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OUTLAWS LOSE CONTROVERSIAL EIGHT OVER LOTTERY
Bears lead the way with tactical retirements to take one run win
On a miserable dank, damp and cool day in Birmingham, Notts agonising lost a game they could and probably should have won by 1 run. Due to heavy morning rain and then intermittent very light drizzle, play could not start at the scheduled 1430. The covers were finally removed and play was scheduled to commence at 1630 as a 13 over contest. Notts inserted the Bears, however the drizzle returned and the match was further reduced to an 8 over affair which started at 1702. Notts were unchanged.
Carter (City End) took a wicket with first ball with Stirling spectacularly caught low down by the diving Clarke on the backward square leg ropes. Bethell hit Carter to the point ropes and then next ball reverse swept him for six to the same area, 12 off the first over. Ball bowled the second over. Benjamin hit him for four over long on and then for six and four through mid-wicket, 18 off the second over. Bethel pulled Patel through square leg. Warwick stood at 34 for 1 after 2.2 at the end of the powerplay.
Bethell (17) skied Patel to Pattinson at backward point, 36 for 2. Eight coming off the third over. Pattinson's first ball was hit for six by Benjamin over long leg. Off the third delivery, Benjamin scooped Pattinson for 4. Hose hit the last delivery of the over for 6, 19 off the over, 57 for 2 off 4 overs. Hose was dropped on 10, a very difficult caught and bowled chance to Patel. Hose (12) though departed in the same over, caught at long on by Duckett off Patel, 60 for 3, four off the 5th over. After two dot balls Brathwaite hit Harrison for a straight four, then another two dots followed then he ran a two, six off the over. Brathwaite hit Ball for four over deep extra cover. The last ball of the over was hit by Brathwaite for six over long on. Brathwaite then sensationally retired out at 80 for 4 off 7 overs. This is a tactic, conceived in the IPL, , Ravi Ashwin set the precedence while playing for the Rajasthan Royals and my view is against the spirit of the game although by the laws perfectly legal. Brathwaite a poor player of spin had elected to retire so Davies could face the last over bowled by Harrison. The ploy worked with 18 coming off the final over.
Benjamin hit Harrison for four through extra cover, but fell to the next ball bowled by the leg spinner for 36 off 17 balls, 84 for 5. Davies hit Harrison for six over mid-wicket and then scampered twos off balls four and five. He then hit the last ball for four through point. Warwickshire 98 for 5 off 8 overs. The spinners(5-0-48-4) had bowled much better than the seamers (3-0-49-0) and Notts had got a very difficult run chase.
Clarke hit the first ball from Stone via the back of his bat straight to Craig Miles at third man. Hales hit the third ball through square leg for 4. Hales was struggling time the ball as two dot balls followed. Just five off the first over. Duckett was dropped on 1 by Bethell on the square leg ropes off Miles. Duckett hit Miles for six over mid-wicket and next ball for 6 over square leg. The last ball was hit for a straight six by Hales, 23 off the over. Briggs was reverse swept for six by Duckett over the point ropes. Notts 35 for 1 at the end of the powerplay (2.2 overs). Hales hit Briggs for three successive sixes over square leg , straight and over mid-wicket, 55 for 1 off 3 overs. Notts in the box seat only needing 44 off 5 overs, but two overs from slow left arm wrist spinner Jake Lintott (2-0-6-2) turned the contest.
Duckett was dropped on 22, a caught and bowled chance to Lintott. A dot ball followed and then Duckett (22) was caught on the square leg ropes by Hain, 55 for 2. Next ball Hales (30 off 9 balls) was caught and bowled by Lintott, 56 for 3. Christian joined Moores only two had come off the 4th over.
Moores hit Stone (2-0-18-1) for six over backward square leg, 13 off the 5th over. Moores on 9 was dropped at mid-on by Hain off Lintott, six off the 6th over including 2 byes off the last ball. Christian, on a venue two years ago where he was so devasting with the bat, could not get going and was uncharacteristically subdued.
Brathwaite bowled the 7th over, Christian edging the 5th delivery for 4, but he departed caught on the cover ropes but Miles for a run a ball 13, 84 for 4 off 7 overs.
