Dipak
ICC Board Member
I'd rather put Cook opening. Nice update though. Your story is great to read. I don't know why you feel insecure that members don't read this. Napier should bat at #7 imo.
Story Essex: In The Now!..............
- Thread starter 6ry4nj
- Start date
Thanks Dipak. I know you're reading it. And I was hoping to sound curious rather than insecure.
I'm not thinking of abandoning the story, but I am dying of anticipation to find out what happens in the off-season, and thinking how much more smoothly this save (and my others lol) would be progressing without the write-ups.
September 13, 2011: Essex vs Nottinghamshire, County Ground, Chelmsford
Pro League Division 1
Welcome back. We are very nearly ready to begin the match. As predicted, the clouds have rolled in. It is only partly cloudy as yet, but the clouds are getting thicker.
So when we won the toss, we chose to bat first. The outfield is only moderately fast, but should speed up soon enough. We have a lot of openers, and have used a lot of combinations. This time we are going back to Loye and Moore to open, with Cook at 5 and Jefferson at 6. The opening bowler is to be Broad.
It was an uneventful first over, with just two singles allowing our openers to both get off the mark. Interestingly they opted for Sidebottom over Adams to bowl next. His fourth ball was heaved by Moore over cover for six! The next over, however, Broad struck, and Loye was out for 1, trapped in front.
Then Broad, after only two overs, was replaced in the attack by Adams. In Adams? second over, there was a silly stifled lbw appeal. Not only did the ball pitch well outside leg to Klokker ? it was a no-ball as well! Only a single came of the free hit, but seven off the over made it seem that this was a bowler our chaps might take to.
Sandri replaced Sidebottom to bowl the 10th over. His second ball was pushed out on the legside by Moore. He set off for a single that was never there. Broad was at short leg. He reached the ball in no time, and threw down the stumps at the keeper?s end. Klokker was stranded, and out for 9, leaving us 30 for 2. It was a low score that Freddie need feel no shame over, but this was one innings where his big hitting was not going to benefit us.
It had been kind of a shaky start so far. Carson was the next man in. He didn?t waste any time getting set. The over went for 9 ? in fact, all of Sandri?s early overs went for 5 or more. In the 13th, the spin of Patel was introduced. Both batsmen seemed to enjoy the change ? his first three went for 24. The 24th over from Adams was a particular highlight, both batsmen contributing in taking 15 from it. From the third ball, Moore reached his fifty, off 63 balls, with a boundary. Also with a boundary, Carson brought up fifty on the last ball of the over. He had faced 54 balls to this point.
Perhaps coincidentally, this was when Broad was re-introduced to the attack ? with immediate success. Moore went the exact same way as his opening partner ? leg before. He had amassed 58, and the partnership had failed by 1 to reach 100. So we were 129 for 3, as Alastair arrived at the crease. He played out the over without scoring, but, for the next few, the partnership flourished. This graceful Carson straight-drive, first ball of the 26th from Adams, was the pick of the whole innings.
These two piled on 45 off 46 balls, including three successive fours off Broad in the 31st. Broad was the partnership-breaker again, however. In the 33rd over, Carson?s aggression was his undoing, as his miscued lofted off-drive was taken by Burley at mid-on. His 81 came from just 78 balls, and was magnificent, but a promising partnership was again broken.
The next two partnerships were anything but promising. Jefferson scored just 5 off 5 balls, before being out in the next over, caught at short leg off Sidebottom. Foster came out, but the walk there and back was all the exercise he got, as he was trapped leg before first ball.
They were into the bowlers, but fortunately for us, our bowlers can all handle a bat. Well, we were relying on that ability a bit more next over, when Cook became Broad?s third lbw victim. He had made only 26, and the team score was 190 for 7, with 32 balls still to be faced ? if we were good enough.
With Wagg out of form with the bat, it was Welch who came in next. With only three slightly suspect wickets to go, it was not destined to be a run-fest in these death overs. Still, the partnership had been worth 21 vital runs when Sidebottom stepped up to bowl the last. Second ball, he had his third wicket, bowling Welch. He departed for 6 off 14, with no boundaries, but he had at least ensured that we batted out the overs. We finished at 214 for 8. [FONT="]Freakishly good economy from Sidebottom, with 3 for 26 off his full 8. Still, as long as the bowling fires (well there always has to be a first time haha), that?s a good score.
In the other game, Gareth Rees had scored a century as Sussex posted 253 for 6. Stephen Parry and Mark Turner took most of the wickets, but also both went for more than 8 an over.
