County Championship catch-up!

Well, what a long time since my last post! Sorry about that, but at this time of year revision, and revision alone becomes your life, well okay that may be a slight exaggeration. Finding time to fit in a blog post has been hard, but today I have dedicated my time to give you a quick review of how the Championship is looking so far in 2012.

Both the Division 1 and Division 2 tables are shaping up nicely, what has been witnessed though, is that nearly every county game to date this season has been thwarted by rain, leaving many drawn games appearing in the table. This is the reason I want to allocate to Durham for so far residing at the bottom of Division 1, I can’t help but feel this is not the case however, take Somerset for example, in the same position as Durham (in terms of drawn games) but they remain in 4^th, having taken 9 more bowling points. If I am honest, I did not expect Durham to have fared so badly this season, a crop of younger players, namely Borthwick and Stokes along with the experience of Benkenstein, Collingwood and Di Venuto highlights the strength of their side. Although, it is only early days with 11 games still left to play, I am sure they can pull something out of the bag, the Championship title I fear will not be one of them though.

Nonetheless, those who are in contention for the title are clearly making their mark in the Championship, as Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire have a clear lead at the top. Although Notts currently have 78 points, Warwickshire are proving to be the ones to beat, just 7 points behind the 2010 Champions the Bears have played 2 less games and look set to continue their great form. Both bowling and batting units have impressed for the Bears this season, and after narrowly missing out on the title last year to Lancashire, I am going to say that Warwickshire look like they could come home with the silverware in 2012… and no it isn’t just because I am a huge Bears fan, well okay, maybe to some extent!

Also, looking towards who is in with a chance of promotion this season, we have the Division 2 teams. Well, one of last year’s relegation sides, Yorkshire, are proving why fans were extremely disappointed with moving down into Division 2 after last season’s disappointing performance. Currently joint at the top of the table with Derbyshire, both sides have won 2 of their 5 games, leaving them in a comfortable position with a lead of 9 points. It is surprising to see Yorkshire’s transformation in just a short space of time, but with the likes of Sayers, Gale and Ballance in the batting line up, Yorkshire have been impressive. Along with England Lions players, Root and Bairstow, the latter today selected for the senior side for the West Indies Test at Lord’s, Yorkshire look to have a promising season. Promotion is certainly their main goal, as it is for Hampshire, but as of yet Derby, Yorkshire and Kent are all in contention as they near the halfway stage.

At the other end of the scale, we have Glamorgan who are yet to win a game this season. With just 17 points secured from 5 games, it’s the batting that is letting this Welsh side down. There is no disputing that their bowlers are making the breakthroughs, but having not yet surpassed the 200 mark in any match, it is the lack of runs, which is causing Glamorgan a serious problem. Any chances of promotion look unlikely this year unless a serious turn of events occur, all Glamorgan can really do is improve their position in the table, as Leicestershire who remained at the bottom of the table in 2011 are already a clear 18 points ahead.

With the CB40 competition also underway, it won’t be long until the cricket season is in full flow without any weather-affected games, fingers crossed! The Championship gets back underway on Wednesday, only to be followed on Thursday for what we have been waiting for since April, the return of English Test cricket. Taking on the West Indies at Lord’s kick-starts England’s 2012 summer, let’s hope for some fantastic performances and results… until then that’s me done :)

Photo Credit: Getty Images (espncricinfo.com)

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England hold their nerve to seal T20 series!

Wow! Well my nerves went through the roof at the end; I think I am just about recovering from what was an incredible end to a fantastic T20 series. It was nervy stuff, but England held on to be crowned victorious. It wasn’t certain though that England were going to walk away with the series, losing the first game and then levelling it 1-1, England had to pull out all the stops today to get over the line. They did just this, going right down to the wire; Pakistan needed 6 off the last ball, but a fabulous last over from Dernbach saw an elated England team overwhelmed by winning the series 2-1!

Getting off to a decent start as always seems to be the case; England had another mini collapse in the middle overs, which made the outcome of the innings seem ominous. With the middle order annihilated by spin, yes no surprise it was Ajmal, Kieswetter went first, despite getting off to a great start with a 4 and a 6 already to his name. Bopara, Morgan, Bairstow and Buttler all failed to reach double figures, with only Bopara falling to the pace of Cheema, who had a surprisingly good spell of bowling, proving to be tricky for the England batsmen. Patel supported KP with a good knock, keeping off the pressure, as he also hit a 4 and a 6 taking him to 16 before becoming Ajmal’s fourth and final victim. It was opener Pietersen though; that I suppose you could say saved England’s innings.

• Kevin Pietersen – With England falling to 89-6 and already 15 overs in, Pietersen provided a stable, yet powerful innings that helped push England’s innings up to a decent total. With 6 wonderfully timed fours, and 1 crisp six, KP’s innings seemed to ooze skill and class, which is not something we always see. However, it must be said that in spite of what we all think about KP, he is great to watch when in form, especially in the shorter formats. Reaching his second 50 of the series, KP hit his way to 62* soaking up the applause at the end of the innings, and he was the vital batsmen in England’s line up.

