| 
Posts and words
Loading ...
middlesex
Batting for the other team
By Richard Seeckts last year, at the end of April, 3 Comments »
Australians will be delighted to know that Phillip Hughes scored 118 on his Middlesex debut at Lord’s. Any apprehension he might have felt on Test Match moring in July has been neatly sent crashing into the Tavern Stand. He will feel at home on the awesome stage of cricket’s HQ, be familiar with the pitch, its slope, the sightlines and the atmosphere of the place. Angus Fraser, the Middlesex coach who employed Hughes, was utterly unrepentant when challenged on the wisdom (from an England point of view) of employing Hughes immediately before an Ashes tour. Kent (Stuart Clark) and Hampshire (Marcus North) were equally guilty but have been spared by Australia calling up their men for the series in Dubai.
Hughes is a fabulous player to watch and may score buckets of runs against England this summer. If he does, just remember to thank Mr Fraser for his helping hand.
3 Comments »Middlesex’s woes
By Will 2 years ago, at the start of September, 2 Comments »
I don’t know what’s going on at Middlesex. One minute they’re winning the Twenty20 Cup and heading to India for the Champions League. The next, they’re trying to tempt South Africa’s Mickey Arthur into a new post of managing director (though Angus Fraser is the current front-runner). For a brief few weeks, Middlesex re-tasted glory – the glory that is rightfully theirs, having nobly sacrificed their own form for the past 17 years to allow the other prissy teams (Lancashire, Sussex, Warwickshire – all those tramps) some success. They want this glory back. It is theirs, they play at the home of cricket, and justice will be done.
Well, it turns out that justice will not be served just yet. News comes through that Ed Joyce has turned down the captaincy; Shaun Udal has accepted the captaincy; Dawid Malan, the club’s brightest prospect since Owais Shah, might be off to Warwickshire. And poor old Nick Compton’s had enough and might be splitting to Somerset.
It nearly makes me want to support Durham on a full-time basis. And perhaps I will if we lose Malan.
2 Comments »Middlesex crowned Twenty20 champions
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of July, 2 Comments »
One of my earliest memories is hearing my Dad talk about Middlesex winning the Championship in 1993. To a naive 11-year-old living just outside London, it seemed perfectly normal for me to follow in my Dad’s footsteps and follow the same team – especially one that appeared to be so dominant. In 15 years of following them, they haven’t won a single trophy…until Saturday when Ed Joyce lifted the Twenty20 Cup.
Partisanship aside, this was a brilliant day’s cricket from start to end, going right down to the last ball. Even some pious dissenters will have been swayed by the whole occasion, and as much as The Rose Bowl is flawed in so many ways, it was a great stage for the day. Shame about the transport links, as ever…
Anyway, here’s something I wrote at Cricinfo. What did you make of the day and of Middlesex’s win?
—
This wasn’t merely the culmination of a domestic tournament but the dawn of unprecedented riches for English cricket. For a competition which appeared out of nowhere six years ago, jutting out uncomfortably between the dusty but familiar Championship, today’s thrilling Twenty20 final between Kent and Middlesex was something of a landmark.
A landmark for Middlesex, of course, who ended 15 years of back-room squabbling to lift their first trophy since the 1993 County Championship. But it was equally momentous for the format itself which, in spite of all money thrown at its feet, is maturing before our eyes. It has changed out of all recognition from the “hit and giggle” fest which made its debut here, at The Rose Bowl, six years ago. Then, it was lacking identity. Nobody knew how long it would endure, and most didn’t really care. The cricket itself was at times shambolic, with batsmen choosing the unconventional route when, in fact, convention would have done just fine.
That is much less so the case these days, and today’s standout innings were each models in orthodoxy. Ravi Bopara’s 29 in Essex’s losing semi-final contained deft glances down to third man and audacious flicks through midwicket, all with a straight bat. Owais Shah, a model of Asian-influenced wristiness but who is mostly a mainstream batsman, threaded the gaps in the field with unerring accuracy time and again. When he hit over the top, as he did five times, they were clean and savage blows that belied the timing he found. And Rob Key was at his uncomplicated best, cover-driving and back-cutting in his breathless 52. England are often chastised for not nurturing the next Ajantha Mendis or Muttiah Muralitharn But they do do orthodoxy rather well, and as Shah’s exquisite 75 demonstrated, that’s no bad thing at all.
