Royals the real deal in FLt20 2013

Hampshire Royals romped to a 62-run win over the Kent Spitfires in the Friends Life t20 competition last night, largely thanks to an explosive 83 off 56 balls from opener Michael Carberry. With one game left to play in the group stages, the Royals sit at the top of the South Group with fifteen points, having already guaranteed themselves a home draw in the quarter-finals.

Following their dominant performances thus far this summer, the Royals already appear to be strong favourites to retain the trophy they won on finals day at Sophia Gardens last year. Although many of the bookies have the Nottinghamshire Outlaws at the shortest odds, the East Midlands side won seven and lost three of their group matches, whilst the Royals have lost just one game in the competition all season (seven wins, one N/R), in arguably the strongest of the three groups.

It isn’t hard to understand why the Royals have been so successful. Simply looking at last night’s team sheet, even with qualification already sewn up, Hampshire fielded arguably their strongest t20 XI (minus Pakistani overseas player Sohail Tanvir and young wicketkeeper Michael Bates): Carberry, Vince, Adams, McKenzie, Mascarenhas ©, Ervine, Dawson, Wheater (wk), Wood, Briggs & Griffiths.

In fact, these thirteen aforementioned names are the only Hampshire players used in the FLt20 competition this summer. Their consistency has evidently been one key component of the Royals success in 2013, with momentum being another. Winning is a habit that is even more critical in a game as frenetic and unpredictable as Twenty 20 cricket.

As for the players themselves, Michael Carberry and Neil McKenzie have been pivotal to the Royals’ success with the bat. Carberry has been a revelation at the top of the order, scoring 391 runs at 55.86, blowing away the view that he is just a top-order blocker. Carberry’s powerful all-round stroke play has been a joy to watch, whilst his exploitation of the fielding restrictions in the powerplay overs has been particularly impressive. As for McKenzie, the formerly stodgy South African Test opener has become a remarkable t20 player. This season McKenzie averages 124.50, largely thanks to being unbeaten in four out of his six knocks. His 249 runs have come at a healthy strike-rate (120.00), whilst his consistency and experience have proved invaluable to the county once again this season.

Supported by the talented James Vince and the ever reliable Jimmy Adams, the Hampshire top order has excelled, and with the blend of strength, innovation and classic stroke play provided by Mascarenhas, Ervine and Dawson, their middle-order is probably one of the best in the country.

As for the bowlers, Sohail Tanvir is a particularly tricky customer. With balls coming down from over 196cms, the Pakistani left-armer is an extremely awkward bowler to get away, due to his impressive height, unorthodox action and unique angle of attack. In addition, medium-pacer Dmitri Mascarenhas has 146 career t20 wickets as well a healthy economy rate, whilst left-arm spinner Danny Briggs provides plenty of control in the middle overs. Young seamer Chris Wood is also a widely regarded prospect, thanks to his skill with the new ball and clever death bowling.

In short, it is going to take an impressive side to stop the Hampshire Royals from advancing all the way to the final come August 17^th at Edgbaston. Nottinghamshire and Somerset look like the two teams most likely to crash the Royals party; however the beauty of t20 cricket is that any team can beat another on their day. The question remains as to whether any team can repeat Kent’s trick at the Rose Bowl last week. The Spitfires are now the only team to have beaten the Royals in the t20 format for over a year.

English FLt20 XI: A team of players to watch in this year’s competition

 

1. Michael Carberry – Hampshire Royals – T20 average: 27.66 – SR: 112.92

The former Surrey and Kent man looked in supreme touch on Wednesday night against his former team, as his 60 off 45 balls drove  the Royals on to an easy win. His innings exemplified all his t20 qualities, as Carberry displayed a 360̊ degree range of shots. His breath of powerful strokes should stand him in good stead at the top of the order, as Hampshire look to retain the title that they won last season. Yet to make a century in t20 cricket, could this be Carberry’s year?

 

2. Dawid Malan – Middlesex Panthers – T20 average: 30.42 – SR: 117.58

Aggressive left-handed batsman Malan has had a huge amount of success in the 20-over format over the past few years, with his most noteworthy performance a magnificent 103 off just 51 balls against Lancashire in 2008. Although he has spent much of this season in the second XI, he returned with 58* against the Unicorns in the YB40 last week and will be a key component in the Panthers batting line-up at the top of the order alongside Paul Sterling and Joe Denly.

 

3. Luke Wright – Sussex Sharks – T20 batting average: 26.31 – SR: 147.02; T20 bowling average: 32.22 – Econ: 8.41/over

England all-rounder Wright has become something of a t20 mercenary over the past few seasons, with stints in the IPL, Big Bash and BPL; however, this fact simply expresses what a fine player t20 player he is. A destructive top-order batsman in the shortest form of the game, Wright’s success often comes from hitting over the top and taking full advantage of the powerplay fielding restrictions. Also a handy seamer, his ability to mix it up and bowl yorkers makes him a reliable death bowler. The Sussex man is in stunning form with the bat, having scored 115 off 61 balls against Kent in the YB40 last week, so expect him to shine for the Sharks this year.