The chase now being set at 130 had to be defended by England; it was a tough job, especially on the slow pitch in Abu Dhabi. The first breakthrough was early on, that of Hafeez, with a caught and bowled by Dernbach, his second in two matches. Pakistan on 8-1 were in a tricky situation if they didn’t kick on, but the middle order put up a fight. Partnerships between Shafiq and Zia (40), and Misbah and Akmal (37), really spurred them on even though Broad, Swann and Dernbach were in the wickets. Along with running out Shafiq and Afridi for 34 and 3 respectively, Pakistan were reduced to 120-5, needing 10 runs with just 4 balls remaining. Unable to hit the winning runs, it was all down to one man who left his best over until last…

• Jade Dernbach – The specialist death bowler has helped England out of a tricky spot or two, but today was just that little bit different. Pakistan needed 13 to win from the last over, and every England fan seemed to be on the edge of their seats. A wide increased the tension and the last ball was nearly unbearable to watch… what actually happened though was fantastic. Dernbach unhappy with just a dot wiped out Misbah’s middle stump with a slower ball. Let the celebrations begin! A superb final delivery, Dernbach wrapped up the game, and the series with it, figures of 2-24 highlighting his feat.

It was such a relief to see England go all the way, and finishing the tour on a high England can walk away from the UAE with their heads held high. Yes losing the Test series was a bitter disappointment, but they can only come back better, showing glimpses of hope by walking away with successive series wins. The limited over formats were kind to England this tour, but it’s all about the Test in Sri Lanka, let’s hope there are some much-improved Test performances. It does raise a few questions though, namely over Morgan’s form, will we see him selected in the tour to Sri Lanka in late –March, well we’ll find out tomorrow morning as to who has made selection.

With this being England’s last game for just under a month it was great to see smiling faces and a victory for them to walk away with, expect much more blogging to come as we approach the Sri Lankan series. Not forgetting the County season, which I have mentioned will soon be around the corner!  However, for now it is time to reflect on a tour with mixed emotions, but one in which England came out on top at the end, Pakistan certainly played well throughout and did deserve their Test victory. I hope you have enjoyed this UAE tour as much as I have, and there is still plenty more cricket to come! :D

Photo Credit: ECB (ecb.co.uk)

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Bairstow shines in England win!

The series is now wide open with England defeating Pakistan in the second T20 leaving it all to play for.  England bouncing back after a mediocre performance on Thursday had improved their game ten-fold beating their opposition by 38 runs in an England dominated match. Perhaps the difference being England winning the toss elected to bat first, leaving Pakistan to chase a very reasonable 150. England got off to a great start, bringing up 35 runs within 5 overs, with both KP and Kieswetter looking in good form. However, each innings isn’t perfect, but losing 4 wickets in the next 5 overs was just a little bit nerve-wracking. At 79-4 it didn’t look really promising, with both openers gone and 10 overs still left for England to face. But for one man he loves a challenge, and he certainly wasn’t fazed by the mysterious spin of Ajmal, or at least he didn’t show it…

• Jonny Bairstow – Not coming into the T20 series with great form, or little practice aside from Thursday’s game, Bairstow definitely took charge from the start. Powering his way to his maiden T20 half-century Bairstow controlled England’s innings, and with wonderful memories against the Indians’ last summer, Jonny once again made his mark. Towering sixes, plenty of boundaries and superb skill against spin, this batsmen is one for the future, as England undoubtedly require Bairstow’s talent. Remaining 60*from just 46 balls at the end of the innings, meant he thoroughly deserved the MOTM accolade.

So, as Bairstow boosted England’s chances of a defendable total, it was the turn of the bowlers to turn hope into reality and prevent losing the series just two games in. As always, the bowlers impressed from the beginning, Finn and Dernbach striking in their first overs made a huge impact; especially as Pakistan were five down for a mere 50 runs. Yet with Afridi ever-present things were not quite finished, destructively taking 17 off Patel’s only over, Afridi sent one miles into the stands. However, even he could not defy England’s bowlers as Pakistan fell to 112 all out; a fantastic performance particularly from Finn taking 3-30, but the bowler that stood out for me today was…

• Stuart Broad – Let alone being captain, Broad took control producing figures of 2-12 off just 3.2 overs in today’s innings. Taking the crucial wickets of opener Zia, who didn’t look in great form to be honest, as well as the damaging Afridi, Broad, seemed to continue his form from the Test series. With Afridi being the last man to depart it was fitting to see Broad have him hit one high to Morgan, running from backward point, to round off a match that saw England excel as a team once more on this tour. Broad’s captaincy has aroused controversy, but it can’t be said that a bad job is being done, just take a look at how England are performing.

With the series now level, it is up to the decider on Monday to figure out who will come out on top next time around. It will be of no surprise that I am hoping for a repeat show of what was on offer tonight. If the fielding is anything to go by England will win hands down, superb catches from Bairstow, Morgan and in particular a stunning take from Buttler, are highlighting the skill this team possesses as their fielding can never be faulted – well maybe the odd exception!

