T20 v Kent 23rd june 2023

[Paul W]

Squad named-

https://www.middlesexccc.com/news/2023/06/squad-preview-kent-spitfires-v-middlesex-vitality-blast

Thilan Walallawita replaces Tom Helm in the 13 man squad.

May be time to play Thilan ahead of Luke Hollman in this game.

[Paul W]

I honestly thought Thilan Walallawita would get a chance tonight.

Looks like he's been 'Sowtered'. Okay- at least he keeps making the squad and has managed one first team appearance, but Hollman has played every match, and is hardly indispensable.

[MIDDLE EXILE]

Win toss and bowl. Greatwood is in for Helm. It would have been criminal to leave out Luke, he thoroughly deserves to keep his place. Thilan at present is a long way from selection. Paid my £5.99, but will I get my money's worth?

[Paul W]

Good to see all boundaries are on highlights within 30 seconds (without having to pay)

https://www.middlesexccc.com/fixtures/results/2023/06/23/kent-spitfires-v-middlesex?id=1458&tab=m_scorecard

My issue with Hollman is that whilst he has been reasonably economical, prior to this match 7 wickets from 11 matches.

[MIDDLE EXILE]

Highlights for me are the dot balls.

[Paul W]

Middlesex averages after twelve matches-

https://www.espncricinfo.com/records/tournament/averages-batting-bowling-by-team/vitality-blast-2023-15160?team=1241

[Jonathan Winsky]

For me, tonight felt like a bit of a comedown from last night’s match v Surrey at The Oval, and maybe it was the same for Middlesex’s players. If anything, last night decreased rather than increased my appetite for this match, although I nonetheless paid to watch it, albeit I didn't get round to tuning in to about 7:00pm, not that I missed any wickets.

Continuing the subject of a view I hold and which our players may or may not hold too, I found it frustrating that we conceded 220+ for the fifth time in this competition (and for the fourth match and second evening running) on the basis that it meant that we spent much of our chase needing more than two a ball, which meant that ones and twos did not have the effect of decreasing the rate required, and boundaries had less of an effect than I would have liked. If we can keep opponents down to 180, we could score at 7.50 an over and would not have to worry about the rate required hitting 12.00 until the 13th over, which is way later than we have found ourselves accustomed to! And considering most of those chases of 220+ have seen us have our moments (or win, in the case of last night), we would be bound to win more matches with a target of around 180.

Last night, I felt that a big factor in the win was Stevie Eskinazi, Joe Cracknell, Max Holden and Ryan Higgins doing the bulk of the work, with Jack Davies hitting the ground running when he came in, and I expressed doubt that our other players could have done something similar. When Luke Hollman and Josh de Caires were going well tonight, it looked like the story would have been our top four not delivering as much as we would have liked, and our middle- and lower order doing the work instead. However, those two plus Davies ended up being the only Middlesex players other than Eski to reach 24.

Oh well, at least our players got some experience!

[adelaide]

I didn't watch because I am not going to encourage charging for online streams by paying. My impression is that Kent is charging as an experiment on behalf of all counties. If it gets next to no takers that will kill the idea off.

I can see that there is an argument for charging to recover expenses but people have been arguing for yonks that the lack of free-to-air cricket has contributed to the decline of the sport and getting people interested seems far more important to me than the sums that might be raised from the far smaller paying audience.

We all make out own decisions and that's mine - but then I was sufficiently bloody-minded not to watch a single match in the football World Cup on quite different points of principle.