Live scores etc link

https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/#m3d9426f5-0bc3-474e-b9ec-946cb3376164

Bears win the toss and bat first. Lamb and Lintott miss out.
Lamb is an Injury absence, with a Hamstring injury apparently.
Chris Benjamin in at a ground he did well at last year.
One of Sibley, Davies or Yates really needs to step up and get a proper top order score.
Pressure is definitely starting to mount on Rhodes too, with pretty poor displays with Bat and Ball to start the season.

Davies out for a duck! Offered no shot and lost his off stump. 0/1. Again another poor start. Bowler Bailey looks dangerous for Lancs....

Is Matt Lamb injured?

Lamb has a hamstring problem...

Bailey is a really good county bowler.

I’d love to see all the teams combined top 3 averages this season.
Davies, Sibley and Yates so far must be towards the bottom.
Was similar last year too, so rarely get a good start. Is 50/0 or 70/1 really too much to ask for?
It seems like the middle order is always exposed to a new ball and fresh bowlers with their tails up.

Does anyone have any idea why Norwell is playing for the 2nd XI rather than at Old Trafford? He can't be injured and the concussion ruling would stop him playing at any level wouldn't it?

The official version is that he needed more game time before coming back next week.
If nothing else, it defers the issue of whether McAndrew would get in on merit ahead of Miles and Norwell.

I’ve heard there were some minor concerns about a niggle, but predominantly the S&C staff believe that he needs to be bowling fit, to prevent further injury.
They basically wanted a few overs under his belt to test him out, then a week to rest and some controlled overs on training before Northants. Rather than risk playing him; and have him breakdown mid-match.
I believe it was the Pop Welch approach, bowlers need to be bowling, that’s how they get fit and stay fit.

Can't argue with that

Poor old Will is really struggling for runs. Dom standing firm though.

The Rhodes lack of runs is becoming more of an issue.
He didn’t have a good season last year with the bat, and it got glossed over a bit because he was doing so well with the ball, and his 100 at the end of the season.

But this season he’s been expensive with the ball and less of a wicket threat, so the lack of runs is more obvious.

Well done to Dom Sibley. All that hard work on his technique is paying off.

He's looked good. It does look pretty flat out there...

Excellent knock by Dom and Chris Benjamin. Regarding Davies, did he open at Lancs? To me, he'd be more useful in the middle order when the ball is a bit older?

Not exclusively, but more often than not he opened, particularly as his career progressed. Started keeping less and less in red ball too, talk is his fingers are knackered.

273/7 at close of play. Dom is still there on 118. A couple of loose shots at the end spoiled it somewhat. A bit too gung ho in the last 5 overs or so.

Briggs’ shot was a loose one, but I think Benjamin just missed a straight one, and Burgess definitely seemed to get a harsh one. Seemed to be going comfortably down leg.
But that can happen with the second new ball.

Of more concern is without Sibley’s runs, the other members of the top 5 scored 69 combined. You just won’t win enough like that, because you do need to factor in a good ball or a poor decision going against you. In this case, Benjamin and Burgess both looked good and playing it nicely, and that leaves you in a tough spot if they’re trying to make up for multiple failures higher up the order.

Is Davies looking like the odd man out here? I know Yates isn't getting runs either but I'd much rather have him back up to opener.