Monday’s game will be England’s last for nearly a month, before they take on Sri Lanka in late March, so enjoy every minute of it. Before we know it will be the 5^thApril, and the County season will have begun… yes people the cricket season is nearly upon us and I cannot wait! Bring it on :)

Photo Credit: ECB (ecb.co.uk)

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A bowler’s game.

The music, the cheerleaders, the excessive boundaries… they are all here, which means the T20 series is now up and running. Actually don’t get me started on the first two; the less said about them the better.

As people always say, cricket is usually a batsman’s game, today however, defied this theory as it was the turn of the bowlers to star in a close-run T20, which saw Pakistan eventually beat England by a margin of 8 runs. With Bopara fit to play, Cook didn’t feature, along with Hales who unfortunately missed out on a place, whilst the two young guns Buttler and Bairstow featured in the middle order. So with everything in place, Broad elected to bowl and despite an expensive start from Finn and Dernbach, the bowlers, namely Swann and Broad, pulled it back. Reducing Pakistan to 144 with a late boundary surge from Misbah, it was a decent chase, however, it would have been far trickier to achieve if it wasn’t for one man in particular…

• Graeme Swann – Not having the best of starts, dropping a crucial catch and then miss fielding the ball for 4, Swann needed to up his game. The run-out of Shafiq for 19 soon spurred him on, and so with the ball in his hand Swann was keen to impress on this tour. Hafeez was the first of Swann’s ‘victims’, slog-sweeping to Bairstow at deep-midwicket, just two balls after Shafiq’s run-out. In a spot of bother at 65-3, Swann starred in a fantastic over that reduced Pakistan’s chances of a reasonable total. With the dangerous Afridi at the crease, pitching it on leg stump Afridi hit it straight to Morgan at midwicket for an easy chance. What was to come was even better as Umar Akmal; the second danger-man departed with a duck merely 3 balls later, Dernbach takes an impressive catch running in from long off to give Swann his third. A double wicket-maiden for Swann left him with excellent T20 figures of 3-13 going at just 3.25 – amazing!

So with England needing 145 to win it was the turn of the batsmen to do their job. KP and Kieswetter were the men to open, and a great start was made reaching 41 before the first wicket fell. Pietersen was on great form smacking 33 from 21 balls; however, Afridi despite failing with the bat removed KP, which slowly led to England’s downfall. Kieswetter and Morgan followed suit, both failing to defeat the spin of Hafeez, Kieswetter’s the bizarre dismissal of the night after he returned to his old ways of moving away from the stumps, hence unable to reach the ball. After the World T20 when Kieswetter first entertained us with this shot, I certainly didn’t think we would see it again! It was from hereon in, with England on 80-3, that the innings unravelled…

• Umar Gul – The destructive death bowler, Gul, returned to the side today and definitely made an impression. First removing Bopara, England’s vital cog at this current moment on 39 from 32 was bowled with a leg-stump yorker, potentially thwarted England’s chances. But with Buttler and Bairstow at the crease, everyone was sure things would go to plan. Yet did we know that 2 overs following Bopara’s dismissal and in close range of victory, Buttler, being inventive with his shot selection, unluckily hit one straight to Ajmal at short third man. Well England fans weren’t expecting this kind of display, still, our batting line up was capable of crossing the line. Gul hadn’t stopped there though, he wasn’t happy until he had Patel for a golden duck plumb LBW, shattering England’s chances as they stood on 121-6 in need of 24 from 15 balls. With figures of 3-18 and an economy of 4.50, Gul was the stand out performer for Pakistan when they needed it most.

Bairstow and Swann were unable to smack the winning runs, leaving England with an unlucky defeat when they were on target for yet another victory. With two games left to secure the series win, England have to dramatically improve their game plan if they don’t want to be whitewashed for the second time this tour. Hopefully though it won’t come to that and England will maintain their winning form from the ODI series, but it is just a matter of time.

After a game dominated by the bowlers it will be good to see what the second T20 brings… roll on Saturday, let’s see if England can conjure up a magical win in order to level the series! :D

Photo Credit: ECB (ecb.co.uk)

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England finally come out victorious!

At last England record a victory against Pakistan this year, their hard work has come to fruition in what was a fantastic match filled with batting, bowling and fielding of the highest quality. The England boys were on top form from the word go, and even managed to end Pakistan’s seven-match ODI winning run, as England conquered their test match difficulties (well to a certain extent) and claimed victory.

The selected squad consisted of: Cook, Pietersen, Trott, Bopara, Morgan, Kieswetter, Patel, Broad, Swann, Anderson and Finn. So as expected we had the regulars within the one-day side, but Bopara got the pick over Bairstow which I hadn’t predicted, and Jimmy had another chance in the ODI side as Dernbach didn’t make the grade. However, this decision bodes well, with three ODIs and T20s remaining, Dernbach will be on the side-lines if needed, but looking at our performance today this may not be the case. Bresnan also didn’t make the team today, the decision being made due to the uncertainty of how well his injury had healed.

Beating Pakistan by a comprehensive margin of 130 runs, it was early on in the day when the inroads for victory were first created. There were some thoroughly outstanding cricket played today, but who were the outstanding performers.

