View Full Version : T20 v Sussex 8th June 2023
Paul W
07-06-2023, 02:59 PM
Squad named-
https://www.middlesexccc.com/news/2023/06/squad-preview-middlesex-v-sussex-sharks-vitality-blast
adelaide
07-06-2023, 03:51 PM
Squad named-
https://www.middlesexccc.com/news/2023/06/squad-preview-middlesex-v-sussex-sharks-vitality-blast
Someone called Bake Cullen in the squad. Still, not as bad as the lunchtime weather forecast, which highlighted somewhere called Belfat - twice. The art of prof ridding is dead.
Jonathan Winsky
07-06-2023, 08:46 PM
I am not surprised that Sky have decided* to televise this match, as it is an absolutely vital match, as whoever wins will take a big step towards avoiding the wooden spoon. Neither team will look at their own form and feel confident at winning, but they will surely look at their opponent’s form and feel that maybe they could register a win.
I assume that there will be a similar or greater amount of empty seats than there was in our previous T20 Blast match at Lord’s v Surrey, mainly because people in education are likely to have class the following morning (this is a vital factor considering these youngsters may be expected to spend their evenings studying for exams and to go to bed at a reasonable hour), something would not be a factor if the match took place in late-July or August, which is when Middlesex’s best T20 attendances at Lord’s have tended to have occurred, or at half-term, which is when this season’s aforementioned Surrey match took place. And the two teams’ form is unlikely to boost ticket sales. As was also the case with the Surrey match (and will presumably also be the case in our final two T20 matches at Lord’s), MCC have made the decision that several areas of the ground do not need to be opened (https://www.middlesexccc.com/news/2023/06/match-information-middlesex-v-sussex-vitality-blast).
It is difficult to predict what our line-up will be, as we seem to adapt it to conditions, although that is exactly what we should be doing.
I am not sure what Sussex’s squad is. Hopefully Ravi Bopara won’t enjoy our 1st XI’s bowling as much as he enjoyed our 2nd XI’s bowling earlier this season, or indeed as much as many batters have enjoyed our 1st XI’s bowling this season! Sussex will be without Steven Finn, as an article on The Cricketer’s website (https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/county-cricket-premium/sussex_seamer_steven_finn_eyeing_july_return_long_ running_knee_injury.html) (of which only the headline and the first paragraph can be read unless you pay) says that he hopes to make his first appearance of the season in July.
In a post I made yesterday, I remember that I came close to writing Blake Cullen’s first name as ‘Tom’, although I noticed and corrected my mistake shortly before I posted the message. Therefore, to write his name as ‘Bake’ isn’t the worst possible mistake!
* OK, technically it was either the case that this decision was made long before the two teams’ form was known, or it was the case that the fact that only one other match takes place tomorrow night meant that it was always at least 50% likely this match would be televised.
MIDDLE EXILE
08-06-2023, 06:56 PM
Side unchanged. Sussex win the toss and bat, Weather fine and warm, crowd low.
adelaide
08-06-2023, 07:13 PM
Let's just hope Bake Cullen doesn't send down pies...
MIDDLE EXILE
08-06-2023, 07:57 PM
Is The pitch really that colour or is it my TV?
John (Fingers) Fingleton
08-06-2023, 08:34 PM
Just posted on MCC Cricket section, under title
Goodbye Slogathon? ...
Looking at the swathes of empty (clearly unopened/saving costs)* Stands at HQ tonight, in what is said to be quite an important match in the race for the bottom (Midd'x faves to win it ... the race, that is, not the match!), on a beautiful, sunny, warm, long, summer evening seems to underline the fact that Centuricrap has, for the moment at least, won the battle of the white ball 'game'. Whether it is calendar or structure is open to debate.
