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The Shakespearean Animals CC

Dan

Hall of Fame Member

George Dockrell
Draft Round: 15
Playing Role: Spin Bowler

George Dockrell is one of the brightest young talents on the Associate scene, and has already attracted interest from the English camp, as they search for a long-term replacement for Graeme Swann. The Irishman, still in his teens, debut for his country aged 17, and has been impressive for them in all formats of the game.

He famously had to miss an ODI against Australia to sit his school final exams, however was signed up by Somerset a month after - a week before Dockrell was to turn 18. In Associate cricket, he has been stunningly economical - his T20i record for Ireland includes an economy rate of 5.28, alongside an average of below 12, and he has replicated his success in throughout the County Circuit.

He currently averages 28 for Somerset in First Class cricket, having taken his best figures of 6/27 for them, against a strong Middlesex side. Mot encouragingly, however, is Dockrell's willingness to flight his left-arm orthodox spin, rather than bowling 'darts' in order to keep the scoring down.

This aggressive mindset, along with his youth and obvious potential has caused the Shakespearean Animals CC to add the young Irishman to their side, in the hope he continues to develop his game, working towards a bright future for himself, Somerset and Ireland.
 

Dan

Hall of Fame Member

Faf du Plessis
Draft Round: 16
Playing Role: All Rounder

Faf du Plessis is one of the most versatile cricketers currently playing the game - he is a destructive, free-scoring top-order batsman; a more-than-useful leg-break bowler; and a near-unrivaled fielder.

He began his career in South Africa in 2004, however in 2008 he signed a Kolpak deal to move to Lancashire, possibly becoming another casualty of the South African player-drain due to the 'quota' rules. However, it was not permanent. In 2010 he was no longer classed as a Kolpak, and returned to South Africa. After an incredible domestic limited overs tournament, he was rewarded with a debut for South Africa, and played a crucial role in their World Cup campaign.

However, he may well be remembered more for his role in knocking South Africa out of the tournament, his comical run out of AB de Villiers proving a crucial turning point in the quarter final.

All aspects of his game have steadily improved - his batting average for 2011/12 was above 80, and his bowling average below 30, far superior to his career mark. He was signed by the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, and has thus far impressed, opening the batting and commanding a permanent place as one of the four international players in the starting side.

A player who has begun to develop later in his career, Faf du Plessis is the final signing by The Shakespearean Animals CC. He will undoubtedly play a major role in the middle order, and chip in with his leg spin when required. His fielding ability will also make him an incredible asset to the side.


The Shakespearean Animals CC Contract List said:
As drafted:
  1. Peter Nevill (New South Wales & Australia)
  2. Alastair Cook (Essex & England)
  3. Trent Boult (Northern Districts & New Zealand)
  4. Darren Bravo (Trinidad and Tobago & West Indies)
  5. Marchant de Lange (Titans & South Africa)
  6. Johan Botha (South Australia & South Africa)
  7. Usman Salahuddin (Lahore & Pakistan)
  8. Ben Stokes (Durham & England)
  9. Neil Wagner (Otago & New Zealand)
  10. Nick Compton (Somerset & England)
  11. Sam Robson (Middlesex & England)
  12. Shane Bond (New Zealand)
  13. Dane Vilas (Cape Cobras & South Africa)
  14. Nathan Rimmington (Western Australia & Australia)
  15. George Dockrell (Somerset & Ireland)
  16. Faf du Plessis (Titans & South Africa)

Support Staff:
Head Coach: Paul Adams
Batting Coach - Grant Flower
Bowling Coaches - Damien Fleming and Craig McDermott
Fielding Coach - Jonty Rhodes
Head Physiotherapist - Errol Alcott
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
I really like this team. I don't think it's the best but I like quite a few of the players so I hope you go well.
 

Dan

Hall of Fame Member
Cook Announced Shakespearean Animals Captain
The Daily Times said:
England opening batsman and One Day International captain Alastair Cook has been announced as the leader of the Shakespearean Animals Cricket Club for the upcoming Cricket Web Premier League (CWPL) season.

The co-founder and owner of the Shakespearean Animals CC, Professor John 'Shake' S. Bear, announced Cook's rise to the helm of the first XI in a press conference at the recently redeveloped County Ground, henceforth to be known as 'theCave'.

"Our club has a myriad of potential leaders, any one of whom would have done a marvelous job for the Shakespearean Animals. Whilst myself and the selection panel may have debated the issue strongly late into the night, we are one hundred percent confident in our decision. Alas, poor Yorick struggled throughout the following day at work, but the time was well spent."

