County Championship
Round 7
Gloucestershire v Leicestershire
Preview
Halfway point of the season and a game that, looking at the fixture
list, Gloucestershire would have seen as one that they would expect to win.
With games running out, a run of two or three wins is needed sooner rather than
later. Of course, with the strange goings-on involving Jupiter Pluvius and Gloucestershire’s
consequent remarkable drought-breaking abilities, opportunities to win games
have been scarce. However, so few have been the positive results in the whole
Division that two wins would lift the Shire into the top three.
The Gloucestershire injury crisis has almost matched the Gloucestershire
rain crisis in Biblical plague proportions. The latest blow is the loss of the
New Ball enforcer – Marchant de Lange – out for the rest of the season. David
Payne is still feeling his way back to fitness in the Blast, but Graeme van
Buuren, Chris Dent, Tom Price and Ajeet Dale are all back. The most interesting
decision may be the potential fight between Joe Phillips (promoted from the 2nd
XI) and loan signing from Lancashire, Danny Lamb, for a place in the final XI.
Day 1
In the end, Danny Lamb got the final place, his all-round abilities earning
him the nod. It meant the Shire going into the game with four seamers plus Zafar.
Even though a non-specialist bat would be playing at #7, the tail has a more
solid look, with 7, 8 and 9 all capable batsmen.
GvB won the Toss and decided to bat. For about forty minutes all went well:
Chris Dent and Ben Charlesworth batted capably and reached 38-0. While Chris
Wright was treated with the utmost respect, Chris Dent took a liking to Josh
Hull, crashing his first two overs for five boundaries, with his second over
going for 18 runs. Down came the rain and off went the players for three hours.
Another session and a half of play lost. Unfortunately, the rain allowed Chris
Wright to bowl twelve overs off the reel and, not long after Ben Charlesworth,
who has shaped-up superbly as a stand-in for Marcus Harris, brought up the 50
with yet another boundary off Josh Hull, Wright pinned Dent LBW with a fine
delivery. 55-1. Dent out for 29 and still averaging just 26 this season.
Ben Charlesworth clipped Scriven straight to the fielder behind leg who
had been placed there specifically for the shot: 78-2, Charlesworth 21. Then
Miles Hammond got a ball from Callum Parkinson that turned a long way past his
defensive bat: 83-3 and a duck for Hammond. The decision to bat first was beginning
to look more debatable.
In the end, GvB and Ollie Price steadied the ship and took the side
through to the Close at 108-3. Just 36 overs bowled. The equivalent of two full
sessions lost.
Day 2
With Ollie Price and GvB batting confidently
at the Close, hopes of a big total rested with them staying there for a good
while. What no one needed was for the Captain to edge the first ball of the day
to the ‘keeper. Chris Wright was now on figures of 12.1-6-17-2, while his
captain must have wished that Wright could bowl at both ends. As he could not, Ollie
Price continued to punish the erratic Josh Hull, but neither could he bat at
both ends. Wright got a ball through James Bracey, who looked dead in the water
when it hit his pad: 118-5, Bracey out for 1 and Wright now on the remarkable
figures of 15-7-19-3.
You could be forgiven a sinking feeling of “here
we go again”. What happened afterwards was, first an apparent demonstration that
the fatalists among the supporters had it right – several rain delays and a subsidence
– followed by a quite extraordinary recovery that left the fans blinking with
disbelief.
Ollie Price hit Josh Hull out of the attack
again and, when Callum Parkinson came back, took nine from the over, bringing
up up the 150. With Tom Price, now described as an all-rounder, batting
confidently, the fifty partnership between the brothers was approaching at 4-an-over
when Sciven had Tom Price caught for 20: 168-6 and hopes of a batting point
receding.
