County Cricket: Somerset Sweep into Blast Quarter-Finals

As Twenty20 returned to the county scene, Somerset maintained their domination of the South division. They beat Kent, Hampshire and Essex to establish a fourteen-point lead and ensure a home quarter-final in September. However, they didn’t end the week with a 100% record. Glamorgan edged a tight encounter at Taunton by just two runs. Ingram and Douthwaite knocked half-centuries but the visitors owed then most to former Somerset and Millfield School product, Ned Leonard. The 22-year-old seamer took 5-25 and the Somerset tail found sixteen runs off the final over too much. 

Despite fielding an international XI, Surrey came up short against bottom side Essex in a rain-affected affair at The Oval. Chasing 142 in twelve overs, Pepper and Walter galloped away for four overs before Adam Zampa broke the partnership and checked the run rate. However, Matt Critchley clinched the game with a last-ball boundary. Surrey remain second having seen off Gloucestershire and close rivals Glamorgan. 

Essex, Middlesex and Gloucester may have little or no chance of reaching the knockout stage but they each have players in my Team of the Week. Mohammad Amir’s four fixtures this week yielded eleven wickets for a mere (forgive the phrase!) 107 runs. Stephen Eskinazi’s highlight was a 48-ball 94 for Middlesex against Hampshire, albeit in a losing cause, while D’Arcy Short was Mr. Consistent for Gloucestershire. He struck three half-centuries, the best being 83 against Middlesex. 

Two players cracked incredible centuries. After Glamorgan set Surrey a formidable target of 223, Surrey were cut down to 16-3. In came Dan Lawrence and, supported by Tom Curran, he blasted an unbeaten 120 in 54 balls in the successful chase. Yorkshire were also in the runs, reaching at least 200 in all three matches. 236 came in Friday’s Roses clash at Old Trafford. Young William Luxton heaved seven sixes in his 90 not out, but that was eclipsed by his experienced team-mate Jonny Bairstow. Despite at one stage almost knocking himself out with an attempted over-the-shoulder upper-cut, he raced to 116, 92 of them in boundaries. Even with Salt and Buttler in their line-up, Lancashire were never in the hunt. 

They are, nonetheless, one of four counties leading the North group on 28 points. Durham and Northants are with them, but the Bears (aka Warwickshire) look notably strong. Mousley and Hain are the reliable rhythm section while Hasan Ali provides the electric solos with the ball. He accumulated twelve wickets this week, including a mean 4-22 in the comfortable victory over Leicestershire. Single-match bowling performance of tre past eight days must go to Sussex’s Danny Lamb, who ripped through the Kent batting for an impressive 5-15. 

In the concluding week of group fixtures, there are so many crucial contests. The Somerset-Surrey match-up is there for quarter-final bragging rights but Lancashire will have extra incentive to reverse their loss to Yorkshire. They also ace ‘eight-pointers’ against Durham and Notts, who are also very much in the mix. Durham’s last game against Northants could decide qualification for both teams. 

Team of the Week:- Bairstow (Yor +), Eskinazi (Mid), Short (Glo), Madsen (Der), Luxton (Yor), Lawrence (Sur), Ingram (Gla), Dwarshuis (Wor), Hasan Ali (Bea), Leonard (Gla), Amir (Ess)

Essex, Derbyshire and Eoin Morgan storm into the last eight

The Vitality Blast group stage provided an exciting climax, especially in the South Group where the quarter-finalists weren’t decided ‘til the last evening. Sussex and Gloucestershire had done enough to qualify by the Thursday night. Michael Klinger may be in his 40^th year but the 8^th T20 century of his career, together with Ryan Higgins’ three wickets, ensured a five-run defeat of Kent at Canterbury. The top two met on the final day and a Van Buuren six from the last delivery meant Gloucestershire could book their Bristol home for the knockouts.

