jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Apr 12, 2018 11:16:51 GMT
I think Division One is impossible to call this year. Any of them could win it in my opinion and any of them could go down. A lot will depend on who ends up in the England Test team I think. If you take Leach and one of the Overtons out of the Somerset side, or Vince and Northeast out of the Hampshire team, or Livingstone and Hameed out of the Lancashire team or Moeen and Clarke out of the Worcester side then that has a massive impact. The late call ups to the IPL have had an impact on Yorkshire and Surrey have been impacted by Marsh's injury. There are just so may variables that it is wide open.
The County that I have seen most of over the last few years are Worcester. Last year I said that the key to their success would be Barnard and Tongue stepping up. They both did that commendably. If Tongue can stay fit then he will play for England in a few years I think. If Moeen isn't in the test side then I guess he'll play for Worcester in September when wickets are tired and he could make a real impact. The fact that Worcester have signed Travis Head rather than a spinner (as they have done in previous years) indicates that Mo may be around a bit more this summer. An attack of Leach, Magoffin, Barnard, Tongue, D'Oliveira and Moeen Ali is not to be underrated (although if Moeen can't play then I am not sure D'Oliveira and Rhodes are good enough spinners to mount a serious challenge). Leach in particular is such an asset. He's a bit like Brookes at Yorkshire. Not quite good enough to be called up to the test side, but in the next rung down which means he is always available. He can bat too. Pat Brown is the latest one off the conveyor belt. He has a yard of pace too. I'm looking forward to seeing if he can develop this year.
For the batting unit, it's a big year for Joe Clarke. If he can score 1000 runs at this level then he will surely find himself in the test side (although his record this winter suggests he might not score that many runs in Sri Lanka and the Caribbean). Daryl Mitchell is another good solid pro. As long as the change in coach and everything associated with that has not destabilized the team too much, and they don't suffer too many injuries then I think Worcester could surprise people. Most pundits seem to have them nailed on for a relegation spot but I think this group of players are better than they have been the last few times they've played in Div 1.
As for Gloucestershire, they seem to have all but given up on red ball cricket. The signings of Higgins, Worrall and Tye indicate that in my opinion. I am not sure whether Klinger will be around for any white ball cricket this year and he would obviously be a huge loss. I think they are a very difficult county to follow at the moment and the promise of everything being OK once the ground was finished hasn't really materialized. They're also the biggest City (and biggest ground) to miss out on a T20 Franchise which they have been surprisingly quiet about. Perhaps there is some unseen benefit to be had - after all, there are a few sweeteners flying around at the moment according to the press.
That said, I absolutely love watching Jack Taylor play cricket. It will be interesting to see how he gets on as a batsman only this season. They also have a couple of academy players in the side now too which is nice. I hope Craig Miles can stay fit and rediscover his form this year.
If I have to stick my neck out, I reckon Surrey will win the league and Yorkshire and Notts will go down (both have lost players for various reasons and not really added). Division Two will be between Sussex, Warwickshire and Middlsex, with a nod in the direction of Northants who always seem to excel. First season I have not tipped Kent to go up in the last three though, so get your money on them!
What's everyone's view on the influx of overseas players this year? I have changed my mind on this a bit and I think the likes of Kohli, Amla, Morkel, Steyn and Pujara playing county cricket is a good thing. I read that only 2 English qualified players scored over 1000 runs in the first division last year. I also think there are plenty of young cricketers getting their chance and so an inlux of quality overseas talent may help to raise the standard. I also think giving the Indian's some decent practice is no bad thing for Test cricket. We need away sides to start to become a bit more competitive.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Mar 26, 2018 21:57:09 GMT
This has kind of gone under the radar hasn’t it! I cannot believe we picked the same side that have basically lost the majority of their last 15 tests abroad.
I know we were all out for 58 but our batting options are pretty limited on this tour. We don’t have any reserve openers. Root and Malan are certain picks (although I don’t think Malan has a technique suited to swing bowling) as are Stokes and Bairstow. So unless Stokes can bowl, in which case I’d give Livingston a go, the batsmen will all get a reprieve.
