Slough’s failure to apply themselves cost them dearly against Datchet
A failure to apply themselves properly, rather than a lack of quality or talent, was to blame for Slough's 75-run defeat to local rivals Datchet on Saturday, according to captain Nadeem Syed.
Slough have made a creditable start to their Home Counties Division 1 season following promotion last summer, however, this is their second league defeat on the spin after last weekend's 117-run loss to Henley.
Syed believes it might have been different, however, if they'd applied themselves better at the crease. Chasing a solid, but chaseable score of 321-6, they were initially ahead of the run-rate at the Wally Gage Memorial Ground, however, Datchet's bowlers tempted them to go after their shots and wickets were lost cheaply.
Having made starts none of the visitors' line-up went on to impose themselves on the game, aside from Kashif Ali, who top scored with 74. And from a position of relative strength at 142-3 they collapsed to 246 all out.
It was a frustrating outcome for
Syed, who believes his side can compete with the likes of Datchet and Henley, however, they'll have to prove that in the longer-format games, where
patience and application will be key qualities that Slough's players haven't shown in abundance so far this season.
“Maybe they got 20/30 runs more than par but Datchet has a small ground, so I don't think 320 was out of reach,” said Syed. “Our batting unit should have made a better fight of it than we did. I'm not saying we should have won, but on that track and against that bowling outfit we should have either got past the mark and won the game or made a better fist of the chase and come much closer.
“Several of our batsmen looked comfortable but then gave away their wickets cheaply and didn't apply themselves. That's the moral of this story.”
Slough will hope to show they've got the patience, fitness, and quality to compete in the longer format games, starting at home to second from bottom Oxford on Saturday. Oxford have lost all five of their matches so far and were beaten by 109 runs by Banbury on Saturday. But – after two straight defeats – Syed’s side are firmly focused on bouncing back and finding some form.
“Sometimes when you see a team that is better than yours, or if they're producing balls that have your batsmen all at sea, it's easier to accept a defeat,” he said. “But that wasn't the case on Saturday. Our batsmen looked totally comfortable, they were not troubled at all, it was just a lack of application. I don’t think there was a gulf in class at this level, they just played the more professional cricket.
“Players will come in, take their time, get set and then score big but our team just isn't doing that. We’re just going through our shots and getting out at the wrong times. It’s an application issue, not a quality issue.
“As a bowling unit we could have also bowled better at the death, but this was more of a batting issue. 300 is the par score every game on that wicket. It wasn’t out of the ordinary to chase it.
“If we lacked quality then morale would be down, but that's not the case.
“We haven’t felt any team has been superior to us. I am sure someone is going to come good, and we will be a handful. I still think we can compete very well in this competition.”
He added: “We need to do well and click as a team on Saturday. In the longer games a lot will depend on how decisive we are. If we bowl well, we’ve got a good chance. We should compete well against all the teams, and I don’t think we will be outclassed. But the longer format will be tough as it needs a lot of application and patience.
“Fitness will come into it as well as it’s not easy playing 120 overs, but we’re very upbeat and everyone understands what needs to be done. The last two defeats have focused minds and given us extra motivation to get over the line in the next game.”