*Official* Blast 2023

[Nintendo]

Yeah, his batting keeps on improving as shown with his maiden FC ton last summer. It's funny he's so far down the pecking order now for the Test team because his batting is actually making him become the ideal 4th seamer option slotting at 7.

I think the issue is that stokes exists and that when stokes isn't fit woakes exists. I remember kimber peddling the idea of curran, stokes and moeen playing in the same xi to get the following a while back
1.Opener
2.Opener
3.Pope
4.Root
5.Stokes
6.Bairstow/Foakes
7.Moeen
8.Curran

This was before brook's came around, don't know if the idea is as good now. Maybe england could go
1.Opener
2.Duckett
3.Pope
4.Root
5.Stokes
6.Bairstow
7.Woakes/Curran
8.Woakes/Curran
9.Leach
10.Robinson
11.Broad/Anderson

Could see that working while stokes isn't fit, only issue is that brook misses out. The stokes injury has just made things so much more annoying, kinda like the situation england found themselves in just before bazball when stokes was on mental health break. A quality allrounder makes a side look so much better and more rounded.

 

[Molehill]

I think Woakes is gone as an official all rounder option. It's been a while since his batting looked anything more than a number 9 to be honest (he'd bat 8 in this team because the others are worse), don't think he handles the short ball at all well now.

But a middle order of Pope, Root, Brook, Bairstow, Curran doesn't look too shabby if his batting keeps on improving. And as 4th seamers go, he'd be ideal.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

Yeah I wouldn't mind Curran too much as the 4th seamer/allrounder in a Stokesless world. Trouble is he's often been picked in the past as the third seamer (because Stokes does exist), and I don't think his red ball bowling is up to that.

 

[Nintendo]

Yeah I wouldn't mind Curran too much as the 4th seamer/allrounder in a Stokesless world. Trouble is he's often been picked in the past as the third seamer (because Stokes does exist), and I don't think his red ball bowling is up to that.

Yeah it's not, especially away from home.

 

[Blenkinsop]

He averages more than Crawley

I looked up "low bar" in the dictionary and that was the definition

 

[Nintendo]

I looked up "low bar" in the dictionary and that was the definition

It's a low bar for a batsmen. Crawleys numbers are OK for a bowling all-rounder.

 

[Ali TT]

I don't think he's fit to bowl - didn't even bowl in Second XI cricket last week. Specialist #4 batsman seems a bit optimistic but hey it worked.

He got injured pre-season which is preventing from bowling, possibly all season.

It did seem a bit odd that Evans and Smith were left in the hutch whilst the Currans went out before them, but it worked. Not sure it's a long term winning strategy though. There are better teams than Middlesex out there.



Speaking of which, Lancs would have to be my favourites. The question is where do they fit Buttler in, because Luke Wells is not an obvious player to drop given his more than handy spin option and Croft is such a reliable stalwart. 6 England T20 players plus 2 Kiwis in their likely best XI.

Looking at the other XIs counties are putting out, Lancashire are the only ones with any actually good players, CurranS apart. Lancs will probably fail to get out of the group though.

 

[FBU]

Of the side which played against Leicestershire, George Bell would be the favourite to make way - except in terms of the Members who would probably prefer to keep the home grown youngster in at the expense of the London based England Captain.

Must be one of his many homes, last year luxury home in Taunton. Probably stays at the Hilton Garden when playing for Lancs like Vilas. Onions stays at the hotel during the week and goes back to Durham at weekends. Probably de Grandhomme and Mitchell there as well.

 

[Third_Man]

Yorkshire seem a bit light. No Bairstow, Root, Brook, Rashid. Especially Bairstopw, are the others still busy at the IPL with their franchises?

Notts have been lent Brooks, but he can't make the side. Can't be that short of players then. Just the two loanees tonight (Donald and McKerr)

Paul Stirling listed as playing for Ireland and in the Blast today!

 

[Aidan11]

Sowter gets a 5-fer.

 

[Ali TT]

Sean Abbott, the 31yo journeyman Aussie bowler who averages 10 with the bat and a HS of 41, is promoted to 6 and smashes one of the fastest T20 centuries of all time off 34 balls.

The standard in this year's Blast is dire.

 

[Third_Man]

Sean Abbott, the 31yo journeyman Aussie bowler who averages 10 with the bat and a HS of 41, is promoted to 6 and smashes one of the fastest T20 centuries of all time off 34 balls.

The standard in this year's Blast is dire.

Possibly a bit early to comdemn the Blast as dire??

 

[wpdavid]

Sean Abbott, the 31yo journeyman Aussie bowler who averages 10 with the bat and a HS of 41, is promoted to 6 and smashes one of the fastest T20 centuries of all time off 34 balls.

The standard in this year's Blast is dire.

tbf he does have a first class hundred to his name. And he's played a number of handy knocks in D1 of the CC this year, almost making three figures in one of the recent games. If anything, his batting has been better than his bowling in the four-day matches. So he can bat. But I won't pretend I thought he'd do what he's just done tonight. And I doubt whether our Australian folks regard him as an all-rounder.


Anyway, good start by Kent in reply. Chasing this down in 16 overs at present rate.

And going back to AliTT's original point, the same bloke who averages 20.8 with the ball in this form of the game, with career best 5 for 16, has just seen his first two wicketless overs disappear for 31. Make of it all what we will.

 

[mackembhoy]

Sean Abbott, the 31yo journeyman Aussie bowler who averages 10 with the bat and a HS of 41, is promoted to 6 and smashes one of the fastest T20 centuries of all time off 34 balls.

The standard in this year's Blast is dire.

The two most expensive bowlers both played international cricket.

The most expensive was in Australia's first XI in the world cup.

Not sure how you draw that conclusion. Tells me more about the standard of those countries than the blast.

 

[Third_Man]

Yorkshire and England's Matt Fisher goes 6.266 trying to defend 19 needed off the last over by Worcestershire. (Bowler) Adam Finch does the damage.

Maybe the boundaries are just off the square this year?

 

[Aidan11]

10 wicket win for Durham and Clarke gets his maiden ton.

What a difference a new coach makes.

 

[Third_Man]

10 wicket win for Durham and Clarke gets his maiden ton.

What a difference a new coach makes.

Quite. Would Graham Clark even be with Durham had last year's coach still been there? Maybe just white ball.

 

[Aidan11]

Quite. Would Graham Clark even be with Durham had last year's coach still been there? Maybe just white ball.

Clarke really disliked him. He was really down. Thankfully he stayed and his cricket has improved greatly under the new coach. I don't know anyone at the club who liked Franklinstein. Now he's gone the players are happy again and it shows on the field.

 

[Burgey]

Sean Abbott, the 31yo journeyman Aussie bowler who would have played 50 tests by now if he was English, is promoted to 6 and smashes one of the fastest T20 centuries of all time off 34 balls.

The standard in this year's Blast is dire.

#canbat

 

[ataraxia]

Sean Abbott, the 31yo journeyman Aussie bowler who averages 10 with the bat and a HS of 41, is promoted to 6 and smashes one of the fastest T20 centuries of all time off 34 balls.

The standard in this year's Blast is dire.

should probably be promoted above Smith and Evans tbh