Cook outlasted Johan Botha for the role, however the former south african limited overs captain has been named as a part of the extended leadership group, along with the australian wicketkeeper, Peter Nevill and the young West Indian batsman, Darren Bravo.

"At the club, we believe Johan is an incredible leader and a fantastic cricketer, and has much to offer the side in a leadership role. In addition, our philosophy is that the wicketkeeper has the best view on the field, in a tactical sense, and as such Peter has been included in the group.

"Our co-selector, Ms. Odelia Thello, also believed Darren Bravo had the necessary skills to develop into a fine leader. We were inclined to agree and thus included him in our leadership plans."

The naming rights to 'theCave' are set to be announced within the next fortnight, to coincide with the start of the CWPL season. Marketing group Capulet, watch manufacturer Cassio and the Montague Island board of tourism are reportedly the frontrunners.
CWPL Leadership Group:
Alastair Cook (c)
Johan Botha
Darren Bravo
Peter Nevill
 
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Dan

Hall of Fame Member
Trial Game 1 said:
The Shakespearean Animals CC 325 (Robson 89, Nevill 61, Butterworth 3/49) & 126 (Compton 45, Siddle 3/23, Rehman 3/23) lost to The Mick Lewis Invitational XI 346 (Butterworth 71, Brownlie 70*, Botha 4/70, Rimmington 3/70) and 240 (Prince 100, Patel 48, Wagner 6/60) by 135 runs.
(Scorecard)

The Shakespearean Animals CC began preparations for their CWPL campaign at the picturesque CricketWeb Oval, taking on a full-strength Mick Lewis Invitational XI side. The Lewis XI were able to bat first, and took advantage of friendly batting conditions.

Openers McKenzie and Petersen, both of South Africa, began their seasons well, with their opening partnership reaching 82. They were dismissed in quick succession, however, Petersen being trapped in front by Bond and McKenzie feathering a Wagner delivery through to wicketkeeper Nevill.

Thus began a middle order collapse of sorts, as Tendulkar fell cheaply, Prince got a start but couldn't go on, and Samit Patel showed why he doesn't feature in England's test side on a regular basis, making only 7. Jayawardene, of the P variety, and McLaren also struggled for runs, with Johan Botha running through the order, until the impressive Luke Butterworth made a run-a-ball 70, sticking with Dean Brownlie for a 114-run partnership.

Rimmington then cleaned up the tail to dismiss Mick Lewis' side for 346, made from only 76 overs. Botha impressed with 4/70, Rimmington took 3 wickets and the remaining specialist bowlers - de Lange, Wagner and Bond - earned a scalp apiece.

The Animals' reply was similarly brisk, however Butterworth was in the action again - castling a struggling Johan Botha and knocking over the in-form Nick Compton's pegs in an impressive spell of fast-medium bowling. Usman Salahuddin made a start; and Ben Stokes made an impressive 40, before Sam Robson linked up with Peter Nevill as they both posted half centuries.

The young opener made 89 before he was trapped lbw by Patel; and Nevill was caught and bowled by Ryan McLaren on 61. Rimmington and Bond made quickfire, telling cameos towards the end of the innings, as the Animals made 325.

The reply from the Mick Lewis XI was all about two men - Ashwell Prince and Neil Wagner. Wagner ran through the line-up, taking 6/60, and was absorbed in an intense battle with his former countryman. The Kiwi left-armer got his man eventually, but Prince had made his ton by that stage. The great Tendulkar once again failed, however Samit Patel atoned for his first-innings failure, grinding out 48. The scoreboard read 240 when de Lange trapped Rehman leg before, leaving the Shakespearean Animals with 261 to chase.

What followed could only be described as a dramatic collapse - the Animals capitulated for 126 in what should have been a much closer 4th innings chase. Only Nick Compton made a score of note, fluent in his innings of 45, while the rest of the order fell apart around him. Usman Salahuddin (21) was the only other batsman to pass 20. Every dismissal involved fieldsmen - 9 catches and a run out - showing that the batsmen were ill-disciplined and hit in the air too often. Siddle, McLaren and Rehman ended with three wickets apiece, as the Animals were on the wrong side of a 135-run loss.

Heart can be taken, however, from some individual performances - Robson's innings, Nevill's half-century, Compton's grind and the wickets of Botha and Wagner - however the team must clearly improve as a whole if it is to challenge the calibre of teams contained within the CWPL.