Zafar is though a very useful #8 and with
Ollie Price batting aggressively and beautifully, the two brought up the 50
partnership, Zafar playing an unaccustomed anchor role. Ollie was past his
First Class best and looking odds-on for a deserved century when he,
unexpectedly, edged Hull through to the ‘keeper and departed for 85. Zafar
departed soon afterwards, just before the New Ball was due and, at 222-8, Leicestershire
must have expected to be batting soon, chasing a very under par first innings score.
Twenty-eight runs for the batting point. Maybe
a prayer would help.
The New Ball thrust came and went. Ajeet
Dale, who has developed so much this season and shown that he could even become
a useful batsman, took Scriven who was pressed into service with the New Ball,
for ten in his first over. Back came Josh Hull and, after a first over to Ajeet
Dale that was a near maiden of boundaries (just the one), Danny Lamb took him
for 14 in his second over that included an edged six over the Slips to bring up
the 250 and a batting point.
Initially, the stand grew slowly, and the
target became more ambitious: maybe these two could get a second batting point?
The batsmen grew in confidence. Twelve runs from a Rehan over, including a
thumped six from Danny Lamb, took the score to 298. Leicestershire were
beginning to look a little shell-shocked, but worse was to follow for them.
The 300 and second batting point came up in
the 99th over. With eleven overs left for bonus points,
Gloucestershire needed 50 for their third batting point, Leicestershire needed
a wicket for their third bowling point. Runs started to flow freely and, with
just four overs left for bonus points, it looked far more likely that Gloucestershire
would get their third than would Leicestershire. If you had suggested that at
222-8, people would just have looked at you pityingly.
Lamb’s 50 had come up with another six off
Callum Parkinson. He then brought up the hundred partnership with a boundary
and a single. Extraordinary stuff to watch.
Ajeet Dale was into the 40s when Danny Lamb
went for one shot to many and fell for a superb 70 (5x4, 3x6). Zaman Akhter has
no real pretensions as a batsman but creamed his first ball from Josh Hull for
a boundary, giving Ajeet Dale confidence that his partner would hang around to
see him to his own 50. A boundary to Dale brought up the 350 and third batting point
with eight balls to spare.
With the Close approaching, the weather
threatening (some huge rolls of thunder could be heard) and the likelihood of a
declaration if Ajeet Dale got his maiden fifty, all eyes were on the balcony. Finally,
he reached the landmark with a two off Rehan (90 balls, 6x4) and the whole
balcony gave him a standing ovation. Finally, knowing that the declaration
would come at the end of the 113th over, he charged down the pitch
to Callum Parkinson, missed completed and was stumped by miles.
368ao. A tale of the unexpected. The last two
wickets added 146 runs.
Leicestershire had five overs to face. A
wicket would have made a perfect ending to the day but, to be honest, the New
Ball spell from Tom Price and Ajeet Dale was not threatening. 23-0 at the Close.
With the occasional ball keeping low or doing
a lot for the seamers, Gloucestershire should have a chance of building a very
strong position on Day 3 but, the Shire’s biggest enemy may be losing yet more
time. The first task will be to use the New Ball better in the morning.
Day 3
Another odd day at Bristol, but now we are
getting used to such things. No intervention from Jupiter Pluvius, but still a
ten-minute delay in mid-afternoon due to a fire alarm, which came just as a
wicket fell, leading to some confusion as to whether the ball was still live
when the catch was executed (it was). Then, the oddest of odd dismissals, as a
stand that was threatening to put Leicestershire right on top, was ended when
Louis Kimber edged the ball into the ground and tried to catch the rebound. The
players, who knew the law appealed. The commentator, who has done Level 1 and
Level 2 umpiring courses, called the wicket. The umpires conferred. And very,
very reluctantly, Kimber walked.
In the end, though, it is hard to see any
other result than a pretty tedious draw.
However, be didn’t know all this at 11am. Nor
could we guess that two very young players would be the heroes of the day with
the ball.