• Alastair Cook – The captain who showed his team how to conquer the skill of the Pakistani bowlers. Racking up a mammoth 137 runs off just 142 balls, Cook silenced his critics once more as he proved his selection in the one-day side. Surviving until the 47^th over, Cook looked comfortable from the outset hitting fourteen 4s along the way; and despite the two early wickets of KP and Trott in successive balls leaving England on 57-2, Cook remained undeterred. Finally dismissed after misjudging a sweep shot to Ajmal, Cook certainly played the captain’s innings as he truly showed his class at the crease.
• Ravi Bopara – Despite being in and out of the team, in both test and one-dayers Bopara also expressed why he deserved his place. Now I am not the biggest fan of Bopara as a player, however, after today’s innings he took the pressure off Cook and played a very substantial innings to steady England after a brief fall of wickets. Dismissed just after reaching his half-century, Bopara played a risky shot and ended up stumped off the bowling of Ajmal; nevertheless he played a crucial role in England’s final total.
• Saeed Ajmal – Ajmal was once again the pick of the Pakistani bowlers as he obtained five wickets in a spell of 5-15, to leave him with match figures of 5-43. Causing the middle order to collapse once having Bopara stumped, Ajmal picked up the wickets of Morgan, Kieswetter, Cook and Broad, to reduce England from 188-3 to 232-7. His tantalising bowling once again proved to be too much for England as they failed to pick the spin, with Ajmal reaping the rewards.
• Steven Finn – The pick of the England bowlers this time certainly has to be Finny. Making his return to the England side after appearing last September against India, Finn made his mark and secured his place I would say for the rest of the tour. Making the early breakthrough, Finn soon had the Pakistani top order (Hafeez, Shafiq, Kahn and Farhat) out for a mere 40 runs; two LBW appeals that went his way, along with two catches behind the stumps that saw Pakistan crumble. Unable to recover, despite no more wickets for Finn, Pakistan were reduced to 130 all out, as Finn obtained career-best figures of 34-4 from his 10 overs.

England really were the team on top today and seemed to show-off their skill in what happens to be the weaker side of their game. Even though this is the case, there are still three ODIs remaining as aforementioned, so if England are to seal the series their hard-work needs to continue, which it undoubtedly will. The England bowlers were all in top form, and England’s fielding was far superior to that of Pakistan’s. For England especially, behind the stumps Kieswetter excelled, namely taking a beautiful catch diving full stretch to his left, off the bowling of Finn. So all round each and every player made their mark on today’s game, some more than others but where would we be without them all? With the next match in two days’ time on Wednesday, England will have to pursue a second and successive win to put the Pakistani team under pressure.

For now though let’s revel in England finally becoming victorious over in the UAE, it was an amazing day full of top match performances and fantastic cricket, hopefully to be repeated over the series!

FB :D

Finn was the outstanding England bowler! Photo Credit: AFP (espncricinfo.com)

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The ODIs are soon approaching.

Tomorrow is the day on which we will be able to get an inkling into which team is looking on course to be the superior side in the limited overs series. England are set to face Pakistan in four ODIs as well as three T20s, and hopefully they will be able maintain their pride by resisting another humiliating whitewash. The current England squad that we have lined up are the cream of the crop as expected, but who do we think we make the final cut, and what changes have been made since last summer against India?

• So one thing is for sure, our openers – Alastair Cook will be partnering Kevin Pietersen, pushing Kieswetter into the middle order, where he first began his career with Somerset. After impressing in the recent Lions’ series over in Sri Lanka coming in at 5, Kieswetter feels confident with his new role, and so let’s hope KP stands up to the mark.
• Tim Bresnan was an uncertainty a few days ago after doubts over whether his elbow injury had fully recovered, but as of today he has declared himself fit to play which is definitely a bonus to the England side. But do we think Bres will be given the opportunity of a game tomorrow?
• ‘Newbies’ to the squad are also present, Jos Buttler and Danny Briggs. Buttler has previously played for England in the T20 format, but this is his first call up to the one-day side. Whilst Briggs, the talented Hampshire off-spinner, receives his first England call-up; I would love to see Briggsy get a game especially after his success in the Lions series just gone.
• Unfortunately though we won’t see Buttler get a game tomorrow, due to splitting the webbing in his left hand during the England Lions’ final match against Sri Lanka A. Hopefully he will be fit and ready to go in the remaining games, we could definitely do with his supreme batting skills over in the UAE.
• Ian Bell has missed selection for the one-dayers which is a shame, being out of form during the Pakistan Test series he hasn’t made the final pick. Now this is a tricky one as we do have some great new talent coming in through the ranks, the likes of Buttler and Bairstow, but Bell brings along that experience – so hopefully he will return to the ODI side in the summer!

Bar all of the above news, the ODI side remains the same and in full working order (fingers crossed). Now if I was a selector I would have a hard time selecting which of the guys would get their place, obviously there are the main men who will undoubtedly be in the team, for others however it is just a matter of time. However I have picked my squad which I would love to see play in tomorrow’s game, it is as follows in batting order –

My selection: Cook, Pietersen, Trott, Morgan, Kieswetter, Bairstow, Patel, Broad, Swann, Finn, Dernbach

Now that was difficult, I really wanted to include Briggs but that would really be at the expense of a batsman such as Bairstow or Patel. So I have decided to stick with two spinners to maintain that balance, and have Jonny in at 6, with Patel then at 7, although the latter may be further up the order. I have stuck with Finn even though he doesn’t provide the batting of Bresnan, but I feel Finn’s recent performances have been fantastic, namely in the England v England Lions match two days ago; Dernbach has also been in great form hence his inclusion.

