Day: Jun 12, 2015

2015 Test Century Watch #26 – Adam Lyth

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Lyth

Adam Lyth – 107 v New Zealand at Headingley

Yawn. Another small ton. Can’t you feel the statistical resentment rise in me. But stop for a minute and think what it meant for Adam. His first ton in his second test on his home patch. It’s top notch for him, and he was sawn off for good measure to end his 107 as run out.

But we’ve been here before this year. It’s the second 107 following on from Asad Shafiq’s last month. So I need to pad out a couple of hundred words over and above this to make this piece somewhat worthwhile.

This is the second 107 made at Headingley. The other scorer of 107 was David Boon in the annihilation of the English in 1993, when Australia piled up the small number of 653/4, with Border making a double ton, and Steve Waugh 157 not out. The last Englishman to be dismissed for 107 in tests was Marcus Trescothick in 2004 in his two century match against the West Indies.

Lyth also shares something else with Marcus Trescothick, as well as Allan Lamb in 1982 v India at The Oval and Chris Rogers against South Africa in Port Elizabeth last year. They are the only four players to have been run out for 107 in a test match.

I thought I’d do a quick comparison of the last England openers to make their first hundreds and how many runs were in that innings. This was the 295th test century made by an English opener, by the way.

Marcus Trescothick – 122 v Sri Lanka in Galle

Andrew Strauss – 112 v New Zealand at Lord’s (on debut)

Alastair Cook – 104 not out v India at Nagpur (on debut)

Nick Compton – 117 v New Zealand at Dunedin

Sam Robson – 127 v Sri Lanka at Headingley

Adam Lyth – 107 v India at Headingley.

Michael Vaughan and Joe Root made centuries from the opener slot but they weren’t their first hundreds in tests. Interesting that Robson has the highest of those scores.

By the way that was the 77th hundred made by an English opener since 1 January 2000.

Adam Lyth’s 100 came up in 188 balls and contained 14×4.

2015 Century Watch #25 – Ben Stokes

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Ben-Stokes-Hairstyles2Ben Stokes – 101 v New Zealand at Lord’s

Flintoff-esque came the cry. Ben Stokes had shot to glory with a ton at Perth, joining the select band of England cricketers to make a ton at the WACA in the past 25 years. At last, the man came to the party. 92 in the first innings, his second ton in the second innings.

Small tons are the bane of century watch’s existence. This was the second 101 of the year – David Warner got the first – so lots of the statistical jiggery-pokery was included on that post on HDWLIA.

This was the third century made from number 6 this year, following Asad Shafiq and Jermaine Blackwood. It was the fastest hundred made in tests at Lord’s pipping Mohammed Azharuddin’s 87 ball effort in 1990 by two. It was the 9th score of 101 made at Lord’s, with the first being scored by Nasim-ul-Ghani in 1962, who pipped his batting partner Javed Burki both to the ton and the 101 mark! He’s the third Englishman to make 101 there – Michael Vaughan did it in his two centuries in a match game against the West Indies in 2004 (103 in the first, 101* in the second) and Graham Hick did it on the day of one of my best mate’s funeral in 2000 against Zimbabwe. He’s also the fourth New Zealand-born player to do it following Trevor Franklin, Mark Richardson and Jacob Oram (praying they were born there, so as not to get caught out).

This is the 114th score of 101 in test cricket. Have you seen any Dmitri? Well, funny you should ask but no. I missed KP’s 101 to save a test against India in 2007 by a day, having been there for days 1-4.

Only Misbah, in his record-setting ton (with 5), Chris Gayle and Peter May (with 4) have hit more sixes in a 101 than Ben Stokes.

I’m bored with 101. It may have been a great knock, but it’s a boring number, Ben.

Ben Stokes 100 came up in 85 balls and contained 15×4 and 3×6.

The Rapid Reaction – ODI #2

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2nd ODI – New Zealand 398/5 (Taylor 119*, Williamson 93, Guptill 50) beat England 365-9 (Morgan 88, Hales 54) by 13 runs on DL Method.

Dmitri on duty tonight as thelegglance is having a break from the match reviews for the evening.

