2021-09-04 04:17:49
Taking Glamorgan To Glory: A Cricket Captain 2021 Story. Part Four: A Crucial Clash
In our last match, we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Northamptonshire, taking us top of our group. Second placed Kent are our next opponents.
TEAM
I keep the same XI as last match, but push David Lloyd up to three, meaning Andy Balbirnie drops to four and Kiran Carlson to five.
OPPOSITION
Kent are a top class team. Daniel Bell-Drummond and Ollie Robinson open, with Zak Crawley and Joe Denly (both England internationals) at three and four respectively. Veteran Darren Stevens is a master with ball and bat, and Afghanistan international Qais Ahmad, a leg-spinner, is one to watch at just 20 years old. He'll be playing for the Cardiff team in the Hundred.
MATCH
We lose the toss and are asked to field. The Kent openers amass 27 in the first ten overs before some questionable running sees Ollie Robinson run out on 16. Zak Crawley and Daniel Bell-Drummond give our seam bowlers a hard time, but the spin of Prem Sisodiya has them worried. They're right to be as he bowls Bell-Drummond for 35 and Kent are 96/2.
Joe Denly is caught behind on 6 a few overs later and Sisodiya has a second wicket. 102/3. By lunch, the spinner has figures of 5-1-5-2. Murali-esque.
Zak Crawley digs in, passing 50. On 67 he's trapped plumb lbw by Neser, but the umpire signals no ball. Damn it! Why didn't we bribe him first?!
But next over a decision goes in our favour as Heino Kuhn is lbw to Hogan for 9. 142/4.
A few overs later we have another, and this time it's the big one - Zak Crawley caught behind on 73 off Neser. 152/5.
Darren Stevens and Jack Leaning defy our bowlers with a belligerent stand of 78, punishing our bowlers, in particular Prem Sisodiya. Stevens finally top edges one on 22 and is caught by Roman Walker off David Lloyd. Walker strikes to remove Leaning for 68 off 75 balls and Kent are 248/7. Qais Ahmad falls shortly after lunch, edging to slip on 5 - Walker again - but Jordan Cox enlists the help of number 10 Harry Podmore, and the pair add 62 before Podmore falls to Hogan on 45, Sisodiya holding on to the chance at short leg. Hogan wraps up the innings by bowling Cox on 33, and Kent are 329 all out, still a formidable total.
KENT 1ST INNINGS: 329 (Crawley 73, Leaning 68; Hogan 3-36, Sisodiya 2-47)
Joe Cooke and Nick Selman have three overs of day 1 to bat out.
Of course, Selman is bowled for a five ball duck with one over left. I send in Timm van der Gugten as a nightwatchman. Cooke negotiates the over and we're 4-1 at stumps.
First ball of day 2, van der Gugten is caught at slip for a golden duck. Which is met with a sigh.
Cooke thrashes Matt Milnes (who's taken both wickets) for six. Which is met with a cheer.
Cooke and David Lloyd start belting boundaries in a stand of 87. Cooke looks set for 50, but is caught behind off Harry Podmore for 47 just before lunch. When said lunch arrives, we're 97/3.
Lloyd brings up his fifty, but is out lbw for 56. Andrew Balbirnie and Kiran Carlson hit a quick fire stand of 45, and Balbirnie is almost at fifty before Carlson prods to slip on 23, giving Ahmad his first wicket. Balbirnie launches Harry Podmore for four to bring up his own fifty, before hitting him for six for good measure.
We pass 200, and are 225/5 at tea, with Balbirnie on 75 and Chris Cooke on 16. The latter is caught behind on 24, but Balbirnie is on 90, poised for only his third first-class century. He's on 92 when Prem Sisodiya is out, caught at short leg for 17 off 21 balls, including three fours.
Balbirnie drives Podmore for four - 96.
But he can't bring up the century! A leading edge goes straight back to Podmore and he departs on 97 off 181 balls. Even though he missed out on a century, it's been a gutsy innings, exactly what we needed. Can the lower order add some more runs?
They can, as it turns out. Roman Walker scores 14 off 23 balls, 12 of those in boundaries, while Michael Neser makes 24 not out, including two fours and a six. When Michael Hogan is bowled by Darren Stevens, Glamorgan are all out for
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