Come Friday evening, former leaders Kent were still in the hunt for one of the other places, along with Somerset, Hampshire, Middlesex and Essex. The Eagles looked down and out last week but pulled off a fabulous week which consisted of a tie with Hampshire and two close wins against Surrey and Sussex, before ending Kent’s hopes with a ten-run victory at Chelmsford. Ravi Bopara capped a fine individual week by striking 47 not out and taking 2-27. Mohammad Amir also bowled consistently well, conceding fewer than 30 runs in each of the four fixtures. They’ll need his pace and guile if they are to reach the semis.

At Taunton, it was a winner-takes-all clash between Middlesex and Somerset. Tom Abell’s improvement in white-ball batting looked complete when he reached a maiden T20 century off the last ball to set Middlesex a massive 227. That would prove impossible for most opponents but this side boasted a formidable top-order of Stirling, Malan, Hafeez, De Villiers and Morgan. They raced to 50 inside three overs and never really took the foot of the pedal. Every time I switched channels to watch, AB or Eoin Morgan seemed to be swiping sixes, and it was the England captain’s 29-ball 83 which swept the pink princes to victory with three overs still remaining.

Elsewhere, Hampshire’s chances were extinguished at Cardiff where Glamorgan finally registered a two-point result in fourteen attempts. When the sides met earlier in the month, the Welsh were dismissed for 84. This time they amassed 216-5, including thirteen sixes, which proved beyond even Vince and Northeast. 

In the North group, the top four had already broken away by Friday, and Lancashire held onto the top spot with a five-wicket defeat of Leicestershire. Aided by the return of Alex Hales, Nottinghamshire finished second despite losing to Durham, but it was Derbyshire who finished stronger than anyone in the country. They smashed Northants and Leicestershire each by nine-wicket margins, before overcoming the table-topping Lightning courtesy of Wayne Madsen’s 69 and Ravi Rampaul’s 3-19, propelling them into third.

Moeen Ali’s unintended stint with Worcestershire yielded plenty of runs this week, just about keeping the chasing pack at bay. Yorkshire were just one victory over Notts from stopping them. Their opening pair of Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Adam Lyth did everything you could hope for, not just for their runs but also Lyth’s ten wickets, but the rest of the attack let them down a bit.

And so the quarter-finals beckon later this week. Old Trafford is otherwise engaged with some Test match or other, so Lancashire’s home tie against Essex has been shifted cross-country to Chester-le-Street. I’d rate the ‘home’ side narrow favourites. Nottinghamshire v Middlesex is closer to call. Neither have shone particularly brightly but if AB can turn out for Middlesex, they will have the edge. Sussex’s array of spinners could well stifle Worcestershire at Hove next Friday, while in the concluding match, Derbyshire’s squad look particularly useful in the Blast and may well edge Gloucestershire for a place in Finals Day in three weeks’ time.

Team of the Week: Kohler-Cadmore (Yor), Lyth (Yor), Klinger (Glo), Moeen Ali (Wor), Morgan (Mid), Bopara (Ess), Carey (Sus +), Abbott (Ham), Shutt (Yor), Batty (Sur), Mohammad Amir (Ess)

Notts On Top - Twice!

It was a mixed week for the counties, with a round of Championship fixtures squeezed in between NatWest T20 Blast games. Nottinghamshire opened up a 35-point lead in Division Two after thrashing neighbours Derbyshire. Just days after I wrote off Alex Hales’ potential as a Test batsman again, he scored a run-a-ball 218. Pity the Derby bowler Ben who nabbed ten wickets yet still finished on the losing side. Second-placed Worcestershire suffered a rare reverse at home to Sussex, for whom Chris Nash made 118 and the seamers Jordan and Archer were in the wickets.

Northamptonshire remain third after drawing at home to Gloucestershire and Leicestershire still haven’t won all season. They drew against Durham, for whom young opener Cameron Steel whipped up a top score of 224 and Tom Latham contributed 124. Had the match lasted a full four days, I doubt whether the home team would have avoided defeat. After notching a few wins in 2016, the look back to their old feeble selves.