Line-up for Trial 2 (TBC)
  1. A Cook *
  2. J Botha (6)
  3. N Compton
  4. D Bravo
  5. U Salahuddin
  6. F du Plessis (5)
  7. D Vilas +
  8. N Rimmington (1)
  9. T Boult (2)
  10. G Dockrell (4)
  11. M de Lange (3)
 
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Dan

Hall of Fame Member
Called it.

EDIT: Also, picking up Faf in Round 16 looks like good value considering what he's done since.
 
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Dan

Hall of Fame Member
Round 1 vs. Brudenell Social Club said:
Brudenell Social Club 140 (Hafeez 42, Boult 7/46) & 448 (Hafeez 133, Younis 97, Wagner 5/111, Rimmington 4/122) lost to Shakespearean Animals CC 544 (Botha 97, Rimmington 71, Chapple 4/129) and 2/47 (Cook 22*, Swann 2/7) by 8 wickets. (Scorecard)
A vicious spell of swing bowling from Trent Boult and a pitch with little in it for the spinners allowed the Shakespearean Animals CC to record an upset first-round win against the Brudenell Social Club team.

The New Zealand left-arm quick induced five edges to wicketkeeper Peter Nevill in his taking of 7/46, with only Mohammad Hafeez (with a fluent 42), Fawad Alam (29 from 74) and Graeme Swann (a run-a-ball 26) adding some respectability to the total as the spin-heavy side was bundled out in just over a session.

In reply, the Animals all got starts however it appeared their total would not have taken the game away from Brudenell. 6 of the top 7 batsmen passed 30, however none made more than 57 with no major partnerships being formed. At 8/381, the Animals were well ahead but by no means safe. But enter Nathan Rimmington.

Batting at number 10, Rimmington combined with Johan Botha to add 140 vital lower-order runs, both making half centuries. Rimmington was run out for a well-compiled 71, while Botha fell agonisingly short of a maiden CWPL century when a ball from Rangana Herath found it's way into the hands of fellow Sri Lankan Angelo Mathews.

Brudenell's second attempt with the willow was far more successful, however despite some excellent work from the in-form Hafeez and his Pakistani teammate Younis Khan, at 9/404 the Animals would only have required a solitary run to win. Angelo Mathews, however, batting with the tail in a role to which he has become accustomed, took the total to 448, with help from some lusty hitting from Ravi Rampaul.

Neil Wagner and Nathan Rimmington combined for 9 of the 10 wickets, Rimmington removing all three men to pass 50, and a fiery spell from Wagner accounting for much of the tail. Graeme Swann picked up two wickets in the chase, which was completed otherwise uneventfully by Alastair Cook and Darren Bravo.
 
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Dan

Hall of Fame Member
Round 2 vs **** Fishers said:
Shakespearean Animals CC 463 (du Plessis 94, Compton 77, Robson 74, Umar Gul 6/133) & 3/228 (Cook 105*, Compton 50) def. **** Fishers 253 (Botha 3/70, Bell 55) & 437(f/o) (Boult 4/100, Wagner 4/108, Bell 148, Dhoni 141) by 7 wickets. (Scorecard)
A fantastic team effort has left the unfancied Shakespearean Animals CC with two outright victories from two attempts. Following their victory in TheCave against Brudenell Social Club, Alastair Cook's men travelled away to The Lake to take on the might of the **** Fishers middle order.

On a pitch that appeared tailor-made for quick bowlers, the unlucky Nathan Rimmington made way for a resurgent Shane Bond in the XI, while Usman Salahuddin made his CWPL debut in place of the injured Ben Stokes.

Having called correctly, Cook opted to bat - but his luck ran out after the coin toss, the captain scratching his way to 7 before chipping one back to Umar Gul, who was a lone bright star for the **** Fishers bowling. The remainder of the English top order triumvirate, Robson and Compton, combined for a 139 run stand before both perished in the 70s, Robson unluckily run out after a brilliant piece of fielding and Compton trapped in front by Gul. Darren Bravo quickly joined them in the pavilion, but Salahuddin and an impressive (and aggressive) Faf du Plessis put on 166 to restore the balance in the favour of the travelling side.

But their departure, supplemented by Peter Nevill's dismissal, left the side at 7/360. Johan Botha, once again showing his all-round credentials, made 48* while shepherding a willing tail to eke out an additional 103 runs for the final three wickets.