So with the team being released on game day tomorrow it will be interesting to see who Cook and Flower have chosen. But what I would really like to know is who you would pick to be in your final 11 – so I would love everyone to comment below with your selection, and after tomorrow’s game we can see who was on the same wavelength as the selectors, so get commenting! I look forward reading all of your selections :)

Full ODI squad for the UAE: Alastair Cook (Essex, captain), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Danny Briggs (Hampshire), Stuart Broad (Notts), Jos Buttler (Somerset), Jade Dernbach (Surrey), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Samit Patel (Notts), Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Graeme Swann (Notts), Jonathan Trott(Warwickshire)

England are without power-hitter Buttler for the 1st ODI Photo Credit: ecb.co.uk

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The Lions finally tame the Tigers

Hello all, yep I’m back again! This time though with a right mix of all sorts, namely the progress of the England Lions over in the ‘Desh, and not forgetting the build-up to the much anticipated 2^nd Test between England and Pakistan. A little bit of a mix, but I’m just full of surprises.

First up the Lions over in Bangladesh, when I last covered them back on Jan 11^th they had just levelled the unofficial ODI series with Bangladesh A 1-1 with three left to play. As it so happens at the end of the 4^th ODI our boys had already lost the series, with Bangladesh A beating them by 75 runs and 6 wickets in the respective games. In the third game managing to reduce Bangladesh to 218-9 with three wickets for Briggs, their prospects looked promising. However, despite a partnership of 48 between openers Hales and Vince, wickets began to fall in the middle order with Maynard, Bairstow, Buttler and Borthwick all trapped at the crease LBW. It was Borthwick who was the man to steady the innings at number 7 with a crisp 44 from 52, offering some hope to the Lions, but as the tail fell for a total of 16, England were bowled out for a mere 143 and 75 runs short.

Moving onto the 4^th ODI, batting first England seemed to be in a reasonable position, losing opener Hales, Taylor and Maynard early on leaving England on 67-3 you may have thought this was not the case. Fellow opener Root however, along with Bairstow and Buttler all chipped in with helpful runs, Root especially top-scoring with 81 before becoming Farhad Reza’s third ‘victim’. With a decent foundation built with 155-5 before Root departed, it was up to the tail to haul the Lions to a respectable target, losing the last 5 wickets within 50 overs for only 53 runs was not on the cards and left Bangladesh A, a total of only 209 to chase. This was made ever easier by an unbeaten century by Imrul Kayes (110*), with an opening stand of 72 the base was set for victory, even despite losing Faruque and J. Islam for just 31 between them. Bangladesh were aided by a well-timed 40 by N. Islam, which brought them within inches of victory, as they soon won with 28 balls remaining and the loss of just 4 wickets.

The final game of the series though was a different story and a morale boost for the Lions, as they beat Bangladesh A by 6 wickets (with 73 balls remaining) – thank goodness! Restoring their pride this meant the Lions pulled back the series to leave them with a 3-2 defeat. A superb effort by the bowlers in the 1^st innings saw Bangladesh reduced to 152 all out, with 3 wickets for Brooks, and 2 for spinners Kerrigan and Root, the top three were skittled for just 8 runs! None of the Bangladesh batting order really got started, with number 9 N. Hossain top-scoring with 38. Turning our focus over to the Lions top order, Root departed for a duck, but Hales and Taylor put on a decent partnership of 52 before Hales (26) and then Maynard (0) left in quick succession leaving England on 60-3. This was not a problem for Bairstow and Buttler though, as between them they racked up 60 runs, both aiding the captain, Taylor, to secure victory leaving him unbeaten on 65*, his highest score of the series and the MOTM. So a face-saving win for the Lions, gave them much more of a boost entering the first of 2 T20’s.

The unofficial T20 series concluded today in fact, and ended 1-1, England winning the 1^st by 32 runs, and Bangladesh winning the latter by a small margin of 11 runs. With a score of 143-6 in the 1^st T20 by the Lions, and contributions from Roy with 40 from an astonishing 19 balls, Vince (32), and Taylor (28) the Lions bowled Bangladesh A all out for 111, with wonderful figures of 3-16 by Buck from his 4 overs. Eight of the eleven Bangladeshi batsmen remained in single figures and enabled the Lions to claim a comprehensive victory. Reversing the tables in the last T20 the Bangladesh A side brought up 166-6, with a 62 from opener Kayes, Buck was the stand out performer in the bowling department again with 3-22. It was a different story though for the England batsmen as both openers, Roy and Hales fell for 0 and 1 respectively! Putting them back on track, Maynard with 68, and 43 from the captain enabled the Lions to push up to 101-4, losing three more wickets hereafter meant that England fell to 155-7 within their 20 overs, unable to win the series outright.  A mediocre performance over in Bangladesh raises hopes that the upcoming series’ versus Sri Lanka will prove more successful for these future England hopefuls. Jade Dernbach, Craig Kieswetter, Samit Patel and Chris Woakes all join the Lions squad for this upcoming series, taking the places of Simon Kerrigan, Tom Maynard, Tymal Mills, Boyd Rankin and Jason Roy who return to their counties. Hopefully we will see a more victorious Lions squad over in Sri Lanka; we may also see a few of their faces in the International 50-over side to face Pakistan next month.