I think Mo needs some time out of the side. He’s played 50 tests now and is basically the same player he was 4 years ago. Decent number 8 who averages 30 odd with the bat and a partnership breaker with the ball. Neither economical enough nor incisive enough to be a front line bowler. So Leach has to play. I think Wood does too although the signs suggest to me that injuries have caught up with him. I think I’d leave Broad out. I just can’t bring myself to have an 8-11 of Wood, Leach, Broad and Anderson. It really would feel like the 90s! He strikes me as the kind of player that responds well a bit of a kick up the backside every now and again. If Stokes can bowl a few overs then it’s a 5 man attack with Livingston in the middle order.
If he can’t then we’re buggered cos it’s either a 4 man attack of Leach, Wood, Anderson and Woakes which is terrifying or a 5 man attack with Woakes at 7 and then 4 number 11s. Not even worth playing 3 quicks, Leach and Mo as he can’t buy a run at the moment.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Mar 26, 2018 21:36:51 GMT
The whole thing has been amazing and it just reminds you that Australian sporting culture is really quite weird sometimes. They really do take the 'play hard but play fair' thing extremely seriously. It's amazing to see ex-player after ex-player plus people from other sports and politicians just lining up to absolutely pan the Aussie team for this. I honestly don't think that if this had happened in England the reaction would have been anywhere near this volcanic. I'm not saying that whoever did it wouldn't have been roundly condemned and thought worthy of firing etc but I don't think there would be quite this depth of outrage. It says a lot about how Australia thinks of itself as a sporting country I think. Because from the outside you would think that Australia have always massively pushed the boundaries when given half a chance that being hypercompetitive is just part of the values of sport (I mean I have taken more abuse on cricket fields from Aussies than anyone else etc) - but there's clearly an idea that what is done within the laws and outside the laws are 2 different things. I almost feel a bit sorry Smith here - most mass muderers would get a better press! Clearly what he's done is terrible and he deserves to face the consequences but this is heads on pikes stuff. They did cheat and it is terrible and they clearly deserve to be banned/sacked etc. But somehow the reaction to it has left me feeling slightly the other way. I mean, let's be honest, Atherton was caught doing exactly this 20 odd years ago and nearly every side has been caught doing some variant of this at some point (which one assumes were equally pre-planned) and I remember gentle mockery and general 'down with this sort of thing'. But this is something else and of course the penalty itself is only 5 runs! This is going to have serious legs to it - it could end up with the destruction of this particular Australian side. There are obviously some pretty gross parts of this too - not least the obvious setting-up of a young player by getting Bancroft to do it etc. But in some ways it was the way they just brazenly owned up to it afterwards which seems to have particularly damned them in this instance. Plus the obvious - how on earth did they think they were ever going to get away with it? Particularly in such a bad tempered series like this in which TV producers would be having camera on nearly everything for the chance of another story. It's been a bizarre few weeks. I do wonder if the Aussies have just lost their minds under the stick they're getting and their anger at Rabada not getting banned and got it into their heads that there was some odd form of justice in doing this. As soon as I saw the look on Smiths face when the umpires were talking to Bancroft, I knew Smith was in on it. There are a number of factors that make this worse than the dirt in the pocket stuff in my opinion. The Aussie team are really hard to like. The coach really went for Broad a few years ago and then had the nerve to bleat about unfair treatment in South Africa. Lyon talked about ending careers Before the ashes. The way they went after Rabada was out of order. Smith setting himself up as a guardian of the game and making it clear that he felt he should have been consulted with after the ban was overturned. Has anyone heard Warner talking about the du plessis ball tampering a few years ago? Basically said the rules are there for a reason and we’d never stoop so low. They’re massive hypocrites. They asked for stump mics to be turned down so no one could hear them going after the South Africans then again, had the nerve to complain when