What followed was a near-flawless bowling and fielding performance, with Bond setting the tone when he removed Murali Vijay early on. The wickets were shared - two to each of the pacemen and Botha taking three - as only Ian Bell looked like getting going in the home side's innings. At 9/193, the Animals were cruising. But enter Umar Gul. Fresh off his six wicket haul, and called upon much earlier than he would have hoped, he played a mature hand of 34 from 86 deliveries, running the fielding side ragged alongside Ajantha Mendis (also 34, from 51). They played intelligently, blunting the bowlers with the resilience lacking in the top order. Their 60 run stand was broken only by a run out, a direct hit sending Gul packing with the score at 253.

Cook asked his opposite number to bat again, and his decision appeared to pay off when Boult's three wickets reduced the **** Fishers to 5/124, an innings victory not out of the question. But first-innings danger man Bell was still there, and combining with his captain MS Dhoni, put on a partnership of 244 for the 6th wicket, keeping the bowlers out in the field for a lengthy period of time (189.4 straight overs, when the innings ended). The bowler's discipline loosened, leaking 4.5 an over throughout the partnership, but just as both men looked on track for big 150+ scores, Boult and Wagner removed them. Boult castled Bell with an absolute gem, and Wagner had Dhoni trapped plumb in front three quarters of an hour later. With those two removed the last 3 fell quickly with the score reaching 437.

That left the Animals with 228 required for victory, and Captain Cook left the result in no doubt, atoning for his first innings failure with the first century of the Animals' season. His classy 105* guided the chase, and although he and Compton (who made another half century) fell in quick succession after a 120 run stand, Bravo and Salahuddin were never in doubt of reaching the target.
 
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Dan

Hall of Fame Member
Stokes Injury Update; Bowlers Under Fire
ESPNCricinfo Staff, 9 April 2013
Ben Stokes, sidelined from the Shakespearean Animals CC's second round match against the **** Fishers by minor hamstring strain, has been cleared to return to training by team physiotherapist Errol Alcott.

The injury healed better than expected, meaning the Durham-based all-rounder is eligible for selection in the Round 3 clash against Sneaky Soldiers CC. He will be hard pressed, however, to force his way back into the first XI immediately, given the impressive performance of his replacement, Usman Salahuddin. The Pakistani batsman made a composed 69 in his first innings, and would have to be considered unlucky if he were to be left out. Additionally, the impressive batting form of Faf du Plessis (complemented by his handy leg breaks) suggests Stokes bowling would be a non-factor in his selection.

But for all the positives surrounding the batting line-up of the Animals, question marks hover over the bowling attack. While Trent Boult has guaranteed his place with a 7 wicket haul in the first match and a continued ability to take early wickets, only Neil Wagner of the other bowlers can consider himself a lock for the third game. 36-year-old Shane Bond looked rusty in his outing, and Nathan Rimmington was solid but unconvincing in his first game. A recall may be in-store for young Marchant de Lange, despite poor results in the trial matches.

Johan Botha has also come under fire, his efforts with the ball being described by one fan as "unacceptably poor" and by **** Fishers captain MS Dhoni as "accurate, but unthreatening". However he has more than held his own with bat in hand, providing crucial lower order runs to help the Animals post strong totals. Coach Paul Adams had this to say about his countryman:

"We back Johan 110% to get the job done. Quite often he's been asked by Alastair Cook to bowl in a more containing role, holding up an end to allow Trent [Boult] and Neil [Wagner] to attack. He's been bowling a lot of overs and keeping things tight, and the wickets he's chipping in with have been at vital times."​

He has come under fire from critics who have noted his inability to threaten despite massive footmarks provided by the side's two left-arm pacers. Adams continued:

"With two left-armers in our side we believe Johan is a better spinning option than George Dockrell at present. He has footmarks to operate out of and, believe it or not, he's probably getting too much turn to take the edge regularly. MS Dhoni, in particular, played him very well last game, waiting to watch the turn and playing him late, or meeting him at the pitch of the ball to nullify the bounce he was getting. It looked like nothing could threaten him. While George has huge amounts of potential, we think Johan's all-round package justifies his spot in the side at present"​

When quizzed, Alastair Cook pledged his support for the embattled spinner, but also mentioned how well Dockrell was bowling in the nets. Despite the words of the coach and his batting form, Botha may not be assured of a start against Sneaky Soldiers yet.
 

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