bangladesh, worryingly, took a big first innings lead in the 1^st Test. And only rain saved South Africa in India from a 4-0 whitewash, although 3-0 was bad enough.

South Africa were almost out of sight in the ICC Test Championship in mid-2014, but are in real danger of slipping as low as third or fourth after this series.

If Australia do not trip on the cadaver of Caribbean cricket and seal a 3-0 win and England win this series 1-0, South Africa will drop to third in the rankings. A 3-0 win for England would send South Africa down to fourth. And a 4-0 win which, two weeks ago, would have led to anyone predicting it being certified insane, will drop South Africa to fifth.

With the side looking divided, short of confidence, rumours surrounding the imminent retirement of two key players, the captain in an unprecedented slump, injuries to bowlers, misfiring batting and fielding and some perplexing selections, it will take a turnaround of Headingley ’81 proportions to save this series.

If Days 1 & 2 were fairly close, Day 3 has been utter rout.

It is 12 innings since South Africa passed 248 (a score made against Bangladesh). Take out the home Tests against the totally uncompetitive Zimbabwe and West Indian sides and the South African batting has been alarmingly fragile since the second innings of the 1^st Test v Sri Lanka in July 2014. England are effectively 261-3 and the pitch is beginning to misbehave and take sharp turn even for the occasional spin of Dean Elgar, who must now be worrying that he will also be asked to keep wicket and drive the team bus in the 2^nd Test, as well as scoring most of the runs and doing a significant amount of bowling.

It took just two balls for Stuart Broad to end the South African fight-back of Day 2 and, at 137-5, it was just a matter of how big England’s lead would be. The one batsman to show any fight was Dean Elgar, helped by Dale Steyn to add 54 for the eighth wicket and keep the lead to a little under one hundred.

Since then, it has been one-way traffic, despite a little rush of excitement when Alistair Cook failed again. Alex Hales showed the discipline that suggests that when he finds the right mix of defence and attack he will do a fine job, before giving it away when the hard work had been done and a maiden fifty looked there for the taking.

Dale Steyn is injured. He has bowled 23 deliveries and that was enough for him to confuse generations of statisticians by twice starting an over and failing to complete it due to shoulder pain: once after two balls and once after three. The fact that a scan has been inconclusive and the injury is put down to “shoulder stiffness following a heavy bowling load in the first innings” will be music to Alistair Cook’s ears. South Africa now face a tricky decision as to whether or not to bowl him tomorrow and risk him breaking down completely with the first two Tests back-to-back or, effectively accept that this match is lost and try to get him ready for the 2^nd Test.

With Steyn unavailable, Morkel and Abbott are closing in on 40 overs each in the match, with a new ball due soon and the likelihood that there will be no one else to take it. South Africa know that they will have to bowl at least 25 more overs before any declaration and will face the dilemma as to whether to use occasional bowlers and risk the scoring rate sky-rocketing, or further tire Morkel and Abbott in an attempt to delay the declaration.

With plenty of time available, Nick Compton was at his sadistic best. Statistically, 49 from just under three hours does not look like much, but it caused over after over of frustration as the bowlers wasted their strength trying to shift him. His efforts have put England in an almost invulnerable position, with the luxury of knowing that there are power hitters with the ability to score quick runs against an increasingly exhausted attack.

Expect half an hour of consolidation in the morning, followed by around twenty overs of attack and a target of at least 380-400.

Day 3 to England

Key man so far: Nick Compton (although Stuart Broad is running him close)

Key man on Day 4: Moeen Ali, who may well be called upon to hit some quick runs and then to play on the South African difficulties when the balls turns.

1st Test, Days 1 & 2: Advantage England

 

South Africa v England:

Narrow Advantage to England Thanks to Nick Compton

 

December 27^th 2015

 

Two days into the series the danger of making snap judgements is already manifest. CricInfo’s feedback and TMS’s experts were filled with criticism of Nick Compton’s painstaking innings being far too slow and showing an inability to change gear. Without it, as the collapse from a solid 247-5 to a perilous 267-9 showed, it is quite possible that England would have folded for 130 after being put in, in ideal bowling conditions, on an awkward pitch.

For England, it was the perfect storm. Lost the toss on a day so inviting for bowlers that Jimmy Anderson would have bowled on crutches if they had let him. Cook fell quickly. Hales was convicted of dangerous driving. Root lasted a little longer, but was dismissed as the early horrors of 12-2 were just starting to recede and rain breaks kept the opening bowlers fresh for longer than England would have desired with Steyn’s match-fitness in doubt. At 49-3, with your two batting bankers gone, you had two recalled players who have to re-build, justify their call-up and try to haul the total up to something that the bowlers could work with later, with the best batting conditions expected on days 2 & 3. This was not what Alistair Cook's letter to Santa would have requested.