Gloucestershire’s task was to take wickets
with the New Ball, dismiss Leicestershire in about two sessions and set out to
increase the lead as much as possible by the Close. Leicestershire would have harboured
thoughts of batting all day and having a go on the fourth morning to score
quick runs, looking for a lead of 100-150. Any other outcome to the day looked
an assured route to a draw. Given that the pitch showed every sign of getting
slower and more friendly and that the overhead conditions were also batsman
friendly, you wondered where 30 wickets might come from in just six sessions of
play.
A quiet start – a maiden from Ajeet Dale – gave
no warning of what was to come. After five runs from the first three overs,
Rishi Patel launched into Tom Price and the still new ball with a four and a
six and then a brace of boundaries off Ajeet Dale. Three boundaries from
another Dale over as Sol Budinger took his cue from Patel. Leicestershire
racing along. 66-0 from 13 overs and a problem for Graeme van Buuren.
On came Danny Lamb and the boundaries kept
coming. GvB made it a double change by calling-up Zaman Akhter who, seeing how
the ball was sailing to all parts, was probably not trying to catch the captain’s
eye. New guard for Sol Budinger. Ball well outside off that kept low. Wild
slash from the batsman and James Bracey pocketed an edge that barely carried. A
wicket first ball and a wicket maiden. With Danny Lamb offering no threat, GvB
was only going to do one thing: toss the ball to Zafar. Rishi Patel had his 50
and was looking dangerous. Two immaculate forward defensives and then a ball
launched far over the bowler’s head for six. Poor Zafar must have wondered if
Monday in Multan might be better than Monday in Bristol if all the pitches were
going to be like this.
Fortunately, Zaman Akhtar was bowling like a
demon at the other end and showing that there was reward for a bowler with
extra pace who was willing to put his back into it. First ball of his fourth
over. Regulation edge from Patel and Ollie Price took a good, low catch at
Second Slip. 85-2 and, if one or two could be nipped out before Lunch, Gloucestershire
could eat with real cheer. Akhtar came off with figures of 5-3-5-2 and reality
hit home again. By Lunch, it was obvious that a day of hard graft beckoned.
When they came back out, Lewis Hill and Colin
Ackermann added 66. Ball outside off from Akhtar. Wild slash from Ackermann and
an easy catch at First Slip for Ben Charlesworth. 151-3… or was it? A fire alarm
had gone off in the pavilion. Play was halted and the scoreboard did not show
the wicket. Had the ball been dead when edged? No. The alarm went off some
seconds later and, it seems, the scoreboard operator was distracted by the
whooping and the public address advising “this is an emergency” and was being
evacuated. Eventually the scoreboard caught up with events on the field of play.
Fortunately, although Zaman Akhtar was on fire on the pitch, Ed Seabourne and
the BBC commentary team were not on fire in the Pavilion. A short delay and another
partnership when play resumed. This time Handscomb with Lewis Hill. GvB turned
to Ollie Price, his seventh bowler, in tandem with Zafar. The game was appearing
to drift.
Ollie Price, as he showed even in his debut match,
a couple of seasons back, has a nice action, is tall and, even though he is
learning his trade, looks like a potential batting all-rounder. Handscomb
played a crabbed shot to one that came in a little, missed and the ball hit
off. Ollie Price was delighted. His captain was delighted. 193-4. Would that be
the breakthrough?
In came Louis Kimber and another 50
partnership built. There was a growing sense of wondering where another wicket
would come from. 233-4 at Tea and the alarming prospect of a significant
Leicestershire lead.
Of course, if it was not Zaman Akhtar
bowling, it had to be Ollie Price when something happened. New Ball
approaching. Men around the bat for Zafar. Nothing doing. The turn was so slow
that unless he pitched it on a sixpence there was not threat. A bit of a
distraction as Ollie Price moved his field around mid-over. Chris Dent pulled
over to the leg side, creating a tempting gap in the Covers. Then an innocuous
delivery, save that his height got a bit of extra bounce. Kimber played the
ball into the pitch at his feet and, as if fearing that it would bounce back
onto his stumps – it was not going to – he went to catch the ball and then, realising
what he was doing, dropped it quickly. Dan Whiting was quick to point out that it
had to be out. Ollie Price asked the question and, under the change in the law,
the umpires gave it as “Obstructing the field” (handled ball no longer exists).