As Frankie Howerd regularly opined on his visits to Pompeii ... “Woe, Woe and Thrice Woe”
* eg Upper Grandstand, Upper Compton & Edrich, Upper Tavern. And Upper Mound (Debentures)
MIDDLE EXILE
08-06-2023, 11:07 PM
good game, and excellent entertainment, could have gone either way. last ball drama, winning isn't everything and we remain competitive, Obviously not your cup of tea Fingers, but the crowds love it and it's very much here to stay.
James Mitchell
08-06-2023, 11:30 PM
good game, and excellent entertainment, could have gone either way. last ball drama, winning isn't everything and we remain competitive, Obviously not your cup of tea Fingers, but the crowds love it and it's very much here to stay.I think you may have misread Fingers's comments. Like many of us he is unhappy that The Hundred (aka "Centuricrap") has been favour over T20, hence the lower crowds tonight. I believe Fingers does quite enjoy T20.
I also much prefer T20 to The Hundred, but in truth I don't really enjoy the short and fast form of the game. 50 Overs, for me, is the very minimum to make the game interesting,
John (Fingers) Fingleton
08-06-2023, 11:43 PM
I think you may have misread Fingers's comments. Like many of us he is unhappy that The Hundred (aka "Centuricrap") has been favour over T20, hence the lower crowds tonight. I believe Fingers does quite enjoy T20.
I also much prefer T20 to The Hundred, but in truth I don't really enjoy the short and fast form of the game. 50 Overs, for me, is the very minimum to make the game interesting,
James is quite right ... I used to go regularly, but less recently for various (mainly health) reasons, and have usually 'enjoyed the show' - as I see it as entertainment but never 'real' cricket. But I abhor just about everything involved in Centuricrap and have never attended or watched a game, live or on TV, mainly because I do not believe in players representing only their bank accounts, as well as the quite unnecessary tampering with the playing regulations.
But the point I was trying to make was that C/crap seems to have destroyed the crowds for 20/20. I remember the novelty of being at the first ever Lord's match all those years ago and on a beautiful summer evening, in front of a full, packed, house - which continued until quite recently.
Perhaps that novelty has worn off; or perhaps crowds have been destroyed by the games being played in term time. Whatever, it is a shadow of its former self.
adelaide
08-06-2023, 11:45 PM
I think you may have misread Fingers's comments. Like many of us he is unhappy that The Hundred (aka "Centuricrap") has been favour over T20, hence the lower crowds tonight. I believe Fingers does quite enjoy T20.
I also much prefer T20 to The Hundred, but in truth I don't really enjoy the short and fast form of the game. 50 Overs, for me, is the very minimum to make the game interesting,
On commentary it was said that Sussex vs Surrey was sold out. Smaller ground, of course, but perhaps the 'Orrible 'Undred is only hitting attendances at grounds where that competition is going to be based. At smaller grounds perhaps the proportion of people there to get boozed up is lower and admission is (or a any rate was) cheaper.
MIDDLE EXILE
09-06-2023, 01:09 AM
My apologies Fingers if I misunderstood your comments,however, I'm not sure it's The 100 that's had the main effect on attendance at The T20 at Lord's. More likely to be The high price of tickets at £35 each with no concessions for seniors or others added to the convoluted exercise of ordering beforehand online and the difficulties in paying at the gate. Around the country, attendance has stood up very well for this competition where tickets are cheaper and easier to obtain. I hardly think 17,000 present this evening is a small crowd at all despite the restrictions I've mentioned and rather than attach too much blame on The 100 perhaps it's The MCC who need to alter their policy with regard to attracting spectators rather than putting many off.
Jonathan Winsky
09-06-2023, 01:19 AM
I would like to think that Sussex will have left this match knowing that they were made to work hard for their win, and that Middlesex gave them a great scare. However, I would obviously much prefer to be reflecting on a Middlesex win than nearly winning a match in which our opponents had previously only recorded one win, and in which we spent a great deal of it either on the front foot or roughly honours even.
The match showed the importance of teams managing to build partnerships. Sussex would have surely posted a lower total had Ravi Bopara and Shadab Khan not shared a partnership worth 91 in nearly eight overs. Not for the first time, we were going well when we had two set batters at the crease, in this case Stevie Eskinazi and Pieter Malan, only for the scoring to slow once wickets started falling.
