Lancs v Middx Pro 40 - Twelve:12! is the Future

Twelve:12! � A New Era In Cricket

The problem with Twenty20 cricket is that the game is ridiculously long for our modern era.� Batsmen take time to get set.� Bowlers get up to 24 goes at showing their worth.� How can we expect kids to concentrate for that long?

No, I�ve seen the future tonight and it is not Twenty20.� The Ladd household presents a new marketing whizz for cricket.� Twelve:12!� Notice the enticing placement of colon and exclamation mark there.

And speaking of colons, who didn�t feel a slight rumbling deep in their bowels when they learned that Lancashire�s target had been set as 97 runs off 72 balls?� Especially after Mal Loye hoiked the second ball of the innings for 6.� It all seemed easy-peasy lemon squeezy in these Twenty20 enhanced times.� Easier than 245 off 240 balls anyway.� But the mighty Middlesex proved the bookies and the Doubting Thomases� wrong.

Ace Performance

Being a working Ladd, Ged was spared the 20 balls or so that Ace is said to have taken to get going.� Prior to that, he was also spared numerous replays of the Weekes strangle down the leg side and the �did he or didn�t he hit it� debate.� In the end, Weekes and Loye at worst cancel each other out in the aggrieved opener department.

I managed to wrench myself away from my labours early enough to find Middlesex about 50/1 off just over 10 overs.� Seemed OK until I learned that we had been about 25/1 off 3.

Willis whined about slow progress, as (to some extent) did Foxy Fowler �lack of confidence blah blah� and the others.

110/2 off 25 felt like a platform to me, but 141/2 off 30 seemed too slow.� Joyce never looked comfortable last night.� 174/3 off 35 seemed way below par, but then Ace and others launched themselves for the final 5 overs.� 70 runs off 5 overs, folks. �Morgan chipped in with a fine cameo.� Compton�s swept 6 was a delight.� But centre stage was Ace.� 125 n.o. off� 128 balls.� As it took him 20 balls before he got off the mark he actually scored 125 in 108 balls of course.

244/6 off 40 seemed just fine to me.� Game on.

Rain On

Analysis.� Dinner (for Ged).� Then came the rain.� Looked at the MTWD Board and saw Lord�s thoughts on D/L reduced matches helping the side batting second and was forced to agree, especially when it transpired that Lancs had been set 97 off 12 overs.� But in a game where the only batsman who really fired took a long while to get going and batsmen of Joyce�s quality couldn�t quite get used to the pitch, perhaps we should have had more faith in Messrs Duckworth, Lewis, Keegan, Louw, Styris, Peploe and Weekes.

Bish Bash Bosh

Lancs came at us like they had a train to catch.� If so, it was the last train to nowhere.� Loye was bruised and possibly hard done by when given LBW third ball but Law�s hoick was a gift, as was Croft�s.� After 4 overs, though, they were well up with the rate at 36/3 and my heart sank.� We�d been useless at Twenty20 this year etc. etc.

Then bring on Peploe who made the ball sing to his tune at Old Trafford.� Chilton stumped coming down the wicket but he couldn�t think of another way to score off the boy in a hurry.� Just 1 run off that over too.� Half way mark, 49/4.�

Louw sent down some poor balls by his standards, then Astle skies one which Scott misses completely.� Next ball, another skier and Joyce gratefully takes.� Then a crazy run out and they are 61/6 with Peploe conceding only 4 runs off 2 overs.� 62/6 off 8.�

Then Louw finds his straps too and the asking rate starts to climb.� Weekesy comes on to control things some more and mop up the tail.� Does he do that job, does he heck.� He takes a simple caught and bowl with his last ball, also the last of the match, 84 all out, three wickets in 2 overs for Weekes and pride for Middlesex with bat and ball.

More of the same, please, boys, in all forms of cricket for the rest of the season.� Simple ask.