South Africa reacted. Smith got the youngest guy in the team to ball tamper. He was also really stupid when fronting up to the press. This stuff about it being the leadership team may have been him trying to protect Warner but he has dropped Starc, Lyon and Hazelwood right in it. Ultimately, they have some throughly unlikable men in their team and have brazenly tried to cheat. Taking a foreign object into the field to try and alter the condition of the ball and then try and cover it up on the field is not a foolish one off incident. It is systemic. Smith’s position is untenable and I suspect he will miss at least 6 months cricket. Lehman will also lose his job. I cannot imagine this happening if Langer or Gillespie were in charge. I have no idea why Warner was VC in the first instance. If Lyon, Starc or Hazelwood we’re involved then they will be banned to and will be out of the running for the captaincy.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jan 8, 2018 15:30:19 GMT
Wanted to keep this post separate but it is ashes related. Why is Ben Stokes now included in the England squad for the one day and 20/20 matches? What has happened, what developments have there been with the police and CPS investigation that makes him available for this series and not the test matches? Something must have changed. If nothing has changed then he should have been available for the test matches. This situation is akin to the ECB shooting English cricket in the foot. Whether BS would have made a real difference we will never know but the negative build up to the series and losing a genuine top cricketer, possibly the best all rounder in the game presently, really cost us. Australia were afraid of him and they must have been laughing at what our leaders did. Now, whether you agree with him not playing in the ashes or not my point is what has changed now. If it were morally correct to stop him from playing in the ashes then it would be morally right for him not to play in the one day stuff because nothing has changed as far as I know. If he can play in the one day matches then he should have been chosen in red ball cricket. We seem to have an awful lot of people making some poor decisions full of confusion. I do not support in any way what BS is alleged to have done and am genuinely confused over this matter. It all smacks of the ECB trying to be some moral arbiter rather than a body responsible for English cricket. Genuinely interested in other people’s views. It's a legal box ticking exercise by the ECBs lawyers. He will be withdrawn before the series starts, unless the CPS have concluded it's case. I suspect he will end up playing in the IPL though.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jan 8, 2018 11:03:34 GMT
Well thank god that is over. We can go again in a few years on our own patch. Something to look forward to as their batting is not all that - although their bowling should stand up pretty well in English conditions. Warner and Smith aside their batsmen will get well and truly found out in England - unless one of our counties decides to give them some batting practice for a season before the next series of course... Bancroft, Khawaja, Marsh1 and Marsh2 I'm talking about you. This has already happened hasn't it? Bancroft has signed for Somerset, Shaun Marsh for Glamorgan, Mitchell Marsh for Surrey. I am sure Handscomb will be back over here too. I know Crane didn't do anything for Hampshire last season but he did well playing grade and state cricket in Australia last year. A 20 year old leg spinner playing most of his cricket in April, May and September is always going to struggle to make an impact. If we want to develop spinners, and genuine quick bowlers for that matter, we have to produce more pitches like Taunton and play more red ball cricket in the high season. Crane clearly has a good temperament and I really don't see that County cricket has that much to offer him. We might as well chuck him in to the test team and let him learn his game from there hadn't we? If Stokes is back and Woakes holds his place then I see no reason why we couldn't pick 6 bowlers for now. We could move Root, Malan or even the experienced number 3 Moeen Ali up to 3 and still have Woakes coming in at number 8. I think the worry for the series in two years time is that Anderson may well have retired and Broad looks like he is declining at the moment to the extent that I am not sure he is an automatic pick. We have not got a lot coming through behind them, even in English conditions.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jan 2, 2018 13:15:37 GMT
Oh well at least it won't be a whitewash - Steve Smith really has done something special in this series.
