County cricket: it's all to play for in the final week of the T20 Blast group stage

The Guardian

a day ago

'Hello marketing team. We'll give you glorious weather and decent crowds that fill some grounds and provide a fine atmosphere at the others. We'll give you fanbases rooted in their local communities and club histories stretching back well over a century. We'll give you tickets that are easy to buy online or available at walk-up box offices. We'll provide 21st-century stadium facilities and, though there can be a bit of edge (as there should be), well-stewarded matches where everyone is safe.
We'll roll in some international players: Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Jos Buttler, Luke Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Jimmy Anderson, Dan Lawrence, Will Jacks, Jason Roy, Sam Curran, Ollie Pope, Tom Curran, Mitchell Santner, Chris Jordan, Jamie Overton, Reece Topley and Adam Zampa. And that's just at Lancashire and Surrey. There are plenty more names elsewhere.
The Blast is undersold, undermined and, consequently, goes under the radar. How the hell did we get here?
There has been some fine cricket played in the tournament and, with a couple of rounds left, 14 of 18 starters still have a chance of winning it. Some have rather more of a chance than others, of course.
The contrast in fortunes between those dreaming of Finals Day and those sleepwalking towards the group stage conclusion was illustrated at Taunton, where a high-flying Somerset marmalised a demoralised Essex by 95 runs.
Anyone can run into Tom Kohler-Cadmore on his day (90 off 39 balls) and take harsh punishment, but how have Essex managed to win just two of their 12 matches? One feels that the inherent randomness of the T20 format, with its inevitable swinging from the hip, should produce something better than that, almost regardless of form, talent and morale.
That no batter averages 30 and no bowler goes at under 8.5 per over speaks to a performance issue, but Essex have also won only one Championship match this season. To reach mid-July with just three victories suggests more than just onfield problems.
How often have you looked up and, to your surprise, found that Joe Root is on 28, acquired while you were searching for those cheese and jalapeño pickle sandwiches you were sure you hadn't left in the fridge?
I had the same feeling when I looked up Aneurin Donald and learned that the one-time boy wonder and teenage record-breaker was now 28 years old and fetched up at Derbyshire. The talent never hides for long though, despite a career that has not scaled the heights it once promised.
Northamptonshire must have been confident at the innings break at Wantage Road, having set a target of 238 with half-centuries from Matthew Breetzke, David Willey and Saif Zaib. Donald dented that with his 22-ball stay that produced eight fours and six sixes, his 71 coming at a strike rate of 323! It was somehow fitting that no teammates could hit at much above half that rate and his pyrotechnics came in a lost cause.
Top against bottom in the North Group, with Lancashire flying high and enjoying home advantage against a Yorkshire team with nothing to play for. A home banker surely?
Nobody told Bradford's Jonny Bairstow (116) or Keighley's Will Luxton (90), each of whose 17 sixes plucked a petal from the red rose as it wilted under the onslaught. Lancashire's hired hands were spirited in their reply, but the two Tykes, backed up by a couple of wickets from Leeds' Jordan Thompson, had done enough. It was a shock result that wasn't really a shock at all.
Danny Lamb is almost a reverse Aneurin Donald – it's amazing to see that he's still in his 20s. Now at Sussex, he enjoys the classic 'bits and pieces' player's stats, averaging between 30 and 33 across all three formats with the ball and 29 and 35 with the bat (OK, 15 in T20, but it would be 30 if he spent more time at the crease).
He showed his value in his team's short trip to Canterbury, where he made only seven off 12 batting but, on as fourth change, he dismissed key men Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly then cleaned up the tail for a fivefer.
It's easy to look down on the quasi all-rounders (those who would not get in the XI for either of their skills) but they are easy to relate to and easy to love because they're always in the game. The Darren Stevens tribute acts will always have a place in the hearts of county cricket fans.
Though it does not find favour with readers, this column does advocate exploring tweaks to the Blast's playing regulations to promote more tight finishes. Too many matches are won well before the tension that only a last-over finish can provide. Lots of options would be available, but I'd quite like a wildcard allowing the captain to call upon his best bowler for a fifth over any time in the last six.
They did get a thriller at Trent Bridge when Leicestershire made the short trip north and racked up a solid 188 for two. Joe Clarke, as he does, got the Nottinghamshire chase off to a good start and all looked well when Tom Moores hit the first two deliveries of the 18th over for six, leaving 10 to get off 16 balls.
But it's best not to get out if you're the set batter, and Moores did, to leave the last three wickets to get over the line. Liam Patterson-White couldn't get enough of the strike and when he was out, No 11 Farhan Ahmed walked to the crease with two balls to face and two runs to get. The 17-year-old got it into the offside and set off on a harum-scarum attempt at two runs. With shouts coming from both sides of the boundary, the kid got home amid the chaos and the win was secured, nine down. Now that's a finish.
This article is from The 99.94 Cricket Blog