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Sorry for not replying to your question re the groups earlier, Nathan – it does seem a strange way to run a tournament, with teams already allocated to second round groups and points carried forward. Somerset were practically out, then miraculously through before being promptly dumped out again, then had to hang around to play a meaningless game. They lasted longer than Sussex, anyhow!
Murali Karthik is a very good signing, although I haven’t seen much of him in the longer formats, I was impressed with what I saw of him in T20 cricket at Middlesex. Maybe not enough to close the gap on Durham in the Championship, but should make your lot even more of a threat in the shorter formats.
If Munday can’t get a game at Taunton, I’m sure he’d be welcome at New Road, providing he has a stout pair of wellies and doesn’t mind having no teammates.
I can see what you were saying back along now Andrew about the quality of the English county championship sides compared to the likes of NSW and Victoria and although Trescothick was missing and the conditions are different to England the tournament has been of a high standard and Somerset were a million miles behind in class and hopefully will go home with their tails between their legs and realise how lucky they are to be able to play teams like Worcester
Blackbeard to conquer the World
no offense Nathan, but really it was an embarrassment. Only five Englishmen too in the last game, compared with NSW and Victoria who have all australian.
A real good tournament though and i’m sure both the County teams will have had their appetites wetted for returning
It was a bit embarrassing to be honest but not through any lack of effort, being a Somerset supporter you get use the roller coaster of mainly downs. to beat Deccan on their own patch infront of a packed 40,000 crowd with the likes of Gilchrist, Laxman, Symonds, the funny chap from New Zealand cant think of his name, Edwards and Singh in their side was a massive win and after that i thought we would beat Trinidad and we bowled and fielded well after they got off to a flyer to restrict them to 150.
Somerset’s strength has always been the batting but it failed in every match, Langer hasn’t hit any sort of form all season, Trescothick should be applauded for attempting to do something he clearly is totally uncomfortable with, most of Somerset’s success this season has been down to Marcus firing in the 1st six overs but it didn’t come off.
About 5 or 6 years ago Somerset were all English and had plenty of youth in the ranks given the opportunity as well, however they were playing badly in division two of both the championship and the one day league and that was embarrassing. If Thomas, Willoughby and De Bruyn are better and make the team stronger than the English options available to Somerset they should play. I would love a team full of English players but it’s a fault with the set up of the English game not Somerset. Trescothick had gone home and Phillips was injured so that was two English players that couldn’t play.
Blackbeard to conquer the World
To play Devil’s advocate (against myself, but then I’m in a funny mood) two English teams playing T20 is not a big enough sample to be able to say that Australia domestic teams are better than ours. Perhaps if this is going to be a regular occurrence, we might be able to gather more evidence. Early indications are, admittedly, not great.
What has been clearly demonstrated is that county/state teams who play together for several months of the year are more competitive than six-weeks of the year franchises, no matter how many greats they have. Seems obvious now, but I didn’t think of it that way pre-tournament and I got that well and truly wrong. In a way this does undermine the IPL concept slightly, in that we now know that it is Championship rather than Premiership.
Come on Trinidad!
Without counting Kolpaks, does anyone know the rules regarding how many overseas players are allowed in one side for next seasons English Twenty/20 competition?
Been on the Somerset website and Andy Nash the chairman has apparently confirmed the club are in talks with Graeme Smith and Cameron White to join the club with this competition in mind.
Whether that means he wants to sign them both or one or the other i don’t know but i thought each team were only allowed one overseas player and Somerset will already have Kartik by then.
He also has taken a swipe at our twenty/20 saying the one in India is like Elvis Presley and the finals day at Edgbaston like Des O’Connor.
Blackbeard to conquer the World
Speaking of rules changes for next term, I’m aware that the EWCB will be offering financial incentives to any county team that fields two under-22 and three under-26 players.
Is there any truth, however, in Matthew Hoggard’s assertion that his departure from Yorkshire was due to teams only being allowed to field one over the age of 31 from next year as well? Or is that just a broadside on his way out the door?
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
I had made a note to try and find the answer to these questions because they interested me. The note was soon lost the note under the piles of unpaid bills, to-do lists and back copies of Private Eye that make up my working environment and I only found it again today.
Anyway, for what it is worth and after some delay – teams will be allowed to play two overseas players in the Twenty20 next year. As for Hoggard, I believe he was offered a 2 or 3 year contract earlier in the summer and turned it down. The existing incentives for clubs to field English players are being increased and extended in scope to include under-26 players from next season. Strictly speaking, these are not simple ‘incentives’ since failure to meet the unofficial quotas will result in a reduced level of funding for that county. Leicestershire stated publically that they couldn’t afford to ignore the ECB ‘quotas’ and since all the counties rely on their ECB subsidy, I expect most of the others will be in the same boat.
I wasn’t aware of any penalties for fielding over-31s, though phasing out some of the veterans will be an inevitable consequence of towing the ECB line. I suspect that it is a combination of Hoggard’s refusal of a contract, his apparently inability to bowl in one day cricket and the new ECB ‘quotas’ that have led to his departure. Still, a poor way to go for a man who has been there 15 years.
