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twenty20 cup
Trescothick: will he go to India?
By Will last year, mid-August, 4 Comments »
I meant to watch yesterday’s Twenty20 Cup final, but got distracted by my now-brilliant local which has undergone refurbishment. When I got back, I saw Somerset had reached the final and are now going to play in the Champions League. Most of them, at any rate. The big question remains whether Marcus Trescothick will fly out to India. Most recently he’s rejected a possible comeback for England; travelling and touring were at the core of his difficulties in the latter part of his career, and although he is still batting like a demi-god at Taunton, we don’t yet know whether he’ll have it in him to go to India.
But for the tournament’s sake, and for Somerset, let’s hope he does. Given his thirst for scoring, for batting, and his love of Somerset, it seems plausible he’ll play for years and years to come, and like Hick and Ramprakash dedicate himself to county rather than country. Someone of his rare power and strokeplay is needed if an English county is to sparkle overseas.
4 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?
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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 »To the Rose Bowl
By Jonathan Liew 2 years ago, at the end of July, 1 Comment »
I’m off to Twenty20 Finals day tomorrow. Does anybody have any idea who the musical interlude is going to be? My money’s on Duffy.
1 Comment »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 »2008 Twenty20 begins; new incentives for counties
By Will 2 years ago, mid-June, 4 Comments »
I can’t imagine Rob Key has ever been in a threesome. He seems too grounded, reliable a character for such shenanigans. The above portrait, then, can only mean one thing: it’s Twenty20 Cup time.
It all begins tomorrow (or today if you’re reading this on Wednesday, June 11), but this year’s tournament brings with it a whole new twist. The counties are no longer simply playing for some bonus cash and a shiny trophy (maybe even a threesome if they play their cards right), but the opportunity to showcase their talents on a global stage by playing in the inaugural Champions League in India.
This changes things irrevocably. The finalists of this year’s Cup will head to the Middle East, or India, or wherever, to take on their opponents from South Africa, Australia and the IPL. It will be fascinating to see what happens; will there be an added intensity because of the Champions League promise? Will all the gimmickry feel out-dated and demeaning? When the competition launched five years ago in England, it was dismissed by so many people. Too short; not fair on the bowlers; a fad, a gimmick. Financially if nothing else, it is the engine room of the sport.
Will you be going to any games? What do you make of the Champions League?
Fixtures for this year’s tournament are here. Andrew Miller’s preview is here. Here’s some info on the Champions League.
4 Comments »