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Just give me test cricket or, maybe 50 over games. Stuff the rest of the crap!
Well I was at the 50 over today and lets say entertainment and quality wise it was crickets equivalent of Mick McCarthys back 5.
I love cricket but I hope there were no 1st time attendees today it would be enough to put anyone off going again. Really poor.
It's not the lack of quality or entertainment that the Hundred provides, it's the principle that the game does little to benefit the already established other formats. Until a couple of years ago the test team were in a sorry state and bemoaning the lack of 4 day cricket. There's also little county 50 over cricket to support the largely successful national team, so the last thing the game needed was a new shorter format.
It has however benefited the women's game.
Stuart Broad got it right just now when he said he’s never seen Chris Jordan bat so well - it was so easy for so long for the Welsh Fire, but all of the momentum’s against them now.
Rarely. England play so many more Tests than any other country there's hardly any room in the calender for them to do so. I think a couple of the bowlers (possibly Wood or Anderson) did at the start of the season, but the rest of the squad were on a team building golf break in Scotland. Smith and Labuschagne played more county cricket than most England players.
Talking of test players, how many games has Johnny Bairstow played for the Welsh Fire? Two isn't it? I know he had a bit of an excuse last season, but, if I remember rightly, he'd announced he wasn't going to be playing for them before he broke his leg anyway. They could have done with Bairstow last night, but I'd say the game was just one of those that was down to fate - I don't think there was much that could have been done to sop Jordan's remarkable innings, it was just destined to happen.
I’ve knocked the Welsh Fire as much as anyone, but they were involved in two great games today. After winning away at the beaten finalists a couple of days ago, the women’s team went to the Oval and edged home against the Champions in a low scoring game to go to the top of the table. The men’s game ended in a tie as the Welsh Fire were on the wrong end of a decision that was down to millimetres - they were beaten by two runs in midweek.
My son lives in Southampton and loves cricket so we bond over the Hundred. After two years of humiliating spankings Friday had two really top games that went to the last ball in both. The bowling attack with Afredi and Rauf is massively improved but the batting is still too fragile. The Kiwi keeper is tops. Bairstow instead of Abel who can't seem to get it off the square could have turned perennial losers into winners!
Quality viewing this evening.
My 10 year old is glued to it and this seems to be the summer where cricket has become his favourite sport. He's been to Allstars and Dynamos since he was old enough. Think it was £40 for 10 hour sessions of cricket training, free shirt with his name on it, plus he's had bats, stumps etc for free out of it in the past. Through the cricket club we've had some free and discounted tickets for the 1 days and Hundred. On Monday he went to Sophia Gardens to meet some of the Hundred players, got lots of autographs, even made the BBC Wales news in a feature about it! In fairness to the EWCB, there's been a real push to transform grass roots cricket for youngsters. Our local club has continued the training sessions throughout the summer at no extra cost and has also started hard ball training for youngsters, again free.
Whether my lad is ever good enough to play for any side is yet to be known, but he loves it, I take him out regularly to get him batting and bowling, even though I'm absolutely rubbish. He's been glued to the Ashes. He's playing cricket games on his Switch and phone.
Even someone as anti the Hundred as me has to concede that the Welsh Fire games have been very watchable this season. As stated, the pair of Pakistani quicks have made a huge difference and their attitude seems spot on. I was pleased as well for Joe Clarke who struggled so badly last season when he was supposed to be a top signing and had been out first ball in the two first game - he or Tom Curran played the innings of the day yesterday in a game where the general skill levels on both sides were very high.
For the first time the Welsh public, and the cricketing public in GLoucestershire and SomerSet you’d like to think, have a pair of teams that it’s possible to relate to - it would be nice to see Chris Cooke and/or Dan Douthwaite play now and again though.
Welsh Fire ? ….without one single Welshman? and that Piggy eyed Bairstow is the “star” player ?….no thanks.
3 balls to go at the Oval last night, and the Fire bowl a full toss on the leg side to the man in form. Unbelievable. I would have sacked him straight after the game.
Didn’t watch much of the Welsh Fire women’s team game today at Edgbaston because I was watching Glamorgan being beaten by some clear Warwickshire cheating at Neath. The bits of the Birmingham Phoenix innings I did see suggested they were going to win easily - with three balls to go, they were 134 -1 chasing 138 when Shabnim Ismael only went and took a hat trick and a third straight away win to take them to the top of the table!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/cricket/66466485
No its nuffin to do with Wales , Fire or Glammy .
Phoenix
Fire
Come on lads it's American Football franchising
This thread has turned out to be a blinder considering the crux of the OP.
Amazing what a bit if success can bring
True, but it’s an entertaining competition this year if you put the Welsh Fire to one side. One of the criticisms I heard of the Hundred in its first two years was that there were barely any close finishes in it. That’s changed this year with a succession of games that were just good cricket matches - I wasn’t looking forward to the competition this year, but I’ve enjoyed it so far.
The apparent arbitrary nature of team selection and cartoon-type naming of the regional participants involved leaves me so cold that I cannot bring myself to even think about watching one ball of it.
Cricket overload which I can't see standing the test of time.
That said, I am glad it is bringing you and others joy Bob