By the way - did anyone hear George Dobell on the writers thing they on TMS? My goodness - made Geoffrey Boycott sound like a ray sunshine. Cheer the hell up man - it was embarrassing. Yeah I heard it. He was pretty miserable wasn't he! In general though, I think he is one of the better, more knowledgeable cricket writers. His pieces on the First Class game are usually spot-on.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Dec 27, 2017 10:53:08 GMT
Couldn't have asked for a much better day than that to be honest. Aussies skittled for 7-70 odd with three chopping on. Then a terrific, gritty and patient Alastair Cook century. A 70K crowd, 35 degree weather, mid-strength flowing and a couple of pints in my old stamping ground after the game. Well played boys, well played! You lucky sod! Sounds like the best day of the series to attend so far from an Englishman's perspective. I hope we can push on tomorrow and score 500 and at the very least ensure we avoid the whitewash.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Dec 18, 2017 13:18:01 GMT
We've had chances in all 3 tests. Ultimately we aren't scoring enough runs and our bowlers lack potency. The players on the periphery of the squad, namely Stoneman, Vince, Malan and Overton have all had decent series but our two best batsmen just haven't delivered. If Root or Cook had scored a big first innings hundred in any of the first three tests we'd probably still be in the series.
You don't need 4 genuine quicks to succeed in Australia. Australia had Harris and Siddle supplementing Johnson last time out and they weren't much quicker than our bowlers. We need to find at least one though as well as a quality spinner if we're going to win away from home. We also need to find a batting unit who can consistently score a 500 on flat pitches. I always feel England end up with 80% of par in the first innings which leaves us chasing the game. At home our bowlers are good enough to get us out of trouble, but not at away.
Anyway, bring on the months of soul searching, management and playing personnel changes. I suspect what we actually need is to play some more domestic red ball cricket on good pitches which encourage spin and fast bowling rather than pushing cricket to the margins of the season.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Dec 5, 2017 11:44:15 GMT
Well we fought back today and, remarkably, we have given ourselves a sniff though I still maintain that we won't chase 360. Much like England, Australia have some huge holes in their side. Their bowling attack is terrific and they have two World Class batsmen. Other than that, much like England, you could pick the remaining five out of a hat and it would make bugger all difference. To be on the cusp of losing the Ashes 9 days in to the series is therefore, very frustrating.
Taking 4 wickets last night was lovely but it was this morning that was really encouraging. To take 6 wickets with an older ball in the best batting conditions of the day shows that we do have the bowling to challenge the Aussies (or their batting is substandard enough to be challenged by our bowling!)
I think it is becoming increasing clear that if we could score 400+ consistently, we would win the series and yet I still think we will lose the series 5-0 unless a couple of their bowlers to get injured.
Final point. I know Malan and Stoneman haven't scored hundreds of runs but I think there is something to work with there. They have both got through difficult spells and whilst I do think either of them will necessarily set the World on fire, I do think they have character and are the kind of players who will stand up and be counted when the teams backs are to the wall. Vince on the other hand probably has more natural ability than the other two combined but is too flashy to ever make a reliable test batsman in my opinion.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Dec 4, 2017 10:38:50 GMT
It's going to be 5-0 again isn't it? Even if we bowl them out for 100 in this innings we aren't going to score 350 in the 4th innings.
We were competitive throughout the first 3 days at the Gabba but we've been third in a two horse race subsequently. If we'd managed to get 400 in our first innings of the first test, or had we managed to run through their tale and gained a 50+ first innings lead then perhaps we'd have gained some momentum and confidence and from then, who knows.
Despite some very obvious flaws in their batting line up, our bowling attack is too mundane and samey to trouble their batting line up. You have to have a bit of variety. Anderson, Broad and Woakes could all do well in Australia if they had a World Class 90mph+ bowler, leg spinner or even a left armer in the attack too. Plenty of Australian bowlers who operate in the 80 - 85mph bracket have done well in Australia over the years. The likes of McGrath, Clark, Harris and Hazzlewood aren't un-English in their approach, but they all a quality spinner and a genuine fast bowler or two to compliment them.
