We get four days off to prepare for the next T20 blast thing. *rolls eyes* I consider sending all the lads to the pub to “bond” rather than train for this fiasco, but I suppose a few of them could turn out for a net or something.
Somerset are second in the table and, more importantly, my long suffering partner is a Somerset fan. We should probably try to win this, if only to avoid me getting a slagging at home.
Mr Archer is away with England and so I shove Will Sheffield back into the line up. I’m trying not to decimate his confidence after his first class debut, and I do like a cheeky left arm fast.
Want to have a guess how the toss goes?
We’re in the field.
I chuck Sheffield the cherry to show my faith. Babar Adam and Tom Barton take him for 10 off the over.
David Wiese and Mitchell Claydon come on after four overs. The Somerset openers survive a decent lbw shout by each of them but, basically, they go nuts.
Eight overs in, they’re 103-0.
I bring on Laurie Evans and Ravi Bopara for their middle over shenanigans. Bopara gets Azam; goes for 50. Ravi – you legend. 116-1.
Sheffield comes back into the attack and gets Banton for a seriously fluid 80, caught by Evans at second slip. 144-2.
However, their run rate is north of 11 an over and I don’t see us matching that.
Bopara then bowls New Zealander Corey Anderson for 26 in his fourth over. 178-3. Miraculously, he then clean bowls James Hildreth for 1 with his last ball. 184-4.
4-0-33-3 – Not bad. In fact, his economy rate of 8.25 is the best of the lot.
Honestly, Ravi Bopara is a riddle wrapped inside an enigma wrapped inside a frustratingly talented cricketer.
Wiese has Edward Byrom caught for 12 in the last over 223-5, but they end on 236-5 and we need basically 12 an over.
I think not.
Shehan Jayasuriya, who I really like as a player, gets dropped while at the other end; Luke Wright looks excellent.
Of course he gets bowled for 14 as soon as this thought enters my head. 36-1.
Next, we decide to manufacture the most pointless run out in the history of cricket.
Jayasuriya is asked to sprint in a time Usain Bolt would tell you to jog on from, out after the fielder shreds the stumps like he’s fired a tracer round at it. He’s gone for 24. We’re 50-2 and the run rate is 14 per over.
I move both Evans and Head’s aggression up to near maximum, because the run rate squeaks up to over 20.
Head decides to slap upstart Dom Bess all over the county ground. But it’s really not going to be enough when you see we need 124 off 24 balls.
Evans and Head reach 77 and this is, apparently, an all time batting partnership record.
But we still need 110 off 18.
Evans keeps going but then chips one to the plucky Bess off Lewis Gregory, heaving the big un and is out for 36. 137-3.
George Munsey comes and goes for 1, and we finish 146-4.
We lose by 90 runs. Somerset get 2 points for the win and we plummet back to the foot of the table.
There’s another 11 games of this drivel to go. And now I have to fess up to my beloved that the bragging rights belong to her.
Harrumph.