Right, with the Lions news out of the way for today, finally we have the England Test starting in 2 days’ time. With England’s disappointing performance being the pick of conversation between most cricket pundits and fans alike, there has been talk over selecting a different line-up. Who knows what to expect until the day, but I have an incline that there may be a minute chance that they bring in Monty as a second spinner, but do you all think this is the way to go? Let me know as I would be interested to know who you would select as your 11! Hopefully though whatever the decision I am hoping for a far more improved England on show, back to their number one best if possible. I feel that the last test was a small hurdle to come across for the England boys, but now it is all in the past they can hopefully conquer the conditions in the UAE. So don’t forget to tune in and set those alarms ready for the early wake-up call for those who can cope with it, as it is soon approaching.

So there we have it, a mix of the England Lions news, as well as the build-up toward the anticipated second duel between two highly-performing test teams. I will be here as usual with all the England Team news to keep you up to date, and keep up that support for the England lads as I am sure they will be bouncing back to full form!

Thanks for reading as always! FB :)

Photo credit: BCB (espncricinfo.com)

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It’s 2012 and we’re ready and waiting!

Hello all, I am back with my first 2012 post *cheers*, your wait is over and you can divulge into my lasting musings for another year… so be ready and prepared for a fun-filled, roller-coaster year in the cricketing calendar. Firstly if you are new to my blog, welcome, it is great to have new readers and I hope you enjoy what I can only describe as the true fans guide to the world of cricket, as I encourage everyone to share their views. I try to provide everyone with all the latest news, whilst adding that female twist to the game – yes I am female, and yes I love cricket! Secondly, hello wonderful regulars it is great to have you back for another year, and I must say a huge thank you for the support and lovely comments throughout my ‘debut’ year in 2011.

With all that out of the way, this year I hope to make Caught At Slip really successful, in terms of attracting more cricket lovers to the site who wish to air their views on Domestic or International cricket. So any of you out there who knows someone with a passion for the game, or you have a friend who is slowly becoming a fan… then you know where to direct them!

Right now down to the cricket at last. For those who struggled with the lack of cricket over the winter, we are being treated to a Test Series between the Aussie’s and the Indians. I know it is not really a substitute for you die-hard England fans, but the sheer skill of both sides is evident, even though India’s prestige seems to be slipping as they are losing the series 2-0 with two still left to play. We have already witnessed the likes of Clarke, Hussey and Ponting at their best – 329*, 150* and 134 respectively. Let me tell you that was impressive to see, the slick cover drives and square cuts it was pure brilliance if I may say so! Not forgetting also the “Little Master’s” seemingly harder challenge to conquer the 100^th ton feat, the agony to fall at the final hurdle – what can’t you like about this clash?

But I don’t know if it is just me, as the England winter tour versus Pakistan is about to begin this Tuesday the excitement is just about containable. Yet we are what, 11 days into 2012 and there has already been plenty of ‘goings-on’ within the England camp. Namely that of Tim Bresnan having to fly home due to his elbow not having fully recovered, plus throw this into the mix, Tremmers is currently suffering from an eye infection (I did say it would be a roller-coaster year)… but it isn’t all doom and gloom as it does just happen to clear the way for Finn to show-off his skills on the UAE pitches. Having already beaten the ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate XI – try saying that quickly – by 3 wickets things are looking good for 2012, not that I want to jinx anything of course. Having the ICC boys at 90-6 we we’re sailing through, but an upsurge in runs enabled them to reach 281, which was a slight challenge. Managing to reach 185 for the loss of 8 wickets, Captain Fantastic declared, which I must say in hindsight was definitely the way to go, considering we then knocked ICC over for 164 leaving England with a total of 261. It was a close run match but England clinched the win despite the loss of 7 wickets, a winning start is always wonderful even if it is a tour match. Oh and how can I not include that Stuart Broad, after making his return, received a 7 wicket match haul, get in there Stuey! Actually as I write this England are currently involved in their second tour match this time versus the Pakistan Cricket Board XI, England finishing Day 1 on 269/9 declared, with the PCB XI at 23-0, the highlight being Cook standing tall with 133… need I say more?!