As so often for Middlesex, Nick Compton found himself like Horatius at the Bridge, this time with Lars Porsena Steyn threatening to overrun his position. With Compton blocking an end as effectively as an elephant in an alleyway, James Taylor could go for his shots… occasionally at least, when an opportunity presented itself. Hashim Amla resorted to occasional bowlers, reinforcing the suggestion that for all the bravura que South Africa has more strength in depth in their attack, on this occasion they are at least one bowler short. Even when James Taylor fell just before the Close, Amla’s decision to bowl was still at least one and probably two wickets short of justifying itself.

In truth, although Taylor’s dismissal took some gloss off it, it was still England’s day.

Push on to 300, 350, maybe even 400 if things really went England’s way. The collapse that followed was as predictable as it was painful. Perhaps stung by the criticisms – including the quite incredible suggestion from Graeme Swann that he was doing dreadful harm to his side by batting slowly – Nick Compton’s efforts to accelerate the scoring were predictably disastrous. The new ball was disappearing at just about a run a ball, Nick Compton had hit three fours in 21 balls after the new ball was taken, when he had managed just 5 in 214 balls up to it: such un-natural behaviour could only end badly. And so it did, with an horrific collapse of 20-4 in 30 balls that took with it hopes of 400, 350, 300, or even 280 and had the South African fans laughing at England’s so-called batting depth.

Not for the first time, Stuart Broad’s recovered batting confidence has rescued England. Instead of a sub-standard 270ao, some judicious hitting and a dose of obduracy from Steve Finn – the Watford Wall – allowed England to creep past 280 and, run by agonising run, past 300.

With South Africa short on bowling options, Dale Steyn was forced back for a seventh spell to end the innings. He has bowled 25 overs already. Morkel has bowled 26. There is a second innings to come and just two days rest between the Tests.  Bowling first here will allow the attack a little more rest, but there is no doubt that there is a real danger that the South African attack will go into the 2^nd Test tired and Steyn cannot be match-fit right now.

It is as well to remember that South Africa have not had a century partnership all year, that their opening batting issues make Cook and Moeen in the UAE seem like a time of riches, that Hashim Amla is in a dreadful slump and that they simply were not at the races in the series against India. Add to that that de Villiers has been obliged to take the gloves back and has to combine the role of major batsman with wicket-keeper and that the pitch is expected to break up on the fourth and fifth days and help Moeen’s spin and the South Africans could not have been pleased to see England recover from 12-2 and 49-3 to pass 300. When you put a side in and have them in desperate trouble, you want to be chasing no more than 220.

Having been 14-2 despite two missed chances, South Africa have recovered well to 137-4, but there is little batting to come and Stuart Broad has slept on 10-5-16-3 to add to his 32* from 33 balls. The pitch is already offering plenty of encouragement to Moeen Ali and there is little batting to come.

With the new ball due half an hour before Lunch, England will look for two wickets in the first hour from Finn, Stokes and Woakes and a lead of 70-80. If they can get it, South Africa will be in a very deep hole.

Day 1 to England

Day 2 to England

Key man so far: Nick Compton

Key man on Day 3: Stuart Broad. Will he ever get the credit that he deserves as a very fine bowling all-rounder?

A Battle Of Two Vulnerable Sides

 

South Africa v England: a battle of flawed sides

 

December 25^th 2015

 

 

Tomorrow a new Test series starts. It was hard to work up much enthusiasm for Pakistan v England and, despite some really superb cricket from both sides, the series was not a vintage one. On a dramatic final afternoon of the 1^st Test, Adil Rashid almost bowled England to victory, but the final wicket fell perhaps ten minutes too late for England to have realistic hopes of winning. With that near miss England’s chances in the series were gone. In the 2^nd Test Adil Rashid the batsman took England to just 39 balls from saving a match that should have finished in the hour after Lunch. And in the 3^rd Test England could not make a 72 run first innings lead count. In each Test, England had their moments, but fell just short: rather than a 2-0 win, which was in their reach had they taken their chances, England lost 2-0 and it was hard to argue that it was not a deserved result for a resilient Pakistan, who showed more magic in the critical moments of the series.

For South Africa, the personnel change again. The experiment of promoting Moeen Ali might have worked, but did not. Of the four opening combinations that England tried in 2015, Cook and Ali were the most productive, averaging 36.6 for the 1^st wicket, well ahead of the 30.9 of Cook and Lyth. The fact that Cook and Moeen are by far the best of the four combinations of the year just shows how bad the others have been. The fact that it is also better than all but one of the five second wicket combinations of the year (Cook and Bell averaged 44.6 for the 2^nd wicket) is also a statement of the problems that England have had at #3 in 2015.

Consequence: Ian Bell pays they price and yet another a new opener is being tried.

The choice of Alex Hales to open and Nick Compton at #3 does obey a logic, although many people would open with Compton and put Hales at 3. Nick Compton managed 2x100 and 1x50 in his spell as an opener and his opening partnerships with Alistair Cook have been by far the best that England have had since the retirement of Andrew Strauss. Many think that he was hard done by and that his fighting qualities that have seen him pile on the runs again in 2015 will come in more than useful. Nick Compton will also be playing in the country of his birth, giving him the advantage of familiarity with the conditions, although he is from an English emigre family that has a great pedigree for Middlesex and England.

