On the face of it, we were substantially worse than last year, but the table doesn't tell the full picture. I would have expected us to beat Leicestershire in the rained off fixture, much as I thought we would Durham. The frankly awful bowling and fielding effort at The Riverside was an aberration and the subsequent introduction of Dustin Melton has been a positive. So too the improvement in Michael Cohen, who looked to have learned quickly where he was going wrong.
These two, were Melton able to stay, would be an asset another year, as would Ben Aitchison, of course. We badly missed Ravi Rampaul, whose accuracy last summer meant additional risks had to be taken at the other end.
Of course, we were also missing Ben McDermott and Sean Abbott, who at this stage look likely to play next season. My only concern is that McDermott, who would undoubtedly add firepower, would presumably see two wicket keepers omitted. On a small staff, that reduces the selection options and a batting all rounder, like Marcus Stoinis or Mitchell Marsh, might be better for us.
The batting order needs looked at anyway. I hope Billy Godleman is restored to his erstwhile form next year, because we can't have the two best batsmen coming in with valuable time used up. The suggestion of Madsen to open is worthy of consideration, especially if the favoured tactic of bowling spin at the start is continued against us. It also seems a little wasteful having Du Plooy not coming in until almost half the innings has gone. Perhaps Reece/Madsen/Du Plooy should be the top three, with Billy down the order to face the usual return of seam at the death?
Alex Hughes continues to be a good value player in this format. Last night he became our record wicket taker, while his ability to come in and hit from word go is always appreciated. He and Anuj Dal are huge assets in the field, too.
What we lack is serious power with the bat and a Rampaul/Langeveldt influence with the ball. If we could get that for next year, I would be confident in results coming again.
We also have to bear in mind PF that all games have been away from home and even though games have been regionalised the lack of a proper base must impact.
ReplyDeleteI had a meeting last night so left the game just after the Madsen run out and returned with four overs to go. Thought Melton and Cohen both did a superb job in those final overs and the captain did well to defend what was an inadequate total. He is a worry though; last season he played some well judged innings from the opening spot but has looked totally out of touch this time. With nothing to lose I think that Wood should get a couple of games as opener - a little concerning is that battingwise, Madsen is probably the only natural T20 player in the current squad. Du Plooy is up there and Hughes has performed well.
I like Melton - has a good attitude.
Put mads to open. Wood to partner him
DeleteDuploy. Billy then Reecy. Both openers need bringing out of the pressure of the firing line. Give Wood free licence and let Mads do what he does with 20 overs To do it. If billy wants to go at a run a ball in the middle overs that’s ok but not up top. This would lengthen our batting order and give us a far greater chance of setting a competitive/ winning score. Am I the only one who can see this or am I talking rubbish ?
Chad Jim
With several inexperienced bowlers, I wasn't surprised when we performed poorly with the ball (But Cohen and Melton did a fantastic job last night). To be honest, my biggest concern is the top order batting. In most games we have started too slowly and failed to find the boundary regularly enough. We need a really explosive batsman, someone who cuts lose from the word go. As Lion said, Madsen is the closest we've got. If McDermott plays next season, perhaps he will add some fire power. We certainly need it. Regarding Tom Wood, I am baffled why he hasn't been given a game, especially as our top order has under performed this season. What was the point in giving him a contract? We've rotated the bowlers, so why not do the same with the batting? Wood is our only other specialist batsman.
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