Middlesex Crusaders: Into the future (a story)

[jonnyboy21]

Superb stuff, keep it going

[qpeedore]

17th August 2009

Worcestershire vs. Middlesex – Pro40 league, Division 1

Middlesex: A Strauss, E Smith ©, E Morgan, N Compton, E Joyce (vc), B Godleman, B Scott, D Nash (wk), T Murtagh, C Silverwood, S Finn

Worcestershire: S Moore, D Hulme, D Henley (wk), C Warner, C Adams, V Solanki, M Moon, G Batty, K Ali, R Jones, S Jones

Forecast: Cloudy all day, with a chance of the sun peeking through around midday but being covered up as the day goes on.

Pitch Report: Good, even bounce with good carry to the keeper. Not much help for the bowlers off the pitch for this one and batsmen would have to be deceived in the air to get themselves out on this one. Definitely a good batting track.

Toss: Worcestershire, who chose to bat. Ed Smith: “We really wanted to win the toss and get out here to bat, but we’ll have to bowl well and restrict them to a gettable total before we come out in the second innings and start our run chase. The pitch looks like it will hold up well right through the day, so batting second shouldn't be too much of a problem.”

[qpeedore]

Report: The big topic of talk around the ground was the omission of Murali Kartik. Coach Ryon Cupidore must have a lot of faith in his team to leave out the specialist spinner. Compton showed that he can bowl well in the last game, but to call him even a part-time bowler may be pushing it. He’s more of a hardly-ever bowler.

Worcestershire started very aggressively, hitting Finn for 9 in his first over. Finn did come back and have some retribution, however, getting Moore to edge to second slip during his fifth over with the score on 38.

That would be the only success Middlesex had for some time, however, as the lack of swing or assistance from the pitch made it very easy for the batsmen to find the boundary with easy. Smith switched around his bowlers more often than he would have liked, and Compton found himself coming on to bowl after only 10 overs and with Worcestershire looking very dangerous.

Smith brought Silverwood back in the 29th over in an attempt to keep the run rate down, but he too was dispatched to the boundary. Compton kept plugging away at his end, however, and was rewarded with two wickets. First he removed Hulme with a ball that went straight on with the arm and took middle stump. His next wicket looked just as good, trapping Henley in front for a very easy lbw decision.

Compton finished his spell with figures of 2-37, by far the pick of the bowlers up to that point. Joyce replaced him from that end as Finn took over from Silverwood at the opposite end. Joyce’s next over only went for 2 runs, keeping the pressure on the batsmen while Finn managed to get an edge that went to the keeper.

Two more wickets fell in the final over, but the batting damage had already been done. Middlesex were in for a huge challenge in order to get a victory in this match.

End of Worcestershire innings: 232/7, 40 overs, D Hulme 93(72), D Henley 62(71), S Finn 4-41, N Compton 2-37
Middlesex need 233 runs at 5.8 per over

[qpeedore]

With a run rate very near a run a ball, a quick start was what Middlesex needed to have. Strauss managed to hit two fours in the first over before being bowled as he looked for a third one. It was an unnecessary wicket, and he clearly looked disgusted with himself as he walked back to the pavilion with the score already on 10 and still in the first over.

The bowlers kept themselves to a good line, and the field backed them up well, cutting off the singles. Middlesex need to keep the scoreboard ticking over before the match got away from them. The pressure soon told on Smith and he was trapped in front for only 9.

Compton came in and started to look solid but was dismissed after only facing a few deliveries. Joyce came to the crease and promptly hit two successive boundaries, taking the pressure off of the team for a few moments.

The asking rate soon rose above six an over, however, and dot balls were absolutely crucial to Worcestershire. The bowlers and fielders kept things tight, and almost forced a mistake in the 17th over when Joyce barely survived a very close run out appeal.

Joyce went in the 22nd over, edging to first slip and Middlesex found themselves 4 wickets down with the asking rate pushing 7 an over. Godleman came in and hit two fours and a two before getting himself off of the strike with a single, but still the asking rate was more than a run a ball.