The other big difference is that they played in sides who's batsmen had the upper hand. I bet our bowlers would look better if we were scoring 500+. With the exception of Swann, our bowling attack in 2010/11 was pretty similar to this one but our batsmen had good records and were in form and as a result we were able to build scoreboard pressure. Even with the best bowlers in the World in your side you need to be able to score 450 or more in the first innings in Australia and I just cannot see us doing that.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Nov 24, 2017 10:13:05 GMT
This England team should always be happy to be around 200 with 5/6 wickets in hand because it is that lower middle order that is our main strength and you want to set them up to put us in a winning position. Survive the early New Ball blast and they have every chance of getting a 400+ score here. With Stokes in the side yes. With Moeen at 6, Woakes at 8 and then the bowlers I am not so sure. If you compare positions 6-11, Bairstow at 7 is the only position we have a clear edge. If you'd have said Stoneman, Vince and Malan will all get 50s and 9-11 score 35 between them I think most would have assumed we'd get 400 plus. Unfortunately our shoe-in's haven't really contributed and I think the balance is marginally with Australia at present. Along with the batting, the other question going into the series was whether we could take wickets with the old ball. The signs so far aren't too promising in that regard.#
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Nov 23, 2017 13:43:53 GMT
I saw about as much cricket as Wareham. Highest quality test cricket I've seen for a while i think. It looked like a difficult pitch to score on to me and I think England did the right thing in looking to play low risk cricket. Had Root and Vince stayed in for longer then maybe the last session might have been time to step on the accelerator, but having lost those 3 quick wickets, I think England will have to get through until lunch tomorrow 4 or 5 down before they start to think about pushing on.
Lyon bowled really well and he is key for them. Having a spinner who is a threat and also economical means they can afford to play 4 bowlers. I'd like to see us use our feet a bit more to him next time out though. We can't just let him bowl, nor should we try and smack him out of the ground. Other than getting out(!) one of e biggest issues with almost every batsman who has stepped up from first class cricket is that they struggle to rotate the strike. They can put the bad ball away but they are a rarity in test cricket. The drop and run into the covers is an underrated shot.
It was an encouraging day but we need to score at least 400 before I feel safe. 300 to 350 leaves the door open for the Aussies. I think the pitch will quicken up and it's spinning so if they got 400 in reply to our 320 we'd be under big pressure in the 3rd innings.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Oct 30, 2017 22:23:24 GMT
I am not confident. Areas England could prosper though include the fact that even without Stokes we should have a strong lower middle order and we'll have 5 bowlers. We also have a better keeper. I am not absolutely convinced by Starc as a red ball bowler and I think Pattinson is a miss for them but talking up Australia's lack of strength in depth is a bit rich when I would have thought that Overton may replace Stokes. Can you imagine going into the first test without Anderson or Broad?
Cook, Root and Bairstow would get into a combined XI but I am not sure Malan or Vince would get into a combined second XI.
I think our bowling attack combined with their batting line up will be OK if England can score enough runs to build some pressure. If we're all out for less than 400 in our first innings then I think we'll struggle. Unfortunately I don't think we'll make 400 all that often.
Predictions usually make me look stupid and it would be easy to play it safe here and go for Root and Smith to score lots of runs but that's no fun.