Notts needed 15 off the last over bowled by Miles, a single for Moores was followed by a single for Patel. The next ball to Moores was a dot ball. The 4th ball was hit for a straight six by Moores. However, Moores hit a single off the fifth ball. Six were needed off the last delivery to Patel, he only succeeded in scoring a single, but the ball from Miles was deemed above waist height so therefore was a no ball. Notts with a second chance now needed three off the last ball. More drama followed as, very disappointing Notts decided to replicate the Bears and go for the unedifying decision to retire out a batsman.
Patel was yanked off the pitch, so a faster runner (Harrison) could come to the crease, Moores though could only hit a yorker from Miles into the covers, so only a single could be accrued, Notts had lost by a single run. The pitch had played well, although the outfield were clearly very damp.
Sadly, the match will be remembered for the wrong reasons, the ECB must put out a strong statement condemning batsman voluntarily leaving the field of play for tactical reasons. It’s just not cricket.
Notts aging line up is at Leeds tonight. Its time to unleash Lord Budinger and surely Fletcher will come back in for Pattinson whose figures in his two games stand at 4-0-57-2! MAG
Comment
IS IT CHEATING?
Are tactical retire-outs good sportsmanship, or just gamesmanship (two words the PC brigade won't like as well?
Watched through the Sky Highlights from Derby on Youtube; the Sky commentators even refer to Notts as Dads' Army.
It's very wet this morning in the East Midlands...
04/06
Secret Squirrel has announced the same 15 man squad for the trip to Brum. The weather forecast looks a bit grim at this time for Edgbaston on Sunday.Alex Hales
Joe Clarke
Ben Duckett
Samit Patel
Tom Moores X
Steven Mullaney
Dan Christian C
Lyndon James
Sol Budinger
Calvin Harrison
Luke Fletcher
Matt Carter
Jake Ball
Dane Paterson
Jimmy Pattinson
Joe Clarke
Ben Duckett
Samit Patel
Tom Moores X
Steven Mullaney
Dan Christian C
Lyndon James
Sol Budinger
Calvin Harrison
Luke Fletcher
Matt Carter
Jake Ball
Dane Paterson
Jimmy Pattinson
Probably sensible to rest Baz after his slogathon at the Sheepdip.
ReplyDeleteNow the Bulwell Bomber has reached all-rounder status, he could possibly open the batting like he did successfully at Lords recently.
I think they may all get a days rest today judging by the forecast. They say the South group is always traditionally stronger but there’s some average sides this year
ReplyDeleteAm I alone in my sadness that the use of tactical retiring out has been allowed into the Blast competition? 1/ It's not cricket 2/ It's not even fair 3/ It shows a lack of respect for either the opposition or your own side and spectators. Where will it end? As for the result, I more disappointed with Samit retiring out than the fact that Outlaws threw the chase away. Has any other county played this card, before Carlos Brathwaite retired out because Calvin Harrison was going to bowl the last over in this truncated match, does any one know?
ReplyDeleteIt’s a tactic I’ve not seen before. It only took someone to think off it ( like putting all the fielders on the boundary till the circles were brought in), where does it end . A batsman ( no apologies for calling a batsman a batsman) plays and misses a few , is not timing the ball or whatever, plenty of wickets in hand so he retires out. We know “it’s not cricket “ but it’s not even 20/20 cricket.fox road .
ReplyDeleteWhat's next? Multiple specialist fielders in place of batsmen when fielding. Six players can't all bat at the end of an innings - just retire out bowlers that can't bat at the top of the order in order to get the specialist batsmen in. I'm more disappointed that PM / DC went with the option to bring Samit off, who for the whole of that last over wasn't a quick runner between the sticks (not just the seventh ball), than the result. I'm with MAG, the ECB need to give guidance to coaches/captains, as this needs to stop before another game is played.
ReplyDeleteI’ve just had another innovate idea , it’s not really though it’s as old as playing cricket on the Rec, the home team has the right to take the bat and ball home if they do like the way the game is going.foxy
DeleteSpeaking of the blast. I’ve watched a fair bit up and down the country on YouTube this bank holiday. It seems to me it’s become a bit like the old Sunday league. Namely, played on any old day of the week including Sunday, still with a decent following and played at times in wet weather.
ReplyDeleteFoxy.