T20 Blast

First topic message reminder :

Starts to tomorrow... With finals day in October!

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:That first over an example of why I think/hope England aren’t viewing Mills as a like for like replacement for Archer - his power play bowling is nowhere near the level that Jofra’s is. Hoping he will show his death bowling prowess later

I think that's why we saw Dilly bowling PP overs this year as well as Woakes and Willey getting recalled to the T20 world cup squad. I'd guess that England will pick Woakes and one of Willey/Surran as their PP bowlers.

Forum favourite Darren Stevens with a dashing 47 off 28 to help lift Kent to a commanding 168. Sussex not getting remotely near it, unless they conjure up a Somerset-style comeback.

Well, I stormed off when Somerset where 34-5. Ended up desperately trying to download SkyGo on my phone to watch the final over. Up the Cidermen!

Kent v Somerset in the final then - East v West.

How will Somerset manage to choke the final? Or will they do the near-unthinkable and win it?

JDizzle wrote:Well, I stormed off when Somerset where 34-5. Ended up desperately trying to download SkyGo on my phone to watch the final over. Up the Cidermen!

Not able to watch but checking scores when I can. Also saw the 34/5 score and had pretty much written off the Cidermen then. See that Ben Green helped get them over the line with a quick fire 35 batting at number 8. I like him, unselfish all rounder who doesn’t often get fully used but regularly chips in. Excellent fielder too. Was Somerset’s RL50 captain (before covid struck), clever forward looking move.

Jack Leaning playing an absolute stinker here

Brilliant innings by Jordan Cox. Game on.

It has not been Marchant de Lange's night at all.

Indeed de Lange has had a rough day. But the last three overs all went round the park - or out of it : Cox finished with quite a bang !

Some rather ragged death bowling again , it has to be said. Ball might have got a bit damp perhaps ?

Oh dear ! Somerset off to the worst possible start ... 3/2 off two overs .

Going by the semi , this might be a good sign for them

Qais Ahmad gets Abell to set Somerset back again...

I'm giving Stevens some credit for that as he put the brakes on in the previous over and just caused some pressure.

That is a ridiculous rule isn’t it

I had no idea it was a rule.

Yes, it's absolutely ridiculous if so!

Wow, I really have seen it all now.

What an amazing six. Could be a game-changer.

I assumed that was the rule, but couldn't be sure as I've never seen it before!

This is a first for the laws ...

Two players tangled up on the ropes ... One takes a clean catch ... But because the other has touched the rope it is six not out !

Bizarre. And a big moment in this game.

Caught this time though... 79/4 off 11

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:That is a ridiculous rule isn’t it

I'm surprised that anyone had even thought of it to include it in the laws ! Bit like making a rule to cater for the effects of an inconvenient meteorite strike on the pitch...

I can only imagine it's to stop some sort of absolutely ludicrous hypothetical where a player lifts someone beyond the boundary edge (think rugby lineout style) to take a catch, then places them back down inside the rope and tries to claim that the player who caught it was never in touch with the ground over the boundary.

As convoluted, ridiculous and frankly moronic as I feel for typing that it's all I can think of for why that'd be written into the rules.

County umpires really are horrendous - that Lammonby LBW decision is rancid

I'm not sure it was the right decision in law.

A fielder is grounded beyond the boundary if some part of his/her person is in contact with any of the following:
[...]
another fielder who is grounded beyond the boundary, if the umpire considers that it was the intention of either fielder that the contact should assist in the fielding of the ball.

So I think the only way that was 6 is if the umpire considered Bell-Drummond's contact with the other fielder to be assisting the catch, which I don't think you can argue it was.

Academic anyway, Kent are on their way to a win...I think, after a rotter of an LBW call.

Lammonby goes.

Kent well and truly in the drivers seat but I have a feeling that the quicks will be easier to hit when they return.

The leg spinners might just have won this for Kent.

With a bit of help from an atrocious umpiring decision ! Lammonby has been done badly then...ball was never going to hit the stumps

That was amazing relay fielding for a good catch.

Surely the end for Somerset.

THAT IS UNBELIEVABLE

That is unbelievable. Just incredible fielding.

They improvement in fielding standards over the last few years is astounding.

What an amazing bit of fielding from Cox ! All happening on the mid wicket boundary tonight...

Surely that is game over ? Somerset can't produce another miracle , can they ?

Darren Stevens for the T20 World Cup if Stokes doesn't recover?

https://twitter.com/sammorshead_/status/1439321928179896321?s=21

Also : leg spinners don't half get wickets with right old rubbish deliveries... How many is that off full tosses/rank long hops ?

Even Somerset can't get out of this one now...

OK , congrats to Kent...

Cox has won that for them with bat and acrobatics

Unfortunate flat end to the season for Somerset but at least they've given everyone some fun tonight. Worth waking up at 4 am here...

Well done to Kent, won both games comfortably.

And they were probably most people's outsiders of the four finalists at the start of today.

Best bowling conditions I've seen for a long while in the opening T20 Blast game, Kent 34/4 on a horrible, slow pitch with low bounce.

Big fan of Kent conceding 550 every week in the CC, so they prepare a minefield for the start of the T20...

And they chose to bat first on it!

Duty281 wrote:And they chose to bat first on it!

I had to leave an over or two after Denly was bowled by the pea shooter - I can’t believe they made 160 on it and then Somerset got them!

Harry Brook 60* off 27. He’s seeing it like a beach ball. He has to play next week. Also, Jack Haynes made 61 off 33, he is 2023s Harry Brook.

Yeah, Somerset lost their lengths towards the end. Kent didn't take enough wickets in the first 10-12 overs, then the dew ended their chances (another reason why it was mad to bat first).

Brilliant Roses game. Thought Lancashire had thrown it away - but Brook dismissed off the last ball for the tie! Brook made 72 and it’s probably the worst he has batted all year.

Will Smeed szn is upon us

Enjoy it all

Steve Smith is playing T20is currently for Australia and Tim David is playing in the Blast. This is the wrong way round.

JDizzle wrote:Steve Smith is playing T20is currently for Australia and Tim David is playing in the Blast. This is the wrong way round.

Is it right David isn’t in the Aussie T20i squad because he doesn’t have a first class contract with an Aussie state side?

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

JDizzle wrote:Steve Smith is playing T20is currently for Australia and Tim David is playing in the Blast. This is the wrong way round.

Is it right David isn’t in the Aussie T20i squad because he doesn’t have a first class contract with an Aussie state side?

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/tim-david-looms-large-in-australia-s-plans-despite-sri-lanka-absence-1317759?platform=amp

It doesn’t sound like it from this article? Reckons a few have done it in the past and Bailey has been in contact with him too. I still maintain Australia won the WT20 by accident.

The last T20 World Cup turned into the Coin-Tossing World Cup. They didn't need to play the last three games.

Sussex 118/2, needing 28 more to win off 39 balls.

And they lost.

Duty281 wrote:Sussex 118/2, needing 28 more to win off 39 balls.

And they lost.

Can’t remember seeing something like that before - my mate works for a bookie on cricket and reckons Gloucester were 200s to win at one point! Madness

Lancs have proper ballsed this chase up - 72-1 off 8 overs then started trying to just nudge and nurdle their way there and have lost all impetus and need 33 off 4 with 5 wickets left. Poor

The Blast is undefeated. Always some madness involved.