Sussex 21st July

[nat]

As I write another loss is imminent.

If you don't pick your best team and then d**k about with the batting order then what do you expect?

Napier coming in after Taylor???!!!! at the ECG?!!!!!

[JasonP]

As I write another loss is imminent.

If you don't pick your best team and then d**k about with the batting order then what do you expect?

Napier coming in after Taylor???!!!! at the ECG?!!!!!

Napiers batting has gone.

We bowled really badly against one of the weakest batting lineups.  They literally played the same shot every ball during the last 10 overs (the slog to cow corner) and yet we kept putting in the slot for them ball after ball.  They do however with Rahman arguably have the best bowling line up in the group so we were never going to chase 200 against them.
We are already at a huge disadvantage anyway having to play a team with no overseas players whatsoever at the moment.  You take Rahman out of their team tonight and put him into ours and we win that game.

[alji]

And the off field organisation plumbed new depths with the scoreboard fiasco tonight.

[Stringbok]

Man of the match was the bright spark who came up with the idea of filming the small scoreboard and relaying it to the big screen.

as Jason said their bowling attack was excellent. Ours part from Ravi was average as was the fielding. One awful over from Zaidi probably cost us the game

[IlfordEagle]

We let them get 30/40 too many at the end, a lot of the fielding was sloppy the admirable Westley excepted with his 2 brilliant catches. I'm not convinced putting the opposition in is always a great idea tbh we were never going to get 201 tonight & we lack anyone to give us a good start - boy are we missing the much maligned, although not by myself, Mark Pettini in that respect.
I thought Lawrence's LBW was questionable, looked like bat first, Zaidi's run out also looked iffy from where I was but full credit to Sussex who bowled & fielded well especially Rahman & thoroughly deserved their win, we can still qualify but need a minimum of 2 wins from 3 particularly Kent & Middx next Thurs, my gut feeling is we won't go through - simply not good enough or streetwise enough.
One way or another we really need to totally rethink our T20 strategy next season as it is clearly not working well enough now, mind you I said the same last year & we still struggle & will continue to do so in future.
The crowd wasn't a full house & it said it all when droves were leaving well before the end, finally it may have been beyond Essex's control but the scoreboard farce wasn't very professional although at least we got something, good job it wasn't on Sky!!

[constable.p@gmail.com]

What's the point of playing the inexperienced Taylor at 8. I have no confidence that he will ever get runs in this competition.
Also, not really suited for Browne.
RTD  and Foster go in too late
Our bowling lacks  a certain something.
On the radio Don Topley was absolutely eulogising over their 20 year old overseas fast bowler. He said he was that good about 100 times, boring.
Also he cooyld not stop himself cracking a joke about their bowler is not the  famous Jeffrey Archer.  (his christian name is different),  boring.
I am sure that his fellow commentator was fed up with him.

[Andy]

So, all in all, a great night for all.

[Stringbok]

Taylor seems to be fulfilling a similar role to that performed with such distinction in previous T20 sides by Jaik M and Michael Comber, that of the non playing player.

[constable.p@gmail.com]

exactly, what is the point ? unless they are playing for fielding. We are really  playing with 10 men with him coming in at 8.  An inform Ryder is a huge gap to fill.  A quick 30 or 40 from him is useful.  If they are playing Taylor and he is a batman, then he should come in well up the order, like they do with Vellani. 

[JasonP]

exactly, what is the point ? unless they are playing for fielding. We are really  playing with 10 men with him coming in at 8.  An inform Ryder is a huge gap to fill.  A quick 30 or 40 from him is useful.  If they are playing Taylor and he is a batman, then he should come in well up the order, like they do with Vellani.

So in your post above you say that Foster goes in too late.  In this match he is pushed up one and goes in ahead of Taylor.  Now Taylor should be batting higher up the order ahead of Foster, pushing him back down again.  They can't all bat in the top 6.

[constable.p@gmail.com]

jason, oh jason, oh jason, stop picking holes and is that the best you can do.  Now just for you..........
The radio guys as you probably know,  have been banging on about  "get your best players in first and for Essex in the 20/20 that means RTD and probably Foster" i tendo (joke, right so no reply saying i got the spelling wrong, lol) to agree with them and put them both up the order.  Would not have Browne in the 20/20.  Obviously by my tone. in previous postings,  i don't think Taylor should be in the 20/20. But as they have picked him and he is a batsman, putting him in at number 8 is useless. It is not as if the batters before him  are looking confident. What can he do at no 8 with no time left. He has little experience of the 4 day game  but they must reckon he is good and so have up the order, where he i know just as likely to fail.

Essex don't know their best opening batting or best opening bowling and without Ryder it is difficult.  I am very disappointed in the way bopper is playing.  I saw Bell playing the other night and he still looks class, even though like Bopara, he will not play for England again.

All the pundits talk about the very strong Essex batting , but i ask, is that strong  just at  the moment?

PS Good finish in prospect at Cheltenham with the Gloucs last wicket putting on 50 !!!!! (when i last looked)
 



 

[Niel01]

I agree that it no longer seems that we pick our best team to win these T20 Matches. Team selection and even batting order seem incomprehensible. If you were picking an Essex team to "play for your life" you would certainly not have played last nights eleven.
The Club make a lot of money from full houses at T20 Matches - if the team decline as a power in this form of cricket so will the "full house" income.

[JasonP]

I agree that it no longer seems that we pick our best team to win these T20 Matches. Team selection and even batting order seem incomprehensible. If you were picking an Essex team to "play for your life" you would certainly not have played last nights eleven.
The Club make a lot of money from full houses at T20 Matches - if the team decline as a power in this form of cricket so will the "full house" income.

Hopefully next year we can get a couple of decent overseas players.  That would make a huge difference. 

[JasonP]

jason, oh jason, oh jason, stop picking holes and is that the best you can do.  Now just for you..........
The radio guys as you probably know,  have been banging on about  "get your best players in first and for Essex in the 20/20 that means RTD and probably Foster" i tendo (joke, right so no reply saying i got the spelling wrong, lol) to agree with them and put them both up the order.  Would not have Browne in the 20/20.  Obviously by my tone. in previous postings,  i don't think Taylor should be in the 20/20. But as they have picked him and he is a batsman, putting him in at number 8 is useless. It is not as if the batters before him  are looking confident. What can he do at no 8 with no time left. He has little experience of the 4 day game  but they must reckon he is good and so have up the order, where he i know just as likely to fail.
 

If you do that though then you are always going to have specialist batsmen at 8.  We have enough bowlers so there's little point adding another one.  I don't get this playing a batsmen at number 8 is useless logic.  Last night we needed over 20 an over when he came in so the game was lost before he came in.  In the next couple of games we could need 20 from 2 overs or something near that.

[nat]

As I said ... poor team selection and game management.