However it is not only the big boys who are excelling over in the UAE, the England Lions are now also in action over in Bangladesh in an unofficial ODI series consisting of 5 matches. We have a mix of and old and new Lions touring this year, and exciting ones at that, such as Roy, Vince, Mills, Buck and Maynard. Losing by six wickets to Bangladesh A in their first game their top order seemed to struggle with the pitches in the ‘Desh. However Buttler did manage to rack up 45 to haul the Lions to a mediocre total of 139, with Buck impressing in the latter half of the game with two maiden-wicket overs! Needing to improve their game somewhat, the Lions didn’t disappoint in their second outing only yesterday, turning the tables to win convincingly by 6 wickets. Despite Nazimuddin’s 99*, recent England star Meaker reaped four wickets, whilst spin bowling trio, Briggs, Borthwick and Kerrigan chipped in with 7 collective wickets, to reduce Bangladesh A to 176. Losing the two early wickets of Roy and Root, Vince and the captain, James Taylor put on a stand of 48, whilst Bairstow and Buttler hit aggressively to claim 50* and 41* respectively. Levelling the series, the Lions have it all to play for now, not that I want to sound too dramatic or anything!

So what a great 11 days of the year we have had so far, there will be many more to come as well, trust me on that… or maybe I am just a little bit biased about our wonderful England teams? Nah, surely not.

I’m looking forward to 2012 as I do have a few surprises in store for you all, that is, if they go to plan which fingers crossed they hopefully do. So stay tuned, not just for this surprise in the next few weeks, but also for all the latest surrounding England’s tour, the new County season, as well as the recent developments concerning the Morgan review. Can’t wait for what is in store for this blog in 2012, it is going to be a great cricketing year. I hope you have all had a great start to the year and have enjoyed my first blog in 2012, there will be plenty more to come I assure you!

FB :)

P.S – Don’t forget to keep up to date, either subscribe to the site, or check my Twitter posts to see whenever I post a new blog!

Photo Credit: ecb.co.uk

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The year ends on a high note!

Finally England secured a win on Indian soil, yes it may have been in a single T20 game, but it was a win all the same. We are T20 Champions so securing this win was crucial, if we’d lost it down to number three in the rankings we would go. I can’t begin to tell you how ecstatically happy I was, having been used to England domination over the summer it had been hard to see them suffer consecutive defeats. But we had done it once again albeit in the shortest format of the game, and regained that winning form. However, hopefully England will keep up their form in the New Year, as I regret to say this is the last game of the year, yeah I know I am asking myself the same question… what are we going to do? I suppose all I can do is wait, and wait – January is the time we will see the best format of the game (in my opinion anyway) Test matches against Pakistan, so roll on next year!

Well just focusing on now, yesterday saw a thrilling game that had the best of starts for England to say the least. So just 4 balls in and Steven Finn once again passing the bat and bowling superbly (as he has done all series I must say) managed to get Rahane to edge behind enabling Kieswetter to pull off a stunner of a catch, one-handed as well, incredible stuff! A loud cheer came from my end to make up for the lack of spectators at Eden Gardens, rather too loud I think but we did have the Indians on 1-1. Anyway on with the game, just four balls after Finny’s glorious wicket along came Bresnan with a great delivery that caused Uthappa to get a slight edge and allow Kieswetter to pull off another fantastic dive. What was this, India on 5-2? *Wild celebrations ensue* England could hardly believe it, yet alone I! It was onwards and upwards for England, Kohli departed in the 6^th over for 15, and sent the ball into the safe hands of Alex Hales at deep midwicket, who took an absolutely remarkable catch. Tiwary and Raina left in successive overs to Patel and Finn, Patel bowling Tiwary beautifully on the off stump, with Finn having Raina cut to Bairstow at point. Things got worse for the Indians who fell to 74-6, as Finn reaped rewards for his brilliant bowling taking Jadeja’s wicket to claim 2 in 2, leaving him on a hat-trick. There was unfortunately no hat-trick for Finn but Bopara soon added further to the Indian’s woes. He was able to the wickets of Pathan and Kumar which left India facing a downfall as they only had 3 overs left, and just 91 runs on the board. But thankfully for them their captain along with Ashwin managed to take India to 120, with Dhoni especially chipping in with much needed boundaries… however not being out throughout the whole series Dhoni looked like he was going to survive in the T20 also. This wasn’t to be as MS took a risk that certainly didn’t pay off as he was run-out by Dernbach off the last ball of the innings.

Onto England’s chase then, I must say I was happy for the boys to chase down 120. Don’t get me wrong it was a good score, but on that pitch the Indians could have scored around 140+ which to be honest we couldn’t have chased down as we left it until the end to cross the line. England didn’t get off to the best start with their batting it must be said, as openers Kieswetter and Hales had both departed by the end of the 7^th over. KP and Patel though had a decent partnership to take England to the 100 mark, Patel left to the spin of Kohli but it was KP who was the man in charge. Pietersen stormed to 53 from 39 even bringing back out the spectacular switch-hit… oh yes it seems to have returned! Hitting three 6’s KP helped England to take the game out of the Indians hands, but all was not yet complete. KP did have to depart as he was given out LBW to Raina attempting a reverse sweep, so with 2 new batsmen at the crease it was left up to Bopara and Bairstow to finish off what was started. Slowly but surely the pair held it together to prevent another wicket falling, it was truly wonderful to witness and you would think England hadn’t won a game since the Ashes as I was so, so happy. To see the smiles return to the England lads’ faces was a picture, the sheer amount of hard work that has gone into their cricket, not just in India, but over the summer as well had definitely taken its toll… so much credit to them. As I said it was their last game of the year, and even though I cannot wait, it will surely give the team a very well-earned and well deserved break.