Alex Hales has been the prince in waiting now for two years since his remarkable century in the 2013 World T20. After a prodigious start to the 2015 county season, where he was in with a real chance of 1000 runs by the end of May, he went through a barren patch mid-season, before ending it with a flood of runs and winning his place on the winter tours on the back of a stack of runs and some destructive ODI innings. In theory, Alex Hales has the profile to play the Marcus Trescothick role that England have been lacking for ten years. We tend to forget that Marcus Trescothick’s First Class record was remarkably modest until his spectacular Test debut on a Duncan Fletcher hunch. If Alex Hales can play his natural game, Test attacks around may have to learn to fear England’s openers in the next few years.

However, it is the fears that Alex Hales is not ready – is he capable of playing quality, high pace? How will he manage against any but the most mediocre spin? – that make the selection of an obdurate #3 essential. Ian Bell has struggled for two years to match his heroics of 2013. Rather than a good-looking 30 in an hour, England look to someone who is capable of blocking up an end for two sessions, even a whole day, even if runs are scored at a crawl: blunt and tire bowlers so that the power-hitters in the middle order can make hay later. If one or both openers fall, England want someone willing to bat 4 hours for a 50, if necessary and say “here and no further” to the opposition attack. Nick Compton has that Boycott-like ability.

With no Jimmy Anderson, Chris Woakes comes back. The reasoning is that a bowler is needed to bottle up an end while Stuart Broad and Steve Finn attack from the other end. Steve Finn has been gloriously re-born and looks in great form. Stuart Broad is bowling better and better. And the wild card of the side – sometimes all too literally for his own good – Ben Stokes – has both wickets and runs in the warm-ups. Even more pleasing, England’s win against a strong South Africa A side, was set up by centuries for Cook and Root and fifties for Hales and Stokes, but finished by a devastating spell of bowling by Moeen, who showed that South Africa’s second string are also helpless against decent spin. Moeen’s figures of 6-77 are far less impressive than the reality was, as some late hitting took his figures from 11-4-32-4 to 14.5-4-77-6 (4-32 from his first 66 balls, 2-45 from his last 23), albeit with the consolation of taking the last two wickets.

Moeen is still viewed condescendingly by many fans as a moderate batsman who can bowl a bit, but his record deserves far more respect. he averages 2.8 wickets per Test, for heaven's sake! That is a really respectable figure - compare it with Phil Edmonds, 2.5; John Emburey, 2.3, Ashley Giles, 2.6; even Monty Panesar, with 3.3, is not far ahead. And Moeen’s wickets have come at a remarkable strike rate. Moeen Ali has the best Strike Rate of any post-war England spinner (58.6), ahead of Swann (60.1) and Laker (62.3) – extraordinary company after 33 Test innings, for someone not viewed as a specialist spinner.  

On paper, #1 v #6 in the ICC Test Championship should be a very one-sided contest. In practice, recent series have been very close, both home and away, with only the somewhat flattering 2-0 win in 2012 standing out. A drawn series should be no surprise. An England win against a side that most people agree is in decline, would be seen as being as inevitable in retrospect as a South African win in the series will be if that is the result. Can England hit the South African fault lines and fracture them? Will South Africa’s new ball attack punish England’s vulnerable top order? Having won just 1 of their last 4 series, England desperately need a win here. A look at the recent record of both sides is revealing: between them, their combined record is W1, D3, L6 in their last 10 Tests. While South Africa have made great play of the strength in depth of their attack, the fact that a very good A side, containing several recent members of the Test side, was beaten in well under three days by an innings and plenty tells its own story.

Gloucestershire Manage An Astonishing Turnaround And Still Get Upstaged

 

Gloucestershire Win the Hard Way… Again, But Still Get Upstaged

 

September 20^th 2015

 

There is a school of thought that believes that a low-scoring limited-overs match is far more thrilling than one where a side chases down 350. There is a lot to say for this point of view: when things are not loaded in favour of the bat, when the best field is not one that had four men in close catching positions in the second tier of the stands, when every ball is a drama – a dot, a scrambled leg bye, an edge to the boundary, a wicket – when scoring a run a ball looks like a mountain to climb, you get real heroes. Every player on the field knows that his intervention may be critical: a diving stop may save a vital run; a ball in the block hole will be defended and not thumped on the half volley to the boundary; and the batsman knows that his skill and nerve will be tested to the limit. Everyone has heard the maxim “his 50 was worth a century another day”; yesterday Geraint Jones, the oldest of the Gloucestershire trio of old hands, showed what it meant. It was a day for cool heads and pragmatic batting appreciating the value of hard-earned runs.

It was also a game that illustrated the plight of the unloved 50-over game in England and Wales. A Lord’s Final has not been a sell-out for many years. The Semi-Final at The Oval was, according to reports, watched by just a few hundred die-hards. For the Final, the Home of Cricket left one stand unopened and, when Michael Klinger fell, the ground was no more than two-thirds full. And this with a London side playing one of the counties that has the biggest contingent of travelling fans in the Final. The ECB has killed this competition as a spectator event.

