The English Revolution – A DaveK tale

[Dick Van Dykes Disco Dog]

Great read this mate

[DaveK93]

Great read this mate

Glad you're enjoying it, I'm having some fun with this one!

[DaveK93]

New Zealand – 2nd ODI

Unsurprisingly after the thrashing that we posted last time out, we keep the same team for a cloudy day at the Oval. Rashid stays in over Borthwick for this one. Buttler also stays in, but is horribly out of form. Should he not hit runs, Bairstow and Billings are right on his tail.

We lose the toss, and with NZ wary of last time, they bat first.



We refused to let the Kiwis settle at the start, and Finn was particularly quick to act, removing Latham and McCullum. Willey was miserly at the other end, conceding 8 from his first 4 overs as we kept the pressure on.

Williamson finally showed why he is so highly thought of though. Alongside Ross Taylor, they put on a frustrating partnership worth 137 as we toiled in the field. Thankfully, with slower conditions, the run-rate never really got too high.

It was the economical Rashid that broke the resistance, bowling Williamson around his legs. Stokes would account for Ross Taylor soon after, as the powerplay proved beneficial for us. Coles, having conceded 22 from his first two overs, roared back to dismiss Guptill, Santner and Elliot, ripping the backbone out the line-up. Finn meanwhile picked up 2 more wickets to add to his impressive figures.

NZ:
10 overs: 38-2 (Williamson 14, R Taylor 1)
20 overs: 98-2 (Williamson 42, R Taylor 32)
30 overs: 151-2 (Williamson 77, R Taylor 49)
40 overs: 201-4 (Guptill 11, Ronchi 14)
50 overs: N/A

Not wishing to get behind the rate, Hales and Vince started positively. There was some fluent strokeplay, and it took a superb catch behind the stumps to remove the dangerous Hales for 23. Vince stuck at it though, and was still there after Taylor departed, calmly compiling his 3rd half century in a row.

The next 10 overs saw us slow down as Santner got on top of us, and Vince was struggling to find gaps. He eventually went for 84, lbw to Henry, but yet again it was a classy performance from the Hampshire man.

Root, Morgan and Stokes didn’t let things settle though, and got after the bowling. Stokes finished on 31 from 19 as we closed the game out comfortably, and took a 2-0 lead in the series.

Eng:
10 overs: 54-1 (Vince 27, J Taylor 2)
20 overs: 105-2 (Vince 60, Root 3)
30 overs: 149-2 (Vince 82, Root 23)
40 overs: 212-4 (Morgan 22, Stokes 14)
50 overs: N/A



Next Time: Off to the Rose Bowl. Can Vince make it 4 in a row on his home turf?

[Chris Child]

Beautifully written story. I'm hooked.

[DaveK93]

Beautifully written story. I'm hooked.

Thanks, much appreciated!

[DaveK93]

New Zealand – 3rd ODI

With the series on the line for this match, we make one change. Jason Roy comes into the lineup at 3, with Joe Root getting a much deserved rest. Taylor drops to 4 with a view to him playing the Root innings this time out. Bowling wise, we remain unchanged, Borthwick sitting out.

With cloud overhead, and a slow outfield, we bowl first.



Once again, we kept it tight from the start, and once again Latham went early. McCullum and Williamson settled though, with a handy partnership of 111 building a platform. We let it slip after the 30 over mark though, despite removing both settled batsmen. The bowling was ill-disciplined, and NZ capitalised, with 248 being an above par total for these conditions and pitch.

NZ:
10 overs: 33-1 (McCullum 19, Williamson 6)
20 overs: 79-1 (McCullum 41, Williamson 26)
30 overs: 128-3 (Guptill 1, R Taylor 1)
40 overs: 198-4 (Guptill 20, Ronchi 23)
50 overs: 248-9 (Southee 1, Boult 0)

The Hales/Vince partnership yet again started brightly, but a horror collapse saw Hales, Vince, Roy and Morgan all depart to render us 64-4. Taylor and Stokes tried to rebuild, putting on 77 between them. Taylor, and Rashid shortly after, fell though, and we were left in trouble. Stokes reached his 50, but apart from some late runs from Buttler and Finn in an entertaining 35 run partnership, we were down and out.

