Story Kev's Ashes Cricket Thread Thingy

[Kev]

Put KP down there to avoid the spinner.

 

[pcfan123]

Avoid the spinner. Something i have never heard of in AC09, but perhaps thats because I play on the unpatched console version

 

[Kev]

It's something I need to do, if you look at my scorecards, spinners always do well against me. Why I gave South Africa 2 for this game in the hope that it might just use a second spinner, but no such luck it just stuck to the same old formula.

 

[Dutch]

It's something I need to do, if you look at my scorecards, spinners always do well against me. Why I gave South Africa 2 for this game in the hope that it might just use a second spinner, but no such luck it just stuck to the same old formula.

Good win for the English! Kev, are you using the Howsdat! program to change the batsmen and bowlers confidence? This really helps to make things more tricky for you if you are too good at batting!

 

[Kev]

No, not using the Howsdat program, not using anything other than beta patch on hard with Sly's roster.

South Africa's Innings

Smith is dropped at Short Leg off the bowling of Anderson in the first over, no maiden this time around but the over only goes for one. With Collingwood being my second best rated bowler, I am stuck with using Mahmood for the second over. Imagine my surprise when he gets a wicket with his first ball. Ok, it's a suicidal runout but its still a wicket
South Africa do a really good job at attempting to keep up with the rate. Gibbs is smacking me all over the shot with Amla providing support. Gibbs becomes the only player to pass 50, surviving 4 dropped catches, to make 71 before yet another runout.

Gibbs' Fifty

After Gibbs departure it looks pretty bleak. With my bowlers not doing a great job I try Pietersen for an over or two. I have to remove him from the attack because it's just too successful, further annoying me as to why South Africa didn't use their second spinner.

Some very simple (and possibly incorrect) stats from the T20i Series.

 

[MaD]

Crap and Graeme Smith :doh

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

I do not understand you have put stats and saying its incorrect..

 

[barmyarmy]

The runouts are disappointing.

 

[Kev]

I do not understand you have put stats and saying its incorrect..

I said possibly incorrect. As I basically typed them in from screenies, I may have made a mistake (I don't think I have) but I'm sure someone out there will point it out if I have. So I have covered myself

The runouts are disappointing.

Yeah, they were mostly suicidal. Funnily enough they did seem to calm down on the running stakes when the game looked lost. One of the runouts was quite nice though, they tried to sneak an extra run on an over throw but suffered a direct hit.

 

[just_cricket]

Tbh, I've just read the whole story now, and I find a simple story like this with a good write up, not too many screenies far more interesting than others out there. Great work, If you keep it up, I'll follow this all the way!

 

[Dutch]

No, not using the Howsdat program, not using anything other than beta patch on hard with Sly's roster.
[B

I f you are looking for a way to make batting harder I would give the program a go as it means you can adjust the batsmen's confidence downwards after drinks, landmarks etcetera. I use it all the time and it has meant me having to rebuild innings and concentrate more fully than otherwise. Everyone to their own though!

 

[Kev]

Tbh, I've just read the whole story now, and I find a simple story like this with a good write up, not too many screenies far more interesting than others out there. Great work, If you keep it up, I'll follow this all the way!

Thanks, it's not meant to be a story, just ramblings on my games.

I f you are looking for a way to make batting harder I would give the program a go as it means you can adjust the batsmen's confidence downwards after drinks, landmarks etcetera. I use it all the time and it has meant me having to rebuild innings and concentrate more fully than otherwise. Everyone to their own though!

Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think I could be bothered to keep switching between programs, it'd interrupt the flow for me. For the 1st ODi (Below) I've specifically chosen lower rated players for England in the hope that it'll make the game more interesting. If this proves unsuccessful I'll try editing abilities then maybe this program.


1st ODI Jo'berg Day/Night

Teams:

South Africa
H Gibbs, G Smith (C), J Kallis, A de Villiers, JP Duminy, M Boucher (W), A Morkel, J Botha, R van der Merwe, W Parnell, D Steyn

England
A Strauss (C), J Denly, J Trott, P Collingwood, E Morgan, M Prior (W), L Wright, T Bresnan, A Rashid, G Onions, S Mahmood.

Toss: England who elected to field.

I'm hoping the slightly less frenetic pace of the ODi's will allow the AI to build a better innings, also maybe I'll have trouble trying to bat for 50 overs at pace too. Chose to chase for the first game given that i'm not sure what is a good 50 over total for this game.

With a much reduced bowling attack Gibbs and Smith take advantage and start the innings off with a decent partnership. I did drop a few early catches but once they settled it was pretty chanceless and they both passed 50. Of course I knew the most obvious way i'd break the partnership was a dreaded runout and of course that was the case.

Spiders at 50 for Gibbs and Smith, I am impressed by their contrasting styles, at least its an attempt to make the scoring feel realistic.

At least the runouts weren't suicidal this time

When Smith departed and Kallis came in, I thought the scoring rate might increase, but Kallis spent ages on 1 and soon after was caught behind in Rashid's 7th over (First time I think I have bowled using a leg spinner).

Towards the end of the innings, with plenty of wickets in hand South Africa accelerated and Bresnan was able to get a wicket in his final over. other than that nothing much happened.

Sadly, bowling with reduced ability bowlers seriously reduced my enjoyment of bowling. It's not the fact that I can take wickets with the better bowlers, its just bowling with a completely useless attack left me feeling that I never looked like taking a wicket and was really just waiting for silly AI mistakes. The game here needs to offer both the suffering of being hit around the park and the chance of some success. Sadly it seems you can only have one or the other.

 

[Dutch]

Good knock from Gibbs and Smith. That total should test you a bit! I am afraid my money is on South Africa at the moment!

 

[Kev]

I think your money might well be in a safe place there.

Pretty decent start, was scoring quite freely and well above the rate, not having to touch the lofted shot button as the AI was allowing me to use my favourite scoring method, hitting through the covers, pretty much at will. Then in the 6th over I lost Denly then Strauss in consecutive balls. Trott didn't last long and was out to a fantastic catch at Silly Mid Off. Next two wickets came from the spin of Van der Merwe, followed by Wright as I mistimed the use of the lofted shot button.

1 powerplay taken so far (Do I get to pick both??) and of course I have yet to see the second spinner.

 

[Kev]

Pretty awful end to the innings. I just couldn't time my shots after resuming, I was having to play them extremely late. Does anyone else get this? It seems to happen to me every now and then, then all of a sudden corrects itself again.

I was asked first over after resuming if I wanted to take the second powerplay, so I did. (Really does the game not implement batting and bowling powerplays??)

Bresnan edges his first ball of the powerplay to slip. I'm thinking it's ok, Colly is on fire, I'll just let him keep the strike. Shortly afterwards in an effort to keep the strike I try and work a full ball onto the on-side (something I don't often try) and he's bowled. Pretty much all over from then in.

So South Africa take a somewhat shock 1-0 series lead. (And Zim is proved wrong!)