Surrey 326-6 (Sangakkara 109, Davies 115)
Derbyshire 249 (Durston 129)
Surrey won by 77 runs
We were a little outgunned today.
Two very good batsmen in Steven Davies and Kumar Sangakkara took the game away from us with a brilliant second wicket stand of 204, although an innings of considerable brilliance, even for him, from Wes Durston kept us in the game for longer than most of us thought likely.
Most of the bowlers won't want to linger on their bowling figures today, though Shiv Thakor's nine overs for just 31 on a shirt front were highly impressive. That's what top batsmen with the bit between their teeth will do though, just as McCullum did at Birmingham in the T20.
At one point Surrey looked set for closer to 400 than they did and we pulled it back fairly well. Mark Footitt could have chosen a better day for one of his profligate spells, but a bowler of his pace on a good track and with short boundaries is always likely to travel.
At 153-1 after 23 overs we were in the game, the skipper well-supported by Billy Godleman and by Chesney Hughes, but the quick loss of the latter and Wayne Madsen was a major blow from which we never really recovered. Scott Elstone fought well, but the absence of a form overseas player was a major factor. Fantastic innings by Wes though, one he later said was his best one-day knock.
You can't really say that our 'win one, lose one' manner in this competition is steering us to the next stage, but all we can do is try to win our remaining matches and see where we end up.
Progress at this stage seems unlikely, but three wins could make all the difference and they have to believe they can do it.
A little World Cup form from the returning Tillakaratne Dilshan would do us no harm...
Not sure suggestion that Chesney getting 15 is that suuportive, barely had a score of any meaning in many matches. Not convinced he and Elstone are answers to the middle order fallibility, is it not worth brining Slater for a game of 2?.
ReplyDeleteRJ
Hi Peakfan,
ReplyDeleteFantastic knock from Wes today, took on all of their bowlers and scoring 94 runs in boundaries shows just how beautifully he was striking the ball. Fielding extremely professional throughout and bowlers stuck to it, a couple of big overs in the second batting powerplay hit us hard.
After a the perfect platform was laid I was disappointed in the batting. Promoting Ches to three didn't work, he didn't tick the strike over for Wes with singles or show aggression in looking to hit boundaries. Bemusing little innings especially with Madsen ready to come in.
Thakor hit a sumptuous drive (as usual looked a million dollars) then tamely chipped one to the boundary rider and Alex Hughes panicked, just a bit soft really and threw away a great position.
Overall I can see how we've performed well so far in the tournament but were beaten by a decent side and a little naivety on our part.
Alex
Well RJ, at 153-1 with him in and with his reputation we had a shout..and yes, Slater deserves a crack.
ReplyDeleteAt seven, Elstone is a useful bolster to the batting but we needed more in the middle - from 4 to 6 - today.
Nice summation of things Alex..thank you!
ReplyDeleteAlthough we've got a decent attack, I do think the captain uses them in the wrong order. In Critchley and Alex Hughes we have two bowlers who are more vulnerable than the others at the death, but Wes brought both of them on far too late. Thakor bowled very economically yesterday, but alex hughes would probably have been just as economical between overs 10 and 25. It would be better to bring Thakor on for 4 or 5 towards the end of the power play or just after, and then bring alex hughes on as opposed to leave shiv on for so long. Footitt was expensive again but on Friday his spell in the middle broke the innings open and that's what he gives the team. We might have conceded up towards 400 had he not got Jason Roy out!
ReplyDeleteIt was a welcome return to form for the captain but the middle order again folded like a pack of cards. It is hardly news to us however that the middle order needs work and I'm sure it will be addressed. Dilshan comes in for Chesney Hughes for the Leicester match, and if Footitt can't play due to being in the test squad Wayne White has to come back...
I think we need to win the last 3 matches to progress, but given we should have won the first 4 I think in terms of raw skill we are just about capable, especially given we play 2 teams yet to win a game at Derby
I think there are lots of positives we can take from this season, which whilst it might not deliver what many of us hoped for, has nevertheless seen some good performances, and some awful and strange ones too. Thankfully much more of the former.
ReplyDeleteI like gardening, so please forgive the analogy.
Last year was planting the seeds and seeing some encouraging signs.
This year we are seeing the shoots develop and again things are looking good, at times. I really think the one thing we've struggled is consistency, and you can only really learn that from experience.
Next year, we'll find out if we get a good crop or not.