Stories, scorecards, epic matches: screenshots, scorecards, stories: no vids please.

[GuyIncognito]

Selfie time after getting 250.



Went on to get my first 300 of the career in FC/Test.

 

[Slug1793]

UPDATE
Sadly work got in the way off me finishing the test match, but I did manage to get a few overs in. Still need about 35 runs to win, BUT, KP has gone for 89, knicked off, caught behind by Hopkins.

8 down with Sidebottom and Anderson at the crease and the drives outside the off stump have certainly became less frequent.

Hopefully have the result up tomorrow

UPDATE

This is the current state of play, reminder, 260 required to win the test and the series 2-0. Just 1 more wicket and NZ secure a series draw...


Although one major plus for me, but sadly not for the game and NZ, after just getting his 4th wicket And leaving me 9 down, Vettori has brought himself off.

 

[Slug1793]

UPDATE

This is the current state of play, reminder, 260 required to win the test and the series 2-0. Just 1 more wicket and NZ secure a series draw...

View attachment 244582
Although one major plus for me, but sadly not for the game and NZ, after just getting his 4th wicket And leaving me 9 down, Vettori has brought himself off.

So, the test match is over, the series has finished, but, did I manage to get the final 18 runs required to win, or did NZ pick up the final wicket....

Sidebottom tried to take most of the strike and I knew that he would need to score the bulk of the required runs.

A boundary and a few 2s and Sidebottom brought up his maiden test 50, even Monty managed a single to get off the mark.

256 for 9.... 4 runs required, a boundary will do it, Panesar on strike, Iain O’Brien at the top of his mark, NZ have a ring field, not even a slip... it’s pitched up, Panesar goes for the cover drive and...... you’ll have to open the image to find out what happened!

 

[Ed Smith]

Of course Monty nicked off. Was never in doubt. Unlucky

 

[Slug1793]

Of course Monty nicked off. Was never in doubt. Unlucky

I thought I had it in the bag when they brought Vettori off for O’Brien, but quite clearly a stroke of genius.

Ahh well, onwards and upwards, up next a 3 match T20 series against the Aussies and then on to India for the winter

 

[Ed Smith]

Lunch on Day 3. Have to say it's canny boring batting with absolutley no scoreboard or time pressure. Wickets have all come from daft mistakes because I'm not concentrating.

 

[Wavelberry]

Second Sri Lankan test. The Lankans won the toss and elected to bat on a medium dustbowl...



Karunaratne got a 50 again and looked good, Perera got run-out AGAIN and Shanaka continued from where he finished off in the last test with a well compiled 75 ably assited by Kumara who had come into the team for de Silva. 205 is under par and the Grubbers will be looking to bat just the once on this pitch.



A wicket and a much better performance with the ball for Shannon with Watt really settling into his role in the team now. Mishra got tap from Karunaratne and Shanaka but he took 4fer and there was even a cheeky one for Che. He's got a big innings with the bat coming up though with his place under threat ahead of the India series.

 

[Ed Smith]

Got sick and declared as soon as I lost Smith. No way they'll chase 421 anyway (I hope)


Bowled a few overs. They're 20ish-0. Not sure how though. I still can't believe this missed...


End of Day 3 sit rep, I think I might have been ott in the rush to declare...

 

[Slug1793]

Got sick and declared as soon as I lost Smith. No way they'll chase 421 anyway (I hope)
View attachment 244610

Bowled a few overs. They're 20ish-0. Not sure how though. I still can't believe this missed...
View attachment 244611

End of Day 3 sit rep, I think I might have been ott in the rush to declare...

View attachment 244613

You should know the AI chase anything over 300. Anything less and they’re like nah, not worth it. Interested to see how this one turns out.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Typical Cricket 19 late order revival... wait:

 

[Wavelberry]

Good batting from The Grubbers or another collapse?



TBF ain't many collapses when Nick's around...



Although we had an extremely wobbly start as Kumara justified his recall by taking two early ones and Matthews snaring Joe Clarke to leave us 24-3. Enter the man in form though as Calum MacLeod showed why he was picked helping to lead the fight back before being unfortunately bowled by Hasaranga. Hasaranga was the one to end Ravi's sprightly cameo and at 182-5 we could've been bundled out but Mushfiqur came good and hit a quickfire 62 to swing the test decisively in our favour. The tail didn't hang around too long but Nick Browne did his first bat-through. The first of many.



The lead is 106 which is less of a lead than Sri Lanka had after the first innings in the last test match so this is by no means over yet. Shanaka, Matthews and Karunaratne have been the form batsmen by Mendis and Chandimal have pedigree so we can't take anything for granted especially as we have to bat last. Another intriguing test match is on the cards.

 

[Slug1793]

The disappointing 3 run defeat to New Zealand in the final Test match of the summer seems like a distant memory, although it was actually only a few days ago and still hurts, but to round off a great summer of cricket, the Aussies are in town and as Bumble would say, start the car, because it’s T20 time!