Gloucestershire were very much the underdog, lost the Toss and their captain and talisman to only the third ball of the morning. You know that a 1030 start at Lord’s in September means that there is a real danger of being 30-3 from the first 10 overs. Gloucestershire are also a side that would much rather chase anyway. Everything seemed to say that this was just one game to many for a young side in which the sum is very much greater than the individual parts. As the side struggled, losing a wicket just as it seemed to be beginning to recover from the last. 100-3 promised a total around 270-280; 108-5 just two overs later threatened a quick finish. Surrey fans must have been licking their lips at the prospect of getting home early from the game. One says “Surrey fans” because there must have been some in the ground, but the noise and the singing seemed to be exclusively carried out in broad West-country accents.

Gloucestershire though have been in this position time and again in the competition and have won through. When Maxi Klinger fell early it was, in a way, the best possible thing that could happen to the side because it meant that there could be no jeering that the team was a one man band if they won. You knew, instinctively, that someone else would step up. As Gloucestershire tried to get up to around 240, GO Jones, still a very determined batsman in a crisis, held up an end while Jack Taylor attacked at the other.

Still there were twists, many twists. Seeing how hard it was to lift the scoring rate, you thought of Gloucestershire’s spinners and bowlers like Benny Howell and how hard they would make it to get the ball away. Benny Howell is the archetypal county pro: the thought of him playing international cricket is just absurd. He will not score big First Class centuries or intimidate batsmen, but put him in a limited-overs match situation and he will influence the game more often than not with a quick 30 when acceleration is required, or with a mean spell of 3-25 when needed, as batsmen try to take him on and come off second best. Bob Hunt up in the Radio Bristol commentary box with the former Gloucestershire seamer, Mike Smith, called it quickly when he said that that it would not be a day for a score of 300. There was a feeling that 240 would not be easy to chase and 270 a winning score.

The average English cricket fan regards Jade Dernbach with some derision. That sells him short. His England record is far better than he is usually given credit for. Dernbach lost his way in an England set-up that could not cope with the short formats and tried too many variations because he thought that he had to, rather than doing what he does best – bowl straight at a good clip – and use the variations only occasionally for surprise effect. Having got rid of both openers, he cut the innings short with four wickets including a hat-trick. Admittedly it was a rum hat-trick with the unfortunate David Payne ducking a beamer that followed him and receiving a painful blow in the ribs, only to be given out LBW despite the ball going well down leg. Figures of 6-35 in a Lord’s Final show why the selectors persisted with him for so long.

A score of 220 was disappointing, but not a complete disaster. If Surrey got the sort of start that Jason Roy is capable of giving, the match could be almost over in 10 overs, but a couple of early wickets could lead to a slow strangle. It is the sort of situation where James Fuller’s biorhythms are key: no bowler had more dot balls in the T20, nor more overs that went for 20+. Fuller though showed why he could, one day, interest the England selectors. He is fast. He can be nasty. And when the mood takes him he is a very dangerous bowler in limited-overs cricket. And he removed both openers. At 42-2 from 12 overs the contest was open, but Surrey remained just in front. Even though the over comparison showed Gloucestershire ahead most of the time, Surrey were consistently well ahead on Duckworth-Lewis. While you felt that Gloucestershire always had a wicket too many down, Surrey always seemed to be a wicket to the good.

However, Sangakkara and Burns were struggling to score. The middle overs were applying the strangle, but then, scoring at even 3 an over was not really an issue provided that wickets did not fall. At 143-2 even the most optimistic of Gloucestershire fans was just beginning to doubt, but you knew that a wicket would change everything. Sub Will Tavaré came on and held a vital catch that Sangakkara offered from Jack Tayor and the crowd was singing louder than ever: they knew that, suddenly, whatever the Sky predictor said, the match had changed. When, soon after, Rory Burns danced out, swung, missed and Roderick did the necessary, it looked as if the pressure had got to hm. Two new batsmen at the crease, the run rate required edging up towards a run a ball, each dot ball a tightening of the noose.

Gary Wilson fell cheaply, but still Surrey were at least one wicket to the good. Then Azhar Mahmood and Tom Curran fell quickly. 192-7. 27 balls left. 29 to get. For the first time you knew that Gloucestershire were going to win unless someone in the Surrey side was heroic. Even then Surrey should, by all logic, have won: 7 needed from 7 balls, three wickets left – you would back the side batting 99 times out of 100. James Burke is a little lazy going for a tight run. Misfield by Phil Dent. Gareth Roderick stretches. No dive. All gifts gratefully… but still, six balls to go, two wickets left, a set batsman on strike. It only takes an edge to Third Man to settle it. Sam Curran goes for glory and the ball drops down Benny Howell’s throat. The batsmen have crossed. Gareth Barry averages 20.6 with the bat in Tests and 24 in First Class cricket. He only needs to get bat on ball and run, but he too panics and tries to win it with one shot. Ball in the air straight to Jack Taylor on the mid-wicket boundary and, despite having the stand-out performances of the match with bat and ball, Surrey have self-destructed to a barely believable defeat as the crowd sings “Gloucestershire-la-la-la” at the top of its lungs, as it did in the great years of the 1970s.

