Hampshire
Domestic greatness beckons in Mascarenhas finale
Hampshire know how to win and have mastered the art of a successful T20. Two more victories would provide a fitting leaving gift for one of their stalwarts
Freddie Wilde
15-Aug-2013
As followers of cricket we like to believe that our sport is dictated to by sparks of genius and flashes of inspiration, and of course cricket remains susceptible to such natural rhythms. But in the modern age those influences are increasingly being marginalised with analysis and methodology drastically altering the science of the sport.
This change began with the death of amateurism in the 1960s, but the birth and proliferation of T20 cricket has further intensified its development. As the T20 format has grown teams have become more attuned to the secrets of success. Consistency has emerged to be the leitmotif of triumph - consistency of selection, of roles and of methods.
There are various methods to win in T20, but once a team has formulated one, isolating a small group of players and defining roles within that group is paramount to long-term success. Hampshire have now reached at least the quarter-final stage of the Friends Life t20 for five consecutive seasons and will appear on Finals Day for the fourth straight year at Edgbaston.
Full postMascarenhas, the underused revolutionary
England might not have got the best out of a very handy allrounder in one-day cricket but Dimitri Mascarenhas was the first English cricketer to tap into the potential of Twenty20
Freddie Wilde
24-Jul-2013
In August 2010, Dimitri Mascarenhas posted a tweet that many felt ended his international career. What is certain is that since his foul-mouthed abuse directed at National Selector Geoff Miller, Mascarenhas never played for England again, whether that was to do with his tweet, or his cricket will forever remain a mystery.
Mascarenhas' expletive-ridden tweet was posted after Geoff Miller had watched him play at a county match and didn't introduce himself to Mascarenhas who then vented his anger at this, and the fact his good friend, Jimmy Adams, had not been selected for England. This Twitter faux pas reveals a lot about Mascarenhas, who today announced that he would retire from cricket at the end of the season at the age of 35.
It was first and foremost, a tweet of loyalty, to his friend and fellow Hampshire boy Adams. It may be a mythical adage that sportsmen take joy from their team-mates' success but Mascarenhas proved it to be true in this instance. That same loyalty has been exhibited through 17 years of faith to his one and only county.
Full postHampshire wrestle with mediocrity
Competitive but struggling to put wins on the board in the Championship, Hampshire have sold themselves short so far this season
Freddie Wilde
18-Jun-2013
"Winning is a habit. Unfortunately so is losing" - Vince Lombardi.
Lombardi could have said "unfortunately so is not winning", but it wouldn't have had the same ring to it as his immortal words, yet for Hampshire's season so far it would've been brilliantly appropriate, for in 2013 Hampshire aren't losing matches, they just aren't winning them, and not winning them is becoming a habit.
There's a very fine line between winning and not winning in cricket. It can be an umpiring decision there, a rain-shower here, a boundary saved there and in a bitter struggle for promotion, winning is, as Lombardi also once said, "everything".
Full postIs Bates v Wheater really worth the grumbles?
Hampshire's batting started well this season, but the double collapse Essex raised old concerns and showed why the signing of Adam Wheater is not the damning offence it has been out to be
Freddie Wilde
04-May-2013
Well, that was weird. Hampshire play three matches, score bucket-loads of runs and then collapse in a heap against Essex.
Admittedly, Leicestershire, Loughbrough University and Worcestershire aren't exactly the West Indies bowling attack of the 1980s, but all the same, runs are runs and Hampshire have been scoring lots of 'em. Essex's bowling attack, which consisted of the talented Reece Topley, the metronomic David Masters, Graham Napier, Ravi Bopara and Tim Phillips was certainly the best they'd faced all season. But still. Bowled out for under 200 twice in a match by a team who'd won just nine of their previous 50 matches - whatever promise was shown before, that doesn't bode well.
Of course it's too early to make any knee-jerk reactions but the management will be wary - especially considering the events of last season when Hampshire didn't get promoted largely because they were the uncle fluffies of Division Two with the bat; passing 400 once and having just one batsman score 1000 runs. Over the winter Giles White's men didn't make too many adjustments to a talented batting order that appeared to be underperforming as opposed to actually just being rubbish. But there will be a worry that Hampshire's batting lacks that nuggety fight so often demonstrated from the teams who do clamber out of Division Two.
Full postOne-day kings seek Championship laurels
Hampshire's 2013 prospects previewed by the ESPNcricinfo Supporters' Network
Freddie Wilde
27-Mar-2013
If you're looking for a county for the T20 age, look no further than Hampshire.
Over the past couple of years, Hampshire have established themselves as one of the most modern and progressive teams in the country. The south-coast side have become part of a worldwide franchise brand, signed T20 stars such as Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and Glenn Maxwell, competed in the Caribbean T20, the Champions League T20 and are now close to possessing the only model ground in the entire country, as defined by the ECB. Pretty impressive eh?
However, after winning both limited-overs competitions last year, the all-conquering kings of one-day cricket in 2012 must surely have promotion back to County Championship Division One as top of their 2013 priorities. Rod Bransgrove, Hampshire's chairman, clearly knows which formats reward financially, but the Championship remains domestic cricket's most revered prize and a county of Hampshire's stature will be desperate to emerge from Division Two as soon as possible.
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