There was a danger that Lalit Modi and Allen Stanford’s interest in the English game might sway the players’ focus or detract from their performance in this year’s Twenty20 Cup. In reaching the final, both Middlesex and Kent can play in October’s Champions League – if a date is ever agreed upon – while the victors, Middlesex, head to Antigua in October to take on England at the invitation of Stanford. Cricket has pined for financial investment, all the while resembling an impoverished cousin in the shadow of football. To judge by each of today’s fascinating duels – culminating in a final that surpassed any in its six-year history – Twenty20 is no longer a sideshow or a frivolous, passing shower. It deserves these riches thrown at it. The players certainly do.
“Twenty20 is getting bigger and bigger, and today would’ve done it no harm,” Key, the disconsolate Kent captain, said after play. “It might harm a few other forms of the game, because for me that must have been brilliant to watch.”
It was undoubtedly memorable. With Kent chasing 188, Justin Kemp had plinked his way to a typically muscular (but, oddly, all too rare) 24 before cracking one straight into Ed Joyce’s midriff, only for Middlesex’s captain to fluff it. It appeared to be the defining moment, leaving Kent a very gettable 16 from the final over from Tyron Henderson. Dawid Malan’s embarrassingly panicky throw from third man gave them four runs, reducing the equation to an easy six from three balls. After a clubbed two, a dot ball punctured the atmosphere before Henderson found a last-ball yorker to end Kent’s hopes, and realise Middlesex’s dream. On a perfect June evening, only a handful of the 20,000 capacity crowd had fled following the semi-finals. Key was right. This was the perfect advert for the game.
It is quite a tale for Middlesex. So long the hapless bystanders in Twenty20, they have stormed through this year’s competition with their blend of youth, Irishmen and South Africans. There are more talented sides in the tournament – Durham possess seven internationals – but it was their belief that saw Middlesex through.
“Today, we sat down and just tried to play fearless cricket,” said Joyce, Middlesex’s vice-captain who led the side in the absence of the injured Ed Smith. “If we thought of taking a shot on, or bowling a certain ball, we were just going to do it and have no regrets. And that showed in the way we played in both games. Owais Shah and Tyron Henderson both played fantastic knocks, and everyone chipped in around them. We bowled and fielded very well as well.”
Although Kent are through to the Champions League, there is still the possibility they won’t be allowed to play, since some of their squad have represented the unofficial Indian Cricket League. Middlesex, however, have no such concerns, and Joyce was understandably bullish about their chances.
“I think we have a great template, and we have two of the best spinners in Twenty20 [Murali Kartik and Shaun Udal]. These guys just don’t get hit that much,” he said. “When you look at our batting, we have a lot of young guys like Morgan and Malan who are unorthodox, and then we have Henderson and Shah to back them up. I think we have a good formula, and whoever we potentially play against in the future, we should [be competitive].”
With each year, Twenty20 is growing and maturing. Few would have given Middlesex much hope of reaching Finals Day before the season began, yet it is a testament to their own confidence that they could shine when the pressure was at its greatest. And the drama seen today is tribute to the scrawny little format which was born six years ago, one that has given cricket an identity to be proud of.
2 Comments »Dawid Malan surprises everyone
By Will 2 years ago, mid-July, 8 Comments »
He has apparently played nicely all season has Dawid Malan, Middlesex’s 20-year-old left-hander. I hadn’t seen him until today, when he produced the most blistering 103 imaginable to help Middlesex beat Lancashire and loft them into Finals Day. This was no slog. This was a perfectly crafted innings of rare elegance, celebrated with no more exhuberance than flicking his bat to the crowd and nodding to their applause.
He destroyed the spinners in particular, through quick footwork and even faster hands, smacking them over long-off and midwicket. But he looks like he can play all around the wicket, too. A serious talent.
