*Official* English Domestic Off Season 2010/11

[gettingbetter]

Although I'm as biased as they come, being the biggest Simon Jones fan in the world even though its been six years, get him in the Test team now. Well maybe not but I'd certainly consider him if he takes a hatful early season at decent pace with all his limbs still in place.

Seems to have decent pace still, looked around 85-87 mph, was generating quite a bit of swing and his radar looked pretty much spot on. Unbelievable how he comes back from injury lay offs nearly a year long and starts dominating teams from the off. Had half a season back in 2007 where he came back for Glamorgan taking wickets at sub 20 odd, had one decent season with Worcestershire and last game of last season he had a blinder.

I hope for his sake that he manages to keep his body in one piece. I'd of gone crazy with the luck he's had.

Still on about this?

His last game was the 4th Test of the Ashes. No bowler from that team/squad is currently in the England line-up and the likes of Broad, Finn, Shahzad and possibly a few others have taken his place in the pecking order.

 

[M0rphin3]

Nah, signed Saeed Ajmal instead.

Dire.

His batting's improved a lot since playing for worcs tbh.

 

[shivfan]

it's a good thing SOmerset didn't accept that invite to take part in the Champions League, after all....

They've been sent packing, despite a comfortable win over the Combined Campuses and Colleges. Thanks to an unbeaten half-century from James Hildreth and another good knock from Nick Compton, the English county posted a target of 166, against some innocuous CCC bowling. When the students batted, they could not muster more than 123, as none of the batsmen really got going. Steve Kirby (arguably the second most unlikeable player in the tournament) finished with an impressive spell of 3-26 and he was ably suppored by young spinner Nick Dockrell with 2-14, but the tourists needed to restrict the students to less than 109 to be sure of advancing. Instead, they had to wait on the outcome from the Windwards-Jamaica match....

And what a match it was!

Jerome Taylor, Krishmar Santokie and Nelon Pascal all bowled with pace like fire, and there were entertaining knocks from Devon Smith, Kenny Lesporis, Marlon samuels and Wavell Hinds. Batting first, the Windwards lost two wickets, before Smith and Lesporis came together with a vital third wicket partnership to take the match away from the jamaicans. They both hit boundaries at will, as Smith finished on 58 not out and Lesporis hit a useful 50 from 40 balls, helping the Windwards to post a challenging total of 166. Taylor finished with two wickets and left-arm pacer Santokie with 3-29.

When the Jamaicans batted, new opening partnership Dave Bernard and Horace Miller just couldn't cope with the pace of Pascal, who was ably supported by miserly spinner Garey Mathurin, who bowled his four overs for just nine runs and one wicket. Samuels and Hinds staged an attacking fightback, hitting half-centuries which included a number of sixes, but the Jamaicans fell 17 runs short.

Somerset needed one of two results - Jamaica to be bowled out for 58, or to beat the Windwards by more than two overs, and neither result was likely. As a result, Windwards topped the group, and Jamaica advanced as the second best team on run-rate over Somerset. The best two teams have moved forward to tomorrow's semis....

 

[Themer]

Still on about this?

I shall never stop. I allow myself one player to be unbelievably biased towards and it just happens to Jones.

 

[shivfan]

The semi-final lineup is decided - Hants vs Windwards, and Jamaica vs Trinidad.

And even though Hants didn't play, and needed a favour from Trinidad to advance, they deserved to be there over the hosts, who've played less impressively than the English county over the past week. Barbados just needed to beat Trinidad, regardless of the scoreline, to make it into the last four, but easier said than done! The former champs were in no mood to grant any favours to their neighbours and rivals, and they annihilated them in a convincing performance....

Darren Bravo hit a scinitillating 70 from half as many balls, while Lendl Simmons continued his good form with an attacking 53 from 43 balls, to set the Bajans an unlikely target of 166. Slow bowler Ashley Nurse took 5-26 as Trinidad lost wickets in the final over, but his more experienced colleagues - Best, ROach and Benn - were all expensive. The hosts were never in the hunt for the title, given their brittle batting order, and they were beaten by 51 runs, Dwayne SMith topscoring with 27, while the wickets were shared by spinners Sunil Narine, Sherwin Ganga, and Samuel Badree, as well as that medium pacer with the extremely dodgy action, Kevon Cooper.

 

[BoyBrumby]

it's a good thing SOmerset didn't accept that invite to take part in the Champions League, after all....

They've been sent packing, despite a comfortable win over the Combined Campuses and Colleges. Thanks to an unbeaten half-century from James Hildreth and another good knock from Nick Compton, the English county posted a target of 166, against some innocuous CCC bowling. When the students batted, they could not muster more than 123, as none of the batsmen really got going. Steve Kirby (arguably the second most unlikeable player in the tournament) finished with an impressive spell of 3-26 and he was ably suppored by young spinner Nick Dockrell with 2-14, but the tourists needed to restrict the students to less than 109 to be sure of advancing. Instead, they had to wait on the outcome from the Windwards-Jamaica match....

And what a match it was!

