Cricket's back!

Natasha Whittam wrote:Where were Buttler, Livingstone & Anderson?

Good point - Livingstone is playing in the IPL and the other two are being rested by England!

We seem to have about three or more teams these days - a full strength side with the likes of Anderson and Butler, a regular 'red' ball team that played today, a 'white' ball team that plays various forms of one day cricket - and even a youth team that seemed to play in one of those variations!

Tbh I follow Lancs and even I don't know half the players who are on the team sheet half the time these days!

Today's game - well to be truthful all three days of it - has been pure theatre and wonderful entertainment.

Well done to the lads!

Equally relevant, Nat, was the fact that Lancs won without the awesome, injured England international fast bowler Saqib Mahmood. who has played in the majority of Lancs County Championship games this season.

What a thrilling match and great result!

okocha wrote:Equally relevant, Nat, was the fact that Lancs won without the awesome, injured England international fast bowler Saqib Mahmood. who has played in the majority of Lancs County Championship games this season.

What a thrilling match and great result!

He's not awesome???

He's not even the top of Lancs bowling averages!

If we ignore Rob Jones who is second in the national averages - but he's only taken one wicket from three overs - and Jimmy who is fourth but only played four games and took 11 wickets.

And also Luke Wells (15th) who played more games but only bowled the same number as Jimmy did for 10 wickets, then our best bowler is Tom Bailey (21st) with 50 wickets at 16.86 per wicket.

Matt Parkinson (43rd) comes next 36 at 20.56.

Saqib Mammood (74th) has only 28 wickets at 23.89.

He's only had one innings of taking 5 or more wickets (5-47) in the whole season - Jimmy had one (7-19) in just four games (276 balls bowled)

Saqib bowled 1,399 balls.

https://cricketarchive.com/thecricketer/Events/LV=_Insurance_County_Championship_2021/Bowling_by_Average.html

And fwiw his batting average is a piffling 10.42 in the entire season, scoring just 73 runs from 11 at bat (four not outs), with a top score of 20.

He's a long way short of ever filling Jimmy's boots - now he really IS awesome!

Looking like we're going to fall short. Warwickshire are almost there.

boltonbonce wrote:Looking like we're going to fall short. Warwickshire are almost there.

Yes I've been following it a bit.

They only need 5 wickets now with half a day to go...

Come on Summerset, we need your help!

Maybe we could induce a last ditch defence with promises of strong cider.

boltonbonce wrote:Maybe we could induce a last ditch defence with promises of strong cider.

Steve O'Shaughnessy is umpiring this one, hope he remembers his good times at Old Trafford!



Boo, another wicket gone...

...game over now I think.

Sluffy wrote:

Steve O'Shaughnessy is umpiring this one, hope he remembers his good times at Old Trafford!

Yes. He needs an umpiring performance of Barry Knight proportions.

Absolutely pathetic peformance from Somerset! Unblemished pitch.....no resolve. Down to Division 2!

England v Kiwis in T20 WC Semi-final.
Slowish start for England which the comms describe as "patient". Bring on Liam Livingstone!

Four cracking overs from New Zealand and they've put England deep in the mire.
2 wickets down, Bairstow gone, run rate too slow and needing at least 10 an over to set something that will challenge New Zealand's outstanding batting line up.
Not looking good for England STM.

166 for 4

England's bowlers are going to have to produce some magic to defend that against the Kiwi's awesome batting line up.

First ball smacked for 4. Second ball caught! NZ 4 for 1.

13 for 2 - promising start for England. Woakes both wickets. Problem is NZ have big hitters down to 10.
Next up Conway.

Halfway through and NZ are marginally behind where England were but they still have Phillipps, the world's top six-hitter this year to come in.
Can't call it as a couple of good overs either way could decide it.

....and immediately Wood goes for 15. Match in the balance.

Increasingly looking like England didn't put enough on the board. And Phillips is in.
And now he's out, caught on the boundary
NZ need 60 runs from 29 balls - sit tight for the big slogfest.

Superb over from Livingstone

Now 57 from 24
51 from 23
NZ smashing it around now - 42 from 21
37 from 20


23 off one over.

34 from 18 required.

Neesham knocking it out of the park. 27 runs from 10 balls

England in big trouble now.

Wicket! Neesham out
..and it's a much needed dot ball.

20 from 12
Woakes and Jordan have an over each.