I was surprised at Sky’s commentary. Nasser, in particular, is going absolutely nuts over Twenty20 this season, gushing and weeping over the talent he has seen over the past few weeks. He has a point too. There are a lot of young players who have poked their heads up above the parapet in this Cup. Twenty20 exposes the brave (and foolhardy), and never was there a more appropriate format of the game for the fearlessness of youth to demand our attention.
Today’s match was a belter. Middlesex were 21 for 4 before Malan (whose nickname is AC…) went berserk, and their bowlers then tied Lancashire up in knots. They were knotted, if you like. More wibble here.
8 Comments »Middlesex meet Lancashire in Twenty20 quarter-finals
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of June, 1 Comment »
Well, I say “meet”. It’ll be so fleeting an encounter as to make Lancashire’s trip south completely pointless. We’re not even letting them play at Lord’s – we thought we’d let England and South Africa enjoy it, even though we actually have no say in such matters – so it’s off to Uxbridge. Or The Oval. The south-London plebs have said we can borrow their wasteland for a few hours; besides, they’ll enjoy seeing Lancashire get whipped by our marvellous mix of Irishmen and Kolpakians.
Bring. It. On.
1 Comment »Middlesex remain unbeaten
By Will 2 years ago, mid-June, 4 Comments »
Mighty, mighty Middlesex. For the past five seasons, only Durham had a worse record than Middlesex in Twenty20s, but not so now: they’ve won all five of their matches this season, the only team to do so. Outstanding, tear-jerking performance by perhaps the greatest club in the entire world.
(Allow me the hyperbole. My enthusiasm, and Middlesex’s, will not last for long)
4 Comments »Mighty, mighty Middlesex
By Will 2 years ago, mid-June, 2 Comments »
It’s been mostly bad times as a Middlesex supporter for the past, well, decade. Good times have fallen on us over recent weeks however, and we’re now on a bit of a roll.
I’m just recording this for posterity, before normality returns. It is nice to beat Essex, though, especially as three of my mates – one of whom pretends to work for The Times – support the chavs.
2 Comments »Chris Lewis reaches half-century on comeback
By Will 2 years ago, mid-April, 4 Comments »
Chris Lewis, the former England, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Surrey allrounder, is 40-years-young and back with his old London club on a pay-as-you-play contract. He made his comeback today against mighty mighty Middlesex at The Oval and has reached fifty…but not with the bat. His six overs cost 51. Andrew Strauss went a bit bonkers with 163 from 130.
Lewis was one of a clutch of allrounders they tried in the 1990s. Ridiculously gifted, but a little bit wayward. Remember when he shaved his head and subsequently got sunstroke? No fear of that in London today, mind.
4 Comments »Do we need counties?
By Jonathan Liew 2 years ago, mid-April, 22 Comments »
There are 18 counties playing first-class cricket. That’s quite a lot. There are more domestic teams in England than in any other country. Yet they’re not evenly spread around – London and its environs has an embarrassment of teams, while parts such as the south west, the far north and most of Eastern England have none at all.
Now partly, that’s due to population: cricket teams are concentrated around the biggest cities. And yet, we persist in clinging to the county apparatus, a hotchpotch of hazily-defined localities that has very little relevance to the social geography of today. Counties don’t really exist in any meaningful sense any more; in fact, for four of the 18 counties, that’s literally true. The county system is rooted in a long gone past, and it hasn’t changed, even though everything around it has. Does the idea of ‘Warwickshire’ mean anything to anyone any more? Certainly not for someone like Ian Bell, who was born in Coventry – which since 1974 has been part of the West Midlands.
If it were only a quibble about names and boundaries, we could probably let it go. But this archaic system has a more serious effect on the domestic game. With large shifts in population and wealth away from rural England and towards the towns, some counties clearly have an inherent advantage over others. A county like Lancashire, with a catchment area of Liverpool and Manchester, the surrounding towns, Cheshire and Cumbria, have far more resource to draw on than the likes of Leicestershire, which has one medium sized town and four rival cricketing counties on its borders. It may always have been this way to an extent – pre-reform Yorkshire was bloody huge – but that doesn’t necessarily make it fair.
