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

captaincolly wrote:

budgetmeansbudget wrote:Cheers Captain, we needed that.

Well done to your boys today as well, an excellent win.

Thanks. Apparently the first time we've won a 4 day game at Edgbaston for 5 years! And the defeats were almost always shockingly bad ones.

You started off flying last season if I remember rightly, a stack of wins in the first half of the season. Looking good in second right now, title aspirations?

budgetmeansbudget wrote:

captaincolly wrote:

budgetmeansbudget wrote:Cheers Captain, we needed that.

Well done to your boys today as well, an excellent win.

Thanks. Apparently the first time we've won a 4 day game at Edgbaston for 5 years! And the defeats were almost always shockingly bad ones.

You started off flying last season if I remember rightly, a stack of wins in the first half of the season. Looking good in second right now, title aspirations?

I'd just like to get enough points to stay up. Have a feeling a lack of squad depth will show at some stage but you never know!

captaincolly wrote:

budgetmeansbudget wrote:

captaincolly wrote:

budgetmeansbudget wrote:Cheers Captain, we needed that.

Well done to your boys today as well, an excellent win.

Thanks. Apparently the first time we've won a 4 day game at Edgbaston for 5 years! And the defeats were almost always shockingly bad ones.

You started off flying last season if I remember rightly, a stack of wins in the first half of the season. Looking good in second right now, title aspirations?

I'd just like to get enough points to stay up. Have a feeling a lack of squad depth will show at some stage but you never know!

It goes without saying that Hants target is third from bottom and not much more. However, it a pleasant bonus that we can win our first game after Vince goes off with England! Hope Alsop and Crane can consolidate on good performances in this game.

budgetmeansbudget wrote:

captaincolly wrote:

budgetmeansbudget wrote:

captaincolly wrote:

budgetmeansbudget wrote:Cheers Captain, we needed that.

Well done to your boys today as well, an excellent win.

Thanks. Apparently the first time we've won a 4 day game at Edgbaston for 5 years! And the defeats were almost always shockingly bad ones.

You started off flying last season if I remember rightly, a stack of wins in the first half of the season. Looking good in second right now, title aspirations?

I'd just like to get enough points to stay up. Have a feeling a lack of squad depth will show at some stage but you never know!

It goes without saying that Hants target is third from bottom and not much more. However, it a pleasant bonus that we can win our first game after Vince goes off with England! Hope Alsop and Crane can consolidate on good performances in this game.

Very encouraging to win at the first attempt without Vince. It's been a funny season so far - Lancs were tipped by many to struggle are top and Surrey - regarded as title contenders by some pundits - are bottom. Early days so things can change quickly but it looks to me as if it could be an unpredictable season.

Yes, it is strange the way the two promoted clubs are sandwiching the rest, but as you say a long way to go, and 40 points between top and bottom isn't a huge margin after three eighths of the season has passed.

budgetmeansbudget wrote:Yes, it is strange the way the two promoted clubs are sandwiching the rest, but as you say a long way to go, and 40 points between top and bottom isn't a huge margin after three eighths of the season has passed.

Wins obviously are vital but could be even more so this year - if pitches are generally better for batting and we get dodgy weather there will be a lot of draws.

captaincolly wrote:

budgetmeansbudget wrote:Yes, it is strange the way the two promoted clubs are sandwiching the rest, but as you say a long way to go, and 40 points between top and bottom isn't a huge margin after three eighths of the season has passed.

Wins obviously are vital but could be even more so this year - if pitches are generally better for batting and we get dodgy weather there will be a lot of draws.

3 out of 4 wins in the this round of matches is the most so far I believe, so may be things are on the turn after a stack of draws early season. But as you say, the pitches do seem pretty decent and who knows with the weather. It hasn't been too bad down here, and the short term weather forecast isn't too bad either.

Given our injuries, that is a great win. (I wont say "given our batting" too, because having a poor top order can't be put down to bad luck. It's just a reflection of their form and/or ability).

You get the feeling that that is how we're going to have to win most of our games until (and if/unless) spin becomes a factor towards the end of the season. We haven't got the batting to rack up 400 every match (just 9 batting points from 5 games is awful. Even if we were to pick up maximum batting in our game in hand, we'd still have the lowest in the league), and we don't have the bowling (in part because of said injuries) to overwhelm a side and take 20 wickets off our own backs. But low scoring matches, where the wicket is doing a little bit, that gives us a chance.

I don't think you can quite say that Tino has been a perfectly adequate replacement for Fidel, but he's certainly done a fine job. Could be interesting if we keep Tino on next season, and play them both together (maybe with an overseas top order batsman). They'd be a few batsmen around the circuit who wouldn't particularly face opening the batting against those two.

well done chaps.... an excellent result, made better given the circumstances that you find yourselves playing under

Durhamfootman wrote:well done chaps.... an excellent result, made better given the circumstances that you find yourselves playing under

100% agree,this victory will be massive for morale.

Well done Hants, pleased things are starting to go your way.

Even a few wickets for Tino.

Cheers guys.

Need to build on this unexpected result, notably in the batting department.

Apparently Sammy won't be playing tomorrow despite being here and playing for the 2nd XI today because it would mean that McLaren wouldn't be able to play the next CC game as we can only have 2 overseas registered at once . Never heard of that one before personally.

Don't know if that means McLaren will play a lone T20 for us tomorrow then as the squad hasn't been announced yet.

rules always been there but generally counties have had only 2 overseas players and the 2nd players plays all games they can.
the odd part is why their making McLaren play one extra game, wonder if they will ask one of Afridi or Sammy to play championship games as well.

Hampshire wrote:Apparently Sammy won't be playing tomorrow despite being here and playing for the 2nd XI today because it would mean that McLaren wouldn't be able to play the next CC game as we can only have 2 overseas registered at once . Never heard of that one before personally.

Don't know if that means McLaren will play a lone T20 for us tomorrow then as the squad hasn't been announced yet.

It was always going to be the case. We announced when we signed Sammy that he wouldn't play the first game for us.

What hasn't been explained, and what I don't yet understand, is how we will play it when it comes to switching between the t20s and the one-dayers. Like this t20 match and the Championship match, some of those matches are very close to each other as well. Is Sammy (or Afridi) going to play one-day cricket for us? I've not heard that he is. I understand it will be McLaren. So why is it possible to make the quick switches between which players are registered then, but not now?

(By the time we get to further Championship matches falling close to t20 matches, Sammy would have left to play in the CPL, so the issue goes away because McLaren will be registered for all three formats).