Well, that?s a lot to digest. Have a little break, then come back to hear about Notts? chase. But don?t go too far ? it won?t be long in coming.
[/FONT] Essex v Nottinghamshire, Pro League Division 1, County Ground, Chelmsford ? Innings Break
Essex 214-8 ? Carson 81(78) Moore 58(67) Broad 4-46(8) Sidebottom 3-26(8)
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By the way, that was the Stephen Parry, who irl is still at Lancashire. In this save, he debuted in all forms with Hampshire in 2011 (apart from his Uni game at Lancs in '07 of course)!
Did you mean ahead of Foster or a batsman, or did you mean with another bowler ie. a longer tail? His career average in my save is only 18 I'm afraid (not much less than irl, now that I check).
Okay, if we?re all set, I can begin to tell you about their chase. Samit Patel is their best one-day batsman, and they have him opening, with Shafayat. An all-rounder... opening? Very unusual - I like it! Graham Wagg will be opening the bowling for us, and Paul Welch will be at the other end. Napier and my secret weapon, Will Jefferson, will be kept in reserve ? to further heighten the impact of the surprise (in Jefferson?s case).
The first two overs passed without incident. The third over brought Notts their first two boundaries off successive balls ? a four to Patel through square, then six to him over midwicket. It was shaping as a shocking over until the fifth ball, which Shafayat miscued for an easy catch to Jefferson at mid-off. Lines played out a dot ball, so after three they were 14 for 1.
Notts obviously think highly of this 2009 debutant, Justin Lines. You don?t put just anyone at number three. Still, he hasn?t much of a record in the one-dayers. Well, he was going alright here. So, after Wagg?s initial three-over spell, we brought on Jefferson. He didn?t set the world on fire right away, but he was going for five an over or less, so we left him on. I know you think I?m mad ? he?s bowled only seven one-day overs before ? in over a hundred matches. Ah yes, but he has great figures from those few overs, so give me a break!
In fact, it was Jefferson who achieved the next breakthrough! He had bowled 5 overs for 21, which was reasonable. In his last 7 balls, he had beaten the bat, had a good appeal for lbw turned down, and been edged for 4 wide of the solitary slip by Patel. This time the luck was his. He elicited an identical edge from Patel, but after last time, Mal had moved Welch at slip wider. He accepted it gleefully, our secret weapon had struck and their dangerman was on his way for 34. The rest of the over went for 9, but at 60 for 2 after 17, it was advantage us. Of course, there was plenty of time for that to change.
That brought another (hopefully) average batsman, Arul Suppiah, to the crease. But not for long! It was only 6 runs later when Harris struck, sending Suppiah packing. He had scored 12 of the partnership of 15, off just 11 balls. It took an amazing diving catch at short point from Cook to get rid of him. It was 66 for 3, with 2 balls of the 20th over to be bowled.
So it was that this year?s debutant, Mark Burley, arrived. They had left out what appears to be a better recent debutant, by which I mean Spencer, to include this chap. To cut a long story short, he did not repay their faith in him. After edging Cook just wide of short leg for 2, he was out in Harris? next over. He attempted a forceful stroke through the off-side, but his leading edge was smartly snaffled by the bowler at head height. The partnership was worth just six.
Keeper Chris Read was the new man, batting at six. He did not look comfortable at first - in fact he hit his first ball back at Harris. It was an easier chance, but one that Harris could not grasp.
Both batsmen were enjoying Cook?s bowling, and riding their luck, and looking pretty good. They were not having an impact on the required run rate, however. In the 26th over, Wagg, in his first over back, went for 7, although he beat the bat a couple of times. In his next over, he had gone for just two in the first three balls. Read wanted more, so he hit one out just forward of square leg, which was vacant, and took a chance in scampering back for two. He reckoned without Carson?s throw, however, which was a direct hit, despite having raced from midwicket on the circle to field the shot. Read departed for 26 off 22, and it was 113 for 5 in the 28th.
Notts had another keeper, 2009 debutant Jack Heath, at number seven. We hoped he would be as little trouble as his record suggested. They were getting around 7 an over now, and Cook?s figures were really suffering - but they needed even more. As they threw caution to the wind, something had to snap. It was Cook, aided by a dazzling feat of catching from Welch at short leg, who achieved the breakthrough.
Lines had just brought up his fifty with a boundary. Then he was beaten by the flight of one floated up outside off. It must have missed the bat by a millimetre, and the off-stump by less than an inch. Lines was not visibly shaken, but he played a little bit outside the line of the next one. He got a thick inside edge, which flew away behind square. Paul Welch is quite an athlete in the field, but even he excelled himself here, diving to reach this one with his outstretched right hand.
