Frustrated Kent Spitfires captain Sam Billings admitted his team are making the same mistakes.
Kent lost by just three runs at Essex on Tuesday, a second Vitality Blast loss in the space of three days after they were outplayed by Sussex.
Essex scored 72 runs in the last five overs to post 187-6 before Spitfires slumped to 61-4 in reply, some late blows taking them close to a successful chase on 184-9.
“Obviously, the last six overs with the ball let us down,” said Billings. “I think they scored 85 off six. I know it’s a small ground, but I think we did a lot of really good work up until that point.
“It was just a matter of mis-execution. Their young lad (Charlie Allison) batted really well but I still think that was a par score.
“We knew how it played, but if you constantly fall down after 10 overs, you make a 180 score look like 210.
“It’s just frustrating because it’s the same mistakes over and over. With the bat, we have to build a platform to be able to then accelerate towards the back end.
“We saw Fred Klaassen [hit two sixes] at the back end and we lost by three runs – imagine if we had wickets in hand, we would have coasted it.
“Every game we’ve lost, it’s been the same kind of formula. I think the stat is, if you lose three wickets in the power play [you lose]. I know we didn’t, we only lost two today, but then one in the seventh or eighth over, then another one in the ninth.
“You never build momentum, and especially batting in the middle order, it’s all about having some composure and being able to take the game deep and realise, once you’ve invested 10 or 15 balls into this wicket, anything can happen.
“It’s having that confidence and having that composure. You can’t win the game in the first 10 overs, but you can lose a game, and that’s what we’re showing.”
It leaves Spitfires with three wins and three draws at the halfway point of the group stages, with the competition now taking a two-week break.
“We’re playing okay cricket,” added Billings. “We’re either playing brilliant cricket where we’re getting 200 and having a faultless performance, or we’re playing pretty average cricket.
“The frustrating thing is that we’re a much better side than what we’ve shown in the three games we’ve lost.
“You know me, I’m a perfectionist. I push these lads. I push this squad because I know we’re capable of a lot better.
“The last two games really feel like two massive opportunities missed.
“We’ve got two weeks to refresh and really look at where we’ve gone wrong and what we’ve done right in the three games that we’ve won and come up with a plan hitting the next six games really hard because we’ve got the quality in this side to really put some performances in.”
Kent have cross-group matches against Worcestershire and Nottinghamshire to come when they resume Blast action.
It’s a new format this season and while Billings welcomed an improved schedule, the jury is still out on the competition make-up.
“We’re going to have to play some seriously good cricket in the back half,” said Billings. “We play two games not in our group, so I think that’s also a big thing.
“So, kind of the difference in those fixtures, you don’t get that back for your own group.
“I think it’s the best the schedule has been in a very long time. At least there’s a bit of clarity around formats and in blocks, we’d much rather it this way.”
On playing two cross-group games, Billings added: “We’ll have to wait and see but looking at the way they’re so close together now, you’d look at that and probably think it’s a disadvantage because only three teams go through.
“You don’t get four points back on the other team in our group if you win. We’re just going to have to play some really good cricket, put our best foot forward for six games and it’ll work itself in the end. If you win six, you’ll go through. Simple!”
