Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Southee is pretty good at bashing the ball to all parts when the games gone. Not so hot when the pressure is on.

Super figures for Mason, but I think Carberry has to take MOTM.

Dominant win, and yet still areas for improvement. Which hopefully is a good thing, as fingers crossed we will seek to work on them and not rest on our laurels.

Three matches in just four days starting Thursday. At which point we'll be almost half way through the fixtures already.

Top of the south group.
Only side in the south group with 100% record.
Only side in both groups with 100% records with at least three games played.
Only side in both groups to have won three games (and three sides have played more than us).
Only side in both groups with a NRR greater than 1.
Only one of four sides in both groups yet to lose a game.

OK granted, our opponents maybe haven't been as hard as they could have been, but we have still come up against some serious power hitters. Indeed, they're probably the biggest hitters in the group outside the Oval.

st_brendy wrote:

budgetmeansbudget wrote:Our middle order isn't exactly the most potent bunch so when the top three fail we're gonna struggle to make a decent score.

Think that knock from McManus the other day was a one off.

Depends. Bailey and Ervine are more than capable of doing a rebuilding job, for example. The problem for the middle/lower order this game and Wednesday, is that the top order have done so well that they're coming to the crease needing to hit out immediately. Tough to do against anyone, let alone international bowlers like Southee and Jordan.

OK yes, our middle order isn't great. Failed miserably twice in 24 hours now.

Bailey, Afridi, Ervine. Looks like age has really caught up with them.

And unfortunately, as I feared, that innings vs Glamorgan appears to have been a total fluke by McManus. Basically not scored a run since.

If we aren't careful my thoughts about us being one of the weaker teams in this division before the tournament started will be proved true.

Yesterday's top four have passed 30 a total of nine times out of 16 innings. And there was also a 29 in there too. They all have at least one 40 to their name too. I think that is acceptable.

Unfortunately, outside of those four players, no-one got to 15 vs Essex, no-one got to 15 vs Sussex (h) and no-one was required to get passed 15 vs Sussex (a). All we have is 37* and a 28 for Bailey and a 59 from McManus. Nowhere near good enough, even without Dawson.

Even though the middle order isn't his natural position, it might soon be time for Jimmy to come in. He has been our best four-day batter this season.

And I still think Wood should be playing ahead of Berg.

Is Wood injured again? Both Edwards and Holland were in the squad ahead of him the other day.

No win in four, outside the qualifying places now.

soft lad not playing tonight?

astonishing win last night.

only down to the fact that when I was listening Kevon James on Solent on the way home from work he was suggested there was absolutely no hope of the game even starting , let alone finishing

still a win to put us back on the right path with two home games this week to come.

and can we continue to leave out Afridi ?

if for nothing else to watch the meltdown of his fans on the Facebook page

Leaving out the daft lad is one of life's better ideas, I think

Do we have one power hitter in our team? Should never have lost that

Cluck up of the highest order last night

Dawson's 4 off 9 balls killed us.

Should have stayed with England!