Season One: Episode 29 – “The Hundred” London Blue vs Leeds

Season One: Episode 29 – “The Hundred” London Blue vs Leeds

So, last night we asked the ground staff to prepare a batting pitch. 

Then bottled it when we won the toss and opted to bowl because of the weather. 

Boy, did it not work.

Selection:

Joe Denly is fit again. He comes straight back in, partnering his replacement Rory Burns at the top of the order. 

This shunts Zak Crawley to 3 and everyone moves down a place. 

Mohammed Amir is the man who misses out, which is a little harsh as he’s not bowled that badly but I need to fit keeper Adam Rossington into the side and so the Pakistan international takes the bench berth.

The Opposition:

Leeds don’t look bad. Ben Stokes, Australian international Aaron Finch, Ben Foakes, Adil Rashid and David Willey are all very fine players. 

We’ll need to be better than we have been so far to win this.

We lose the toss. They put us into bat. The same error I made yesterday?

Sussex Innings:

The openers move us to 15 off 8 balls before Denly snicks behind. Wicket keeper John Simpson pouches the catch off Willey’s ball and its 15-1.

Soon afterwards, Rory Burns steps across a straight one from Stokes and we’re 22-2.

At the 50 ball point, we are 58-2 with Crawley and Eoin Morgan doing well. 

However, it’s not lost on me that Morgan looks, as the kids say, scratchy AF and our run rate is pretty low.

The England skipper continues to score via the Chinese cut and the dropped catch, but his 19 has come off 20 balls so it’s not a total disaster. 75-2, 65 balls gone.

Crawley and Morgan’s stand of 62 – brought up with a classy straight driven six – is a new record. 84-2. 

75/100 gone.

However, we allow them too many dot balls and then Ed Barnard gets Crawley lbw. 91-3.

80/100

Glenn Maxwell and Morgan bring up the century and we finish on Nelson: 111-3.

It’s a big ask to bowl to such a nugatory total.

Leeds Innings:

Finch and Tom Kohler-Cadmore set after our meagre total at a furious pace. After ten balls, they’re 22-0.

I feel rage boiling as Finch get a thick edged four off Toby Roland-Jones.

After two overs each, I bring on Mohammad Nabi with a view to tying them down. 

He gets dismissed for a six first ball but Kohler-Cadmore falls leg before wicket next ball for 19. 41-1.

22/100 balls.

Finch’s fellow countryman Chris Lynn is next up to the plate. 

I decide to chuck on Maxwell to see if another antipodean will noise this pair up and create an error.

It’s not immediately successful. After two of his overs, and another of Nabi’s, they are 75-1 and need 37 off 60 balls.

This is becoming a farce.

They don’t stop. 

It gets relentless.

I move to put Nabi out of his misery and Roelof van der Merwe gets a chance to turn his arm over in this, by now, inevitable defeat.

With 13 needed from 48 balls, my little Dutch boy works his magic and removes Finch for 50. 99-2.

Still, never worry – Finch’s departure brings Stokes to the wicket.

Oh.

Maxwell uses all his overs, van der Merwe does well but it is pretty hopeless. 

They need one – one – from 30 balls.

They might get this.

Stokes. 

Boundary.

Defeat.

Again.

I hate The Hundred.

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