So they were 147 for six down. The new batsman was Stuart Broad. Broad has fifties in first-class, of course, and a high score of 91, but he is also prone to getting out cheaply, especially in this form. Or was that all wishful thinking? He clearly realized the urgency of the situation, and took 4 off his first ball, the last of Cook?s over. At 151 for 6, there were now 64 to get in 7 overs.
The next over was Will Jefferson?s last. In the end Graham Napier was not called upon to bowl. They took 7 off Jefferson?s first 5, then he came back with the wicket of Broad. He was plumb lbw, and departed for 8 ? off just 4 balls. 158 for 7 ? 57 needed off 6.
The death overs were to be bowled by Welch and Harris. Just 11 had come off Welch?s five overs, so far ? but all that was about to change. I thought it was fortunate when Heath took the first ball for a single to get off strike, but I was wrong. Adams? first three scoring shots were boundaries. The equation was now 44 needed, with 5 to be bowled.
Paul Harris did not let what had happened to Welch?s over trouble him. He made sure they got no more than singles from his over. Fourth ball of the over, even the single clearly wasn?t there. Due to a mix-up, however, the batsmen ran for one, although the ball went straight to Wagg at short midwicket. The throw to the keeper?s end was a direct hit, and beat non-striker Heath by at least a yard. There were still 41 to get, and just two wickets and 26 balls left now.
Ryan Sidebottom was the next to bat. He and Adams exchanged singles to finish the over. Adams took Welch for 4 first ball, taking his cameo to 18 off 9. Welch?s next was just too good for him. Bowling right-arm around-the-wicket to the right-hander, it was a quicker one tight on the pads that Adams failed to get his bat down on in time. It missed his pads, and made a mess of his stumps. Number eleven Sandri had to come out, knowing they needed a formidable 35 from the 22 balls remaining.
Was he nervous? I would say so! He edged his first ball through the vacant slip region. There was a fine third-man in place, so it was only a single, not a boundary as such edges often are. There were two more singles, then a play-and-miss from Sidebottom, so that the over went for 7 in all. So there were 32 to get off 18. The fat lady, as they say, was doing her vocal exercises.
Just three balls from Harris later, she could start singing. It wasn?t a great ball, but to Sidebottom, at this stage of the game, it didn?t have to be. His agricultural swing failed to get more than a feather-touch to a straight ball short of a length, serving only to divert it from off-stump onto middle. Notts were 184 all out, and we had sewn up an upset victory by 30 runs.
Broad?s four wickets in a losing cause were not enough to prise the Man of the Match award away from Derek Carson and his run-a-ball 81. Looking at the table, you can hardly tell that anything has changed. We are still 4th, but now we are quite clear of Worcestershire in the relegation playoff spot, and now it is Somerset in 6th who have only the remotest probability of catching us.
Meanwhile, Sussex have accounted for Hampshire in emphatic style. Ollie Rayner and Tim Murtagh got together, and put Hants to the sword in just 20 overs for a crushing 123-run victory. So the other change is that our tiny chance of winning the comp is also quite gone, although Sussex do not quite have it in the bag just yet.
It?s a rest day tomorrow, and then it?s back into the breach for the do-or-die four-day game against Surrey. It will give the ground-staff here a chance to recover also, as we will be playing at Southend. So have a nice sleep (I know I will) or two, and then check back here for your next fix of Essex CCC. Ciao my friends!
Essex v Nottinghamshire, Pro League Division 1, County Ground, Chelmsford
Essex 214-8 - Carson 81(78) Moore 58(67) Broad 4-46(8) Sidebottom 3-26(8);
Nottinghamshire 184 (37.3 ov) ? Lines 51(96) Harris 6.3-0-20-3 Jefferson 2-44(8)
ESSEX DEFEATED NOTTINGHAMSHIRE BY 30 RUNS
Umair7
El Presidente
We Won And I Love To Read The Updates By The Way Who Is Hassan Bin Said
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Is That Is Your Real Name Or Just For This Story
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Is That Is Your Real Name Or Just For This Story
Mate I think it's clear from my profile and posts elsewhere that Hassan bin Said is not me.
(Neither are my other characters on PC - JB de Bruyn from South Africa and Joop de Bruijn from the Netherlands)
It's probably best if you do think of Hassan as a real person. The more real the characters seem to you, the better you can appreciate the story.
