I'm getting deja vu with this chat about the skipper. I remember a prolonged debate on the old board about Jim Troughton and whether he was worth his place. I think he had more to worry about than Rhodes.
I like the fact that Rhodes bats at 3. He would probably do better if he batted lower down (remember the "safer at seven" campaign for Jimmy T?), but he puts himself in a vulnerable spot thereby taking one for the team. It's not obvious to me that there is anyone in the seconds battering down the door to take a number 3 batting slot, so well done to Rhodes for the time being. It would be nicer if he scored more heavily but I don't see him as a liability yet.
With the arrival of Barnard, Rhodes' bowling is of less value but it's still there. His other plus is that the team look happy, implying that, as captain, he's doing ok. There have been plenty of times in seasons gone by when the team have looked positively grumpy. Unless we are sure that a replacement captain would manage to maintain a good atmosphere, let's not rock the boat just yet.

The upgrades to the squad have been substantial over the last two seasons. Sure Davies didn't come off really last season but he was brought in at a time where it was possible Sibley would have already moved back to Surrey which was the rumour towards the end of the title win so he needed replacing. Not saying Davies is better than Sibley but a different style of player that would help us accrue a greater haul of batting bonus points in the long run. They dispensed with overseas batting after Vihari and Malan found it tricky in April in England Hassan instead comes in and instantly effects games. Chance then arises to give extended runs in the team to Mousley and eventually perhaps Bethell and Benjamin alongside the experience of Rhodes and Hain. Rhodes is now getting towards what Bresnan was in 2021 in terms of experience. Sure he needs a score even a scratchy 70 or 80 would be brilliant from him but his game nous will have grown over the past four seasons now. Keeping Burgess happy is crucial and having Woakes available even if it ends up being for just this phase of the season is an added bonus.

Barnard is the upgrade on Lamb/Milo where we get two players in one and also the replacement for Bresnan we never had last season to an extent.

Rushworth rather than a dozen or so who've been tried since COVID is a massive upgrade. On top.of all his own attributes it ought to mean we can utilize Danny Briggs more effectively this season. He's not just gonna be thrown the ball in desperation like Jeetan Patel often was towards the end of his stint because the seam attack was so pop-gun. Briggs will chip in with the bat like always and be used in an attacking role more and help make up for the lack of true pace in the side to blow away tails unless we get Norwell back or Henry Brookes gets on one of his Broad-like spells

paulbear wrote:

Reabank wrote:

Great result, made my day. Don't know who was responsible but (4 games in) looks like we made some really shrewd decisions over the winter. As for negative views of Warwickshire, seems to come with the territory - every time we've won the title in my life time it's been met with a mixture of backhanded compliments and downright whinging. Makes it all the sweeter when we come through.
I agree, there are always negative comments when we win anything, in 2004 we got a lot of comments because we won only 5 games. We did draw 11 but lost none and by July, it was obvious that a side who would go on to have a lowest score of 265 in the CC were not going to lose any games and during July we were so many points ahead of 2nd, that all we had to do was keep accumulating points. No other side had the nerve to declare too many behind and try to encourage us to set up a finish so what were we to do. In 1995, Mike Brearley said our pitches were green-tops prepared for our bowlers. If your first 3 bowlers are Donald, Small and Munton, you are going to win a few games and it doesn't explain how we played 2 spinners every game, any 2 from Smith, Davis and Giles. And in 2021 we got all the "They only won because it was a different format and Essex and Notts had better records" - Tough, all the counties knew the score from ball 1 and if they didn't play well enough to get in to the top tier and carry forward any points, then that is their hard luck. We have won more trophies during the modern era and if you take any block of a 5 year period going back to the mid-90's we are in the top 3 of trophy winners in EVERY period, I suppose the other counties think this is all a fluke as well. Happy Bank Holiday everyone.

Before my time but even in 72 we were accused of buying the title (after the success of the Warwick Pools) and called the United Nations because we had so many overseas players.

The Warwick pool that kept Essex or was it Surrey? afloat in the 1970's? Or helped rebuild crumbling Oval or Chelmsford at that time?

mad wrote:

The Warwick pool that kept Essex or was it Surrey? afloat in the 1970's? Or helped rebuild crumbling Oval or Chelmsford at that time?

Essex and Chelmsford. Trevor Bailey always expressed gratitude.

I think it was more complaints about the four West Indians and signing Willis etc at a time when Counties were expected to produce their own players.

Where can I read more about this Warwick Pool?

There's a little bit here:

https://edgbaston.com/news/bears-in-the-ashes-mjk-smith/

It was pioneering at the time and led to the redevelopment of Edgbaston. Manchester United were so impressed they copied it to develop Old Trafford.

Cheers

Andy wrote:

Where can I read more about this Warwick Pool?
Sorry to come late to answering this.
Leslie Duckworth's "The Story of Warwickshire Cricket" (published 1974) has a chapter entitled "Pool of Plenty" which describes this.
He says that, up to the end of 1972, the Pool (started in 1953 and run by the Supporters Association) had raised £2 million for cricket as a whole including £1m on building projects at Edgbaston and £400k given to help other clubs. New Zealander Ray Hitchcock was involved in organising it but the husband and wife team of David Blakemore and Winifred Crook were largely responsible for its success. Winifred was allegedly approached by a famous football manager to run their pool but replied: "Mr ---, I play for Warwickshire."
Also - see the last part of this article:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152469.html

Nice one, cheers