As a result, prosperity – and thus success – is distorted by the fact that some counties will always be struggling to prosper, regardless of cricketing merit, and some will always be comfortable. Test grounds – a major source of potential revenue – are concentrated almost exclusively around big cities. Look at the list of county champions: the top four are Yorkshire, Surrey, Middlesex and Lancashire – areas with high populations and a Test ground. Then look at who has come bottom most often: Derbyshire, Somerset, Northamptonshire, Glamorgan. When Leicestershire can’t hang on to a player like Stuart Broad, who was born in the county and has played all his cricket there, it’s clear the playing field is not level. The influx of Kolpak players have counteracted population factors to an extent – but they still need to be paid, and the biggest counties will always jostle their way to the front in this respect.
It’s possible teams like Leicestershire and Derbyshire will never again reach the pinnacle of English cricket. The best they can hope for is the odd promotion or a dart at a one-day trophy here and there, but it’s equally likely they’ll wane and recede slowly into the background. That is, unless something is done about it.
If domestic cricket is ever to make proper money – and, who knows, provide a higher standard? – it needs to brand itself in more familiar terms. In short, we need fewer teams, more fairly distributed. The quickest way of doing this would be to merge counties; in short, persuading them to vote themselves out of business. That’s not going to happen. Instead, reorganisation of domestic cricket could be craftily disguised as a PR exercise.
Ironically, the IPL might be able to teach English cricket a thing or two in this respect. Moneyed franchises they may be, but the teams in the League are based in – and upon – very real localities. The players may not be sourced locally, but that will come in time. What’s important is that a bond is being forged betwen a cricket team and a town. In England, those bonds already exist in large part: Gloucestershire is by and large a Bristol team, Hampshire a Southampton-based club, Warwickshire is a Birmingham team, and so on. Towns have a far greater emotional and economic pull than counties these days, and are far more relevant in today’s society.
The idea, then, is this, although the details are less important than the diagnosis behind them. Cut the number of teams to, say, 12, and base each one around a large town. Let’s call them, for sake of argument: Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Southampton, Birmingham, Nottingham, North London, South London, East London, Cardiff and Brighton. The South East has a quarter of England’s population, so it should have a quarter of the teams. The names, as I say, are largely irrelevant.
What English cricket would then have, essentially, is the Australian system in all but name. Teams would be able to draw on the emotional and financial clout of the major town, but talent-wise the spread would be far wider – and far fairer. It provides the best balance between levelling the playing field and preserving some semblance of geographical integrity. And the standard would improve.
Anyway, well done for getting through all that – any thoughts?
22 Comments »Elias Henry Hendren
By Will 3 years ago, mid-September, 1 Comment »
Here’s an old caricature drawing of Patsy Hendren, the former England and Middlesex batsman (and a bit of a leg end, it must be said. 170 first-class hundreds…)
More info on Patsy at Cricinfo. Drawing found at Flickr.
1 Comment »Lord’s moves out of the Dark Ages
By Jonathan Liew 3 years ago, mid-September, No Comments; be the first!
In the beginning was Lord’s. And all around was a formless void, swathed in darkness. And the MCC said: “Let there be light,†and light appeared. And 5,000 fans saw that the light was good, even though it was only temporary. And the local residents didn’t kick up too much of a fuss. And thus Lord’s took a bold step into the 21st century.
From the distinct lack of glitz on display on Monday night, It’s immediately clear that night cricket at Lord’s will never enjoy the same raucous atmosphere it does at The Oval. But then again, nor should it. The long overdue experiment will hopefully transform the Lord’s experience into something more thrilling and inclusive whilst retaining its respectful eloquence. Day-night games at Lord’s will feel rather like a garden party to which the whole family is invited. There really is no reason why floodlights should automatically be synonymous with furry mascots and Gwen Stefani.
No Comments »England’s forgotten man
By Jonathan Liew 3 years ago, at the end of August, 7 Comments »
In times past, England selectors could generally be relied on to make at least one howler a summer. Alan Wells, Aftab Habib and Alan Igglesden are all examples of county makeweights plunged without warning into the limelight and shunted mercilessly and remorselessly back out of it soon after.
