Kiwi County Tour #5 (Royal London One-Day Cup Update)
Up and down is the best way to describe the last few days on the Kiwi County Tour bus, although those ups and downs do reflect how influential our kiwi lads are. Warwickshire currently suck and that's coming with Jeetan Patel unable to locate his mojo, while Essex are really good and the new-ball brothers (Neil Wagner and Matt Quinn) are doing their job rather well. We also welcome Kieran Noema-Barnett on to the bus and his first appearance came against Essex, so I squeezed him in there.
But first...
Jeetan Patel
Warwickshire vs Durham (May 1, England Time)
Unfortunately for Lord Jeetz and Warwickshire, they suffered a hefty defeat at the hands of Durham earlier in the week. Funnily enough, Jeetan Patel went wicket-less and this came with Durham smacking 313/5 off just 39 overs (8.02rpo) and despite not being able to slow Durham down with wickets, Jeetz was the most economical Warwickshire bowler, conceding 5.12rpo.
Warwickshire could only muster 241 in reply and Jeetz contributed 15 off 10 balls, finishing with the second-highest strike-rate of Warwickshire's batmen (150sr).
Leicestershire vs Warwickshire (May 2)
Another below-par effort form Lord Jeetz and another loss for Warwickshire; catch the vibe? Leicestershire batted first and smacked their way to 363/7 off 50 overs and although Jeetz did take a wicket, he conceded 6.60rpo and Warwickshire conceded 7.26rpo in a repeat to their loss against Durhamn.
Chasing 364 to win, Warwickshire were all out for 260 in 44 overs and Jeetz hit 2 off 1 ball before being run out.
Should we be concerned about Lord Jeetz ahead of the Champions Trophy? He's got 3 wickets in 3 games and averages 44, while he's not exactly tightening the screws either, conceding 5.50rpo.
Matt Quinn/Neil Wagner
Surrey vs Sussex (May 2)
While Lord Jeetz couldn't influence the outcome of his game, Matt Quin and Neil Wagner played key roles once again for Sussex as they snatched a 1-wicket win with 4 balls left. Surrey were first up to bat, with Quinn and Wagner taking the new-ball once again and as is now becoming a habit, Quinn took an early wicket in the 6th over. Kumar Sangakkara came in at No.3 for Surrey and Neil Wagner snared the crucial wicket, sending Sangakkara back to the shed for just 6 and with 5 wickets between them, Quinn and Wagner kept chipping away with wickets.
Quinn finished with 3/34 off 9.4 overs @3.51rpo and Wagner took 2/51 off 9 overs @5.66 rpo, bowling Surrey out for 210 in 47.4 overs. This gave Essex a target of 211, which the chased down with Quinn at the non-striker's end as Simon Harmer hit the winning runs. Quinn hit a boundary and finished 7* off 6 balls as No.11, while Wagner could only manage 4 off 11 as No.10.
Essex vs Gloucestershire (May 4)
A century to Alistair Cook led Essex to victory over Gloucestershire, guiding Essex to 315/8 off 50 overs. Cook's knock ensured that Wagner and Quinn weren't required to bat and also ensured that Kieran Noema-Barnett's return for Gloucs didn't quite go as planned; 2 overs @7.50rpo.
Noema-Barnett was then dismissed for an 8-ball duck and Essex kept Gloucs under control, restricting them to 286/8 in their 50 overs (chasing 316). Wagner didn't take a wicket and conceded 7.22rpo, while Quinn continued his strong start to the Royal London Cup, taking 2/40 off 9 overs @4.44rpo.
Quinn and Wagner have helped Essex win three from three, both with 6 wickets. Quinn's averaging 20.66 with the ball, Wagner's averaging 26.50.
James Franklin
Hampshire vs Middlesex (May 3)
An away tripe to Hampshire saw Middlesex grab an 89-run win and as Middlesex batted first, James Franklin chipped in with 29 off 29 balls to help Middlesex work their way to 295 off their 50 overs. Franklin came in at No.6 and managed to hit a six, then as the fourth bowling option, Franklin was smacked for 26 off his 2 overs.
Franklin took himself off after those 2 overs and a revised target of 236 off 30.3 overs was defended by Middlesex, restricting Hampshire to 146/7.
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