The Rocks were chasing the Knights total of 164-6, led by brothers Janneman and Pieter Malan. Some may recall the latter in his stint for Warwickshire last year, when he recorded a pair against Derbyshire.
Janneman, the more explosive player, led off in fine style and that was continued by Clyde Fortuin, an impressive wicketkeeper /batsman. When he was dismissed, the Rocks needed 43 from the last five overs with eight wickets in hand.
Enter big hitting but slow running Chris Jonker, who pulled a hamstring muscle taking his first single. Were I coach I would have had him off and got someone else in to do the obvious running required. Nine an over isn't much these days in T20.
While allowing for the death bowling being decent, they fell three runs short, still with eight wickets in hand. Even the hits cut off on the boundary were only ones, as Jonker had to walk them. They banked on him middling one or two and he didn't. Meanwhile Malan scored only slightly more than a run a ball in carrying his bat for 60.
Any fit player would have found twos in those last overs. Were it Derbyshire batting in that situation, I would have been livid. It struck me as dreadful game management, among the worst I have seen at first-class level.
Losing by three runs with eight wickets in hand is simply ridiculous.
Runners only allowed in English domestic competitions.
ReplyDeleteI know, but didn't stop him retiring though, or simply getting out when his footwork was obviously hampered
DeleteAgreed,Peakfan. Running is a skill and one of the downsides of t20 is the obsession with slogging. It can be entertaining, and an art form in the hands of , say, Joss Butler, but for me it is devalued by fielding restrictions. Anybody who can hold a bat can get away with swiping over the inner ring every so often. As an expsriment I would like to see fielding restrictikns removed completely. I reckon finding the gaps and swift running would offer good entertainment. And you can't stop 6s with 9 men on the boundary. Just a thought...I'm a red ball fan as you can probably tell!
ReplyDeleteMasood looks a brilliant runner and Dean Jones was one of the best I have seen.
DeleteBatters forget that 6 well timed and placed shots bring 12 an over. Jones and Peter Kirsten would use ones and twos to get in and you would realise they suddenly had 30 on the board, doing little silly!
Whilst not wrong about the 13 an over, it's the big overs of 18, 20 or 20+ that can change a game.
DeleteI can remember a Sunday League game v Gloucstershire at Chesterfield many years ago when two of their batters - Zaheer and Sadiq if memory serves - did just that. They accrued a big total with not many boundaries and won the game easily. It's one skill that can be transferred easily between the white and red ball games. And it makes for very entertaining viewing, especially when matched against the speed and agility of modern fielding.
ReplyDelete