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The Rules are Simple, They Just Change

Writer's picture: Sean SandysSean Sandys

The bizarre conclusion to last weeks round of matches




Cricket is an at times complicated yet rigorously structured game. When it comes to first class cricket while some aspects can be left to be desired, how many overs are in the match altogether for example, the fact that its four days long, both teams bat twice and whoever scores the most combined runs wins displays how the game is structured yet when simplified it is, well, simple. But cricket has its own little way of making the simple not so simple and making the confusing still confusing, and this is by adding the fact that two teams don't actually have to bat twice. This is the primary rule of first class cricket though right? Well, no the primary rule of first class cricket is indeed whoever scores the most runs wins meaning if one team can't reach the other teams first innings total then they can be given a second chance to build on their first innings efforts and if, after their second try, they still can't reach the target then the game is won by their opposition. Confusing right.




While, to a non fan the concept of winning by and innings and following on is confusing, to a hardened cricket badger like myself it makes plain and perfect sense and is a valuable addition to the longer form of the game. Take Hampshire's trip to Kent from this week for example, it took a magnificent bowling effort from the Hants boys to bowl out a stern Kent lineup for 305 in 106 overs, this total helped mainly by a brilliantly fluent yet patient 150 by Daniel Bell Drummond, they in turn took charge on a flattening wicket and showed their true out and out class producing three middle order centauries in a row (Vince 111, Dawson 171 and Brown 157) and with ample support supplied from Gubbins and Barker they amounted the mouth wateringly massive total of 652/6d. Now, this innings did however soak up 147 overs leaving just over 100 overs in the match. On a flat wicket with vastly disappearing time, if the strict structure meant that both teams must bat twice then there would be 0 chance of the game indeed ending, however the slight loophole if you like of an innings victory meant that a result was still most defiantly on the cards with Kent condemned to a defiant, pressure-high batting struggle against well rested and fired up bowlers eager for victory. A climactic day and a bit ensued which had it all. Beautiful drives, silly shots, lavish turn and uneven seam bounce. Kent fought well to find themselves marooned after tea on 250-6 however, the relentless pressure proved to be too much in the end for Kent as some inspired and simply mesmerizing pace bowling from Kyle Abbott saw him take the final remaining three wickets in four balls and win the match for Hants by an innings and 51 runs. An incredibly engaging and wonderful to watch match throughout made only possible by the freedom to manufacture the rules in order to suit the game scenario proving its spot as a brilliant addition to the first class game.




So, lets travel onto Old Trafford where at this point your questioning why I'm taking this broader approach to analyze these games and why I'm scrutinizing this specific rule. Well, that's because, of the 9 games played this week in the county championship 6 were won by an innings. So lets travel back to Old Trafford to where the red roses were inviting their distant friends from the southwest, Gloucestershire. It was the red roses who took firm control on home soil despite an initial defiance by Gloucestershire who found themselves on 119-0, this all came tumbling down in a whiz of electric, dynamic and destructive pace bowling displayed by Mahmood and chiefly Hasan Ali. Gloucestershire crumbled quickly under the intense pressure to a far below par 252 all out and found themselves having to bowl in the evening on day one. Despite this disappointment of having to go out and field on day one having been humiliated in the first innings, Gloucestershire's pace bowlers were focused on the task in hand, getting the ball to swing, deviate and restrict the Lancs batsmen to very little runs early on. This stranglehold held by the pace bowlers led to George Balderson being ran out by Gofar after a foolish single attempt. Into day two though and once again fortunes dramatically changed in favor of the home side. Outside shout for England Josh Bohannon once again proved his credentials with a mesmerizing 231 played in defiant and emphatic style. Exploring the full realm of scoring possibilities the batsmen displayed his full repertoire hitting 30 fours and one six, furthermore he showed quite how below par as he nearly eclipsed Gloucestershire's total all by himself. With great accompaniment by the ever ruthless and merciless Dane Vilas Lancs just piled on the runs getting themselves to a massive 556/7d. An amazing achievement but once again thoughts and worries turned to the evaporating time, just little left of an evening session and one full day to complete the match. This is where, once again, the ability to win by an innings came in extremely handy as this turned a dead rubber into an enthralling finish, and this it was. Tired and wary after their long old rump in the field Gloucester's batters found themselves once again under a relentless barrage, this time including Jimmy Anderson, and in no time were 127-7 with a 50 by Miles Hammond the only innings of note. Gloucester weren't done fighting however, as Tom Lace displayed his immense talent and concentration to dig in to an extreme vigil of 71 (201) at a strike rate of 35 and eclipsing a whole three hour and twenty minute period. Josh Shaw provided much needed support as the pair put on a valuable and crucially time consuming 74 before a nasty inswinger snorter from Hasan Ali saw the end of Shaw, stumps lying splattered on the lush turf. Next up was Warner and he took a much more closeted approach to his predecessor, soaking up ball after ball and never looking for any runs it seemed. At one stage it appeared that this pair could take the side all the way to a battling draw but this wasn't to be as Lace was left bamboozled after a deadly, pinpoint delivery from Mahmood and Warner couldn't last long after that either, nicking off a straight one with subtle out swing from Ali to depart for 10 (119). It was a truly scintillating finish which had everything for every viewer, boundaries, fifties, pinpoint inswingers, stumps cartwheeling and last but not least a nail biting finish. What a truly unbelievable game and once more it was a game, outcome and experience only made possible by this complication to first class crickets most simple rule.




So, there you have it, six games were won by an innings this week across the two divisions, six! But all were action packed, providing everything for every viewer and being engaging from first ball to last. This incredible nuance which further follows crickets ethos of 'make everything harder to understand or explain' actually turns out, when in practice, to be an amazing inclusion which provides epic matches and nail biting finales and hopefully will keep doing so for years to come!

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