If anyone is interested, you might notice that I (try to) use the kind of language that an English-educated Saudi thirtysomething 'man of means' would use, rather than what I or another pundit or commentator might say. Try reading it in a Saudi accent...
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September 14, 2011: Pro League Update
It was a good rest day for us in the Pro League. Notts have bounced back from their loss to us, and have dished out a comprehensive drubbing to another of our rivals, Middlesex. Notts reached 262 for 7 off their overs. Thanks to a 138-run partnership between Shafayat (84) and Lines (77), Notts were only one down after 30, so they could afford to attack all-out, and did so quite devastatingly, scoring 100 off the last 10 overs. Jack Heath at 7 deserves a big mention, as his contribution was an unbeaten 36 from just 15 balls.
Middlesex were always well ahead of the run rate. After 10, where Notts had had 47, Middlesex had 61. But they had lost both openers and Shah. Godleman and Nash were the best of the Middlesex bats, but when Godleman went in the 21st, their lineup was unable to sustain the quality. They lost 7 for 61 in less than 9 overs, to be 200 all out in the 30th.
Middlesex have gone from ahead of us on run rate with a game in hand, to behind us with the same number of games. We are now third, although that is the best we have much chance of finishing, and sixth is not out of the question if we don?t win our last game.
Middlesex v Nottinghamshire, Pro League Division 1
Nottinghamshire 262 for 7 ? Shafayat 84(97) Lines 77(78) Finn 3-55(8) Richardson 2-53(8);
Middlesex 200 (29.3 ov) ? Godleman 56(41) Nash 53(40) Patel 3-41(6.3) Adams 2-28(5)
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE DEFEATED MIDDLESEX BY 62 RUNS
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Dipak
ICC Board Member
Nottingham slowly going to the top. Essex' victory against them was cruical there.
Aislabie
Test Cricket is Best Cricket
Not exactly the effect I was going for...but close enough!
I did, and it worked
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Match Preview: September 15, 2011: Essex vs Surrey, Garon Park, Southend-on-Sea
County Championship Division 2
County Championship Division 2
Welcome to Garon Park in Southend, where our four-day match with Surrey is due to begin shortly. This is our last game in the County Championship for the year, and we really need to go out on a high, to cement at least second place, and thus promotion.
Promotion is far from guaranteed even if we win. It will depend on Yorkshire losing points hosting Middlesex ? in the game also beginning today ? or away to cellar-dwellers Gloucestershire. Derbyshire have an easy game at Glamorgan starting today. They really only need to draw one of their two games to sew up first place. Middlesex have two tricky games left, this one away to Yorkshire and the last one at Derby, so they are, realistically, less likely to trouble us. Finally among our rivals, albeit the least threat, is Somerset, who have high hopes of defeating Gloucs starting today, and then another winnable game at Northants.
So, we have been gifted this seemingly easy game, and must grab it with both hands. Here are today?s teams:
For only the second time in first-class for the season, I have gone for Alastair behind the stumps. It was a close decision between Jefferson and Klokker at number seven, but in the end I went with the one with the track record in the Championship. I have also included four bowlers for the first time since Somerset, with Welch edging out Cook in that department. Another batsman must make room for him, so Jamie Foster misses out on only his second game of the season.
As you can see from the team lists, we have a much stronger batting side. The graphic also highlights that Derek Carson for us, and Chris Murtagh for them, have been having fantastic years. We will take a huge boost in morale if we can get Murtagh out cheaply. Indeed, it may even decide the result in our favour.
Interesting that they persist with O?Brien ? in poor form - at number three. As I think you know, that is not my way of doing things!
In bowling, it?s somewhat more even. We still have the advantage in that two of our specialist bowlers, Harris and Tahir, have clicked this year, averaging under 30. In Surrey?s case, they are unlucky to have Andrew Hall out injured, and they have puzzlingly failed to pick their best performer this year in Ormond. Their overseas player, Pedro Collins, has not been at his best for a while, and, at 35, may be close to retirement.
With a win so desperately needed ? and beckoning so tantalizingly ? we have gone with a result pitch, favouring spin. Will Schofield step up and provide an upset in his duel with Harris? Obviously, we hope not! The weather forecast is for overcast conditions, pretty much throughout the four days. So will it aid the seamers? Or will it just rain for sessions at a time? Only time will tell.
Okay ? I think that?s a fair summary of this match in prospect. If there is something else that you wanted to know, I?d love to hear from you. Otherwise, stand by for my match report, as the game is about to start.
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