Metro Bank v Lancashire 20th August 2023

[Paul W]

Unchanged squad named-

https://www.middlesexccc.com/news/2023/08/squad-preview-vs-lancashire-metro-bank-one-day-cup

[Jonathan Winsky]

I am glad that space has been found amongst all the matches London Spirit are playing at Lord’s for Middlesex to play a first List A match at the ground since the quarter-final of the equivalent to this competition v Lancashire in 2019 (https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/royal-london-one-day-cup-2019-1166902/middlesex-vs-lancashire-2nd-quarter-final-1167122/full-scorecard). However, one streak that is not going to end in 2023 is the wait for Middlesex to play a List A knockout match for the first time since that match.

Maybe this match will see at least one of Nathan Fernandes, Robbie White and Thilan Walallawita get a go. As today saw Birmingham Phoenix leave out Tom Helm for the third match running, Middlesex would be entitled to select him if I understand the rules correctly (although there is every possibility that I could be wrong). However, I am not sure how interested we would be in selecting him if we have nothing to play for.


It will be interesting to see how the attendance is impacted by the FIFA Women’s World Cup final, especially with Middlesex’s hopes of qualification for the knockout stages having ended. I anticipate that I will spend some of tomorrow gathering around the bar area, where the football will be shown. I doubt that I would be alone. However, if England go two goals down, then that would probably reduce the amount of people distracted by the football. I think that the YouTube stream of the cricket is usually shown in the bar areas at Lord’s, so hopefully both the cricket and the football will be shown, then I can have the best of both worlds!


Lancashire have named a 14-man squad for this match (https://cricket.lancashirecricket.co.uk/news/2023-news/lancashire-name-unchanged-squad-for-trip-to-lord-s/) consisting of Keaton Jennings (c), Tom Aspinwall, Tom Bailey, George Balderson, George Bell, Jack Blatherwick, Josh Bohannon, Josh Boyden, Matthew Hurst, George Lavelle, Jack Morley, Harry Singh, Dane Vilas and Will Williams.

[MIDDLE EXILE]

Lanky win the toss and bat, the Middle unchanged,attendance poor.

[Sillypoint]

Need the lower order to pull this out again. The lack of accountability for top order failure is astounding at the club at the moment.... I get alternatives are thin but it's strange to feel the side is sleepwalking

[John (Fingers) Fingleton]

Need the lower order to pull this out again. The lack of accountability for top order failure is astounding at the club at the moment.... I get alternatives are thin but it's strange to feel the side is sleepwalking



I find it very depressing to see cricketers, particularly as good as our lot (on paper at least) hitting ball after ball to fielders instead of to gaps. What's more, with a deep set boundary field, they don't seem to recognise the advantage, even common sense, of trying to hit 2s and 3s, instead of attempts (usually failed) to send the ball all the way to the rope.

At least they never gave up and there might have been a very memorable and exciting final over ...

[MIDDLE EXILE]

I find it very depressing to see cricketers, particularly as good as our lot (on paper at least) hitting ball after ball to fielders instead of to gaps. What's more, with a deep set boundary field, they don't seem to recognise the advantage, even common sense, of trying to hit 2s and 3s, instead of attempts (usually failed) to send the ball all the way to the rope.

At least they never gave up and there might have been a very memorable and exciting final over ...

Plenty of 2s,but very hard to run 3s with five fielders on the boundary

[John (Fingers) Fingleton]

Plenty of 2s,but very hard to run 3s with five fielders on the boundary


I would love to know how many 2s and how many 1s ...

[Jonathan Winsky]

Lancashire’s total of 303-7 was more than seemed likely for much of their innings considering that after making a decent start to their innings, they slowed down, and it took them more than 30 overs for their run rate to begin to once again pull clear of four an over, and it wasn’t until they had faced 42 overs that they ended an over with the run rate above 5. They ended up adding 111 for the final 10 overs.

Despite Middlesex spending much of their reply not far behind the initial rate required, there wasn’t actually a point when I felt confident that we would win, as I know our side too well! However, when we had two set batters at the crease, I felt that we had a chance of winning. And of course, we got close to pulling off the chase.

I was surprised that Ethan Bamber bowled his 10 overs straight for the second match running, and (albeit less of a surprise) once again coming away with impressive figures. As he bowled well, it is difficult to disagree with the tactic, although it would have been nice had he had some overs available to bowl at the death.

I was actually too engrossed in the cricket to go to the bar to see the football, although had England seemed set to win, I would probably have taken a look. I actually thought that it was a good attendance despite the weather and the day of the week appearing to be about the only boxes that could be ticked on a checklist of factors conducive to generating good attendances (the boxes marked ‘lack of alternative distractions’ and ‘the home team having something to play for’ could not be ticked). The stands noticeably filled up once the football was over!