We will never know whether Ryan Higgins or Josh de Caires would have done better than Luke Hollman and Martin Andersson at trying to get us over the line. Personally, I would be doubtful, as Higgins has tended not to score as quickly in this campaign as I would have liked, while de Caires similarly scores too slowly for my liking, although his bowling makes him worth his place in our side. An alternative player I would have liked to have seen more of at the strikers’ end during our chase was Eski, as we entered our final 3 balls needing 11 runs, with Eski having faced only 6 of the previous 24 balls, so I imagine that Sussex put some effort into keeping him off strike.
When we needed 21 off the final two overs, I was hopeful that we would score the bulk of those runs off the penultimate over to reduce pressure going into the final over, but we instead only scored 9 off the penultimate over, which ended up being 2 more than we managed in the final over.
Maybe our wait for a win in a Twenty20 match will end when we face a Kent side at Lord’s next week who, like Sussex, would enter with only one win if they fail to beat Hampshire at Canterbury on Friday evening. Or maybe it will not come until around 2025, give or take a year or two.
I would have thought that most people will agree that there should not be two short-form domestic competitions in English cricket. However, I fear that if one was to be axed, it would be the T20 Blast, meaning that more than half of the county circuit would cease reaping the financial benefits that comes with being able to stage these matches. Therefore, having two competitions is surely the lesser of two evils.
Paul W
09-06-2023, 08:03 AM
I think I read or heard somewhere that one of the reasons MCC wants people to book in advance is so they know how many stands need to be opened and how many stewards will be needed. This then becomes a self fulfilling prophecy, as the very act of doing that probably knocks a couple of grand off the attendees.
Gallows humour alert-
I confidently predict we will now embark on an unbeaten run for the next week- as the next game isn't until next Friday.
As a bad T20 run usually impacts on our next championship game (players demoralised and low on confidence) we are fortunate that we (along with Northants) are the only team not involved in a championship match starting on Sunday.
Gareth Jones
09-06-2023, 10:10 AM
Despite the low crowd yesterday, I still thought it was a good atmosphere. The tense finish certainly kept the crowd's interest.
Surrey seem to be doing a good job of filling the Oval. There are no tickets available for their next 2 Blast matches. They appear to be using electronic tickets and most of their adult tickets are priced at £31 or £34, although their U16 tickets are only £1.
The big difference is that they have a successful team which usually includes a few England players.
adelaide
09-06-2023, 07:35 PM
good game, and excellent entertainment, could have gone either way. last ball drama, winning isn't everything and we remain competitive, Obviously not your cup of tea Fingers, but the crowds love it and it's very much here to stay.
Winning isn't everything but maybe not losing everything is!
adelaide
09-06-2023, 10:57 PM
By the way, I note that Sussex hit ten sixes last night. Middlesex hit two. Better bowling to your field? Better fields? Lack of power in the batting (no question mark required there).
People cannot hit you for six if you have got them out, so lack of wicket taking in the middle overs ought to be in there too.
General lack of confidence and belief must be a factor after 12 successive defeats. It is hard to get out of the rut and I'm not seeking to belittle anyone's effort. I'll always support Middlesex, however grim things look.
Peter H
10-06-2023, 07:25 PM
By the way, I note that Sussex hit ten sixes last night. Middlesex hit two. Better bowling to your field? Better fields? Lack of power in the batting (no question mark required there).
The thought struck me as well, both on Tuesday and Thursday. Our opponents' hard-hit shots seemed to find a lot of gaps in the field or flew over a fielder's head. The same was not the case with our batters who seemed to have a tendency to hit the ball directly at fielders, or hit a long-ball right into a fielder's hands. I did think that our fielding was very good on Tuesday evening, however there's only so much you can do as a fielder if the ball is heading, at great speed, out of your reach.
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