How on earth did that happen?

Some people have tried to dismiss it as an undeserved, freak win, but it is happening too often to Gloucestershire for that. Calm captaincy, tight bowling under pressure and an ability to eke out runs from the tail have been the keys, with a team short of stars all supporting each other. Maybe it is just a one-off but it could not have been a better send-off for such an under-rated player as GO Jones who answered Gloucestershire’s SOS in 2014. And it is reward for Maxi Klinger who was on the point of not coming back in 2015 because he felt that Gloucestershire were not progressing as he had hoped, but who had enough faith to make the longest commute to work in the world to help out his adopted team.

Now, the task for Gloucestershire is to push on from here next season.

Even then, the news was not of Gloucestershire because, not far away on the South Coast, something utterly stunning was happening on a rugby field and, within a couple of hours Gloucestershire’s amazing win had been totally upstaged by Japan's rugby team.

That’s Life!!

Up For The Cup - Can Gloucestershire Finally Come Good?

 

Up for the Cup

 

September 19^th 2015

 

When I was a kid back in the 1970s the Gillette, or NatWest Cup Final were the highlight of the year. Crowds were large and noisy. Matches were televised on the BBC. And everyone wanted a trip to Lord’s at the end of the season but, if your side got there, tickets were like gold dust – it was always a sell-out. While the County Championship was the competition that carried the most prestige, winning at Lord’s in the big Final was probably what most players most desired.

It is easy to see why the competition was so popular: it was a pure knock-out – you only got one chance and, unlike its modern version, could not win the competition if you lost any match – it was not seeded and there was the romance of knowing that an upset could happen. While normally First Class county against Minor County produced a ritual slaughter (Alvin Kallicharran finished one such game with a double century and 6-32), sometimes the unthinkable would happen. In 1973 Durham beat Yorkshire and, although upsets were infrequent, ten Minor Counties won matches against First Class opposition up to the end of the knock-out tournament in 2005. When the competition was expanded to County Board teams, in theory any club player had the opportunity to be selected for his County Board XI and perhaps play against Middlesex at Lord’s, or against Yorkshire at Headingley. Even more attractive was a local derby: First Class County v its County Board – professionals v recreational cricketers, with the chance for the weekend cricketers to beat their heroes.

There was another Cup competition, the B&H, with its early season regional league and Final in July, but it was always the consolation prize – yes, it was nice to win, but it was not a patch on winning in September.

The Cup created heroes. David Hughes pummelling the unfortunate John Mortimore in the darkness at Old Trafford to win one of the greatest ever one-day matches. Geoff Boycott hammering 146 against Surrey in 1965, which was to remain a record score in a Final for many years (Yorkshire ran up the unheard of total of 317 that day). Brian Rose and Derek Taylor combining to make a run out from the last ball of the 1977 Semi-Final, allowing Somerset to win on fewer wickets lost with the scores tied at 287.

Lancashire and Kent were the sides to beat in the ‘70s. Lancashire were one of the greatest ever one-day sides, but Kent were not far behind. And always there or thereabouts were a Gloucestershire side led by the greatest all-rounder ever… Mike Proctor. Gloucestershire have frequently fallen on hard times since but, for several years with Proctor, Zaheer, Andy Stovold and a host of lesser names in their pomp, Gloucestershire were a power in the land, just missing out on the 1977 County Championship, winning the Gillette Cup in 1973 and the B&H in 1977 and three times being beaten semi-Finalists in one or other (1971, 1972 and 1975). Time and again, Gloucestershire seemed to come up against Lancashire and, when it was not Lancashire, it was Kent blocking the way to the Final, but they were always fantastic games.

Since then, with the exception of 1999-2004 when Gloucestershire won an astonishing eight titles with a side without stars that had hit on a winning formula thanks to John Bracewell and captain Mark Alleyne, times have been hard. The team almost went under in 2011 when, after a narrowly failed bid for promotion to Division 1, the team lost almost all its stars in a desperate cost-cutting exercise. For the next three years Gloucestershire lived hand-to-mouth, with a minimum playing staff and relying on amateurs to be able to field a 2^nd XI. The core of a decent side though was built up, despite the regular loss of rising stars as there was simply no money to keep them, with some young players and a small nucleus of seasoned pros. In hindsight, the left-field signing of Maxi Klinger was a masterstroke: after an uncertain beginning he has brought the side on and there have been constant signs of halting progress. Finally, in 2015 though, things have started to look up properly: five matches won in Division 2, with the team in a cluster of sides fighting for 3^rd place; just missed out on the last evening on the T20 Quarter-Finals but, with the jewel in the crown of a deserved One Day Cup trip to Lord’s.