1) Stoneman to cement his place in the side 2) Cummins leading wicket taker 3) Hanscomb to score a lot of runs 4) Australia to regain the urn by the end of the 3rd test
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Oct 17, 2017 15:26:47 GMT
I don't think you have anything to worry about. Even the ECB wouldn't be daft enough to repeat last seasons fiasco. Surely, surely not..... Confirmed now isn't it. Right decision I think. Can't have seasons ending in the board room on a regular basis. Unless they can find a way to relegate Hampshire of course. That I could support
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Oct 13, 2017 11:46:43 GMT
Hampshire survive again. Pah! Looks like the season isn’t over! With the Middlesex appeal against their points deduction in early September due to be heard on Monday despite them not appealing until they were relegated and their CEO saying they couldn’t appeal it looks like a nail biting weekend for us Somerset fans. Apparently, according to the BBC website, Somerset have already instructed their lawyers in readiness. If they reimburse the points to Middlesex I’m wondering if there will be a fudge ie. they will only let one team be relegated and make it two divisions of 9 and 9. Or they may decide to relegate us and be a bit nearer establishing a division 1 of test playing counties. Then Worcestershire and Essex had better look out next season. Andrew Strauss will be fighting in the Middlesex corner with Angus Fraser and most of the ECB to ensure they don’t go down. We will soon find out if the ECB are as crooked as they are incompetent. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Even the ECB wouldn't be daft enough to repeat last seasons fiasco.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Oct 3, 2017 12:23:14 GMT
Jack - wouldn't you say the same potentially applied to Dawson at Glos? I mean I know the challenges are massive but, when it comes to it, Glos have been terrible this season right? I'm not saying sack the coach necessarily but surely they have to do something - pretty underwhelming stuff. If I was still a member I think I'd be quite grumpy - aren't we supposed to be in the golden post-ground redevelopment era?
I am a bit out of the loop if I'm honest and I haven't seen Gloucestershire at all this year with the exception of a T20 game on TV. If I was still a Glos member though I would be appalled at their inability to develop their own players. For a middle - sized county to have failed to have produced anyone who has even come close to England selection since Jon Lewis more than a decade ago is dreadful. I firmly subscribe to the view that developing players who can play for England is the primary remit of the 18 first class counties. I would even settle for picking up other Counties young cast offs and giving them a chance to develop. The kind of record we have doesn't get turned around overnight and I wonder if there are green shoots of recovery on that front. The likes of Dent, Taylor(s), Hankins, Miles and Norwell are at least a core of players who have some connection to the County and have forged semi decent careers as a cricketer. Bracey made an encouraging start to his career and the signing of Ryan Higgins is a better signing than anything we managed last season (Chris Liddle for heavens sake!) On the other hand you could probably argue that they were all young players of some promise and not one of them has really kicked on. Miles is the only player who I think could play first division cricket and he Maybe the pathway is better but the coaching isn't? Either way a clear strategy would help.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 28, 2017 16:51:28 GMT
Hampshire survive again. Pah!
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 28, 2017 12:50:36 GMT
Well Irish, confirmed that Vince goes!! Strange one isn't it. And Overtons going which is a big surprise to me. I think Overton and Vince are odd choices though Overton has bowled well this season and having overcome, permanently I hope, his tendency to go off on one could be a very good choice. But he won't play will he? You were right they have gone for an extra bowler or two. Woakes, Ball and Overton makes me think there are either concerns over bowlers' fitness, the batsmen dropped are known not to be good enough so will move Moeen up the order and play an extra bowler or its a blind panic! I did go for 16 players because that is what they usually take. I would have taken Hameed but he will go with the Lions and were he to get some big scores it won't be far to travel because they are in Oz too. I think this will be the case for many of the players who missed out. Leach, Dawson, Rashid(?), Wood, Jennings will be in Australia and not far away if needed. Vince is strange one. like Mason Crane, I don't get this idea about Vince being test class. Yes he has some nice strokes but so do many others. I wonder if selectors see players play now. We all know that Trevor Baylis doesn't watch four day cricket so only coaches players selected for him. Because of this I wonder if selection for England is influenced by the Sky commentators because Gower, Warne and I think Atherton have always supported his inclusion. Certainly more than that of Gary Ballance. We might have lost the era of the Gentlemen V The Players thankfully but influence and favour are still living and breathing! You will have seen a lot more of