ENG:
10 overs: 59-0 (Vince 23, Hales 33)
20 overs: 97-4 (J Taylor 20, Stokes 14)
30 overs: 155-6 (Stokes 49, Buttler 0)
40 overs: 194-9 (Buttler 19, Finn 13)
50 overs: N/A



Next Time: A deserved victory for NZ, who played the conditions better than us. Will a trip to my favourite ground restore our fortunes, or will Trent Bridge see the series levelled?

[Rumblah]

Bought Vince over for my Queensland domestic save. Glad to see he will probably shred.

[DaveK93]

New Zealand – 4th ODI

We make a couple of changes for this match, as we look to keep things fresh. Joe Root returns, replacing Eoin Morgan, and taking the captaincy. The other change sees Scott Borthwick come in for Adil Rashid. There is also an order shuffle which sees Taylor back at 3, Roy at 6, and Root to come in at 4.

We lose the toss and are put out in the field first.



Latham finally got runs. After a torrid tour so far, his 90 set the foundations for a very solid New Zealand total. His partnership with Williamson helped to create a steady start for the Kiwis after losing McCullum early. Ross Taylor was typically aggressive, which allowed them to push on after the 40 over mark.

For what it’s worth, the Williamson/Latham partnership was broken by Joe Root, who turned one past the bat into the stump. Finn also picked up another 4 in a solid season so far.

NZ:
10 overs: 47-1 (Latham 21, Williamson 22)
20 overs: 100-1 (Latham 47, Williamson 43)
30 overs: 151-2 (Latham 69, R Taylor 12)
40 overs: 207-3 ( R Taylor 44, Guptill 0)
50 overs: 277 a/o (Boult 2)

Hales fell early as we tried to be aggressive. Vince, Taylor and Root all played their shots though, and at the 30 over mark, we were pretty much on course. Vince had recorded his 4th half century in 5 games as well.

Once again though, the scourge of the English ODI game struck again. The powerplay accounted for 4 wickets as they ran through our middle order. Root reached his half century first, but Roy and Stokes both did very little before departing.

It got worse as Willey went practically straight away. 208-9 did not look pretty on the scoreboard. That’s when Buttler cut loose. He unleashed a volley of shots on Santner and Elliot, smashing them across the outfield to reach 50 from only 23 deliveries. Santner got the last laugh though, and we were left with Coles and Finn with 18 needed.

We reduced that to 10 off the last over, but we couldn’t quite make it home, Finn being caught in front of the stumps as he tried to loft Elliot into the stands.

ENG:
10 overs: 62-1 (Vince 36, J Taylor 21)
20 overs: 109-2 (Vince 60, Root 20)
30 overs: 161-3 (Root 49, Borthwick 17)
40 overs: 209-7 (Buttler 6, Willey 1)
50 overs: N/A



Next Time: The series is to be decided at Chester-Le-Street. A thrilling series so far, can it be finished in style, or will it be a drab finale?

[DaveK93]

New Zealand – 5th ODI

So, this is for all the marbles then. We also tweak the line-up again, with Jonny Bairstow in for Jason Roy. Meanwhile, the Kiwis have brought back Corey Anderson, who replaces the hero of the last game, Grant Elliott.

We win the toss, and are having a bat. Beautiful sunshine is expected throughout the match, so it should be a run feast, with hopefully some turn later on.



We suffered a rare failing early on, as Vince fell for only 7. Hales and Taylor built a steady partnership of 40 before the Notts opener also departed. Bairstow came and went, but Root and Taylor both steadied the ship and made good progress. They would both come agonisingly short of centuries, but their runs, alongside contributions from Borthwick (22) and Coles (23*), allowed us to post a solid looking total.

ENG:
10 overs: 51-1 (Hales 21, J Taylor 20)
20 overs: 102-3 (J Taylor 48, Root 5)
30 overs: 149-3 (J Taylor 73, Root 24)
40 overs: 221-4 (Root 55, Borthwick 20)
50 overs: 296-8 (Root 96, Coles 23)

McCullum threatened to crucify us early on, but a sumptuous delivery from Willey left the Kiwi opener only able to fend to Hales at slip. Hales would take another catch moments later, as Latham guided Coles straight to him.