Since the central contract era, however, we like to think that the more erratic selectorial decisions have rather been purged; there’s been the odd hunch that’s gone wrong (step to the front of the class, Anthony McGrath), but by and large the new slim-line committee has unearthed some cracking talent. Vaughan, Trescothick and Sidebottom certainly wouldn’t have got a look in had they been around a decade earlier. None of this, however, will be much comfort to Ed Joyce.
Joyce’s performances during the CB Series in Australia were solid, excellent in places, and he was by no means the most culpable of England’s World Cup donkeys. But he fell victim to the general call for cull after the Caribbean debacle and hasn’t been mentioned in the same breath as the England team since. Joyce wasn’t even selected for the England Lions teams to face Pakistan and India, a privilege granted to such stellar young talent as Alex Gidman. He appears to have fallen silently but ruthlessly from view, like the myriad Mike Smiths and Warren Heggs before him.
Fair enough, you might say. Ed Joyce is no PowerPlay demon, still less middle-overs innovator. But a man who scored two fifties on the biggest one-day stage really deserved better than to be lumped in with the likes of Andrew Strauss (who really did have a stinker in the West Indies, by the way). And besides, Joyce has always been more of a five-day cricketer. He was selected as Marcus Trescothick’s replacement on the Ashes tour, but didn’t get a chance. Now, incomprehensibly, he has been leapfrogged by Owais Shah, Ravi Bopara and, very possibly, Rob Key. Perhaps Joyce might soon be lugging his kit bag back to Dublin in search of an international game.
Joyce hasn’t exactly helped his case with some ho-hum county performances this summer. But his anonymity speaks of a more worrying trend – the tendency to judge Test potential on the basis of one-day form. It happened to Chris Read, Kabir Ali and even Jonathan Trott, who may never be seen in England colours again. Joyce deserves a better fate than these, for on his day he can be one of the most effective batsmen in the country. A bumper start for Middlesex next season might swing him back into contention; on the other hand, perhaps he’d be better off perfecting his reverse sweep this winter instead.
7 Comments »50/8d
By Ian 3 years ago, at the end of May, 12 Comments »
No, this isn’t plea to bring back old money. That’s the total Somerset declared on earlier today. I may have missed the point, but presumably the thinking was to have a crack at Middlesex while the conditions were right and stop the opposition from getting full bowling points. It hasn’t worked in one sense, as Middx are currently 71 for 0. As far as bowling points, perhaps it was very shrewd of their skipper Justin Langer. (If this has already been discussed on The Corridor, then I apologise.)
Ordinarily, I might launch into a rant about cheating Aussies bending the rules, but I happen to be a big fan of Langer, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. But it does leave a bad taste in the mouth, not least as one of my fantasy team bowlers was denied the chance of filling his boots! (I also have Langer, who got a duck…)
Is it bad sportsmanship, clever captaincy or even a missed opportunity? What if Caddick had slapped a quick-fire 40? It could have changed the momentum entirely.
David Nash and his warm-up routines
By Will 4 years ago, mid-November, 6 Comments »
I’m surprised Emma, the resident county squirrel, hasn’t picked up on this: an interview with none other than David Nash, the Middlesex wicketkeeper. Good ‘keeper, Nash, should’ve gone on to higher honours (as should’ve Keith Brown, but that’s for another day).
Kev: I’ve always wondered how did you get the nickname Knocker?
Knocker: When I started my career, just before going out to keep, I would always go to the loo and “relieve myselfâ€, so I became known for always knocking myself off. [Editor’s note: perhaps we should revert to the less original, but also less evocative nickname, “Nashieâ€]
A game for gentlemen? Believe what you will. Thanks to Patrick for the link.
6 Comments »‘minda Vaas Vaas Vaas
By Will 4 years ago, at the end of September, 1 Comment »
The dusty MCC and Middlesex traditionalists will have a new song to chant next summer: “‘minda Vaas Vaas Vaas” as they point their finger, football-hooligan style, at Middlesex’s opponents.
Okay, it’s unlikely, but today’s signing of Chaminda Vaas is probably the best news the club has had all season. It has been a forgettable summer for my club – the worst I can remember, albeit only 11 seasons following them.
1 Comment » « Previous Entries