Gloucestershire have got through on merit, completing a difficult chase to beat Hampshire in the Quarter Final, followed up by beating Yorkshire against all the odds at Headingley in the Semi Final. 87 and 137* from Klinger make both wins look like one man shows, but that sells the side short: in the Quarter Final Gloucestershire needed 55 from 33 balls with 5 wickets down and a long tail; in the Semi-Final, Yorkshire were 50-0 from 7.1 overs and looking set for a huge total, but they were reeled in by a superb collective bowling effort led by the unsung Benny Howell.

Benny Howell plays the role that James Averis played in the Gloucestershire cup-winning sides of 1999-2004, with accurate seam bowling at a gentle medium pace that allows batsmen few liberties and the addition of runs in the middle order to boot. He is the epitome of this Gloucestershire side: he is unheralded, looks innocuous, will never play for England, but it is amazing how important he is to a team effort and how often he makes a vital contribution.

The Final looks similarly one-sided to the Semi-Final. Surrey can boast a hatful of international caps in Jason Roy, Jade Dernbach, Kumar Sangakkara, Gareth Batty and Steve Davies. Gloucestershire have Klinger and the two old-stagers with international experience, Hamish Marshall and GO Jones; apart from them, the side is as green as the Lord’s turf. All logic says that Surrey must win, but they would underestimate Gloucestershire at their peril.

When the subject of the structure of the First Class game is discussed, the existence of Gloucestershire is often called into question. If sides are to disappear, they are usually one of the first to be mentioned: “they do not produce England players and never win anything” is the argument. Winning a Lord’s Final will, hopefully, finally earn them some grudging respect and help set them up for a tilt at promotion in 2016.

This will be GO Jones’s last match but one before retirement. All of Gloucestershire and, probably, many fans around the country will hope that he finally wins a trophy. And few will begrudge him success.

Now, let us hope that the match is not decided by the Toss.

A Roll Of The Dice

 

Rolling The Dice

 

September 18^th 2015

 

Mid-September and barring an “if” and a “but” all is settled in the Championship, which may be why the focus have been even more sharply on the first England squad of the winter – although there is just a very brief break before the first 2-day tour match starts on October 5^th.

There was also the very low-key announcement that the Championship will stay at 16 games next season, leading to a celebration that fan power has won. However, as the key element of the change is to implement a switch to 8 teams in Division 1 and 10 in Division 2, which requires 2 down/1 up, that could only be done in 2016 anyway, for a 2017 change. Meanwhile, significantly, more and more counties have come out publically against the reduction in the Championship and other avenues for change are being explored. If change is to be in the form of a greatly modified One Day Cup, with the Championship untouched, not too many people will be unhappy with the outcome of the debate.

Late season performances are anything but irrelevant. Quite apart from the mundane issue of contracts (Buggins of Relegationshire may just save his career with the county, despite an average of 15 with the bat, if he can boost it with a couple of tons in the last two games). A 150, scored two days before the selectors meet to pick the winter touring parties catches the eye far more easily than 600 runs in May. And there is the not inconsiderable matter that two, late wins can lead to a side passing from being relegation-threatened to winning prize money

After several cracking late seasons, 2015 is a bit of a damp squib. Rain has taken its toll in the penultimate round of games. Some play was possible in all games, although Gloucestershire and Kent managed barely an hour of play before the last two days were washed-out. At face value it looked as if only the games at Chester-le-Street and at Manchester (amazingly almost untouched by rain) might possibly produce a result, but even the game at Chester-le-Street looked to have “draw” written all over it. Strange things can happen though at this time of season. Worcestershire decided to take a desperate gamble against a Durham side in free fall, setting a modest target to give themselves extra overs to take ten wickets. What was less expected was that the much-weakened Yorkshire would set up a finish against Hampshire by declaring overnight at 97-4 in return for a Hampshire forfeit to leave themselves a tricky target that rapidly became mountainous with three quick wickets.

What Sussex and Somerset made of this at Hove is anyone’s guess. Both knew that a high-scoring draw would see both all but safe barring wins for the bottom two. When Sussex recovered from 171-6 to reach 400 comfortably and claim maximum points, nothing seemed more certain than that the favour would be returned: 13 points each, thanks very much and see you next season. In the end, Sussex only claimed 11 points because an exhausted Marcus Trescothick declared early with the batting points in the bank and 210* to his personal account; it at least avoided the suspicion that Somerset might suffer a strange batting collapse once they crossed 400. Maybe the news that Yorkshire and, more surprisingly, Durham had recovered to cruise to their targets calmed the nerves and also ended any lingering possibility that Durham might be sweating on the last afternoon of the season. The upshot is that Worcestershire – cricket’s equivalent of the yo-yo – are relegated… again and that Hampshire are all but down: they need a 15 points swing with Sussex and a 17 point swing with Somerset to stay up. In other words, they must beat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, take maximum batting and bowling points and hope that both Somerset and Sussex lose and, even then, 7 bonus points would see Somerset safe[1] (2 bonus points in a rain-soaked draw would also save Somerset), but Sussex, needing 9 to be safe, can only lose and stay up if Hampshire win should Hampshire fail to get maximum bonus points. Either way, both teams know that they only need to equal Hampshire’s result to be safe; Hampshire have to better theirs and, even then, it might not be enough.