Morgan, however, kept pushing the ball into the gaps and hitting the bad deliveries for boundaries, bringing up a well played 50 in the 24th over. At the next end, Godleman stepped on the accelerator and started hitting out at the bowler, punishing anything that strayed too wide on both sides of the wicket. He and Morgan brought the asking rate back under a run a ball in the 26th over, scoring 12 runs off of Ali.

By the time Morgan departed for 65, the match could go either way. Scott walked out to the crease, still with a lot of work for Middlesex to do but they could see victory within their grasp if only they worked toward it. Following Morgan’s dismissal, there was a period of three overs that only went for 5 runs putting the pressure right back on Middlesex and the asking rate went back above six an over.

Godleman broke the chains holding Middlesex back with two consecutive fours, bringing up his fifty with the first one after only having faced 35 balls. At the other end, Scott sent a simple return catch to the bowler, followed by Nash being trapped in front by Batty. Godleman still hung in there, however, and brought up a hard-fought victory in the 39th over with a single to deep cover.

End of Middlesex innings: 233/7, 38.3 overs, B Godleman 67*(49), E Morgan 65(78), K Ali 3-50(8), S Jones 2-60(8)
Middlesex win by 3 wickets
Man of the match: S Finn

(My God…that match was really close. I swore I’d have lost it almost until the final 2 overs.)

[qpeedore]

19th August 2009

Middlesex vs. Sussex – County Championship, Division 2

Middlesex: A Strauss, E Smith ©, E Morgan, N Compton, E Joyce (vc), B Godleman, B Scott (wk), T Murtagh, M Kartik, C Silverwood, S Finn

Sussex: C Hopkinson, G Platt, M Goodwin, M Yardy, A Hodd (wk), H Le Roux, J Ames, C Nash, R Sillence, R Kirtley, C Liddle

Forecast: Cloudy all day but with little chance of rain and visibility should be good enough through the entire day.

Pitch Report: Absolutely flat. Batsmen would have to get themselves out on this track, because the bowlers would hardly be threatening until much later on in the game.

Toss: Sussex, who chose to field. Ed Smith: “That’s a bit of a surprise because this looks perfect for batting, but they probably have a plan in mind. We’re going to go out there and see if we can ruin that plan. We’re hoping to post a big total in the first innings.”

[qpeedore]

Report: Kartik came back into the team at the expense of Nash, who has only average 25 in first class games this season. Scott will wear the gloves for this one. Middlesex played an otherwise unchanged lineup. There was talk of the lack of help from the pitch for the bowlers and the possibility that Compton may get a chance to bowl a lengthy spell when Sussex had their chance to bat.

However, it was Middlesex out in the middle first, and the openers Strauss and Smith walked out looking confident. Strauss got Middlesex off the mark with a push through the offside for two but it was in the third over of the day that proved to be expensive for Sussex, with four byes going past keeper Hodd, followed by two sweetly timed fours from Strauss and a double to carry Middlesex onto 18 in rapid time.

Strauss calmed down after that, however, and the runs all but dried up during the next 5 overs or so. Strauss refused to be tied down for very long and he hit several fours before hitting Yardy for a six over mid off to bring up his fifty in the 21st over. This seemed to give Smith a bit of incentive and he started finding the boundary as well, bringing up his fifty with a nice cover drive for four. With both batsmen already having a fifty to their name, they blocked out the next three overs until lunch, going into the break on 140 for no loss, with Strauss on 70 and Smith on 54.

The two openers carried on with much of the same after the break, working the ball into the gaps for singles and doubles while hitting the bad balls to the fence. Strauss entered the nineties and survived a very close lbw shout on 94, with the ball hitting him just marginally outside the line of the off stump. Had he offered no shot, it wouldn’t be a hard decision, but the umpire decided that he was playing a shot and that the ball struck him outside the line. He brought up his first century of the County season to overs later, celebrating with a leap into the air as he clearly demonstrated that he had returned to form. His captain, Smith, was the first to congratulate him.

Smith brought up his own century several overs later, showing more of the consistency that has been his strength for the past two seasons now. He now averaged 57 this season, with 6 fifties and now 7 centuries, definitely leading by example. The bowlers, to their credit, definitely tried their very best, almost getting Smith an over later with a ball that almost shaved the edge of the bat, but he pulled away just in time. They also rapped Strauss on the pads and he looked nervously up at the umpire, who gave another good decision, with the ball just heading down the leg side and probably missing the stumps by just inches.