 

4. Owais Shah – Essex Eagles – T20 average: 33.83 – SR: 127.44

Essex batsman Shah is an extremely experienced performer in the t20 format, who like Luke Wright, has played 20-over cricket all around the globe. Formerly a regular international for England in ODI cricket, Shah has the ability to make quick runs in the middle-order, using his wristy technique to powerfully manoeuvre the ball to all corners of the ground. His average and strike-rate show what an exquisite limited overs player he is, and Essex will need Shah to be on top form if they are to qualify out of the competition’s tricky south group.

 

5. Gary Ballance – Yorkshire Vikings – T20 average: 26.14 – SR: 121.78

Zimbabwe-born batsman Gary Balance is a player showing huge potential and England’s decision to call the 23-year-old into their t20 squad for the series against New Zealand shows just how highly this young man is rated. He toured Australia with the Lions this winter, having excelled in domestic limited-overs cricket last season. He also topped the List A averages for county Yorkshire in 2012 and scored two half-centuries in the Champions League. Big things are to come from this young man.

 

6. Darren Stevens – Kent Spitfires – T20 batting average: 30.20 – SR: 132.83; T20 bowling average: 23.91 – Econ: 7.49/over

Stevens scored the fastest century of the summer so far last week, with a breathtaking 44-ball ton as the Spitfires achieved a world-record run chase against the Sussex Sharks at Canterbury. Ever since his arrival from Leicestershire in 2004, Stevens has been a critical member of the Kent team in all three forms of the game. He has scored over 10,000 runs in first-class cricket and with 2852 t20 runs to date, he is also the most prolific 20-over run scorer on the county cricket scene. Also a more than useful seam bowler, Stevens’ all-round contribution will be vital for the Spitfires this campaign.

 

7. Craig Kieswetter – Somerset – T20 batting average: 27.63 – SR: 120.59; T20 catches: 50 –  stumpings: 17

South-African born wicket-keeper batsman Kieswetter will be hoping that 2013 could be his year. Having lost his place in the England ODI and T20 teams to team mate Jos Buttler, Kieswetter will be hoping to showcase his ability with both bat and gloves in this year’s FLt20, in order to re-stake his claim for his old England spot. His batting relies heavily on his ball striking capabilities and ability to hit over the infield during the powerplay overs, which he did to great effect when he was part of the England team that won the ICC World Twenty20 back in 2010. Somerset are favourites with the bookies to win this year’s FLt20 and the Trescothick-Trego-Kiewswetter combination at the top of their line-up will play a key role.

 

8. Graham Napier – Essex Eagles – T20 batting average: 15.20 – SR: 142.83; T20 bowling Average: 21.29 – Econ: 7.34/over

When it comes to limited-overs cricket, Napier is never too far away from the spotlight. Widely known for his explosive batting performances in t20 cricket, in particular his world-record 152* against Sussex in 2008 when he hit a mammoth 16 sixes, it is his bowling that has helped him make the headlines this year. He took 4 wickets in 4 balls in a YB40 match against Surrey, to finish with figures of 7-32 and Napier also recently took 7-90 in a LVCC Div 2 County Championship game against Leicestershire. He also currently tops the four-day batting averages for his county, having scored 556 runs at an average of 61.78 so far this season, including five fifties and a ton. Napier is a man in serious form.

 

9. James Tredwell – Kent Spitfires – T20 bowling average: 27.72 – Econ: 7.22/over

Kent skipper Tredwell has had a fantastic year, finally breaking thorough into the international side in place of the injured Graeme Swann and also taking over the Spitfires captaincy from former-England batsman Rob Key. Tredwell’s strong showings in the international team have earned him rave reviews from captain Alastair Cook and he has also become a real favourite with the England fans’ too. The off-spinner relies on his consistency, control and subtle variations to out think the opposing batsman, and as a handy batsman and slip fielder, providing Swann is fit enough to play in the Ashes, Tredwell will play a massive role in the Spitfires t20 campaign this summer.

 

10. Jamie Overton – Somerset – List A bowling average: 22.83 – Econ: 5.95/over

Although he has yet to play a t20 match for his county Somerset, many will be expecting young Jamie Overton to make his mark on the competition this season. As one of the most exciting young seam bowlers in the county, Overton has been regularly reaching speeds of over 90mph this season…and he’s only 19!! With 24 championship wickets to date this season, Somerset will be hoping that their Devon-born quick can have a similar impact in the t20 format.

 

11. Boyd Rankin – Warwickshire Bears – T20 bowling average: 17.96 – Econ: 5.60/over

Former Ireland international Rankin made his t20 debut for England this week, having previously played in 52 ODI internationals for the country of his birth. The Derry-born paceman is now targeting more international honours over the next few years for England, and an impressive showing in this season’s FLt20 competition would help to further stake his claim for an Ashes spot. Thus far in his domestic t20 career he has taken 29 wickets in 26 matches, at a very impressive economy rate of just 5.60 runs an over, so expect the six-foot-seven seamer to be cause difficulties for batsman at both ends of the innings this year.