While there is a frequent complaint that Team England is a closed shop and that it is harder to get out of the side than into it, there is the parallel complaint that county form does not count for enough in selection. England face two, completely different problems this winter. First they play 3 Tests in the UAE where Pakistan whitewashed them last time. Then four Tests in South Africa starting in December. Spin is expected to dominate in the former. Pace will dominate in the latter. In the UAE England will look to have the option to play three front-line spinners. In South Africa even one spinner may not get many overs with a pace-loaded attack. In South Africa England will look to play a side very similar to that which beat Australia this summer. In the UAE that tactic would almost certainly be suicidal. At the same time, remembering the last tour, England will want to play three seamers.

The only way to have your cake and eat it is to play all-rounders. Thus England have taken the pragmatic step of picking three spinners who can bat. Adam Lyth blew his chance of a reprieve by following 25 & 14 v Middlesex with 0 & 12 v Hampshire – he might have saved himself with runs in those two games to show that he was back in form – so a new opener was needed. England have covered both bases by picking Alex Hales and Zafir Ansari. The Ansari pick was widely predicted: it gives England the option of playing him as opener and third spinner. 771 runs @ 36.7 and 44 wickets @ 31, albeit in Division 2, are decent credentials. He also realised the importance of performing in September: 106 & 99 in his only two innings in the last two rounds and match figures of 5-99 v Derbyshire. With Moeen Ali bowling off breaks, Adil Rashid bowling leg spin and Zafir Ansari bowling slow left arm, England will have plenty of variety available.

With Ansari opening, England can easily play 3 seamers, 3 spinners and still bat down to #9. A potential order might be: Cook, Ansari, Bell, Taylor, Root, Bairstow, Stokes, Ali, Rashid, Broad, Anderson.

For South Africa, it would be a major shock if Zafir Ansari were to be required – he has been named in the Lions party, suggesting that he will be otherwise engaged – and promoting Moeen Ali, which is an alternative to Ansari opening, would be a move asking to fail. It is still possible that Nick Compton could be pressed back into service. Of all the openers tried since Andrew Strauss retired he has by far the best record and has experience at this level. He has also been one of the chief architects of the 2015 Middlesex miracle, grinding out tough runs in difficult conditions when the batting around him has crumbled. 1100 runs @ 40.7 may not look so great, but he has specialised in scoring 50s that were worth a century in better conditions. Compton has finished the season strongly with a match-winning 71 v Durham and a match-winning 149 v Yorkshire, this last in one of the greatest turnarounds in a match since 1981.

There have been suggestions that England have changed to a revolving door selection policy. There is a little of that in the opener situation, but much of that has been inevitable. Root, Carberry, Robson and Lyth were all given a decent run but failed to produce the goods, while Jonathon Trott was the only real error: he should never have been put in that position and Lyth should have played instead of him – who knows? Lyth might have found his feet and become a success. There is also a suggestion that Gary Ballance has been harshly treated, but he has struggled too for Yorkshire, almost half his runs came in just one innings and even then he averages just 32.5 (although that is more than Adam Lyth). Ballance will come again, but James Taylor simply demanded selection and Alex Hales has scored stacks of runs in Division 1 with some incredibly punishing innings. One suspects that Hales will not get his Test debut unless there is an injury, but the experience of being on tour will only do him good.

It is a pragmatic party, designed for the job in hand. Do not be fooled into thinking that the South Africa party will be the same. England want to win this series and erase the memory of 2012. A win will send them to the greater challenge of South Africa in great heart.

 

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[1] The tie-breakers are (1) Most wins, Hampshire would have an advantage over Somerset (4 against 3), but would be even with Sussex; (2) Fewest defeats, Hampshire would have the advantage against both with 6 on this scenario against 8 for Sussex (Somerset would have 7, but will already have lost on the first tie-breaker).

Amazing Matches Show What The Fans Will Be Missing When The County Championship Ends

 

The County Championship Throws Up Another Surprise

 

September 13^th 2015

 

As we reach mid-September, a significant fraction of the population realises that, soon, something very important will be missing from their life. The cricket season is ending and, with it, something that has filled our days for almost six months.

Today is the final international match of the season. An England side, unsurprisingly written-off my many in April – let’s face it, who in their right mind would have predicted that England would finish the season with an overall winning record in Tests and that it has every chance to finish with an unbeaten series record in all formats this summer?

On September 20^th, the surprise package of the season, Gloucestershire – a team that many fans think should disappear in a Championship with a reduced number of First Class counties – will take on a Surrey side that has persistently underachieved for years but which, finally, looks to be building a formidable side for an assault on the top flight, in the One Day Cup Final. While no longer the occasion that it was in the ‘70s and ‘80s, a Lord’s Final still means a lot to players and fans. More about that another day.