In the top flight, the weather helped the seamers no end, with a couple of low-scoring results. Essex are now hot favourites to win the title in their first season back in Division One, thumping Yorkshire by eight wickets at Scarborough. Mohammad Amir claimed two five-fors and career-best match figures of 10-72, while Jamie Porter took 7-85. The Pakistan left-armer has been just the fillip Essex needed to push on for the Championship pennant. At the other end of the table, Warwickshire are finally off the mark having seen off Middlesex by 180 runs. Their all-rounders Keith Barker and the returning Chris Woakes were heavily involved. England, too, were particularly thankful to see Woakes back from injury and looking good.

Poor weather prevented any positive outcomes at Southampton and Taunton. I was at Somerset’s County Ground for the first time in ages on Monday and, before the heavens opened during the tea interval, was rewarded by some excellent strokeplay from Tom Abell (96) and, against his former county, Steven Davies (142). In the afternoon, they made the Curran brothers look very ordinary indeed. The following day, Surrey's Mark Stoneman’s 50 ensured his call-up to England did not look misplaced.

In the shorter stuff, Notts are also top of the North group, thanks to their defeat of closest rivals Warwickshire. Samit Patel’s unbeaten 78 was the decisive factor. In his favoured format, Hales was out first ball!  Yesterday, Glamorgan guaranteed progress to the quarter-finals. They went to Taunton and beat Somerset by just one run. With just eight runs required, Peter Trego couldn’t quite find the boundaries he wanted and so the Cidermen slip out of the top three. Essex have leapt from bottom to third inside a week but are three points behind second-placed Hampshire who enjoyed an easy win over Glamorgan.

T20 stars of the week must be Yorkshire skipper Tim Bresnan, who took a stunning 6-19, and Surrey’s Aaron Finch, whose century against Sussex included 30 off one Wiese over.

The next week will decide who finishes in the top four of each group, and the race to Finals Day gathers momentum. Nottinghamshire’s form in red and white-ball cricket must surely give them an edge. But of course in T20, anything can happen…

Team of the Week: Steel (Dur), Latham (Dur), Nash (Sus), Hales (Not), Davies (Som +), Woakes (War), Barnard (Wor), Hutton (Der), Bresnan (Yor), Jarvis (Lan), Mohammad Amir (Ess)

Pakistan are CT Champions!

Congratulations to Pakistan for lulling everyone into a false sense of security with that embarrassment at Edgbaston two weeks ago before trouncing England and now India to claim their first Champions Trophy and first ODI crown since Imran’s men held aloft the World Cup 25 years ago.

After that Group B defeat to India, coach Micky Arthur described it as “a reality check of where we are in ODIs”. Seeing as Pakistan were ranked eighth entering the competition, this seemed an appropriate response. So how did his charges transform so quickly from no-hopers into irresistible champions?

I suspect the answer is not a simple one; a mix of good fortune, hard work, strategy and brilliant individual performances when it mattered. The India opener excepted, Pakistan’s strength lay with their seam bowlers. The strategy of softening up the opposition with Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan, entice them with the spinners then – POW! – introduce Hasan Ali and bring back the opening pair. Crucial spells did for South Africa and Sri Lanka then in the Cardiff semi, everyone played their part in a game few expected them to win.

The England engine room of big hitters failed miserably to attack the Pakistan bowlers of all speeds. Yet again it was Hasan who stole the show with three wickets but the team’s major improvement was in their batting. Azhar Ali and Fakhar Zaman shared a century partnership before Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez finished the job in style, defying the country’s reputation for failed run chases.

Once India had made similarly short work of Bangladesh the following day, the assumption was that Pakistan’s renaissance would come unstuck against Kohli and co in the final. Surely the Indian batting would be too strong even for a full-strength Pakistani pace attack?