It was the oddest of brain-fades.
In came Rehan Ahmed. Along came the New Ball
and, again, the scoring accelerated and yet another fifty partnership came in
under ten overs and, with it, the 300. 87 overs gone. The real threat of
finishing with just a single bowling point as Lewis Hill completed a patient
century from 205 balls. The ball was tossed to Zaman Akhter who produced a
brute of a first delivery that Ahmed could only fend to Ollie Price at Second
Slip, who took it diving forward. 309-6.
Lewis Hill started to farm the strike and was
the key to a decent Leicestershire lead. There was even the option, with 17
overs left for bonus points and 74 needed, for Hill to start to hit out and
chase 400 and the fourth batting point. Ollie Price came back with a still hard
and quite new ball. Second delivery, he tossed one up and Lewis Hill, who had
been taking his bottom hand off the bat when driving, as if in pain, did it
again and patted the ball gently, lobbing it back to the bowler to depart for
103. 326-7.
For the first time in the day, the bowlers
were on top. Chris Wright lasted just five deliveries before a delighted Zafar got
him stone dead, sweeping. Zafar had bowled well on a benign surface for no
reward at all. 327-8. An unexpected Gloucestershire lead looking almost certain
and, as the batsmen trudged off, Ben Charlesworth stood at the crease and rehearsed
batting against the New Ball knowing that he might be facing it in just a few
minutes. That was professionalism.
Callum Parkinson came in. Zafar turned one
sharply past his bat and, a couple of balls later, completed a wicket maiden by
catching the edge and watching Ollie Price – who else? – take an easy catch. That
was 333-9. Full bowling points for the Shire. Leicestershire still short of
their third batting point. Forty minutes earlier, you would have got decent odds
on the fourth batting point for the latter and just two bowling points for the
former.
The score crept up as Scriven took what runs
were available. Zaman Akhtar was tiring visibly. Back came Ollie Price. A
misdirected ball down leg that also turned brought up four byes and the 350. Final
ball of his over he delivered a shortish ball that turned a little and kept
low. Scriven swept, missed, and was given LBW and Ollie ended with 3-40.
With just three overs until the Close the order
of the day was not to lose a wicket. Seven of the nine runs came as extras. No
real alarms.
Gloucestershire 27 ahead and a draw looking almost certain unless there is some really awful batting tomorrow.
Day 4
What did I say about awful batting bringing a
result? When you are 136-2, 154 ahead, five minutes before Lunch, you should not
be bowled out for 202 and lose by a comfortable margin. It was pretty sobering
viewing.
It will be Division 2 cricket at Bristol in
2024 and the main task in the second half of the season will be to avoid the
wooden spoon.
94 overs to play because two would be lost
for change of innings unless Gloucestershire batted all day. Scores almost at
parity. And speculation that there could be some declaration bowling for maybe ten
overs and a chase of 260-280 in about 55 overs. On the negative side, there has
been variable bounce and forcing batting had not been easy at any time so far,
which is not ideal for a chase.
Either way, there were few signs of aggressivity
in the first twenty minutes, as the score advanced thanks mainly to No Balls. Callum
Parkinson then turned a ball prodigiously from very wide of off and, as if
disconcerted, Ben Charlesworth edged the next ball, giving Slip a very sharp
catch. 23-1.
Chris Dent has not been in sparkling form
this season but showed the first signs of aggression with a brace of boundaries
off Chris Wright, both driven hard through the Covers. Ollie Price then flashed
hard at Callum Parkinson and took a pair of boundaries in the over. Josh Hull replaced
Wright and Dent creamed his first and third deliveries (both buffet balls) through
Point for boundaries. Six fours in eleven balls and, suddenly the batsmen were
flying. Josh Hull then gave him a yorker that appeared to be doing down leg.