Middlesex went to tea, still without a wicket having fallen and with Strauss on 133 and Smith on 120. The crowd at Lord’s, some of them attracted by the coaching tactics of new coach Cupidore, gave them a standing ovation as they walked to the pavilion, followed by a very weary-looking Sussex team.

They returned from the break and continued to look in fine form, with Strauss bringing up his 150 in the 79th over. In the next over Sussex thought they had one of their men, appealing loudly for a caught behind off of the bowling of Le Roux but they were turned down. Strauss immediately adjusted his pads, suggesting that his bat had hit that and not the ball. The umpiring definitely kept a high level to this point, and both umpires held up well under pressure so far.

Sussex took the new ball after the 81st over, with the old ball having done nothing for them. It paid off immediately, with Yardy trapping Smith on the back foot for a very well-played 139. Middlesex had lost their first wicket with the score on 310. Strauss eventually fell as well, contributing to his own downfall a little by not offering a shot to a ball that did nothing but hit him in line. He departed for 163. He clearly looked a very tired man as he went back to the pavilion amidst cheers and applause, and probably it was a momentary lapse of concentration that led to his demise.

Compton walked out and joined Morgan at the crease and promptly hit two fours to get himself going. With 3 overs to go in the day, Morgan went lbw to Le Roux for 35. Middlesex closed the day on an even 400, with Strauss and Smith to thank for that excellent platform for the middle to build upon.

End of day 1: Middlesex 400/3, N Compton 37*, E Joyce 2*, C Liddle 0-65, H Le Roux 1-64
Middlesex lead by 400 runs

[qpeedore]

Day 2: Compton set things rolling off of the first ball of the day, sending it crashing into the fence beyond cover for four. He then took a quick single to give Joyce the strike and Joyce sent the ball into that same fence with another boundary. Compton brought up his fifty a few overs later, with a four past mid off.

Joyce was lbw to a very close decision but the ball would probably have taken off the top of off stump and he was on his way. That did not seem to bother Compton, however, who continued to hit his boundaries. Newcomer to the crease Godleman kept pace with him, almost going one for one with each boundary that Compton scored. Compton was much further on his way than Godleman, though, and he brought up his first century of the season with a boundary through mid on. He could not build on that century as he fell two overs later, though. Godleman fell just before lunch as well, but Middlesex would clearly be very happy as they went in, with the score on 541 for 6.

Murtagh fell soon after the break to a very good ball but Kartik has shown that he can handle a bat extremely well over the past couple of seasons and he kept the Sussex bowlers from prying out his wicket while Scott did most of the run scoring at the next end. Sussex were not helped by a dropped catch at second slip, missing an opportunity to remove Middlesex’s last established batsman.

Scott brought up his fifty and Middlesex immediately declared just as Sussex were going to the umpires about the third new ball of the innings.

End of Middlesex innings: 610/7 declared, A Strauss 163, E Smith 139, H Le Roux 2-94, M Yardy 2-112
Middlesex lead by 610 runs

(Funny stat…all 7 wickets were lbw…)

[qpeedore]

With such a big total, Middlesex kept the pressure up by setting very aggressive fields until the tea interval, but the pitch was so good for batting that Sussex survived without losing any wickets to go to tea on 45 for no loss.

Hopkinson immediately set about knocking the runs off of the deficit, a boundary at a time. He hit 3 of them in the first over after the break, off of Finn. Finn could do nothing to prevent it, however, and he was taken off soon afterward. Hopkinson brought up his fifty with a single to midwicket, with his partner Platt on 49 himself. Platt brought up his fifty in a more stylish form, with a boundary through the covers.

With about 30 minutes to go in the day, Smith threw the ball to Compton and gave him some support with a fairly aggressive field. Compton kept things relatively tight but did not look too penetrating. Rather, it was Kartik at the other end who got Middlesex their first wicket, a healthy edge from Platt that fell right into the waiting hands of Godleman at slip. Goodwin came in and Sussex negotiated the remaining two overs to end the day with only one wicket down.