I had made a note to try and find the answer to these questions because they interested me. The note was soon lost the note under the piles of unpaid bills, to-do lists and back copies of Private Eye that make up my working environment and I only found it again today.
Anyway, for what it is worth and after some delay –
teams will be allowed to play two overseas players in the Twenty20 next year.
As for Hoggard, I believe he was offered a 2 or 3 year contract earlier in the summer and turned it down. The existing incentives for clubs to field English players are being increased and extended in scope to include under-26 players from next season. Strictly speaking, these are not simple ‘incentives’ since failure to meet the unofficial quotas will result in a reduced level of funding for that county. Leicestershire stated publically that they couldn’t afford to ignore the ECB ‘quotas’ and since all the counties rely on their ECB subsidy, I expect most of the others will be in the same boat.
I wasn’t aware of any penalties for fielding over-31s, though phasing out some of the veterans will be an inevitable consequence of towing the ECB line. I suspect that it is a combination of Hoggard’s refusal of a contract, his apparently inability to bowl in one day cricket and the new ECB ‘quotas’ that have led to his departure. Still, a poor way to go for a man who has been there 15 years.
Thanks Andrew, sorry to trouble you but does that mean a side could have say three overseas players in the squad but only field two in any one starting line up or just the two in the squad, if that makes sense?
Blackbeard to conquer the World
On a similar subject, do you know what’s happened with Michael Munday during 2009?
gc
Munday has recently agreed to a one year deal at Somerset for the 2010 season.
Blackbeard to conquer the World
Good question, Nathan. A little further checking found a suggestion mid-summer that there was to be no restriction on the number of overseas players in a squad, but some kind of restriction on the number who could play in any given match (this may have ended up at two).
To save further confusion, I will email the ECB at some point this weekend and get a definitive answer.
Good question, Nathan. A little further checking found a suggestion mid-summer that there was to be no restriction on the number of overseas players in a squad, but some kind of restriction on the number who could play in any given match (this may have ended up at two).
To save further confusion, I will email the ECB at some point this weekend and get a definitive answer.
Have the lazy devils not got back to you yet Andrew?
Blackbeard to conquer the World
Apologies, Nathan, they didn’t get back to me but I didn’t chase it up. Have sent another email. It may well be that there is no limit on how many overseas players can be contracted to the county, but they are only allowed to field two. Given the cost of employing these players for a relatively short tournament (I shudder to think what Middlesex will have to fork out if both Gilchrist and Tendulkar pull on a pink shirt!) I can’t see any county lining up more than two (and none have done, as far as I am aware).
Couple of games on tomorrow/tonight.
Western Australia take on Victoria in Perth and I think look a decent bet at 11-10 with SportingBet. They crushed NSW last time, with Shaun Marsh in great form, whilst Victoria lost to South Australia. Admittedly, SA are looking the best team in the tournament at the moment, but WA have some dangerous batsmen, not least their opening pair of Gayle and Marsh and on home turf are worth backing.
In Bangladesh, one of those interminable Tri-nations series is going on. Tomorrow India play Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankans are already through to the final, though India need to win this game or Monday’s match with Bangladesh to get there. But the key thing in this tournament has been winning the toss. Excessive evening dew means that whichever team bowls second in these day night affairs might as well be bowling with a bar of soap. If you can manage it, set your alarm to be up before the start (8:00 GMT) watch the toss and back the team that fields first.
Given that the dew is making this something of a lottery, I might also have a little dabble on Bangladesh in the tournament winners market at 66-1. They have had to field second in every game so far and, whilst they are obviously underdogs, they only need to win two games to lift the trophy and have home advantage. If a couple of tosses go their way, they are not without a chance.
Bets
Western Australia to beat Victoria @ 11-10 (Sportingbet)
Bangladesh to win Trinations @ 66-1 (Various)
India v Sri Lanka – back team which fields first.Apologies, Nathan, they didn’t get back to me but I didn’t chase it up. Have sent another email. It may well be that there is no limit on how many overseas players can be contracted to the county, but they are only allowed to field two. Given the cost of employing these players for a relatively short tournament (I shudder to think what Middlesex will have to fork out if both Gilchrist and Tendulkar pull on a pink shirt!) I can’t see any county lining up more than two (and none have done, as far as I am aware).
Thanks Andrew, i did read somewhere that it was only going to be the two on the field at one time. I see Middlesex were looking at Ntini as well. Somerset are looking for an overseas player for the start of the season as Kartik is playing ipl.
Blackbeard to conquer the World
I think the deal with Ntini was that he was going to be a Kolpack, so could play in the same T20 team as Gilchrist and possibly Tendulkar. Don’t think it’s going to happen now though.
Tricky trying to find an overseas player during the IPL. I don’t think the Pakistani players will be involved this time round, so maybe someone like Umar Gul, Mohammed Asif or possibly even this new young left armer, Mohammed Aamer could fit the bill.
The definitive word from the ECB: Any county can have as many overseas players contracted/training with them as they like. But they can only have two registered for the T20 Cup and one registered for each of the other competitions. Obviously, only registered players can play.
They can though switch the registrations round and change them at short notice.
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