Posted by The final of the domestic 50-over competition is an odd thing. It took place yesterday, in late September – a fortnight after the semi-finals, three weeks after the quarter finals and a month after the main bit of the tournament. You can see why it works that way, but with the days shortening, it feels a bit like it fizzles out rather than building to a climax.
Durham won and for all the talk of modern scoring rates, it was another low-scoring affair. A party can’t always be dancing and laughter. Sometimes, if it’s your party, it’s more about doing an awful lot of laborious housework. Or, if it’s our party, it’s an oud bruin and a high quality motion picture starring Rowdy Roddy Piper. (Has he ever starred in a substandard film? Not to our knowledge.) Not sure what our parties translate to in this analogy. Probably something Duckworth-Lewis affected.
Yesterday, Ben Stokes drew most of the headlines for taking a couple of wickets and making 38 not out, but it’s been Paul Collingwood who’s been the star of Durham’s campaign. He finishes the competition among the top ten run-scorers and the top ten wicket-takers. He scored 427 runs at 53.37 at over a run-a-ball and took 14 wickets at 22.85 at less than four-an-over. We’ll resist the temptation to write another 5,000 words on him, but suffice to say he’s still underrated and always will be.
When you lose the toss on Lord’s final day in late September in murky conditions it’s never going to be easy. The Bears did well to make it a contest. And Patel had Stokes caught behind early in his innings.
I almost fell asleep before lunch – you know the times when you catch yourself head-drooping and try to shake it off only to rise with a rather heavy head and you decide coffee will help you and it actually does but only after half hour or so? That kind.
Your turn.
PS: I am assuming our little Sammy was sharing bland facts about everyday life. If that was not his intention, I do apologize.
YOU BEAAARRRRSS.
Is that how it goes?
Hell Comes to Frogtown FTW.
The greatest opening scene of all time?
Yes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZtWVnjmP7I
You have aroused the three snakes.
Now you’ve said it KC I realise that Roddy Piper is very much the cinematic equivalent of Collingwood. Collingwood has come to be modest and play and miss a lot. And he’s all out of modesty…
My name is Paul Collingwood. I’m here to chew gum and kick ass. And guess what, I’m all outta ass.
Does the ability to kick ass and chew gum at the same time constitute “being a genuine all-rounder” in the hard-boiled world of dystopian action flicks?
Definitely. In fact, it may even qualify a cricketer for Sir Garry status in the real world.