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OUTLAWS FIND ENOUGH CLASS TO BEAT STEELBACKS
By no means a perfect display but good enough to record a first win in 79 days
Enhanced by a free ticket promotion for Notts members and Panthers season ticket holders, a crowd of 13,691 saw Notts win a game for the first time in 79 days beating the same opponents as for their last win on the 6th May as Northants were beaten by seven wickets with 11 balls to spare. It was a comfortable win for Notts over a mediocre Northants outfit who posted a below par 152 for eight. Too many Steelbacks gave their wickets away with Josh Cobb top scoring with 36. It was a workmanlike performance from the six Notts bowlers with Carter the most expensive going for 8.67 RPO. Man of the match Dan Christian had the best figures of 3 for 32, picking up the wickets of Keogh, Coles and Fahim Ashraf. Notts only gave away two extras. When Notts batted Joe Clarke and Hales added 76 in 53 balls with the former receiving the majority of the strike making a pleasing 45 off 34 deliveries (5x2,2x6), his first real batting contribution since April and the highest score of the match. Hales departed three overs later but Notts chased down the small target with relative ease.
Northants won the toss and elected to bat on a sunny and very warm evening. Notts were unchanged. The first wicket fell to the last ball of the first over. Going for a straight drive, Adam Rossington (1) skied Carter (Pavilion End) and Hales took the catch halfway to the boundary, 3 for one. Wood conceded five in his first over. Cobb hit Patel for a six over mid wicket with the over going for 12. Charlie Thurston (8) spooned a short ball from Gurney to Wood at mid wicket, 22 for two. Carter returned for the fifth over with Northants 32 for two off five overs. Wood conceded six in the last over of the power play.
Wakely (13) holed out to square leg ropes off Ball, Libby taking the catch, 43 for three. Patel then conceded four off the eighth over. Ball went for eight. Patel bowled the tenth over, Northants 61 for three at the half way stage with Notts very much on top.
Steelback fight back
Carter was hit for six over mid wicket by Pretorius. Cobb then hoisted the same bowler for six over square leg. Gurney picked up his second wicket, Cobb (36) miscuing Dan Christian in the covers, 75 for 4. Gurney then dropped a caught and bowled chance whilst Keogh was on 0. Keogh then fell to Christian's first ball for 1 being bowled, 78 for five. Matt Coles went for a single in the same over getting a thin tickle to Moores, 82 for six. The overseas contingent The Steelbacks’ new overseas of Pretorius and Ashraf attacked, adding 36 in 21 balls together as Northants fought back. Luke Wood conceded 10 off the 14th over. Christian kept himself on, Northants 99 for 6 off 15 overs. Ashraf hit a no ball from Gurney for a huge leg side six, the over costing 18 which Included a dropped catch by Patel at short third man when Ashraf had 24.
White carries fight on
The dropped catch did not have any cost as Ashraf became Christian's third victim, caught at short third man by Gurney, 118 for seven. Christian conceded four in the 17th over. Pretorius (34) fell in similar fashion in the next over, caught Carter bowled Ball, 122 for eight. Notts allowed the visitors 30 runs off the last 2.4 overs. Ball (3 0 21 2) conceded seven in the 18th. Graeme White hit Christian (4 0 32 3) for six over cover then a four followed and then another six over cover, the over costing 17, the previous three from the skipper going for 15. Gurney (4 0 30 2) bowled the last over. Northants 152 for eight; below par on a pitch with no terrors and with a fast outfield. Former Notts man Graeme White 27 not out, Buck 5 not out.
Powerplay by Outlaws
Ben Sanderson bowled the first over from the Pavilion End and conceded eight. The brisk Pakistani overseas man Ashraf opened up with a maiden. Hales hooked Buck for six, the over costing 12. Ashraf conceded his first run off his tenth ball with Clarke hitting him for consecutive fours, 28 for nought off four overs. Hales hit Pretorius for a huge straight six, then Clarke hit him for a four through mid on, 13 off the over. Hales blasted successive straight fours over Ashraf's head. Clarke following up with hit him a six and a four. Notts 60 for 0 at the end of the power play, 22 ahead of Northants at the comparative stage.
Eight came off Coles' first over and then three off White, 71 for 0 off eight overs. Clarke hit Buck for six over backward square leg, but fell next ball caught at mid on by Buck. Clarke who had rediscovered long lost form with 45 off 34 balls, 79 for one after 8.5 overs. Notts were 86 for one after 10 overs.
Sixes
Pretorius conceded four in the 11th over. Hales (33 off 27 balls) perished miscuing White to Buck at short third man, 91 for two. Coles conceded six, 99 for two off 13 overs. Graeme White having an excellent game completed his spell with figures of 4 0 19 1. Ben Duckett hit the returning Pretorius for six over square leg. Two balls later Duckett hoisted another six into the Fridge. The left hander fell caught at extra cover above his head by Thurston off Pretorius for 26, 118 for three in the 15th over. Ashraf conceded eight including a powerful cut four for Christian. Moores launched Coles for a six in The Fridge. Christian hit the returning Sanderson for a leg side four. It was left to Moores to get the winning hit at 2120, Buck being lofted for six over square leg. Notts 155 for three off 18.1 overs with Christian on 22 and Moores on 13.
