Leicestershire County Cricket Club

[Beagle]

This game is as good as lost. We now need to focus on Saturday’s Final and the sooner we can get the boys back home to prepare for it the better. I hope the match is over today so they can get an extra days rest. We appear already to have lost Salisbury to injury and we don’t know if Mulder will recover from his illness in time. We can’t afford to lose anyone else. In my view we need to minimise risk of further injury today by relying predominantly on spin and part time bowlers from this point on and getting on the bus as quickly as possible.
 

Hampshire haven’t played this week ! Big advantage. But we can still win if we can restore the fantastic team mindset that prevailed throughout August. 

[Father Ted]

How do we reckon we might line up on Saturday? 
 

Patel 

Budinger 

Hill +

Ackermann 

Mulder 

Ahmed 

Kimber 

Scriven 

Wright 

Salisbury 

Hull 

 

What do we think?

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

5 minutes ago, Father Ted said:

How do we reckon we might line up on Saturday? 
 

Patel 

Budinger 

Hill +

Ackermann 

Mulder 

Ahmed 

Kimber 

Scriven 

Wright 

Salisbury 

Hull 

 

What do we think?

Swap Evans for Ahmed if we’re loyal to the players who got us there, it’s a real dilemma though.

[Cakey]

Salisbury is injured now. Sadly

[Graceroad]

According to the lady on comms we should put the joke bowlers on to force a declaration  obviously  from the Richard Rae school of commentating 

[Father Ted]

39 minutes ago, Cakey said:

Salisbury is injured now. Sadly

Rested as a precaution for Saturday or definitely out?

[Cakey]

He was playing. Bowled well. Then went off and never returned. So guess injured. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 12 September 2023 by Cakey

[CrawlingFox]

That would be a shame to lose Salisbury. He wasn't the most exciting signing and didn't hit the ground running early on in the season and has also been injured before but he's come onto a game recently and actually looked like he'll go someway to replacing Wright's experience as the elder statesmen of the attack.

 

Scrivo looking like he might replace the wickets too. Eases concerns for next season though we'll still need one or two more bowlers.

[goody2028]

16/2 chasing 499. Nothing like building the confidence up before a final eh lads 

[when_you're_smiling]

3 hours ago, Father Ted said:

How do we reckon we might line up on Saturday? 
 

Patel 

Budinger 

Hill +

Ackermann 

Mulder 

Ahmed 

Kimber 

Scriven 

Wright 

Salisbury 

Hull 

 

What do we think?

When asked about Cox on Radio Leicester last week Thomas said he wouldn’t have played in the final even if he had been available as they felt it would be unfair on the players who have featured. On that basis presumably Ahmed wouldn’t feature. Having a steady head in the middle order has really paid off in the last few games of the competition, though obviously Evans doesn’t have the quality of Hanscomb.

[Voll Blau]

I think it'd be a mistake not to use a player of Ahmed's ability in a final, even if we want to give Evans a gig, in circumstances where we've lost an international player who got us there. Could gamble on batting him 8 and in theory playing two spinners, assuming Mulder's fit and Salisbury isn't? Would probably require Ahmed, Ackermann and Kimber bowling at least 20 overs between them though.

[CrawlingFox]

Evans has played 2 games and only batted in 1 of them. He scored 19 off 60 in that knock.

 

Being honest in any other game that's pretty poor and we were probably fortunate the situation suited him.

 

Ahmed is the polar opposite in terms of batting aggression and also bowls. If we want to win then he seems an obvious choice unless we're banking on needing a middle order anchor...

 

Though perhaps it will be Swindells coming in to keep wicket? Or will Hill take the gloves?

[trabuch]

FWIW - the wicket at Hove has become very benign. It's honestly not over for Leics yet. 

[LBTufty]

Assuming Salisbury doesn't recover for the weekend, quite possibly:

 

Patel 

Budinger 

Hill

Ackermann 

Mulder 

Kimber 

Ahmed

Swindells +

Scriven 

Wright  

Hull 

 

 

[Graceroad]

11 minutes ago, LBTufty said:

Assuming Salisbury doesn't recover for the weekend, quite possibly:

 

Patel 

Budinger 

Hill

Ackermann 

Mulder 

Kimber 

Ahmed

Swindells +

Scriven 

Wright  

Hull 

 

 

Hope you are correct regarding Swindells great lad and steady cricketer treated shamefully by the club this season

[WarehamFox]

Is the final on TV anywhere? Sorry If already been asked.

[Cakey]

It's on Sky I believe

[Harpenden Fox]

What a great player Ackers is. It will be interesting to see how he goes in Div One next season. I don’t begrudge him a new challenge 

[Cakey]

Yep great partnership this, whatever happens. Umar got better with time, obviously a very good player who has been playing below his level. Get him in on an English passport or similar and we have a player. 

 

Ackers is just quality. Sad miss. Should have given him whatever he wanted. Imo

[goody2028]

 

[Corky]

Going against the grain but I would love a season in Division One. So what if we finish bottom? We have done that enough in Division Two. It has been 20 years out of that league.

 

Getting back there would be fantastic.

[Beagle]

Yes. But not until we are ready to compete at that level. 

[steve555]

1 hour ago, LBTufty said:

Assuming Salisbury doesn't recover for the weekend, quite possibly:

 

Patel 

Budinger 

Hill

Ackermann 

Mulder 

Kimber 

Ahmed

Swindells +

Scriven 

Wright  

Hull 

 

 

Would Parkinson come into consideration for the weekend. I know he hasn't featured in the group games & is leaving at the end of the season, but he's an excellent one day bowler.

[AjcW]

1 hour ago, Graceroad said:

Hope you are correct regarding Swindells great lad and steady cricketer treated shamefully by the club this season

I don't know the ins and outs, but we've been screaming for the club to try and be better and move forward. They've brought in a keeper who looks absolute class, yes it's tough on Swindells to drop straight out but giving these lads challenges and having to fight for places is the only we we move forward as a club.

[Voll Blau]

2 hours ago, CrawlingFox said:

Evans has played 2 games and only batted in 1 of them. He scored 19 off 60 in that knock.

 

Being honest in any other game that's pretty poor and we were probably fortunate the situation suited him.

 

Ahmed is the polar opposite in terms of batting aggression and also bowls. If we want to win then he seems an obvious choice unless we're banking on needing a middle order anchor...

 

Though perhaps it will be Swindells coming in to keep wicket? Or will Hill take the gloves?

With factoring in that we're sadly looking at rain on Saturday if this Ahmed v Evans debate is actually a thing.