I did not get to see the first innings of the match. I missed Ross Taylor’s century, the hitting, the accumulation, the posting of the second highest score in ODI history in England. 398 for 5. I will leave it to others to describe the bowling, which judging by the commenters on here, wasn’t up to much, with the inability to take wickets still a major concern. The Oval clearly put up a road for the day’s entertainment judging by what I’m watching as I start the match report.

Now England’s chase is something we’ve wanted to see. They’ve gone for it. You know that it hasn’t been reckless, but it’s been focussed, it’s been a study in hitting and technique, and it is an even better example of the change of mentality that this ODI team seems to have in these early days of full reconstruction. They set the highest score that England have ever made in the second innings of an ODI. They did it with decent contributions down the order.

I can only really comment on what I’ve watched. The best sign was the innings of Eoin Morgan. He’s taken a hell of a lot of stick over the winter, even though he made an ODI hundred in Australia which his predecessor as captain hadn’t looked like doing for years. Sure, he wasn’t in top form, we knew that, but his 88 today was brilliant. It looked almost “risk-free” but if he’d continued he’d have beaten Buttler’s record. It’s back-to-back 50s for him, the first being mightily undetected in the last match which was crucial in the rebuilding of the innings.

The openers showed great promise, although Jason Roy’s dismissal annoyed me a touch. Fact is, that I’ll have to get over it with the way this team looks like it is setting up to play. Alex Hales made a decent half-century, but left you wanting more. One day I see that bloke clicking, being the sort you cannot bowl to, and beating Robin Smith’s record. Good grief, that needs to go, even remembering how much I liked Judge. Joe Root was a bit daft. I’m saying this early, I know, but all but one of his ODI tons came batting first, and while the other was a winning effort, it was in a chase of 240-odd. He’s our Kane Williamson. But you don’t come off every time.

Jos, even when he’s not in miracle mode, played well until nicking off. There’s the itch you can’t scratch that maybe he’s one or two places too low? Obviously not everyone can bat in the top 4 slots. If he did, he’d threathen that record too. Ben Stokes will also come off.

Then came Rashid and Plunkett. Then the rain. Then cricket being cricket.

There can be just two reasons for the equation of 13 balls to score 34 balls. Rigidity of rules so that the game finishes at a specified time, which is nonsense if all you are giving yourself is half an hour. London Transport, when it works, does run past 21:20. If it’s the Resident’s Association of Kennington, the sort that moaned when Surrey planned to build a hotel where the old relic Laker and Lock stands are, but seem to look out of their windows a lot when play is on, then stuff them. Their property values aren’t going down for 20 minutes play. Oh, I’m sure there’s plenty of rules is rules muppets out there, but get over yourselves.

Before the rain Rashid and Plunkett rode their luck but hit some superb shots. They kept a dead game alive. They are the reason we can get back to liking this team, those of us who need more than just Chef platitudes and to be told that the test team is now back in the fold. Rashid appears a totem for the past regime. A higher risk pick in a low risk management structure. Plunkett’s 44, completed in the farcical 13 ball period, was a brilliant sight. He’s a lost talent, through injury and other things, but we remember his batting being not bad stuff first time around. Rashid then fell to wonderful fielding. This game could have had such a great finale.

In defeat this England team won more admirers. That speaks volumes. We’ll forgive, always, those that give it a go, a reall good go. Not reckless abandon, but positive intent. Not fear of failure, but being positive, attacking, aggressive with the bat. This is something I can get behind. I don’t usually do “heroic failure” but we can all see progress here.

Lastly, I thought I’d address some of the stuff I had this morning. Frankly, if you read my Meantime London Lager fuelled riposte to the Pringle “irrelevant” jibe, and the main point you took out of it was that I resented business travel, then there’s not a lot I can do. I thought the piece was framed, even in my alcohol-induced blind rage, to say we pay our way, we feel the pain not only personally, but financially, and it isn’t our job to follow the team, but our passion. Now, I am not saying the hacks are not equally as passionate, but they are the envy of many by getting paid to travel the world to watch the game. Therefore, when those in that fortunate, privileged position decide that those who pay their wages are irrelevant, is the point that all but a few seemed to grasp. Thelegglance has a think piece on this which we’ll release over the weekend.

Oh, it’s not about me being criticised. I dish it out, so I have to take it. But it doesn’t mean I won’t defend myself.