2015 Hampshire Thread

[st_brendy]

I've said the same thing about our batting line-up ever since Jimmy decided to step away and focus on Championship cricket. We're a four man batting team. I'm not going to criticise the selection of Smith, because obviously he adds a lot with the ball. But ideally you don't want him batting above 8. Unfortunately, you don't want Wood or Berg batting above 8 either. And you don't want Gatting in the t20 team full stop (we're basically picking him as a specialist fielder, on the premises that you're not allowed to play with only ten players).

The top four got the job done against Surrey and Sussex, but failed to against Gloucs and Somerset. Fortunately two of those four did do just enough in that Somerset to allow the bowlers to come out and save our skin. But whilst we have this batting line-up, there's always the risk of another Gloucs batting performance.

The best thing that can happen to us over the next three weeks, prior to the QFs, is that Slug recovers from his broken finger and Adams plays one-day cricket for us and scores some runs (I have no idea if he's planning on playing one-day cricket or not. We'll find out come Monday). It might just persuade him/us to get him back into the t20 team. Gatting and/or Berg can then make way.

[st_brendy]

Squad for our opening one-day game tomorrow is Carberry, Vince, Adams, Wheater, Gatting, Terry, Smith, Dawson, Berg, Arafat, Wood, Briggs, Crane

I expected us to go with Arafat over Bird as our overseas player, but it's a shame that Fidel has yet to return. It's been a week now since his last CPL match.

I guess from that squad, I'd personally go with Carbery, Vince, Adams, Wheater, Terry, Dawson, Smith, Berg, Wood, Arafat, Briggs. I'm not sure that we'll need four spin options, so Crane misses out for me. Dawson is hardly a poor limited overs spinner, and the depth he adds to the batting could be important. Especially if we're talking scores of 300 being just par. And Terry did ok in one-day cricket last season (a couple of 50s, I recall), so he gets the nod over Gatting. Sadly it sounds like Slug will miss most, if not all, of the group games. Hopefully Shah might play a game or two in the lead up to the t20 QF, just to avoid him going into that game cold (he went into t20 finals day last season having come straight off the beach, and safe to say his flight wasn't exactly worth it).

Fidel to replace Berg in my chosen XI, when he does return. I look at him as a wicket-taking option, possibly our biggest wicket-taking option, and it's ben shown on a regular basis over the past six months how important wicket-takers are in modern day one-day cricket (and with these latest new regulations, which help the bowlers, I still think wicket-takers will be vital - especially when bowling first. Bowling second, you've got the help of scoreboard pressure, if the batters have done the job).

[captaincolly]

Smith not playing today?

[st_brendy]

Smith not playing today?

No idea why not. He was down on the original scorecard. He and Dawson could have covered 10 overs between them no problem.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Another golden for Carberry.

[st_brendy]

14 whole runs for Gatting, including two false edges for 4 and a single which should have lead to him being run out for a duck.

So we've learnt today and Thursday that not only can he not bat, but he can't run either. But hey, he can catch.

[Making_Splinters]

14 whole runs for Gatting, including two false edges for 4 and a single which should have lead to him being run out for a duck.

So we've learnt today and Thursday that not only can he not bat, but he can't run either. But hey, he can catch.

Thought he'd been doing alright with the bat this season, we better than some of the bigger names in your side.

[st_brendy]

Not all bad though. Jimmy, Wheater and now Vince have all batted beautifully. But for good fielding, they'd have scored another 30 runs between them by now. Just a shame that the former each nailed one to a fielder in the ring.

[st_brendy]

14 whole runs for Gatting, including two false edges for 4 and a single which should have lead to him being run out for a duck.

So we've learnt today and Thursday that not only can he not bat, but he can't run either. But hey, he can catch.

Thought he'd been doing alright with the bat this season, we better than some of the bigger names in your side.

Indeed. As budget has said before, it just shows how bad the rest of them have done in four day cricket.

[st_brendy]

Not far off the perfect one day knock from Dawson. First support Vince. Then support Berg. Then reach his 50. Then tee off with Wood.

Luke Wright may yet chase this down, but that's a cracking score.

[Making_Splinters]

14 whole runs for Gatting, including two false edges for 4 and a single which should have lead to him being run out for a duck.

So we've learnt today and Thursday that not only can he not bat, but he can't run either. But hey, he can catch.

Thought he'd been doing alright with the bat this season, we better than some of the bigger names in your side.

Indeed. As budget has said before, it just shows how bad the rest of them have done in four day cricket.

Not sure why the caveat is needed there! While I don't know the ins and outs of Hampshire, the lad seems to have done decent enough in the few games he's had.

[SaintPowelly]

14 whole runs for Gatting, including two false edges for 4 and a single which should have lead to him being run out for a duck.

So we've learnt today and Thursday that not only can he not bat, but he can't run either. But hey, he can catch.

Thought he'd been doing alright with the bat this season, we better than some of the bigger names in your side.

Indeed. As budget has said before, it just shows how bad the rest of them have done in four day cricket.

Not sure why the caveat is needed there! While I don't know the ins and outs of Hampshire, the lad seems to have done decent enough in the few games he's had.

He has, and even if everyone else was averaging 70, his average of 40+ is more than acceptable

Some have decided they don't like him/don't want him and will criticise everything.

[BringBackJesty]

Surely Daws has to now figure in our T20 plans (when apparently he didn't). Adams knock sounded very positive, Vincey clearly going well and with Slug and Fidel Edwards due back shortly, perhaps things are looking up?

[st_brendy]

Surely Daws has to now figure in our T20 plans (when apparently he didn't). Adams knock sounded very positive, Vincey clearly going well and with Slug and Fidel Edwards due back shortly, perhaps things are looking up?

Well I have been asking for it since the moment Slug got injured. I just cannot understand how we can't find a place for him, and yet we're happily playing Gatting - even Terry for one game - and have even picked Bird to bat 11 and bowl just one over.

Let's not get carried away. Today was one game for Daws. But even his usual performance of a run a ball 30 or 40, together with a couple of wickets at an economy rate roughly equal to the required run rate of the whole innings, is totally sufficient for a lower order allrounder.

I'm also not going to get too carried with the overall performance today. Excellent no doubt. But the door was ajar for Sussex when they got us four down. Had Dawson (or Vince) followed Gatting quickly, we could have had another Somerset on our hands, and limped to a below par score. Say 220. Fortunately they put on the best part of 100, and Berg and Wood both came off too. That won't all happen every game.

One win down, four to go. These past ten days have probably been our best ten days of the season so far. Let's keep it going lads. There was even a spark of the old Jimmy today.

[budgetmeansbudget]

14 whole runs for Gatting, including two false edges for 4 and a single which should have lead to him being run out for a duck.

So we've learnt today and Thursday that not only can he not bat, but he can't run either. But hey, he can catch.

Thought he'd been doing alright with the bat this season, we better than some of the bigger names in your side.

Indeed. As budget has said before, it just shows how bad the rest of them have done in four day cricket.

Not sure why the caveat is needed there! While I don't know the ins and outs of Hampshire, the lad seems to have done decent enough in the few games he's had.

He has, and even if everyone else was averaging 70, his average of 40+ is more than acceptable

Some have decided they don't like him/don't want him and will criticise everything.

Says the man who is not averse to a good slagging down of the Hampshire team on numerous occasions and many criticisms being of the knee jerk variety.