Jerome Taylor, Krishmar Santokie and Nelon Pascal all bowled with pace like fire, and there were entertaining knocks from Devon Smith, Kenny Lesporis, Marlon samuels and Wavell Hinds. Batting first, the Windwards lost two wickets, before Smith and Lesporis came together with a vital third wicket partnership to take the match away from the jamaicans. They both hit boundaries at will, as Smith finished on 58 not out and Lesporis hit a useful 50 from 40 balls, helping the Windwards to post a challenging total of 166. Taylor finished with two wickets and left-arm pacer Santokie with 3-29.

When the Jamaicans batted, new opening partnership Dave Bernard and Horace Miller just couldn't cope with the pace of Pascal, who was ably supported by miserly spinner Garey Mathurin, who bowled his four overs for just nine runs and one wicket. Samuels and Hinds staged an attacking fightback, hitting half-centuries which included a number of sixes, but the Jamaicans fell 17 runs short.

Somerset needed one of two results - Jamaica to be bowled out for 58, or to beat the Windwards by more than two overs, and neither result was likely. As a result, Windwards topped the group, and Jamaica advanced as the second best team on run-rate over Somerset. The best two teams have moved forward to tomorrow's semis....

Someone a bigger arse than Kirby? Some mistake surely?

 

[MW1304]

Myburgh on fire. 2 hits away from 100. Wouldn't mind seeing this knock, but its not on Eurosport

Edit: Out

 

[Woodster]

Myburgh on fire. 2 hits away from 100. Wouldn't mind seeing this knock, but its not on Eurosport

Edit: Out

It's on Eurosport2 now mate. Sounds like some knock from Myburgh.

 

[MW1304]

It's on Eurosport2 now mate. Sounds like some knock from Myburgh.

Is it on the red button? Because it keeps coming up with Snowboarding and I only have access to Sky Player atm.

 

[Woodster]

Is it on the red button? Because it keeps coming up with Snowboarding and I only have access to Sky Player atm.

Yes it is showing as Snowboarding, but when you go onto it, the cricket's on.

 

[MW1304]

Yes it is showing as Snowboarding, but when you go onto it, the cricket's on.

Ah yeah should've checked, cheers.

I reckon if they break this partnership they should win.

 

[superkingdave]

Sad to see the demise of Liam Dawson. He was promising a couple of years ago.

 

[Woodster]

Good win for Hants, and through to the final!

 

[Woodster]

Sad to see the demise of Liam Dawson. He was promising a couple of years ago.

Yes last season was a real step backwards for him, hopefully he can recapture some of that form that did make him promising when he first came on the scene.

 

[Pothas]

Has been shunted up and down the order a lot as well, they have tried to turn him into a top order bat in the four day game and he has never looked comfortable there. Has been low on confidence with his bowling for over a year now and the emergence of Briggs has limited his opportunities in that department. Has signed a new contract though so hope he can find some form this year.

Anyway great to get to the final even if I have missed all our games, delighted that Hamza has done really well this tournament, hoped last year would be a bit of a breakthrough for him but he got rather overtaken by others.

 

[TT Boy]

Someone a bigger arse than Kirby? Some mistake surely?

Benn is playing in this, isn't he?

 

[TT Boy]

Surprised he walked out on a test career for this but Myburgh looks like he will be great addition for Hampshire.

 

[morgieb]

Surprised he walked out on a test career for this but Myburgh looks like he will be great addition for Hampshire.

Was he having a test career though?

Pretty sure he left because he got a girlfriend.

 

[TT Boy]

Was he having a test career though?

No but he would have as soon as he qualified.

 

[shivfan]

T&T have qualified for the Champions League....

Hampshire did the Trinidadians a big favour when they edged the Windwards in the other semi. That made the second semi the playoff for the berth in the CL, and the unbeaten former champions crushed Jamaica by eight wickets with more than two overs to spare.

The Jamaicans struggled to 136, thanks mainly to a swashbuckling 36 from allrounder Andre Russell off just 17 balls, but the rest of the batting was choked by good bowling from spinners Samuel Badree, Sunil Narine and Sherwin Ganga, and pacer Ravi Rampaul. Then, the Trini batting hammered Jamaica's much-vaunted pace attack to all parts of the ground, Lendl Simmons hitting a run-a-ball 51, ably supported by good knocks from Adrian Barath and Darren Bravo.

That makes the final a bit redundant, unfortunately. Both Trinidad and Hants deserve to be there, having played arguably the best 20/20 cricket between them during this tournament. Hants showed that they could reach a 20/20 final on foreign soil, while Trinidad achieved their objective of making it into the Champions League once more. Both teams coped without their main players, Trinidad missing star players Kieron Pollard and dwayne Bravo, who're currently playing Big Bash cricket in Australia, and both teams recovered from early hiccups against minnows Canada to dominate the rest of the opposition.

The preliminary round match between these two teams was the only one that was washed out, and hopefully this will be put right tonight. And hopefully we can get a good game, since the pressure will be off both teams. The loser can still go away from this match with their head held high.