Dent missed and was given, LBW. 48-2 and, Chris Dent, probably very unlucky.
It should have been 48-3. Miles Hammond, possibly
seeing the turn and wanting to negate it, gave Parkinson the charge and missed.
Handscomb gathered cleanly, tried to take off the bails and missed. Hammond was
still flailing to get back as Handscomb tried again and missed the stumps a
second time. Miles Hammond survived… somehow. Odd things were starting to happen.
Josh Hull dropped one ball very short down leg that barely lifted and bounced
twice on its way down the pitch. Then a ball on the stumps from Parkinson turned
viciously, lifted, and went through where Second Slip would have been for four
byes. A second delivery in the same over also showed huge turn. One wondered
what Zafar was thinking watching this having laboured so hard with so little
encouragement. Could he get the chance later in the day of applying some real
pressure and inducing a collapse?
With 75 overs to go, the lead was 110. Even
though the run-rate was approaching 4-an-over, there was no real sign of a dash
for runs and the whole time/runs equation was getting increasingly unfavourable
for a realistic declaration. Even so, when bad balls came (and to be honest,
Hull and Scriven offered plenty of them), they were hit… if they could be reached
(often enough, they could not be). Miles Hammond hammered Scriven high and
handsome back over his head for six and followed up with a more conventional
boundary: 14 off the over; was this the start of a push?
The appearance of trick shots such as the
reverse sweep suggested that the batsmen were going to give it a try. Miles
Hammond raced past Ollie Price, who was becalmed in the low 30s. just as he
looked set to get another nice 50, he played across the line to the less than lethal
spin of Hylton Ackermann and was bowled for 48. 132-3 and a blow to
Gloucestershire’s chances of a quick post-Lunch dash.
Lunch was taken at 136-3. The lead 154. 65
overs to come. Would 270 in 50 overs be realistic? Even so, bowling out a side
in just 50 overs looked unlikely on a still largely benign surface.
The path to a declaration got even narrower
straight after Lunch when Ollie Price fell too, moving way outside off to
paddle-sweep Parkinson straight into the hands of the man behind Square. 144-4.
In came James Bracey, in need of runs, in a situation where he had to attack at
once. He lasted seven balls, going for a sweep and popping a gentle top edge
into the gloves of the ‘keeper. 154-5, the lead 172 and overs running out.
Realistically, at 157-5, with 60 overs left
and the lead 175, Gloucestershire need to add at least 90 in 10 overs to be
able to declare. The other possibility was that Leicestershire could have
thoughts of bowling the Shire out and, when Graeme van Buuren cut a wide ball
from Chris Wright straight into the hands of the waiting fielder, that became a
real possibility: 162-6, the lead 180 and 58 overs to go.
Did no one see the danger?
When surely the only sensible move was to
shut up shop, the scramble for quick runs was kept up and the slide continued.
Zafar chased a wide one from Wright and edged to the ‘keeper. In came Danny
Lamb and got a superb leg-cutter, second ball. 170-8. Five wickets had fallen
for 26 and the overs/runs equation was getting very favourable for a chase. The
money was inclining ever more rapidly towards a Leicestershire win.
Ajeet Dale then lobbed a catch to give Chris
Wright a fourth wicket. 132-2 had become 176-9. Regular drinks were coming out
to Tom Price, presumably with instructions. Would he be told to block for as
long as possible? Thirteen came from a Chris Wright over, which did not look
like safety first. It also pushed the required run-rate in any chase over 4.
220 to chase from 50 overs? It could be interesting, but only if the bowling
were very tight. The 200 came up and the 220 lead before Tom Price swiped one
straight down Long On’s throat.
So, 221 the target. 47 overs to go. 4.70 the
run-rate required. You would think that the chasing side would fancy their
chances.