End of day 2: Sussex 168/1, C Hopkinson 75*, M Goodwin 2*, M Kartik 1-17, N Compton 0-13
Sussex trail by 442 runs

[qpeedore]

Day 3: Finn and Silverwood started things off on day 3, but the pitch was still very good for batting and Sussex easily worked the ball away for their runs. Finn finally got Goodwin, however, to a good catch at short midwicket.

Wickets were still hard to come by, though, and Hopkinson took advantage of the great batting conditions and brought up his century to a good round of applause from his teammates in the dressing room. Yardy had started to look good at the other end, but Joyce had him caught at first slip to a good ball. Hopkinson looked as if nothing would affect him, carrying on with his game and even hitting Joyce for a huge six over mid off.

Middlesex took the new ball but all it did was come off of the bat better and Hopkinson brought up his 150 in the last over before lunch. Sussex went to lunch on 288 for 3, still 322 runs behind Middlesex but looking good.

Hopkinson seemed to calm down after lunch, working the singles while his partner Hodd took over the aggression, bringing up his fifty as well. Runs were easy to come by on this pitch. Murtagh finally got Hodd out via lbw but nobody could seem to pry out Hopkinson.

Kartik and Compton came on to bowl but Hopkinson treated them both the same way. Compton, however, managed to finally get the wicket of Hopkinson for an amazing 192. Sussex went to tea on 421 for 5, still 189 behind but with the dangerous Hopkinson out.

Silverwood struck three overs after the break, removing Le Roux just after he had made his fifty. Nash came in but only managed 5 hard-earned runs before Finn bowled him and put him out of his misery. Ames continued to work the ball around and knocked off most of the rest of the runs needed to avoid the follow on. He seemed set for a fifty but he fell just one run short and had to walk back to the pavilion with a look of disappointment on his face.

Middlesex removed all but one wicket and Sussex closed the day with the lead under a hundred and the match likely heading toward a draw.

End of day 3: Sussex 517/9 R Sillence 19*, C Liddle 6*, T Murtagh 2-66, E Joyce 2-124
Sussex trail by 93 runs

[qpeedore]

Day 4:Middlesex only needed one wicket to dismiss Sussex in their first innings and they were looking to get it quickly. But the umpiring, which had been good right through the game so far, suddenly took a turn for the worse. Two obvious lbw decisions went against Middlesex as well as a strong appeal for a catch behind but the umpire kept his finger down. Finn finally removed the last wicket but with the addition of almost 40 runs, the damage had been done.

End of Sussex innings: 555/10, C Hopkinson 192, G Platt 86, T Murtagh 2-66, E Joyce 2-124
Middlesex lead by 55 runs

[qpeedore]

Middlesex came out with about an hour to go before lunch but there would be no repeat of the first innings. Smith fell for a duck in the second over, edging to first slip. Strauss continued to look excellent and he carried on from the first innings, dispatching the ball to the boundary with relative frequency. Middlesex went to lunch on 54 for 1, with Strauss on 34 with 5 boundaries already and Morgan on 16.

Middlesex returned from the break and Strauss continued to keep the scoring rate up, and he brought up his fifty half an hour after the interval. All doubts about his return to form were now gone. Strauss eventually fell, bowled by Yardy for 75 but his contribution to the match was well noted by everyone around, including some of the Sussex players themselves.

Morgan, who missed out in the first innings, posted his fifty just two overs after Strauss departed and looked fine until he fell with only a few minutes to go before the tea interval. Middlesex declared at tea, perhaps giving Sussex a sniff at a chance to win the game, but with a win seeming unlikely.

End of Middlesex innings: 182/3 declared, A Strauss 75, E Morgan 71, H Le Roux 1-24, M Yardy 1-30
Sussex need 238 to win

[qpeedore]

Sussex got off to a very slow start, only 11 runs coming off of the first 6 overs before Platt survived a very close run out appeal only to edge the very next ball to first slip. Middlesex continued to bowl tightly nonetheless, with the first change bowlers maintaining a consistent line and length. Joyce managed to get Goodwin in much the same manner that Finn got Platt, edging to first slip. But with only 22 minutes left, the result was already inevitable.

