Nottinghamshire at home starting Thursday. Slightly better weather forecast.

Woakes in?

Sibley, Stone out?

Would be good to see Chris Woakes in the team getting a very rare game of cricket; just hope he can remember what to do! I really think the way he's been treated by the England management is shoddy to say the least. With the NZ Test starting next week I'm sure Stone and probably SIbley too will be out so we'll need to add another batsman as well, Mousley presumably. Let's hope we can do the double over Notts who will be without Stuart Broad this time.

I wouldn't bank on Woakes playing. The ECB always seem to find an excuse for him not to play. Surely he needs the practice and fitness?

Rhodes
Yates
Malan
Hain
Lamb
Woakes
Burgess
Bresnan
Briggs
Norwell
OHD

Woakes in gives us such better balance.

Assuming Sibley and Stone will be rested for England:

Rhodes (c)
Malan
Yates
Hain
Mousley
Woakes
Burgess +
Bresnan
Briggs
Norwell/Miles
OHD

Definitely no Stone and Sibley, as all England players go into their team “bubble” on Thursday, but it’s not a bubble as we’ve seen previously. So players can theoretically come into and out of it this time.

I’d love Woakes to come in but I just can’t see it. For whatever reason the ECB will say no, which is ludicrous. He’d provide great balance for the side, but I’m not optimistic.

If no Woakes, and Miles still possibly injured, we might see Brookes coming in.

Surely Lamb will come in to replace Sibley, he was in the side while Sibley was injured, and Mousley & Hose have done nothing, due to rain, to move ahead of Lamb in the past week.

13 man squad:-

Rhodes, Bresnan, Briggs, Henry B, Burgess, OHD, Hain, Lamb, Malan, Miles, Mousley, Norwell & Yates

Bald_Reynard wrote:

13 man squad:-

Rhodes, Bresnan, Briggs, Henry B, Burgess, OHD, Hain, Lamb, Malan, Miles, Mousley, Norwell & Yates

I'm guessing, if Miles is fully fit again, Brookes will be the bowler left out and Lamb will be back in place of Sibley, rather than Mousley ?

It must be tough being Chris Woakes, travelling around the world to carry the drinks and not play much cricket. I’m not going to say his talent has been wasted by any stretch, his trophy cabinet and career stats testify against that, but it’s hard not to wonder what might have been had he been around in a different era.

Agreed, I'm stunned he's not playing here.

Streetly_Bear wrote:

It must be tough being Chris Woakes, travelling around the world to carry the drinks and not play much cricket. I’m not going to say his talent has been wasted by any stretch, his trophy cabinet and career stats testify against that, but it’s hard not to wonder what might have been had he been around in a different era.

Completely agree. It's nothing short of a travesty the way Woakesy is being treated. It's bad that many Centrally Contracted players don't get runouts for their Counties very often, but he seems to be singled out for the worst treatment - not even getting chance to play for his Country.

What is the objective by not playing him ?

If stokes is injured for India tests he is probably the best alternative so we're not helping ourselves

As a front bowler he is also struggling to get into the side, how is this going to help him?

I think the ECB have made it very clear over the winter and into this season that the T20 World Cup and the allowing of players to play in the IPL were their priorities. All else, especially county cricket can be sacrificed in achieving those aims.
Which makes no sense for a number of cricketing and financial reasons. But at the end, it’s always the counties that lose the most, they don’t get their best players and they make less money. At least Woakes is being very well paid whether he plays or not.

That is true he is being paid a terrific amount, when I listened to his interview on the Bears Podblast (incidentally a very entertaining listen) he did seem quite frustrated with it all even if he clearly couldn’t say anything too disparaging.

Nonetheless I’m very much looking to seeing whoever plays over the next (hopefully) four days. It’s been too long!

Bald Reynard guessed right - Brookes and Mousley are out - both playing for the 2nd's at Newport, in the (rescheduled) two T20 Friendlies.

We lost the toss and are batting. Rhodes (again !) and Yates opening, but making heavy weather of it - 13 for 0 off 7 overs !

Do we know for sure that it's the ECB that have prevented Woakes from playing? Given how much he's been away from home/in bubbles over the last year there's a chance that he may have chosen to spend some time with his family.

Nice to see the addition of number of balls faced/overs bowled to the live stream - a big improvement in my opinion. Shows that the club do listen to feedback as I emailed Tom Rawlings to suggest it a few weeks ago so if anyone has any suggestions it's worth dropping the club an email!

I know what you mean, it's not necessarily ECB who are mandating any of this. I got a question answered by the Guardian's cricket correspondent Ali Martin a week or so back in that he seemed to think Woakes wasn't looking to wind down his Warwicks commitments, like Bell he senses he owes the club a bit, so it seems motivation is there. I had previously sensed Woakes didn't want to do much country cricket anymore. I think the same could be said of Jofra Archer, of which there is some conjecture he could miss the entire of this season to be ready for T20 world cup and the ashes.

Exiled Bear wrote:

Do we know for sure that it's the ECB that have prevented Woakes from playing? Given how much he's been away from home/in bubbles over the last year there's a chance that he may have chosen to spend some time with his family.

I think Malan got a bad one there. Looks like a big inside edge, and possibly outside the line.
But Rhodes looks much better today. Maybe he just needed that one bit of luck. Hopefully he comes out after lunch and cashes in.