One Day Cup: Young Strivers and Forgotten Men Light Up Lost Summer’s Sideshow

It’s been an odd few weeks for what was once England’s summer sport. The newly privatised incarnation of The Hundred has rattled on, with the star-studded investment vehicles occasionally producing exciting finishes and high-grade hitting. The competition remains a qualified success, accruing attention from newcomers to the sport, and occupying a heartening amount of free-to-air minutes on BBC Two. The spectacle, however, remains largely hollow, and the identities of each franchise interchangeable. There is a sense that what should be the peak of the sporting summer is hosting very little recognisable, competitive cricket.

The other major event in the sport to have taken place in August was Ben Stokes’ appearance on Stuart Broad and Jos Buttler’s For The Love of Cricket podcast. After his farcical mid-spell retirement at Trent Bridge, Stokes is no longer the martyred cult leader, trying to heave his team on by simply hurting more, going into deeper waters than the opposition. He is now the lone gunslinger, the roving samurai, spurned by the townspeople, who now withdraws to his county in dignified exile.

The calendar as it is, this means a spell in the One Day Cup, the neglected 50-over domestic competition which is as unassuming as The Hundred is bombastic. The public affection is there though, with outgrounds selling out and larger venues dappled with spectators keen for a taste of some hard-nosed white-ball cricket. With the stars away at their franchises, the contest provides smaller counties with a genuine shot at silverware, and throws up intriguing contests between young prospects on the make and grizzled pros with points to prove. 

Stokes was at New Road for the last group-stage round, where Durham scraped through to a play-off despite defeat. The England great, while magnetic, was a minor character in the action. With the ball, he found zip and bounce to induce Matthew Waite to fiddle behind early on before taking some punishment amid a late flurry from Tom Taylor and Ben Allison, the latter memorably standing up and heaving him for six over mid wicket. Stokes’ contribution with the bat in Durham’s unsuccessful chase was limited to an ineffably stylish 1 (4), Taylor bowling him via a thin inside edge, a key wicket to add to his match-winning 86 (74) in the first innings. Ben McKinney, the 21 year-old giant from Sunderland, spearheaded the Durham response, driving and pulling with brutality to move to 82, when he was strangled down the leg side by Ben Gibbon. 

The starring roles played by Taylor and McKinney, one an unfashionable stalwart all-rounder, the other an exciting prospect on England’s radar, illustrates the One Day Cup’s tendency to anoint new heroes. At the Oval, Notts chased down 299 to beat Surrey to third place in Group A, largely thanks to a fine hundred from George Munsey, their squat, powerful Scottish opener. But in the first innings, another Notts player made for gripping viewing. Farhan Ahmend, 18-year old younger brother of Rehan, is a cricketer of serious charisma and skill. His offbreaks returned unremarkable figures of 1/54 from eight overs, but left an impression. Ahmed is great to watch. Before he begins his brisk run up he squats, facing down the wicket, the ball clutched with both hands beneath his chin. His action is swift and bustling, but with a high arm that generates dip and drift. He found little turn here, and was attacked by Surrey’s wizened opening pair of Dom Sibley and Ryan Patel, the latter reaching a muscular century.  Ahmed was on the receiving end of some swingeing blows from Patel, but varied his pace smartly to tighten things up. He was rewarded when Sibley chipped him straight to deep mid wicket to depart for 84. 

Meanwhile, as Cheltenham baked slowly in the fifth heatwave of the summer, something remarkable happened in a Group A dead rubber, as two little-known young players grabbed a game by the scruff of the neck and bent it to their will. Gloucestershire’s chase of Northants’ 308 was ailing at 200/5 when Daaryoush Ahmed, a 25 year-old Bristolian playing in only his 18th professional game, joined Joe Eckland in the middle. Eckland, a 22 year old released by Hampshire, who had spent a year out of first team cricket, was playing only his 16th List A game, the last game of his contract at Gloucestershire. A counterattacking stand of 70 followed, Ahmed eventually caught on the rope for 48 runs to add to his 4 wickets in the first innings. As another wicket fell, it fell to the nerveless Eckland to see the chase through. With two overs to go and 18 required, Eckland, joined by Aman Rao, got there with four balls to spare. 

The vocal, and well-watered crowd in Cheltenham erupted as Eckland’s rasping drive down the ground sealed the game. The One Day Cup’s sleeper hit status was clear. A dead rubber game with no big stars involved had been lit up by the steel and skill of young players not quite established in the professional game. In a summer that has at times felt lost, it was a reminder that the sport can still produce authentic, gripping spectacle.