Both teams knew that it would be a draw and there was no messing around with extra time or anything. They went back to the pavilion, with Sussex on 54 for 2 and the draw definitely always on, having played on this totally flat pitch that was a batsman’s paradise.

End of Sussex innings: 54/2, C Hopkinson 28*, M Goodwin 16, S Finn 1-11, E Joyce 1-15
Match drawn
Man of the match: A Strauss

[qpeedore]

Cricinfo news

Middlesex coach happy with team

Middlesex coach Ryon Cupidore has stated that he is happy with the balance of his team in the four day version of the game. “We definitely played well in the last game despite the draw,” he said, “The pitch was ideal for batting and almost everyone got themselves in on the runs. The bowling was as good as could be under the conditions. When the pitch isn’t helping any of the bowlers, it’s up to them to keep their morale up and not lose hope. They did that quite well.”

When asked what the lineup would be for Middlesex’s next Pro40 fixture, Cupidore said, “I’m still not too happy with the balance of the team just yet. We won our last two games but not too convincingly in my mind. We’re still looking for the right combination. The guys all know what they need to do, and we’re looking into the 2nd Eleven to see if there are any guys who we can recall to the top team. (Toby) Radford is still very involved with Middlesex cricket, as you know, and we've talked together and he's told me of a few players who may benefit the team in our next game. But when the time comes, you'll see."

[qpeedore]

24th August 2009

Nottinghamshire vs. Middlesex – Pro40 League, Division 1

Nottinghamshire: W Jefferson, A McCulloch, A Ali, S Patel, M Wagh, M Wood, C Read (wk), G Swann, P Franks, R Ferley, G Clough

Middlesex: A Strauss, E Smith ©, E Morgan, N Compton, E Joyce, B Godleman, B Scott (wk), C Bucknall, M Kartik, C Silverwood, S Finn

Forecast: Cloudy all day with the sun trying to burst through now and then but the clouds should maintain their cover for most of the day.

Pitch Report: A little bit of everything in this pitch. Not too bad, batsmen will score their runs but the bowlers will also get the ball to move around as well. Should be a good contest between bat and ball.

Toss: Nottinghamshire, who chose to bat. Ed Smith: “The decision still went our way, as we would have still wanted to field had we won the toss. The outfield is a little wet in parts and the ball may slow up as it nears the rope. Hopefully that will dry up by the second innings and make batting easier.

[qpeedore]

Report: As stated, Cupidore mixed things up a little in his starting lineup. Kartik, who has really not impressed in limited overs this season, is in the starting eleven along with Bucknall, who comes in for Murtagh after making some good performances with both bat and ball for the Middlesex second team.

Finn and Silverwood shared the new ball and looked to be off to a tight start, but Jefferson hit out in the fifth over, sending the ball sailing over the rope for a six. He followed it with a four through square leg. Finn looked unimpressed and tightened his line for the rest of the over, not allowing him to score any more runs. Silverwood removed him in the next over, edging to Scott as he tried to hit him through the onside.

Silverwood then went on to bowl newcomer Ali in his next over. Nottingham were 42 for 2 after 10 overs, when the first bowling change occurred. Joyce went for an expensive first over, but at the other end Bucknall proved that his recall to the first team was worthwhile, bowling McCulloch with his second ball. Joyce calmed things down in his second over, bowling a maiden, but could not keep this sort of form up and he was taken off after bowling 5 overs for 31 runs. Bucknall switched ends and Kartik came on to bowl as well.

Kartik caught Patel plumb in front for 24 during the 23rd over and followed it by getting Wagh to edge to the keeper in his next over but he was slightly expensive nonetheless. He continued to take wickets regularly, however, and captain Smith kept him in the attack. He removed Wood via lbw and then went on to beat the edge of Swann’s bat with the next two balls of the over. At the other end, Compton managed to get himself a wicket with his part-time bowling, getting Read to edge to first slip.

Finn and Silverwood returned to the attack shortly thereafter, and Finn picked up two of the final three wickets in his last three overs. Nottingham closed their innings after the 40 overs on 178.

End of Nottinghamshire innings: 178/9(40), M Wagh 38(38), C Read 28(32), M Kartik 3-31(7), C Silverwood 2-18(8)
Middlesex need 179 runs at 4.5 per over