Essex CCC 2019

[Yorkshire Blue]

Think him and Cook will make a good opening partnership, Cook might not be international standard in the short format but at this level I think he'll shine.

I would normally agree with that but one thing to look out for is whether T20 takes another jump forward this year.

They've been playing T10 in Sharjah and I think it's going to raise the bar for batting like T20 has done for 50 overs cricket. Mohammad Shahzad hit an incredible 74* from 16 balls and English players like Bairstow and Hales were close to scoring hundreds in just 10 overs.

If they bring that attitude back to the Blast things could get interesting very quickly. I'm not sure if Cook will be able to keep up with that. Mind you, I'm not sure any other Essex player can either so if that happens we're probably screwed anyway!

Also where does Cook fit into the team? Delport will presumably open. The one success from last year's T20 was Varun Chopra do you move him from opening? Do you bat Cook in the middle order?

 

[Ricky Otto]

I would normally agree with that but one thing to look out for is whether T20 takes another jump forward this year.

They've been playing T10 in Sharjah and I think it's going to raise the bar for batting like T20 has done for 50 overs cricket. Mohammad Shahzad hit an incredible 74* from 16 balls and English players like Bairstow and Hales were close to scoring hundreds in just 10 overs.

If they bring that attitude back to the Blast things could get interesting very quickly. I'm not sure if Cook will be able to keep up with that. Mind you, I'm not sure any other Essex player can either so if that happens we're probably screwed anyway!

Also where does Cook fit into the team? Delport will presumably open. The one success from last year's T20 was Varun Chopra do you move him from opening? Do you bat Cook in the middle order?

Funnily enough I was talking about this with a couple of mates yesterday. It was focused on Ravi and how he just doesn't seem to be the t20 player he was and take a lot of balls to play himself in. The t10 comp was mentioned as he was in the team that won the tournament and I remember him getting praise for his performances. On further investigation it was his bowling rather than his batting that had been good.

T20 has definitely evolved a lot in its short life. Not sure that we'll see much of a change from last season though, it was the second yr of the 10 over tournament and I don't think it changed the Blast last season either. Think Cook could hack it and perform personally

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

What would be your team for T20 next year?

 

[Ricky Otto]

What would be your team for T20 next year?

It's flexible as form and availability is not known yet, nor who we might sign! With Delport being a Kolpak player we can get in another overseas t20 specialist, I'd wouldn't mind Zampa again. I'd go something like this:

Delport
Cook
Chopra
Westley
Wheater (wk)
Bopara
Tendo
Overseas bowler/allrounder?
Harmer
Siddle
Porter

I do wonder if this will be a season too far for RTD but he is skipper so you can't really leave him out, I might be tempted to drop him and put Browne in at 3 moving everyone else down if he isn't cutting it early on. It's not easy as most of our batsmen seem to be openers.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

expect Lawrence, Walter and Coles to get a few games - Tendo is number 1 on team sheet at this form of game as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Blueronron]

Wouldnt mind Murali Vijay again to bat for us

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

It's flexible as form and availability is not known yet, nor who we might sign! With Delport being a Kolpak player we can get in another overseas t20 specialist, I'd wouldn't mind Zampa again. I'd go something like this:

Delport
Cook
Chopra
Westley
Wheater (wk)
Bopara
Tendo
Overseas bowler/allrounder?
Harmer
Siddle
Porter

I do wonder if this will be a season too far for RTD but he is skipper so you can't really leave him out, I might be tempted to drop him and put Browne in at 3 moving everyone else down if he isn't cutting it early on. It's not easy as most of our batsmen seem to be openers.

What are your thoughts?

This might be a bit too radical (although last year we looked miles off) but I'd look to go for something like:

1. Delport
2. Chopra
3. Walter
4. Lawrence
5. Wheater
6. RtD
7. Bopara
8. Coles
9. Nijjar/Harmer
10. Zampa
11. Snater

Quite a few places I'm not sold on there. I could be persuaded by Westley over Lawrence for example, but think Lawrence has the higher ceiling in this format. He seemed to figure out what was needed in T20 towards the end of the last campaign.

Nijjar over Harmer is dependent on whether the opposition have a left or right handed dominant batting line-up.

The last bowling place could be anyone from Porter, S. Cook, Quinn or even Plom or Beard but I've opted for Snater for now as he's a limited overs specialist who I can't see getting close to the fc side.

My idea would be to try and develop a flexible batting line-up and next man in is decided based on match-ups and complementing the not out batsman. I'd see big roles with the bat for Walter and Coles. I'd try and pair them with batting partners who mask their weaknesses.

Bowling wise I'd look to use Walter's left-arm bowling and Ravi at the death. The left-arm angle can make it hard to hit across the line (I've still fond memories of England T20 win) plus Walter's height means it's an unusual trajectory. Ravi's pace off the ball and variations are hard to hit.

Maybe start with an over of spin and then Coles at the other end. Coles can be expensive but picks up wickets and early wickets are valuable in T20.

Does this seem reasonable?

My main concern is how the experienced pros would take it. Cook, Westley, Harmer, Porter - they are the heart of the fc side. Will they feel it is a demotion and revolt or will they be happy to concentrate on Championship cricket?

 

[AndyT]

I like that side and the variation.

The key in T20 is having range hitters predominantly.

All the successful sides tend to tee off and this has been our issue. I saw the Surrey match last summer and we limped to 120 off 18 overs on a baking hot day, until Zaidi had a fling and got us to 150 which Surrey knocked off without breaking sweat.

Delport is definitely a step in the right direction, but I'd like two or three more to adapt to that game with only one/two accumulators in the top seven. We are generally top heavy the other way around.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I was pretty disappointed when Zaidi was released. He'd have been in my XI otherwise.