The India skipper has been condemned for winning the toss and inserting Pakistan. However, it’s not such a stupid decision when there are himself, Sharma, Dhawan, Yuvraj, Dhoni et al to charge towards any target. Where it began to look fragile was when newbie Fakhar followed his two 50s with a maiden ODI century. Hafeez demonstrated his ability not only to plod in Tests but also to strike sixes and suddenly they were 338-4. No probs. All week, counties were knocking up scores of 350+ in the Royal London Cup so why not India?

Amir took the new ball and trapped Sharma plumb third ball. His tail up, he continued to bowl superbly, ably assisted by Junaid, and India’s famed batting order was in tatters. The top five were all back in the pavilion with just 54 on the board and this time Sarfraz would not let his side’s collective boot off the Indian neck. Pandya showed some aggression and singlehandedly kept India in the hunt for three quarters of an hour. However, a farcical run-out mess with Jadeja left the tail exposed and that man Hasan Ali did the rest.

The 180-run victory margin was by far the biggest for a side batting first in an ICC one-day final and high on the list for any global competition fixture against a Test-playing nation. Hasan was named the Player of the Tournament, surely a no-brainer. He took the most wickets (13), had the best average (14.69) and the meanest economy rate (4.29). His youth (just 23) and inexperience were further demonstrated by the necessity of using an interpreter for the post-match interview. Ludicrously it was a one-sided translation so only Urdu speakers were able to understand his answers! Hopefully we’ll hear, as well as see a lot more of him in the future.

So are Pakistan now a global force once more, even without the retired Younis and Misbah? The CT triumph will undoubtedly boost the confidence of the team, the management and the PCA. New players have come through fro the discredited domestic cricket set-up. And yet the latter’s consistent cock-up tendencies will probably not disappear overnight.

And India? Well, their strength in depth is undimmed. Even if MS Dhoni calls it a day, Kohli leads a formidable squad and they must remain the side to beat when the World Cup comes along in 2019. England will also be hoping to shrug off the Cardiff debacle, and become champions for the first time ever.

Team of the Tournament:-

Tamim Iqbal (Ban), Dhawan (Ind), Kohli (Ind), Root (Eng), Williamson (NZ), Shakib (Ban), Sarfraz (Pak + *), Plunkett (Eng), Junaid Khan (Pak), Hasan Ali (Pak), Hazlewood (Aus)

Sarfraz and Imad prevent the Whitewash

Congratulations go to Pakistan for winning the fifth and final ODI, and to England for taking the series. Special plaudits should also go to the Sophia Gardens groundstaff for ensuring the match went ahead on schedule, despite the prolonged spell of rain over the preceding 24 hours.

Sun may have been in short supply during the match, too, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience from seat H28, Block 2 in front of the pavilion. Graeme Swann might find 50-over cricket boring but a game like this was far more edifying fare than a brutal beer-and-boundary-fest.

Put in by Azhar Ali, England looked in control from the start. Alex Hales and Jason Roy produced some crisp strokes before the former chipped Amir to mid-on in the fifth over. There was time for one beautifully timed pull to square leg from Joe Root before he played on. Eoin Morgan then, initially, Ben Stokes struggled but Roy kept his side on a consistent seven-an-over pace.
However, despite hauling Shoaib Malik for two sixes, the two spinners Malik and Swansea’s own Imad Wasim were putting the brakes on the England innings. There was clearly not to be another 400+ total.

Stokes showed his power by clubbing a pair of low trajectory straight sixes off third spinner Nawaz, but even the feisty all-rounder was laid low when an inside edge rearranged his ‘crown jewels’ and prompted a lengthy delay in proceedings! By 40 overs, the run rate was a tad above six an over but when Hasan and Amir retuned, the wickets fell thick and fast. The Pakistan fans on the far side of the ground were chanting Amir’s name and he responded by steaming in from the Cathedral Road end, piling the pressure onto Woakes, debutant Dawson, Willey and Jordan. Some late blows managed to squeeze England past the important 300 mark but it seemed like an opportunity missed.

