NatWest t20 Blast 2017

[Durhamfootman]

teams do that all the time from what I've seen... try to play the game by numbers... doesn't work

but then, I suppose, that's why good captains are worth their weight in gold. Jeremy Snape worked out how to play this game straight away and other teams and captains are still trying to figure it out 13 years later

[Durhamfootman]

Stupid way to get out, yes, but Samit is having some season.

he's some player

always has been

[Durhamfootman]

first thing Snape said was that he reckoned pace off the ball was the way to go... it was true then and it's true now. The only time it isn't true is when a bowler has searing pace... a Johno or a Tait, or a Starc, but they have to be absolute bullets and they have to be bang on the money.

How many bowlers in the T20 cup have searing pace?

I'll bet it isn't even one

80-85 mph doesn't cut it in this game..... they are just fodder for a batsman with his eye in a bit... Even when the bowler gets it right, half the time the ball gets edged for 4 to third man or shoots down to fine leg/long stop off an inside edge or a glance off the pads

[st_brendy]

Depends what your definition of searing pace is. De Lange was hitting 92mph last night - as illustrated by him cleaning Delport up early doors.

But then again, even the likes of Tait can get carted around the park. Tom Alsop was dabbing Tymal Mills for 6s in the group stage.

[Durhamfootman]

92 will do if that's his stock ball

I'd rather have Colly bowling wobblers, though. He's really hard to put away

[st_brendy]

92 will do if that's his stock ball

I'd rather have Colly bowling wobblers, though. He's really hard to put away

Absolutely. Four years on, we're still missing Dimi's four overs up top. Can pretty much count on one hand how many games he got carted around.

Since then - and including this season - all our seamers have generally just been that little bit too quick to be dobblers. We miss a middle order finisher, and we miss a quality dobbler (or two).

[Arthur Crabtree]

Malinga is medium fast.

Jade?

[Arthur Crabtree]

Though I agree.

[Durhamfootman]

Jade?

as a dobbler, do you mean?

[Arthur Crabtree]

A medium fast bowler, neither a speed merchant nor a dobber (like Malinga)- very successful in county T20.

[Durhamfootman]

he bowls so many slower balls, that I'd put him in the dobber category. He's accurate, which is important... gives very little away... no width and no pace for the batsman to work with. Not that I've seen that much of him, but I've watched him at the Riverside in 50 over matches a couple of times, and that was the impression he gave me. He also moves really badly in the field, as if he has a permanent limp, which disappears the minute he starts his run up or chases after a ball.... most odd

[ianp1970]

Another northern group team going out?

Maybe time for 2 random groups of 9 instead of north/south?

I'd go the opposite way: splitting the 18 counties into 3 geographical regions, with each of those divided into 2 sub-groups.

Back-of-an-envelope calculations...

A
North = Dur/Yor/Lan
North Midlands = Der/Not/Lei

B
South Midlands = War/Wor/Nor
West = Glo/Gla/Som

C
London = Ess/Mid/Sur
South Coast = Ken/Sus/Han

All mini-groups teams play each other home and away, to maximise the 'derbies' (4 games)
Regional teams play each other home or away (reverse fixtures in alternate years) (3 games)
Teams play 6 further games: home versus one mini-group and away versus another from the remaining region (rotating over a 4 year cycle) (6 games)

Local rivals play twice per year
'Neighbouring' teams play annually
All teams play everyone else bi-annually

Top team in each region qualify for quarter-finals, alongside the 5 other best points totals.
Highest total at home to lowest etc.
Winners qualify for finals day.

13 games per team should be able to fitted in 8-10 weeks between June and August, with QFs then Finals day at the mid/end of August.

Pie-in-the-sky, of course, with the new tournament starting in a couple of years!

Posted this at the height of tonight's T20 action.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Maybe its complicated nature counts against it. But a well worked out idea though.

[andy]

Last quarter final tonight...could be KP's Last ever game in England

[st_brendy]

Last quarter final tonight...could be KP's Last ever game in England

Think he's still injured. Could be a chance for Warks, with Surrey missing KP, Tom Curran, Sanga, Rampaul, and Stoneman.