Coles is a really destructive hitter and we should use him better.

As you will have gathered, I have high hopes of Walter too.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

My main concern is how the experienced pros would take it. Cook, Westley, Harmer, Porter - they are the heart of the fc side. Will they feel it is a demotion and revolt or will they be happy to concentrate on Championship cricket?

They wont need to - plenty of one day 50 over stuff - Cook,Westley,Harmer,Porter etc will be near enough automatic picks.




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[Yorkshire Blue]

They wont need to - plenty of one day 50 over stuff - Cook,Westley,Harmer,Porter etc will be near enough automatic picks.

Automatic selections in just fc and 50 overs or T20 as well?

I think the trouble would be that 50 overs is now domestically the poor relation to T20. They’d be wanting to put themselves in the shop window for the Hundred, Big Bash etc

 

[AndyT]

It would be interesting to see how Cooky would adapt to T20. I know he's played it before.

Others of a similar style - Ian Bell, for example - have done quite well out of T20 and appeared in 'The Big Bash'.

It's a good point regarding putting yourself in the shop window for a few twilight seasons of money earning.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Cooky can play T20: he’s made the only T20 century I’ve seen (or at least can remember seeing) in person!

However Bell is a great example of someone England had to ditch in order to progress in ODIs and how that’s enabled them to go from laughing stock struggling to reach 290 to top of the pile and threatening 500.

If Essex are serious about winning the Blast that's the type of move they'll need to be prepared make in order to be at the vanguard of the next wave of tactical innovation. Players like Cook, Westley, Harmer and Porter are v good first class players but they aren't exceptional T20 players and it would be a mistake IMO to build around them.

T20 is moving tactically at a far quicker pace than the well established fc game or even the 50 over game. The sheer number of games played allows for lots of data which the more progressive franchises are now extensively using to improve.

ps has Bell been picked up for the Big Bash this year? He didn't play last year and wasn't in the team for Perth's opening match.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

As far as I’m concerned I’d rather see Essex at a Lords 50 over final over a T20 day out. Don’t get me wrong I love a bit of slap dash slogging and I know the counties love the revenue but the memories of Essex winning finals are very fond just as winning the county championships are.
Your best players play longer forms of the game and can also have a laugh playing the T20 stuff. I don’t care if we or not at T20 frankly, we’ll still be in it every year.

 

[Ricky Otto]

This might be a bit too radical (although last year we looked miles off) but I'd look to go for something like:

1. Delport
2. Chopra
3. Walter
4. Lawrence
5. Wheater
6. RtD
7. Bopara
8. Coles
9. Nijjar/Harmer
10. Zampa
11. Snater

Quite a few places I'm not sold on there. I could be persuaded by Westley over Lawrence for example, but think Lawrence has the higher ceiling in this format. He seemed to figure out what was needed in T20 towards the end of the last campaign.

Nijjar over Harmer is dependent on whether the opposition have a left or right handed dominant batting line-up.

The last bowling place could be anyone from Porter, S. Cook, Quinn or even Plom or Beard but I've opted for Snater for now as he's a limited overs specialist who I can't see getting close to the fc side.

My idea would be to try and develop a flexible batting line-up and next man in is decided based on match-ups and complementing the not out batsman. I'd see big roles with the bat for Walter and Coles. I'd try and pair them with batting partners who mask their weaknesses.

Bowling wise I'd look to use Walter's left-arm bowling and Ravi at the death. The left-arm angle can make it hard to hit across the line (I've still fond memories of England T20 win) plus Walter's height means it's an unusual trajectory. Ravi's pace off the ball and variations are hard to hit.

Maybe start with an over of spin and then Coles at the other end. Coles can be expensive but picks up wickets and early wickets are valuable in T20.

Does this seem reasonable?

My main concern is how the experienced pros would take it. Cook, Westley, Harmer, Porter - they are the heart of the fc side. Will they feel it is a demotion and revolt or will they be happy to concentrate on Championship cricket?

Did you know something we didn't? Zampa just announced

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Did you know something we didn't? Zampa just announced

No inside info but it seemed likely that he'd come back.

As far as I’m concerned I’d rather see Essex at a Lords 50 over final over a T20 day out. Don’t get me wrong I love a bit of slap dash slogging and I know the counties love the revenue but the memories of Essex winning finals are very fond just as winning the county championships are.
Your best players play longer forms of the game and can also have a laugh playing the T20 stuff. I don’t care if we or not at T20 frankly, we’ll still be in it every year.

For me it is all about the County Championship but for the players the I think the Blast is now much more important than the One Day Cup as it has a far higher profile.

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

Is Siddle still available for international cricket?. Ashes year remember and has always performed well in England. Real chance he could be picked IMO

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Is Siddle still available for international cricket?. Ashes year remember and has always performed well in England. Real chance he could be picked IMO

Think so - he was playing for them v Pakistan a month or two ago.

I wouldn't be surprised if Australia decide not to pick him in their initial squad, let him play county cricket and then call him up as soon as there's an injury.

 

[AndyT]

ps has Bell been picked up for the Big Bash this year? He didn't play last year and wasn't in the team for Perth's opening match.

I think he hasn't played for a couple of years. I know he won it with Perth Scorchers not that long ago and contributed well to that campaign.

 

[AndyT]

Zampa is a decent re-sign.

Specialist T20 players are few and far between at Essex. I'd like to see Paul Walter kick on in that role he fared OK with last summer.

Being 100 off 10 overs is going to be the norm in the coming years, so it's important to bat with that intent this coming summer.