The County Championship though, is what most fans will miss. Sixty-four days of passion and emotions. This season has broken an extraordinary run of seasons where there has been incredible tension down to the last session of play. Yorkshire were crowned Champions and Surrey and Lancashire were promoted mathematically with two rounds to play. The main doubt is whether Lancashire, runaway leaders for most of the season, will go up as winners of Division 2 or Surrey, 54 points behind on June 16^th, will pip them.

A measure of what fans will be missing has been the extraordinary events of the last four days at Lord’s. Middlesex completed one of the great comeback wins of all time to send Yorkshire crashing to their first defeat of the season. That in itself would be remarkable, but Middlesex were 0-3 after just six deliveries and bowled out for 106, conceding a first innings lead of 193.  At 145-5 second time around, 48 behind, the match should have been over that night. Somehow though Middlesex put on 440 runs for the last five wickets and knocked the stuffing out of the Champions, who capitulated tamely on the final afternoon, with a noisy crowd cheering and singing all the way.

As Middlesex were fighting back as similar story was being told at Trent Bridge, as Nottinghamshire came back from a deficit of 168 to beat Durham and Hampshire produced an extraordinary escape to come back from 390 behind on first innings and keep their survival hopes alive with a draw at Taunton. Try telling the players in these three, extraordinary matches, that the Championship does not matter and produces low-quality cricket. No other First Class Competition in the world is as tough, or as well supported.

Although the wooden spoon will mathematically become Leicestershire’s again in the next round of games, even they have won two matches and made real progress, to give their fans something to cheer.

The two issues that remain are the minor places in the Championship, although it will take something pretty amazing to stop Middlesex and Nottinghamshire being second and third respectively and Warwickshire to take fourth with its not-to-be-despised prize money. Poor Durham: runaway leaders, 29 points ahead of Warwickshire and 33 ahead of Yorkshire on June 18^th, they have taken just 37 points from their next 7 games, losing six of them and look set to finish out of the money. Indeed, Durham look set to finish only just above the relegation zone.

Only wins in their last two games can save Worcestershire and not just wins: it is quite possible that even two, twenty point wins will not be enough; hope for them comes from the fact that they play free-falling Durham on Monday, although at Chester-le-Street where batting points are grudgingly won. Hampshire too, need at least one good win and a high-scoring draw and even then will depend on Somerset or Sussex to finish badly in their last two games. Given though that they play each other starting Monday and could all but see themselves safe with a high-scoring draw, it will be interesting to see what pitch is served up at Hove.

It is not yet impossible that we may be served-up more last evening of the season drama like last season when Lancashire, needing a win to survive and send Middlesex down instead, backed Middlesex up against the wall, only to be denied in extremis by Chris Rogers.

Ah, Middlesex!!! Who, seeing their desperate plunge down the table last season from early pace-setters to a desperate last afternoon struggle for survival, would imagine that they would be Yorkshire’s closest challengers? Not for nothing were they many people’s tip to be relegated, as the Middlesex fans are reminding everyone with some relish. And they have done it the hard way.

Looking at the bare details, seven wins and only one defeat (to Champions, Yorkshire) looks pretty good, but then look how those wins have been achieved:

·         Only 5 times in 15 matches have Middlesex taken a first innings lead.

·         Middlesex’s average first innings score is under 250 – they have thrown away around 25-30 batting points.

·         In 7 of 9 completed innings, Middlesex have scored more runs in the second innings than in the first.

Middlesex’s success in 2015 has come on the basis of a stuttering batting line-up, far too dependent on tail-end runs from the likes of James Harris and Toby Roland-Jones. Seemingly all season it has been getting into a hole and then counter-punching, often through an 8^th or 9^th wicket stand, to recover a desperate situation after a top-order failure.

Whereas Yorkshire can boast eight batsmen who average over 40 and five more who average over 30, Middlesex have just three averaging over 40 and three more averaging over 30.

Five bowlers for Yorkshire have taken at least 25 wickets, while only four of the Middlesex attack have done so, yet Middlesex are finding ways somehow to win games, helped by the extraordinary figures of James Harris (69 wickets @ 24.6 and 455 runs @ 25.3, including 3x50) who needs 45 runs in his final game of the season to reach the modern all-rounder’s double of 500 runs and 50 wickets in the Championship.

Despite a huge number of Test calls that have robbed them of half their side at times, Yorkshire have been able to dig into a seeming bottomless array of talent and reserves and are deservedly Champions. No one would argue that they have been far and away the class side of the year yet, for all their problems (struggling openers, a shaky middle order and the lack of an attacking spinner), Middlesex though have got closer than anyone could ever imagine. After years of underachievement, could it be that Middlesex will get it right finally in 2016? Middlesex, being Middlesex, their supporters will know to expect the unexpected from their side: maybe 2016 Champions, maybe relegated.

 

The tens of thousands of passionate supporters of the County Championship will count the months until more thrills and spills start again next April. However, with the uncertainty about the future form of the Championship, 2015 may be the last one in which we see it in its present form.