Don't want to see Klaassen in the T20 again. That was shambolic bowling. Bowling short every ball and Vince smacked it to the boundary every time. 0-63 in his 4 overs.
He was our best bowler in the comp prior to tonight and even with that return isn't far off still being our best based on economy rate and wickets - though that isn't saying a lot.
Bell-Drummond is having such a bad summer *T20 wise
He is - 57 runs in 8 innings is shocking. Sadly he is the worst of a very poor bunch this season with just one hundred and two fifties from the team in nine games.
Is there a reason why we hardly ever play on a Saturday?
Blast games tend to be Friday and Sunday, CC games generally start on a Sunday or Monday, none of our 50 over matches are on a Saturday. Seems really weird to ignore such an obvious day to play cricket, when for example the 3 CC matches played in July could easily be shifted back to start on the Saturday, thus ensuring cricket on both days of the weekend
I see DBD was dropped to allow Crawley to play, but another dismal batting performance
DBD played for Blackheath on Saturday and made 28 off 39 against Hayes. Ben Compton was run out for 2 playing for Sevenoaks Vine against Lordswood but James Logan scored 68 for the Vine off 57 including a boundary off the very last ball to tie the match!
Not one batsman has consistently imposed himself and the internationals, Billings and Crawley, have been as guilty as most - Crawley has 57 in 4 innings and Billings might have scored 184 runs but that is at an average of 20.44 and extremely ordinary strike rare of 108.23. When you add DBD (57 runs in 8 innings) and Leaning and Blake (both sub 20 averages) it is little wonder we aren't competitive with the bat.
The bowling hasn't been much better with two of last season's stars in particular struggling - Milnes has 6 wickets at 44.83 and Qais Ahmad 7 wickets at 41.57. Equally, Quinn has figures of 0-105 in the competition to date.
They didn’t seem bothered or focused. Billings was top scorer and his dismissal was very poor. Had threatened the reverse sweep twice, then went for it, straight into the arms of the fielder placed there for that purpose.
I've mentioned it previously but I do think that there will be a bit of a shake up at the end of the season by virtue of the fact that we are consistently not preforming as both a group and as individuals.
Ones that might be leaving us:
Walker - Walks is a first class bloke but the fact that we can't get away from is that this is a results based business. One win from 14 matches is really poor and the only thing that might save him, in my opinion, is winning the Royal London. Is that likely though with most of our best white ball players playing Mickey Mouse cricket?
Stevens - it's almost sacrilegious to even mention the word "retirement" but given his struggles with form this season and the fact that he is unlikely to get better at the age of 47 next season. I'm sure that he would much rather be remembered as a great servant that someone who overstayed his welcome as a player.
DBD - has, somewhat ironically, been regarded as a white ball batsman but has actually performed far better in the CC than The Blast. He is probably safe but that might be more due to one or two of the ones mentioned below leaving.
Denly - injuries/illness seems to have prevented him from playing a lot of games in the last year so much so that his ton the other day was his first 50, let alone 100, in the last year. Does he still have the hunger to do it each and every day he gets up?
Billings - one understands why he goes to the IPL, The Big Bash etc etc. One could equally also understand that, at the age of 31 (next week), that he will want to give himself one last chance to fulfil his England aspirations. Can he do that in a struggling Kent side?
Robinson - can't be happy at not being part of our Blast squad. Assuming Billings does stay he is unlikely, I would have thought, to get an IPL contract next season and it is difficult to see a side with those two and Cox in the CC side. There have been several suitors in the last few years for his services and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him move to be first choice keeper/batsman elsewhere.
Crawley - you just know that there will be whispers in his ear when he meets up with England - "why are you are playing on that bowlers' paradise at Canterbury when you could be batting for two days on the road in SE11?" Whilst Canterbury has performed much better this year, the fact is that The Oval will never be any different. His mentor and the current ECB Director of Men's Cricket might well be saying the very same thing to him.
Podmore - has hardly played in the last couple of years as injuries have taken their toll. Will we be prepared to carry him?
Stewart - recalled from loan but the fact that he was allowed to go to a rival suggests that he wasn't considered as being in the top rank. since then, however, has done reasonably well with bat and ball in both white and red ball and his departure might be down to him more than us.