Such has been Pakistan’s miserable ODI campaign, it seemed rather unlikely that they would attain the 303 target, especially as Glamorgan’s pitch is not known for its run-friendly reputation. Sharjeel scratched around for four overs but when he mistimed a ball from Chris Woakes, the arrival of Babar to join his skipper prompted an improvement.

Woakes’ fifth over went for thirteen and I wondered if we may have a real contest on here. Then when Matt Wood snaffled both batsmen in the fourteenth over, Azhar after lengthy consideration by the video umpire, it looked like business as usual. 15 overs gone: 79-3; 15 short of England at the same stage. Sarfraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik, possessor of one of the worst batting records in England of any Pakistan batsman, would have to hit the ground running. They did.

The arrival of Dawson’s spin strengthened their resolve. Sarfraz in particular got the message that he had to move his feet and attack the slow bowler. There were some massive shots which didn’t quite cross the distant boundary rope and some bold sweeps to fine leg but it was Shoaib who struck the first six, well into the main grandstand. Dawson’s first four overs had conceded 41 runs and he was taken out of the firing line.

By this time, Pakistan were ahead of England. Stokes and Wood were going for a steady six or seven an over but the fourth wicket pair still had plenty to do. I thought the tourists could do it but if the partnership was broken, they couldn’t. Dawson was reintroduced in the 38th over. What was Morgan thinking? Sarfraz prepared for a few more giant blows to reach another well-deserved century. Then the debutant tossed one up, Sarfraz saw long-on glory but didn’t get enough on it. At long-on, Hales used his height wisely and made an awkward overhead catch look easy. Two overs later, Dawson got his other man as Shoaib found Roy at long-off.

57 still needed in ten overs. On the face of it, not an impossible task. But this is Pakistan we’re talking about. The 43rd over proved to be a wicket maiden for Willey but by this time Rizwan had his eye in. Dawson conceded another ten to make his figures the worst ever by an England debutant! Morgan gamely brought the field in close but the seventh wicket pair managed to nick enough singles, twos and fours to raise the nose levels amongst the Pakistan fans. A firm drive to the long-off boundary from Jordan finished things off with more than two overs to spare.

Pakistan deserved something from the series so I was glad to see Azhar Ali and his charges have something to celebrate. I decided to stay for the presentations. Interestingly, I was one of the few non-Pakistan fans gathering close to the hastily-assembled podiums. It wasn’t only the men in green receiving the cheers. England’s non-playing Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid also garnered generous applause, their Asian heritage clearly making its mark. It was nice to see.

England may have won the series, breaking a world record along the way, and setting them up for an interesting winter and next summer’s Champions Trophy. At least Pakistan proved to themselves they are capable of chasing a 300 target outside Asia, something they had never done before. Improving their ranking of nine in 50-over cricket may prove tougher….

An England World Record!

England. 50-overs. World record. Three words and phrases I never expected to appear in the same sentence! And yet this was just one of the many records which tumbled this week at Trent Bridge.

The match result states boldly but barely that England beats Pakistan by 169 runs, but that conceals a multitude of amazements. Just about everything Eoin Morgan’s side did worked a treat. Jason Roy may have gloved a catch behind in the sixth over but Alex Hales finally delivered on his promise. He not only reached three figures but also proceeded to whack the Pakistani attack all over the place to notch the highest ever ODI score by an England player. His 171 eclipsed Robin Smith’s 23 year-old 167 not out.

What surprised me was not Hales’ own performance, but that it had taken an England player so long to knock Smith off the top. In these days of short boundaries, high-tech bats and a more attacking mindset, 23 years is a long time to hold a batting record.