Taylor was bowled by Coles as we pressed on, only to be battered back by Williamson and Anderson. Williamson scored his half century in good time, but the slower pace of Borthwick caught him out, and he feathered one to Buttler, scoring 63.

Guptill picked up the mantle though, and a free scoring partnership of 80 was set up. Anderson held back allowing Guptill to attack, but a poor shot saw him smash the ball straight back to the waiting Borthwick.

Anderson took charge of the chase then, and whilst Ronchi and Santner didn’t provide much to help, Southee and Henry provided useful partners. Hales got his third catch of the game though, this time at square leg, as Anderson swiped and miscued a Borthwick delivery. Boult had some fun, but had his stumps re-arranged by Stokes as we wrapped up the series.

NZ:
10 overs: 73-2 (Williamson 34, R Taylor 2)
20 overs: 137-4 (Anderson 7, Guptill 18)
30 overs: 190-4 (Anderson 35, Guptill 41)
40 overs: 249-8 (Southee 6, Henry 9)
50 overs: N/A



Next Time: Nearly time for the Kiwis to go home. Not before we go to Old Trafford though for a T20 send off.

[DaveK93]

England



New Zealand

[Imager36]

Nice work on the series win, pretty impressive! Wishing you luck for the Ashes... the Aussies were better than England against me, I have to say!

[DaveK93]

Nice work on the series win, pretty impressive! Wishing you luck for the Ashes... the Aussies were better than England against me, I have to say!

They were worryingly decent against the WIndies here as well, it doesn't bode well...

[DaveK93]

New Zealand – Only T20 International

In terms of a squad, we pick a very inexperienced bunch. Well, inexperienced at international level anyway. A lot of the players selected are regular high quality performers at county level, and there is no reason why they shouldn’t be able to do well. Jake Ball, the Notts seamer, is also in the 12 man squad, but he misses out this time. Root takes the captains role for this match, with it being fairly likely he will inherit the overall captaincy from Cook.

Debutants: Westley, Vince, Billings, Allenby, Willey, Fletcher, Wood

We win the toss and bowl first.



We started aggressively, with Hales and Roy combining well. Westley and Vince hit a few quick runs, but Root wasn’t able to get going. Hales and Stokes looked promising, but when Anderson got Hales, we were languishing on 90-5.

Stokes and Billings banded together though. Scoring was slow to start with, but they soon picked up and started flaying the bowlers everywhere. Stokes hit 51 from 33, and Billings 35 from 27, as we pushed towards a big total. Allenby faced 2 balls at the end, smashing them both for 4.

ENG:
PP: 53-2 (Hales 24, Vince 4)
10 overs: 76-4 (Hales 38, Stokes 1)
15 overs: 114-5 (Stokes 25, Billings 14)
20 overs: 169-6 (Billings 35, Allenby 8)

New Zealand started well, but Allenby came on in the 5th over, and immediately removed dangerman McCullum. The Willey over straight after was key though, as he got Taylor and Williamson for a combined total of one run.

After that, NZ never got settled. Stokes picked up 4 wickets to record his best T20I figures, whilst there were debut wickets for Fletcher and Wood. Anderson and Ronchi did make an effort to restore dignity, but they came up against a jubiliant bowling attack.

NZ:
PP: 38-3 (Latham 14, Anderson 4)
10 overs: 74-4 (Anderson 28, Guptill 2)
15 overs: 112-5 (Anderson 48, Ronchi 13)
20 overs: N/A



Next Time: Sophia Gardens. Cardiff. England vs Australia. The biggest test series in the world all starts next.

[DaveK93]

Australia Touring Squad

[DaveK93]

England Squad



Firstly two notable things. No Broad, he's out for two weeks with a broken finger. Rushworth replaces him after some outstanding county form.

Secondly, Kevin Pietersen is in the squad. As promised, he needed a lot of runs to make the squad. However, he and Ian Bell are both at risk within the squad, so they need to hit the ground running. One of them will miss out as Ben Stokes will play.

England Stats vs Australia