Logan - this is a really strange one. He did really well last season but the arrival of Linde has, effectively, made him surplus to requirements.
O'Riordan - I don't know what Marcus really is. Is he batsman or a bowler? When he's been played he has always been used as a bowler but batted at 8 or 9 but has never had any real success with the ball - in three years as a contracted player he has 11 CC wickets at 41.72, just one wicket in the Royal London and three in The Blast. If he's a batsman then we must give him a chance to prove himself otherwise he's just a contracted 2nd XI player which is a waste of resource.
Qadri - would have thought that he will stay but he might be another one who is frustrated at the lack of opportunities. Took six wickets in one CC game this season but has lost his place to Linde and won't get in The Blast side with Linde and Qais in the side.
Blake - white ball contract only so probably less vulnerable than many but, at 34 next season, well probably need a couple of meaningful performances to justify a new one.
I should stress that all of the above is speculation and not based on any inside information and I am not aware of the length of contract many of these players currently have. I don't think that too many will argue, though, against the fact that we do need change and as Compton (and Milnes, Quinn and Gilchrist for that matter) has demonstrated there are some good players out there who have yet to be given a chance and that are still, despite numerous knock backs, hungry enough to take any opportunity given.
Can now add Cox to this list - the rumour on another forum is that Essex are in for him. Like Robinson, who also now appears to have a county or two interested in him, he has a year left on his contract but they might both have a release clause in their contract. To lose one of them would be careless but to lose both would be disastrous!
Goodness me, I really hope you are wrong @Addick Addict losing both Cox and Robinson will really set us back years.
I'm sure that we will do everything to keep them - the issue is that three into two won't go and the very reason that Robinson went out on loan. Clearly, making him CC captain at the start of the season and now awarding him his cap will go some way but, for someone who will, naturally, have international aspirations, he can't be playing 2s cricket which might happen when everyone is back. The current CC line up had him opening but who are they likely to drop when Crawley comes back? All the rest of the top six have got big runs recently bar Crawley himself and Billings and they won't be left out. That's also without even including Denly.
As for Cox, I honestly don't know whether he still wants to keep - if he does then being third choice, as he is, won't be going down well with him.
Hopefully, the next thing we do hear about them is that they have both signed contract extensions.
Kent 2s are playing a 4 day game against Hants starting today. One of the players who has been really struggling for runs this season is playing - Benjamin Garnet Compton!
Kent have won the toss and elected to bat
Link to game is below and it is being live streamed too:
I went, a surprisingly low turn out. I reckon about 10,000. The game was meh, Kent struggled from the first over.
I went with my two sons. Kent were awful and never looked like winning. Middlesex never needed to get out of second gear. We seem totally lacking confidence in our batting, and a seam attack of Klaassen, Milnes and Quinn is going to scare no-one. It's hard to pinpoint how it has all gone so wrong from last year. I am not sure Billings is the best captain. Perhaps he is another case of a player whose form is affected by the pressure of captaincy.
I went, a surprisingly low turn out. I reckon about 10,000. The game was meh, Kent struggled from the first over.
I went with my two sons. Kent were awful and never looked like winning. Middlesex never needed to get out of second gear. We seem totally lacking confidence in our batting, and a seam attack of Klaassen, Milnes and Quinn is going to scare no-one. It's hard to pinpoint how it has all gone so wrong from last year. I am not sure Billings is the best captain. Perhaps he is another case of a player whose form is affected by the pressure of captaincy.
Perhaps motivation and time at the crease is the issue with Billings. He's spent so much time with England and at the IPL carrying drinks and has hardly played any cricket in the last couple of years (and had that dislocated shoulder too). His game is more about rotation with the odd sweep and reverse sweep but with no one at the other end forcing the pace, he ends up going for the big shot himself - with fatal consequences.
Things don't appear right generally at the moment and it remains be seen, as I've said, if there is a major change of personnel on and off the pitch at the end of the season as a result of that.
I went, a surprisingly low turn out. I reckon about 10,000. The game was meh, Kent struggled from the first over.
