Often the way up there. As I'm sure you well know. When the clouds are in it goes round corners, the moment them clouds lift though...

Sounds like we need to strike early tomorrow.

Anyway we'd better still be in this game when I come up Saturday!

The old batch of balls with the less pronounced seam has apparently been replaced from this round of matches on so that may partly explain why some of the batters struggled today.

Davies failed again. Why do we keep playing him as an opener? Play Sibley and Yates for heaven's sake!

Agreed, Davies is naturally an attacking player so would be more suited to a role down the order, when he’s facing bowlers that are more tired (in theory, assuming we don’t lose four wickets in the first 10 overs…)

Henry Brookes only bowling at 78-81mph. A fair bit slower than a couple of seasons ago when he was bowling 90mph?

I'm not sure that speed guns right

Mind you, Henry has picked up the prize wicket of Joe Root!

He's bowled well, great stuff.

He has lost a yard no doubt, but he's still quicker than 80mph in my opinion.

269/4. Yorkshire have a firm grip on this game. Not much threat from the bowlers, although Brookes has bowled some good spells. Woakes, Norwell and Stone being unavailable is really affecting us. Also, the loss of Welch and retirement of Bresnan can't be underestimated....

The bowlers who are available have to bowl better, it's as simple as that.

I don’t know what others think, but for me 1 of the biggest differences in the bowling this year away from personnel has been the amount of loose balls. Miles, Rhodes, McAndrew, Briggs and Brookes have seemed to bowl too many balls that can be left or are boundary balls.
So whilst we seem less threatening, we don’t seem to be able to build up pressure either.

I agree wholeheartedly about the 'loose balls' aspect of our bowling. Watching the games v Surrey, Essex and Northants, I was unimpressed with the amount of 'Half-trackers' we bowled and if you are not getting wickets, the fact that runs are coming so quickly, means a game can get away from you in just a session. It looks highly unlikely that we will retain our title and you can imagine all the 'They didn't deserve it last season and this proves it' comments which will be lined up in September.

It's a fair point on the bowling. I've not double checked this so may be wrong, but I think in every game we've played so far, the other team has scored at a faster rate than us.

We've struggled up front with the new ball virtually every game and it sets the tone.

That has to be Davies's last chance at opening. Another terrible shot to get out to - not learning from previous mistakes this season at all.

Agreed, he has been given some time but he simply has not delivered.

Regarding the bowling, it's more than slightly galling to see what Keith Barker is achieving for Hampshire - 13 overs, four maidens, 6-27 today at Taunton to bowl Somerset to a three day defeat.

We should never have let Barker go.

Yates is really struggling too at 3. Trotty doesn’t seem to be having too much of an impact as batting consultant so far.

Hain and Rhodes batted well to get us through to the close. Really gritty, 'you shall not pass' stuff. 98 and 76 balls faced respectively. Which contrasts with Alex Davies, one of our opening pair, who made a useless 8 off 7. I understand the thinking, ie a dasher next to the more defensive Sibley, but it hasn't worked and it's high time for a change.

I watched open mouthed as Davies smashed Thompson for 8 in the first over, only to see him caught at mid on a few balls later. Pathetic really. However, I thought Rob Y batted responsibly before falling to a slower ball.

I think the CC break has come at the right time for Davies, otherwise he’d be dropped.

I can’t make up my mind about McAndrew - quick and aggressive, but oh so expensive. Still, I suppose this is what the coaching staff get paid to put right. However, I always thought the overseas player was brought in to be the experienced leader?