Next up for Notts, Derby followed by Leicester, both very winnable games. MAG
Outlaws broke their duck with a No Result point from Headingley; Wednesday gives us the opportunity to go one better and claim our first win, in what will be 79 days, since the one day cup match on May Day Bank Holiday Monday at Wantage Road against the same opposition.
Following the two wins, although against an inferior opposition, Outlaws must take and use those positives from those victories.
Joe Clarke's batting
Jake Libby's batting
Sol Budinger's batting
Matt Carter's bowling
Yes Budinger would represent a gamble, but isn't batting in T20 all about making and taking chances at the top of the order?
It looked yesterday as though Fletcher was being set-up to be making a return on Wednesday, probably at the expense of Wood or Ball unless Thurday's injury scare to Harry Gurney has flared-up further. However Fletch's bowling failed to hit that deadly Yorker length and he was put off his stride to a minor extent by the batsmen employing premeditated ramp shots.
Having watched the third episode of All In; the overwhelming message to the faithful is:
DON'T PANIC
"It's a long season with a lot of games to be played"
The squad has now been announced, being as you were gentlemen, we're not panicking- so it's the same original 13 as for the Rapids game, before Zak Chappell's trip down Radcliffe Road from Lady Bay; PLUS big hitting Sol Budinger from the 2s.
Alex Hales
Joe Clarke
Tom Moores
Ben Duckett
Jake Libby
Samit Patel
Dan Christian
Luke Wood
Jake Ball
Harry Gurney
Matt Carter
I think some of our lot need to audition on Britains Got Talent and perform their impressions of being a professional cricketer. Assume SB will prep the usual batting Road now we have no SKY commitments. That used WC surface certainly didn't suit our strong, in theory at least, batting line up who will want to bully the oppo with a 200plus at the postage stamp. Regarding the previous comments in the field it's like watching Dads Army meets Last of the Summer Wine at times out there. Who in our side, apart from Libby himself would have got even a sticky paw on the ball with the dismissal of Libby himself. A lot of counties have addressed this problem but we are still lagging behind most in this vital department of the one day game.
ReplyDeletePeter Moores would appear to have abandoned some of his previously held principles with regards to fitness
DeleteIf only it was just the fielding Stoney!
ReplyDeleteHow we think we will win matches when we insist on playing batters who are clearly out of form is beyond me, At the moment we seem to have Hales, Libby and Christian ( included because surely he will not play another daft shot again) The rest might as well not bother, Seems to me we have little to lose by giving second teamers a chance, They could hardly do much worse....
Bowling wise we actually performed quite well until the end of the Pears innings, For experienced death bowlers Guerney and Ball seemed to show a lack of onus,
Another point worth mentioning is the length of our tail, Carter coming in at 9 tells you all you need to know about our chances of winning a late order run chase..
Fielding has been a problem for us for many years,We have far too many players we need to hide in the field to be anything other than a below average team in this one of the most important aspects of one day cricket.
Other teams have managed to turn things around after poor starts to a season,Whilst I don't expect Notts to win the Blast they could at least show us some spirit that has been lacking so far this season and actually win some matches...
yes we've lost the mobility of Riki Wessels and Billy Root since last season and gained ...?
DeleteOnus should read Nous ..... Stupid spellchecker ...
ReplyDeleteStonewall - you should be writing comedy scripts for the BBC . Some of your recent posts have given me more laughs than the Brexit negotiations !
ReplyDeleteOh to have a couple of Randalls in the field .
In this day and age of highly competative T20 matches we all know that a good fielding side can save 15-20 runs per game - which is often the difference between winning and losing a match . Notts do look far too pedestrian in the field these days .
Who,s fault is that ? The players for being too roly-poly? Or the coaching staff for not getting them fit enough ? It begs the question - how fit are the Coaches themselves ?
Apart from Peter Moores ,who does actually look the part with an agile mind and body .
Its so difficult to be positive about the Notts side at the moment . Surely Dan Christian can whip em into shape now we have the addition of Hales and Gurney . Hales showed glimpses of his vast talent two nights ago . I think Libby and Hales to open in the T20 matches is the way forward . Libby can really hit the ball hard when the occasion demands and can score reasonably briskly and could be a good foil for Hales who would be given free reign to "get on with it "
What do others think of the apparent T20 line-up ?
If he has to be in the team(which is not ideal anyway), yes, there's an argument to promoting Libby if we lose say 2 quick wckts, but, the first six overs in T20 can win any game so a limited, orthodox player like Libby albeit the. 2.0 version is vastly improved, to me should never open in a T20 blast. It's easy to forget how Duckett has destroyed attacks in white ball and what a brilliant young player Joe Clarke is still. However, it's now time for them both to produce the goods and no more excuses for being out of form. One bonus of Libby being in the team is he is one of the better athletes who can cover the ground. Coughlin will also be a big bonus in this department if he can ever stay injury free and get out on the pitch consistently
Deletedid we keep the receipt for Chappell..?
ReplyDeletetime to return him as faulty goods...why oh why do we sign such dross..!
Yes, we have certainly made some strange signings in recent years ? Will Gidman to replace the dreaded Kolpak Andre Adams, Paul Coughlin and Zak Chappell and the lesser spotted Mark Footitt along with James Pattinson returning who hardly bowled a ball for us and although we offered him a new deal, Matt Milns leaving to be coached by White Lightning, AD himself who has kept himself in slightly better shape than our bowling coach it's fair to say.
Delete