Writing a review of the T20 season this summer is quite different from last year, and indeed from writing the Bob Willis Trophy review a few short weeks ago.
We never got going this year in the short format and frankly didn't look an especially good team.
There were mitigating circumstances, of course. We played all our matches elsewhere, there were no overseas players and we badly missed Ravi Rampaul, not just for the wickets he took or the tight spells he bowled, but also for the effect on the opposition. They had to take greater risks against the others when Ravi was at one end and in much the same way that others profited when Jackson and Gladwin were bowling in their usual parsimony, wickets often fell as a consequence. Fynn Hudson-Prentice was also missed, a thigh injury wrecking his season and robbing us of not just a fine bowler but a dangerous batsman. Nor was Ben Aitchison available, likely the most accurate of the youngsters who debuted in the summer.
Yet selection was odd. At one point Alex Hughes was omitted, which seemed strange for a player who would be first on many team sheets for this format. He responded as most would expect, but the decision to drop him was puzzling. Even more so the omission, until the last game, of Tom Wood.
His game is naturally aggressive and you can look around the counties and see the successful sides all have a top order dasher. There was no real surprise in that he scored a 31-ball half century against a decent home attack, more so in that Dominic Cork opted not to include him until then, when the top four was misfiring like an old car. The non-utilisation of a lad who has been the most prolific home-grown batsman in at least a decade at lower levels remains a mystery. If there is any justice, an opportunity to break into the top five next year should be forthcoming, because in common with many of you I don't think he got that this year. For the life of me, I can't rationalise that one.
Last year the success of the side was in a top four who chased down any target or set one beyond the compass of most opponents. It was clear, when we lost however, that it was to sides who generally opened the bowling with slow bowlers. Both Luis Reece and Billy Godleman are fine players, but more destructive against seam than spin. We rarely got a start and were quickly two down, too quickly, too often for comfort. The change should have been made earlier, proactive rather than reactive, because we had been 'sussed'.
For all his success last year, I am not sure Billy is a right 'fit' for T20 and until we score at more than six an over in the powerplay, we won't win many matches. Maybe next year a T20 specialist skipper is needed, letting Billy concentrate on the formats where he is undoubtedly excellent and letting him have the breather which all players need. He averaged 'only' a run a ball in the competition, which really isn't enough.
While perhaps not the force of his younger years, Wayne Madsen remained the key wicket and, as the best player of spin in the club, would be an obvious choice at the top of the order another year. He and Du Plooy scored the only other fifties in the ten matches, which was the crux of the problem. Any of the top four were likely to be sought after for the Hundred after last year's exploits, but Madsen's top average of 24 told a story. Luis Reece played only one innings of note and looked jaded after a lot of work in the four-day game, while Du Plooy for the first time slipped from a lofty pedestal. Both will surely return to erstwhile glories next year, when normality hopefully resumes
Matt Critchley and Alex Hughes played some handy cameos and largely reproduced their 2019 form with the ball, but there were insufficient runs to play with and neither was able to play a game-changing innings when required. This was mainly because they had to press the accelerator from the start - such cameos would have been fine in a better performing batting side.
Of the seamers, Dustin Melton looked the best, perhaps that latter-day incarnation of Ole Mortensen in his intensity, though with some way still to go in the sustained accuracy to match the aggression. Michael Cohen troubled with his pace and, with a better radar could be a serious talent, as could be said for Sam Conners in this format.
Mattie McKiernan finished top in the economy averages, and is a solid, if not spectacular player. The same could be said of Anuj Dal, whose bowling might have been better utilised and whose fleet-footed running was an asset in the field, as well as the closing overs if he got in. Meanwhile the two wicket-keepers shared duties, although Brooke Guest looked better suited to the style of batting required than Harvey Hosein. They are equally good behind the stumps and it will be interesting to see if either forces their way ahead in 2021. However, in a limited staff there is likely to be discussion on whether another keeper is the right way forward for next year, when Ben McDermott is pencilled in to play. Mind you, McDermott and Wood might be an opening pair to savour...
As for the coach, it may be that we go a different way in 2021. Dominic Cork is shrewd and intelligent, so will know a coach is only as good as his team statistics in the season just finished. Despite last year's success and the mitigating circumstances, one win in ten games and the worst record in the country confirms a disappointing campaign. Most noticeable was a drop in fielding standards, which reached its nadir on that awful night at The Riverside.
With four coaches already on the staff, perhaps the additional cost could go to the playing budget next year, with Mal Loye a likely candidate for the T20 role.
As always, I welcome your thoughts on any or all of the above, just as I appreciate your support through the last few hectic months.