When Hales finally fell LBW, he and Joe Root had compiled the highest partnership scored against Pakistan. Root himself achieved his fifth successive score of 60 or more, itself no mean feat. And then the fun really began!

Jos Buttler, returning after a long layoff, came together with Morgan and together they plundered 161 from a mere 12 overs. Buttler struck the fastest ever England 50, in 22 balls, and the skipper would also have equalled the record had Jos not broken it minutes earlier! Sixes were flayed from Azhar Ali, Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz, whose 110 runs conceded was the second highest in ODI history.

Buttler’s last ball boundary then took England’s total past the best ODI innings total by any international side, ever! 444-3! There had been 16 sixes in all, in contrast to the way Sri Lanka had recorded the previous world best ten years previously against the Netherlands at Amstelveen. Then, despite rapid centuries from Jayasuriya and Dilshan, only three of the 59 boundaries actually cleared the ropes.

As for Pakistan’s reply, it was never going to come close to the target. Chris Woakes bowled well for his four wickets, but Sharjeel Khan did at least go for his shots, taking 54 of his 58 runs in boundaries. However, the last record of the day was a positive one for a Pakistani player. Mohammad Amir’s final ‘what the hell’ onslaught brought him 58 from 28 balls, he first ever ODI half-century for a number eleven!

So a sensational day for England, and it was almost incidental that they wrapped up a series win with just three matches gone. I expect some team changes on both sides now that there is no trophy to play for. However, the way teams are playing, more records are sure to follow in quick succession, not necessarily in England this summer. There have now been 18 scores of 400 or more, eight of them in the past two years. Can 500 be far away….?

Jail sentences for the Pakistan Three

As a cricket fan it's never nice to see your sport dragged through the courts but I for one am glad to see cheats being caught and punished. The former Pakistan Test stars Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were today given prison terms for conspiring to bowl deliberate no-balls in the 2010 Lord's Test match against England. Captain Butt was sentenced to 30 months, compared with a year for Mohammad Asif and six months for Mohammad Amir. The agent at the heart of the spot-betting scandal, Mazhar Majeed was sent down for two years and eight months, and he can count himself lucky it wasn't more.

It's a shame that it was left to the English criminal courts to dish out sentences which will hopefully send the message to other cheats or potential cheats that getting involved in actions that collectively destroy the integrity of cricket will lead to a spell in prison. At first I felt sorry for the teenage Amir, whose international career was just beginning to take off. However, while his sentence was reduced because of a guilty plea, it transpired that he wasn't just an unfortunate victim. No doubt he was led astray by a captain he trusted but he got greedy just like the rest of them. His poor family background is irrelevant. It doesn't matter whether you come from a slum or palace, some people can't help going for supposedly easy money when it's waved in front of their noses, while knowing it's illegal and against everything the sport stands for.

The judge, Mr Justice Cooke seemed to get it absolutely right in his verdict, words and sentences, castigating the corrupt four for their actions. He wasn't fooled by the last minute swapping of blame by Butt and Majeed which made the TV boardroom antics in The Apprentice look positively mature! Butt's lawyer is set to lodge an appeal but I fervently hope it's thrown out. Even if he serves only a year, hopefully it will be enough to make him ashamed for what he has done. The cricket authorities have issued a mere five-year ban, bottling it as usual. Amir will still be a young man when he serves his time on the sidelines but will he ever be trusted again?

Sadly we all know that the Lord's Test is unlikely to have been the first occasion when top players have deliberately given away runs in return for cash. It is probably not just a Pakistan issue either. Nor just a cricket one. With the internet making gambling a global business and sport spreading, too, it's easy for a culture of corruption to develop and become endemic. The vast majority of professional sportsmen are surely clean and would not contemplate jeopardising their careers in this way but it takes only a few avaricious individuals to taint the sport. For some, bowling a no-ball to order may sound like a trivial offence which does not justify a custodial sentence. Maybe that's true but if it stops others from slipping into this murky world then today's verdicts will be worth it.