To round things off this was my first full season of cricket covered on my blog, and even though it is the end of the season the blogs will still be written – but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read them. As it is the first time I have ever written a blog I wasn’t sure how well it would be received but have been happy by the response, and can’t wait for a cricket filled year next year! On a final note congratulations England on yesterday’s win as well as the absolutely amazing summer that has given me so many memories… but for today that is all! :D

Photo Credit: ecb.co.uk

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So close to victory…

I don’t even know how to put it into words, but I’m going to give it a go. Please just be aware that my emotions may get the better of me (as I am a massive fan of the England boys) and I may just rant a little about England’s pitiful performance. Apart from that I will try and tell you just how we suffered a 5-0 whitewash when we were in the best of positions to actually win a game. I am still in shock to how bad the batting collapse turned out to be, why England, why? Okay, right I must stop whining about how poor we were… but I just can’t help it! Surely this time I can be right in saying that in the T20, the format in which we are number one, we can get a victory. Despite all I’m putting here, I just want England to know that I still love them regardless, and they have my full backing and support!

This time around we bowled first, and once the Indians reached 80 for no loss I thought here we go again… but then to my surprise three wickets were lost with no runs being added. Now you can expect my delight at these scenes, well less delight it was more like elation. It was Finn who made the breakthrough, beautifully bowling Gambhir with an inside edge, Kohli was the next man in and 45 balls later he too suffered at the hands of Finny who removes his off stump. The next breakthrough came in the next over to Bresnan, who removes Rahane due to a stunning catch from Kieswetter who’s ‘keeping has improved through the series. This short spell of fantastic bowling here really set up the foundations for England; I was truly amazed and knew they could take advantage of the situation. Meaker earned his second International wicket off Tiwary caught behind for 24, whilst one of the danger men Raina was later run-out splendidly by Bopara to leave India on 162-5. With this score after 37 overs England were really dominating and looked to be in a fantastic position.  Jadeja was the next man to go once India had reached the 200 mark, to be Patel’s first wicket down to a great catch by Bell (KP had a fractured thumb so was left out of the side, and Bell finally got a go). Once India were 215-7 after 45.4 overs it seemed like a nice total to chase if we kept the scoring down. This wasn’t to happen as the great player that is Dhoni went on a boundary rampage to help India finish on 271-8, with 56 runs added in the remaining 4 overs which is nothing less than incredible! Unfortunately for us it did take the game out of our hands for yet another time in the series.

So with another great score by the Indians England needed to get off to a flier, and for once this is exactly what they did. Both openers played amazingly well, they scored above the rate and hit boundaries galore taking England to 129 for no loss, this was by far their best start in the series and was a joy to see for a change. But as I usually seem to jinx the team both Cook and Kieswetter fell within an over of each other, Cook for 60 then moments later Kiesy for 63. 134-2 was not a problem as we had the rest of our experienced batting line-up to come, I say experienced… once you bring on part-time spin they just crumble. Basically Bell, Trott, Bairstow, Bopara and Bresnan who were supposed to take England all the way collapsed at the sight of a spinning ball as England lost these 5 wickets for only 33 runs, it really is unbelievable! I stared aimlessly at the action unfolding and this was the time that I had to tell myself that yes, we were going to suffer a whitewash, as hard as it was it was going to be true. Meaker and Finn were the last two to go and it wasn’t their fault it should have been completed by the batsmen within the team, 176 all out and that was that. Disbelief is all that can explain how I felt. How it happened again, a batting collapse I mean, was astonishing as England definitely had it in the bag, in fact we were coasting to a win it really is as simple as that.

So with the series wrapped up MS Dhoni took the MOTS and it was truly deserved as he was not-out for the whole series, which really is a great feat in itself as well as captaining the side, and on several occasions taking them to a victory. England now look forward to the T20 that awaits them and hopefully we can take a victory back with us, there were positives such as the outstanding bowling of Steven Finn throughout the series, as well as the impressive starts to their careers made by Meaker and Borthwick! So fingers crossed that it is onwards and upwards for England, as don’t forget we still remain World Test Number One and T20 Champions, as well as whitewashing the Indians in the summer. Our talent is still there we just haven’t managed to show it in this series, just wait and we’ll see it return quickly I’m sure!

Just quickly in other news the England women have whitewashed the South Africans 3-0, after winning their final game today by 5 wickets. Bowling the South Africans out cheaply for 181, the women made short work of the total after suffering on 42-5, with great innings from Greenway and Knight with 63 and 55 respectively to take the England women to victory. They too also have T20’s coming up, and have definitely showed the England men how to win games in style!

The T20 is on Saturday so tune in and hopefully we may witness England’s first victory in India this year. It is unfortunately England’s last game of this year, and we will see them return in January next year much more refreshed and relaxed I hope, until Saturday I’ll see you then… in a victorious mood – fingers crossed.

Photo Credit: AFP (espncricinfo.com)

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