On a day when it was hoped that England’s Women’s football team could emulate their male counterparts’ win in 1966, which came thanks to a hat-trick from Sir Geoff Hurst (who once faced Lancashire in a first-class match for Essex in 1962 (https://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1960S/1962/ENG_LOCAL/CC/LANCS_ESSEX_CC_30MAY-01JUN1962.html)), perhaps it was appropriate that Lancashire’s Matthew Hurst should score 66 today, with that also being the top score a Middlesex player made today from Ryan Higgins.

All of the branding around Lord’s remained from the most recent Hundred double-header staged there, and I think the same pitch was used as that double-header, so if I had a senior position in a company which usually advertises at Middlesex matches, then I wouldn’t be happy. It is not as if the ground needs to be kept in Hundred condition, as I don’t think there will be any further Hundred matches there this season, with London Spirit having now played all of their home group matches and appearing unlikely to play any home knockout matches. On a similar note, I imagine that many people at Middlesex will be disappointed that before the season started, the board around the Tavern stand listing all of the trophies the club had won had been removed, with this space now being used for advertising instead.

[Sillypoint]

Sounds like Lords are adopting the same level of detail used for our team selection. The that'll do mentality is contagious. I really feel for the youngsters as this can't be much of an example to follow. Is there been ANY accountability for the off the field mess, lack of coaching up, contributions from those who should be offering more....?

[Sillypoint]

All these losses which are close are not a validation of what's going on. Murts good on commentary but felt depressing there was talk of scraping through to avoid relegation and rebuilding next season if finances allow.... Thought this was the rebuild?

[Erskine]

Would have preferred Murts on the pitch alongside Toby and those close defeats could have been turned into victories and qualification

[Sillypoint]

Murts said Toby has been on holiday when mentioned he'd had a bowl this morning. He made a joke about Maldives but these things don't just suddenly pop in your head.... At least he'll be fresh for the championship. I guess they prioritised staying up

[Paul W]

The club (as well as us supporters) spent last season complaining bitterly that TRJ was on a hundred contract, but didn't once play for his franchise.

What happens this year when we could have selected him?

We don't!!!!!

[adelaide]

I would love to know how many 2s and how many 1s ...

I can't do 1s vs 2s or 3s but some of the sums can be done from the scorecard. Lancashire scored one more four and one more six than Middlesex, which makes up the difference of 10 runs. Middlesex also scored seven fewer in non-boundaries from the bat (144 vs 151), but this was cancelled out by benefiting from 7 more extras, particularly leg byes. It's a bit hard from the raw numbers to make a case that lack of singles and 2s cost us the game. I'm sure that Andersson was trying to find the gaps but you also have to ask whether Lancashire were just better at bowling to their field at that stage of the innings than Middlesex were. We had also lost one more wicket.

I'm slightly reminded of a Newcastle fan telling Bobby Robson that he liked the way the team were playing only they needed more fluency. Robson's retort was that there were eleven others out there trying to stop Newcastle playing with fluency, his point being that you can't just view everything through the prism of your own team's performance.

Not germane to your post but the TRJ decision is one which I'm sure will be queried at forums to come. I expect the answer will be that it was not worth risking injury for someone who should be a key bowler in September and who is getting towards the veteran stage. Excluding Murts is much easier to understand. Most counties have come to view this as a development competition (by choice or through losing the bulk of the team to the Hundred). The disappointment for me is that we have seen very little in the way of development. Cullen limped out early and Malan was never even in a squad. Kaushal has had a few games but not really shone yet. Cracknell has been hit and miss, Davies has not kicked on. Where are our Hursts, Aspinwalls, Lavelles?

[John (Fingers) Fingleton]

Thank you for taking the trouble to respond in such detail.

[Sillypoint]

Small margins. That blatant beamer to Andersson which should've been called would've given free hit, etc....

[Erskine]

If that is true bizarre that our captain away on holiday and appears we were not too concerned about qualifying for knock out stage
Maybe the whole squad can now have an extended holiday !

[MIDDLE EXILE]

Tobes is our first-class captain, not our one-day captain. and after a decision not to consider him for The Metro Bank Cup, there is no reason at all for him not to take a holiday.I do not understand why that should become a point of contention, As for the non-selection of Tobes and Murts, this is designated very much as a development competition and the omission of both is quite understandable and gives the opportunity to younger bowlers to play and gain valuable experience.
All of those mentioned out of contract this season have been offered fresh terms and we await them to agree on new deals.

[adelaide]

Tobes is our first-class captain, not our one-day captain. and after a decision not to consider him for The Metro Bank Cup, there is no reason at all for him not to take a holiday.I do not understand why that should become a point of contention, As for the non-selection of Tobes and Murts, this is designated very much as a development competition and the omission of both is quite understandable and gives the opportunity to younger bowlers to play and gain valuable experience.
All of those mentioned out of contract this season have been offered fresh terms and we await them to agree on new deals.

I think Murts on the radio is an unusually unreliable source!

I always liked that phrase. Unlike yer usual double negative it enhances the adjective rather than reversing it.

[Paul W]

Wrong thread!