I went with my two sons. Kent were awful and never looked like winning. Middlesex never needed to get out of second gear. We seem totally lacking confidence in our batting, and a seam attack of Klaassen, Milnes and Quinn is going to scare no-one. It's hard to pinpoint how it has all gone so wrong from last year. I am not sure Billings is the best captain. Perhaps he is another case of a player whose form is affected by the pressure of captaincy.
T20 cricket is all about momentum, get one a roll, a team becomes comes hard to stop, like Kent last year.. Batting hasn't been great, but it if diffcult to build form and confidence as well, if you don't get one away in first 10 balls or so, the pressure really builds! And when players around you are struggling as well, the fear of getting out creeps in!
As bad as the batting has been, I think our bowling has been terrible, no control, no xfactor!
It's a shame Kent haven't built on what was a good season last year, and have been unlucky with injuries in the bowling department!
I went, a surprisingly low turn out. I reckon about 10,000. The game was meh, Kent struggled from the first over.
I went with my two sons. Kent were awful and never looked like winning. Middlesex never needed to get out of second gear. We seem totally lacking confidence in our batting, and a seam attack of Klaassen, Milnes and Quinn is going to scare no-one. It's hard to pinpoint how it has all gone so wrong from last year. I am not sure Billings is the best captain. Perhaps he is another case of a player whose form is affected by the pressure of captaincy.
But then last September Billings was considered a great Captain and Kent a great white ball team.
It's baffling what's gone wrong. It's not just one player out of form, it's most of the side!
Kent 2s are playing a 4 day game against Hants starting today. One of the players who has been really struggling for runs this season is playing - Benjamin Garnet Compton!
Kent have won the toss and elected to bat
Link to game is below and it is being live streamed too:
Unfortunately, the video connection has been lost but Kent are 26-0 off 7. Joe Gordon, fresh from his ton on Saturday for Lordswood is on 23 off 14 balls but that other bloke, Compton, who scored just 2 for The Vine, is clearly not up to 2s cricket given that he has just one single from 28 balls.
Interesting that Jas Singh is in tomorrow's squad against Gloucs but is currently in Southampton playing in the 2s game against Hants. Crawley is with England and Klaassen is with the Netherlands.
Comments
Blast games tend to be Friday and Sunday, CC games generally start on a Sunday or Monday, none of our 50 over matches are on a Saturday. Seems really weird to ignore such an obvious day to play cricket, when for example the 3 CC matches played in July could easily be shifted back to start on the Saturday, thus ensuring cricket on both days of the weekend
Fingers crossed for a good performance from the lads.
But I'll be taking my dancing wellies in a bag just in case they're needed.....
Not one batsman has consistently imposed himself and the internationals, Billings and Crawley, have been as guilty as most - Crawley has 57 in 4 innings and Billings might have scored 184 runs but that is at an average of 20.44 and extremely ordinary strike rare of 108.23. When you add DBD (57 runs in 8 innings) and Leaning and Blake (both sub 20 averages) it is little wonder we aren't competitive with the bat.
The bowling hasn't been much better with two of last season's stars in particular struggling - Milnes has 6 wickets at 44.83 and Qais Ahmad 7 wickets at 41.57. Equally, Quinn has figures of 0-105 in the competition to date.
The game was meh, Kent struggled from the first over.
A poor all round performance where they just went through the motions.
Loved my view from high up in the mound stand though..
As for Cox, I honestly don't know whether he still wants to keep - if he does then being third choice, as he is, won't be going down well with him.
Hopefully, the next thing we do hear about them is that they have both signed contract extensions.
Kent have won the toss and elected to bat
Link to game is below and it is being live streamed too:
https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/#m2cbb1dfc-65ea-48c2-9d02-7e754b9268ed
Things don't appear right generally at the moment and it remains be seen, as I've said, if there is a major change of personnel on and off the pitch at the end of the season as a result of that.
As bad as the batting has been, I think our bowling has been terrible, no control, no xfactor!
It's a shame Kent haven't built on what was a good season last year, and have been unlucky with injuries in the bowling department!
It's baffling what's gone wrong. It's not just one player out of form, it's most of the side!
It's a funny old game!