Overton but given the injuries we have I am not that surprised they have taken him. Not sure who else there is if Wood, TRJ and Plunkett are all considered to by injured or lacking the fitness required to go 5 days. Crane has been picked on the back of his performance in grade and then Sheffield Shield cricket last winter. He's barely played for Hampshire though. Scary that he could end up playing as part of a 4 man attack if Moeen gets injured on the morning of the match and Stokes is er, otherwise engaged. I choose not to believe that the likes of Vaughan have any influence over selection but the Vince pick has taken me by surprise. We are not blessed with many options but Vince was so poor when he was picked last time and has been so mediocre in first class cricket since that I assumed he was way down the pecking order. I genuinely believe Daryl Mitchell would have done a better job at 3 for England this winter. It will be interesting to see who makes the Lions tour this winter. I hope Leach is on the plane and gets a good run in the side. I am going to pick Irish up on his Bairstow comment too. I love watching him bat. I thought last year that he was going to kick on and become our second best batsman but that hasn't quite happened this year. I suspect he has focused on improving the weaker part of his game and that has paid dividends as his keeping has improved a lot this summer. He's averaged 32 this summer having batted at 7 in difficult conditions. I think judged as a number 7 wicket-keeper batsman his place isn't in doubt. If he was batting as a specialist 4 or 5 then maybe there would be a case to answer, however, I suspect if he gave up the gloves he'd score more runs. Final comment; however you dress it up it is a squad with gaping holes that looks pretty desperate on paper especially for tests played outside of the UK.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 28, 2017 12:33:27 GMT
So, barring a late intervention by the pitch inspectors Somerset are safe by virtue of beating Middlesex by a lot. They've got a terrific bowling attack and now Davies has settled and Able has rediscovered a bit of form they might do a bit better next season, especially if they can find an overseas batsman to replace Elgar. What do you make of the Maynard decision Wareham? He has never struck me as particular popular with the Somerset members. Interesting that it is rumored that a failure to replace Elgar is one of the reasons why he has been asked to leave. Notts started the season with a test standard bowling attack but have ended it without Broad, Ball, Pattinson and Fletcher. They also lost Lumb and Brendan Taylor mid season. On reflection it is not a surprise that they have fallen back towards the pack. That said it looks like they have saved themselves. Chris Read is one of the new Notts players I can abide so at least it was his runs that saved them. I'm just going to console myself with the supposition that the perilous nature of the close of play score on day 2 persuaded Jennings to sign for Lancs rather than Notts. Lancs are another side you can lump in with Notts and Warwickshire though. A well resourced county that rely on other sides to produce players for them. Hampshire are mid collapse as I type and they deserve to go down after last season. Stuffed full of Kolpak players too. Fingers crossed they sink without trace today
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 25, 2017 21:04:57 GMT
As always I am intrigued by the end of the Championship season. I listened to the last hour of the Somerset game in the car and it was gripping. Hard to know whether Somerset let Middlesex off the hook wo their collapse or whether Middlesex will rue a poor first session. I also think it's great to see some cricket played in this country on a turning track. I rated Ravi Patel when I saw him a few years ago. There are others like him who would benefit from playing on a few more wickets like the one at Taunton.
My local side Worcester must have thought they were up until Northants beat Notts. I said earlier on this season the Tounge and Barnard would need to step up. Well they absolutely have. It's been great watching those two and to a lessor extent Pat Brown develop. If Tounge can stay fit (and I think he has had back problems) then I am sure he will play for England.
I thought that Koehler Kadmore moving to Yorkshire mid season was going to destabilise the team irrecoverably and they were outclassed by Sussex a month or so ago but they have recovered well. Given that they've tried everyone else I am surprised Daryl Mitchell never gets a mention as an option at the top of the order for the national side. Joe Clarke will play for England too.
The worry however is that Notts and Warwickshire both need players. Clarke wants to keep but is behind Ben Cox. Chris Read has retired and Tim Ambrose is getting on. Warwickshire must be looking for a replacement for Boyd Rankin too. Trott barely trusted to bowl last week against Yorkshire.
Final point from me. I would bloody love it if Notts and Warwickshire were in Div 2 next season. It's deplorable the way that both relatively wealthy Counties have failed miserably to produce their own players over the last decade, although partial credit must be given to Warwickshire for giving Surrey a taste of their own medicine when they pinched Sibley earlier on this year!
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