Season One: Episode 21 – Gloucestershire vs Sussex, T20

Season One: Episode 21 – Gloucestershire vs Sussex, T20

And so we are back to winning ways. The County Championship win over Derbyshire  should give us momentum and the opportunity to try and change our T20 fortunes.

Maybe.

Honest.

Selection:

George Munsey returns from international duty and, with the level of stubbornness that has seen my reign at the club be *such* a success, I pop him straight into the line up in place of Luke Wells, who is averaging 4.

Luke Wright moves up to opener and Munsey takes the berth at 5.

Rashid Khan has not set the heather on fire for me and so Monty Panesar comes back in to the team. Because … I don’t know, a hunch or something.

Would you like to have a guess how the toss goes?

Sussex’s Innings

We’re put into bat by the West Countryers. My tactical master stroke of Wright opening goes brilliantly. 

Sort of. 

Second ball Ryan Higgins clean bowls him, ripping leg stump out after the ball zooms past his flaccid bat. 0-1.

Shehan Jayasuriya partners up with Laurie Evans and they set about trying to build a platform. 

They race to 23 before Evans gets caught leg before wicket by Andrew Tye. 23-1.

This, naturally, brings Ravi Bopara to the wicket. In the stands, hope is not high. 

He actually goes along ok before Jayasuriya decides that he’s fed up of batting for the day. Jerome Taylor gets him lbw and we’re 53-3.

Next…

Ravi. 

*sighs*

59-4

Ravi. I’m going to just rename him Ravi Doh!para.

Munsey repays my faith in spades and mounts a-

Oh no. That’s not it. 

No, what actually happens is that George bloody Munsey decides to play the sort of scratchy, half arsed innings that are becoming his trademark.

He departs for 7 and with his testicles still in tact, which is a miracle considering Jayasuriya has to hold me back from kicking him in the swingers as he passes me on the way back to his hutch. 64-5.

David Wiese. 79-6. Taylor with his second. Blah blah.

It’s Jonty Jenner and Delray Rawlins who add the merest smear of respectability to the score line. 

They finish 16 and 35 not out respectively to lead us to a miserable total of 116-6. 

It’s not going to be enough.

It’s never enough.

Gloucestershire’s Innings

After last time’s tiny T20 bowling improvement, I tweak the fields and open with Bopara. Third ball he draws Miles Hammond into a false stroke and Jennings takes the snick behind. They are also 0-1.

Hammond’s opening partner, George Hankins, decides to go after Mitchell Claydon. He hits him for 9 in the over but Claydon has the last laugh as he gets him lbw final ball. 12-2.

I bring on Panesar. Ian Cockbain has been living up to his name by becoming the bane of my coaching life and hanging around. The cock.

Monty does his bit, though, and Cockbain is gone for 11. 36-3.

They still only need 81 at 5.3 an over, but it’s nice to put them to the sword a bit.

They go after David Wiese with gusto. But then rain comes. 

There’s a 2 hr 21 minute delay and the match is reduced to 9 overs. The target is reduced to 51. That’s a bit of an issue as they already have 70.

Duckworth and sodding Lewis award Gloucestershire the game. 

We lose by seven wickets.

I am… 

I…

Harrumph.

I hate this game.

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