There was time for eight overs before Tea. Even
after a maiden first over and slowing for the last two before the break, the
batsmen were scoring at better than a run-a-ball and looking set to win with plenty
to spare. The odd delivery from Zafar, who took the New Ball, turned prodigiously,
but runs came disconcertingly fast. The bowling looked dispirited by the sudden
turnaround in fortunes and the fielding quickly got ragged after Tea.
Luck was not running the way of the Shire.
Zafar had had one massive appeal for LBW rejected to a ball the turned square. Then,
to just the third ball after Tea Sol Budinger appeared to turn a ball to Ben
Charlesworth, very close at Short Forward Square Leg. Charlesworth dived, took
a brilliant catch. Budinger stayed his ground and got the benefit of the doubt.
The slow motion replay suggested that maybe the ball
just beat the inside edge and ballooned off the pad.
Briefly, in the final session, Zaman Akhter brought
some hope. In consecutive overs he got rid of both openers. His first ball was
cut through Point for a boundary. To his fifth delivery Patel pulled, got too
much elevation and the ball was taken by Danny Lamb. 53-1. To his second
delivery of his next over Sol Budinger played a similar shot with an identical
result. 56-2.
Another quick wicket and Leicestershire might
have wobbled. It almost came from the final ball of the over when Ahmed tried
very hard to get an edge to James Bracey from a wide ball that moved further
away. A couple of tight overs and more gifts. A loose delivery down leg went
for five wides – the umpires were very strict on anything down leg from the
spinners – and, in his next over, another well down leg evaded James Bracey and
went for two more wides. The pressure that the wickets had brought was
vanishing. The hundred came up in the 21st over with an Ahmed six
straight back over Zafar’s head. Between Over 21 and Over 33, there were just
two overs with no boundaries. Ahmed and Ackermann were scoring at will. GvB
tried himself, brought on Danny Lamb: nothing inconvenienced the batsmen.
With just 24 wanted, 8 wickets in hand and
plenty of time to score the runs, we saw what might have been as Leicestershire
had the sort of wobble that, an hour earlier, could have cost the dear.
Ahmed and Ackermann had added 141 with
insulting ease in 22 overs when Ahmed went for another big shot, miscued, hit
the ball miles into the air and Graeme van Buuren took the catch. Danny Lamb’s
figures at this point – 1.4-0-17-1 – give an idea of the carnage. In came Peter
Handscomb, who had been very untidy with gloves, who proved to be untidy with
the bat too: a horrible hack off Zafar and Ben Charlesworth pouched the skied
chance. 206-4 and, had the bowlers had 50 more to play with, it could have got
very nervy. Instead, it was 15 to win and Danny Lamb served up a juicy ball,
offering too much width that Ackermann slapped to the boundary to get the target
down to 10. Still, Leicestershire continued to blink. Louis Kimber got a
straight yorker, was hit on the back pad and Lamb got the decision. 211-5.
Still 10 to win, but Ackermann on 71* and in complete control.
It was Hylton Ackermann who hit the winning
run. Leicestershire had chased down their target with ridiculous ease, to win
by five wickets with almost six overs to spare.
What went wrong? There were two main
problems:
First, the batting. When wickets started to
fall, someone should have decided to close-up an end and use up time. There
were too few runs to defend in too many overs, but batsman after batsman still sacrificed
his wicket going for quick runs.
Then, the bowling. Both Tom Price and Ajeet
Dale looked off colour, with combined match figures of 0-191. Both were returning from injury, neither looked fully fit. Eight No Balls
between the two, when defending a small target did not help. When your two main
strike bowlers in the absence of David Payne, Matt Taylor and Marchant de Lange
are unable to generate threat – Tom Price looked little more than medium pace –
the New Ball will be, if not wasted, at least used less effectively than it
should be. In both innings, Leicestershire got off to a very fast start and gained
valuable momentum. Chasing a small target, Leicestershire were helped when Ajeet
Dale served up two deliveries that went for four byes and a No Ball that was hit
for four in his first three overs. At 43-0 from six overs, the back of the
chase had been broken. Lack of bowling discipline with the New Ball was
critical.
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