This series never actually happened, but I thought in preparation for the 2009 T20 World Cup I would throw it in there. Plus it will delay the inevitable heart ache of my tour to India which is up next (@wasteyouryouth perfect timing for The Wall)

So the series will consist of 3 T20s, played at Bristol, Chester-le-street and the Rose Bowl and will give both sides a chance to mix things up a bit, especially for England who have opted to rest Sidebottom, Anderson and Pietersen (misses first match only). For the Aussies, they name a 12 man squad that does NOT feature a specialist spinner. Perhaps an ominous sign of things to come for next year’s Ashes?

I will report on the 1st T20 tomorrow, but for now, let’s meet the Aussies...

 

[Slug1793]

1st T20
Bristol, County Ground

Paul Collingwood won the toss and put Australia in.

England brought in Sajid Mahmood, Tim Bresnan and in the absence of Pietersen, Ravi Bopara got his chance at the top of a rejigged order.

It looked a good call from England to field first, as the Aussies never managed to get any momentum and struggled to find the boundary regularly enough to cause any real concern.

Half way stage - AUS 110-8
A.Symonds 30* (27)
S.Mahmood 2-19

A walk in the park for England, or so you would think...

Clearly the wicket wasn’t too kind to bat on and both Luke Wright and Bopara struggled to assert themselves, but with the rate being less than 6 an over, the scoreboard pressure wasn’t there and they managed to find the boundary enough times to put England on top after the first 4 overs.

Mitchell Johnson struck first, his short ball too tempting for Wright not to try and hit for 6 but also too fierce for him to control.

27 for 1

It was only really Bopara who looked comfortable, certainly making good on his chance at the top and even took Johnson for 12 in one over, consisting of a 4 and a maximum.

Wickets fell around him and before England knew it, they were 6 down for 87 and even Ravi was back in the shed, falling 6 shy of his 50.

Michael Clarke put the squeeze on and brought on Andrew Symonds and his offies were difficult to get away, going for just 3 in his first 2 overs.

Dimitri Mascarenhas and Stuart Broad at the crease 12 balls left, 16 needed to win. How had England found themselves in this position!

Nathan Bracken with the penultimate over, he got out of it relatively unscathed and even removed Broad, although he did bowl a no ball, so needless runs to give away.

Symonds with the final over, 8 to win.
Mascarenhas on strike - single
7 off 5 required
Symonds to Bresnan
FOUR! Over extra cover 3 to win!
3 off 4 required
WICKET! Looking for the same shot Bresnan picks out Clarke this time and more importantly, a dot, but they did cross.
3 off 3 required
Mascarenhas knocks it through mid wicket, Swann scampers back for 2. Scores tied.
1 off 2 required
Field brought in, but Dimi gets bat on ball and they get through for the winning run.

111 for 8 off 19.5 overs, England win by 2 wickets, but my word that was closer than it should have been.

1 up in the series, next up, Durham!

 

[Slug1793]

2nd T20
Chester-le-street

England take a 1-0 lead into the 2nd match of the series and after the first went down to the wire, this one promises to be another nail biter.

The Aussies won the toss and put England in, but at 50 for the loss of no wicket, it was looking like the wrong decision.

Enter, James Hopes... brought in to the side for Cameron White, thrown the ball in the hope of a breakthrough and he didn’t disappoint.

54 for 1
Luke Wright 30 (24)

From here England struggled to build any meaningful partnerships and what was looking at one stage like a score of 160 plus was now looking sub 150.

A tame end to the innings, with the boundaries hard to come by and Australia were in the driving seat at the half way stage.

England 133 for 8

So 134 needed for Australia to win the match and level the series.

Shane Watson helped them get off to a good start, but he was struggling for partners. After Haddin fell for 21 Clarke, Symonds and the Hussey brothers only managed 23 between them, England back in the game.

Watson brought up his 50 and continued to frustrate England, picking up the occasional boundary, which was more than sufficient with only 134 required.

Final Over - 6 required
Tim Bresnan with ball in hand

Mitchell Johnson on strike...
Through the covers for 2
4 from 5 required
Dot ball
4 from 4 required

Bresnan gets his yorker in...
Dot ball
4 from 3 required

Another yorker from Bresnan, Johnson digs it out
Dot ball
4 from 2

Slower ball from Bresnan, big swing from Johnson, but he can’t get anywhere near it...
Dot ball

4 runs, 1 ball
Bresnan?
Johnson?

.....

 

[Slug1793]

3rd T20
Hampshire, Rose Bowl

2 up in the series and going for the clean sweep.

No drama in this match, just a straight forward run chase, thanks largely to Owais Shah, who hit his 2nd T20I half century of the summer.

Shane Watson was in the runs again for the Aussies, so promising signs for him ahead of the Ashes next year.

England finish the summer on a high, but it’s not over for this year just yet, as up next we take on India in their own backyard. Tendulkar, Dravid, Sehwag, Yuvraj, VVS, the list goes on, something tells me this could be a tough one!