Sadly Rhodes has reverted to type after a good match last time out.

4/1 with a healthy lead behind us

Rhodes gone cheaply. Malan will soon follow the way he's going after the ball so early. Play yourself in!!!

white-lightning wrote:

Rhodes gone cheaply. Malan will soon follow the way he's going after the ball so early. Play yourself in!!!

It’s difficult to watch isn’t it. 3 or 4 big wafts at balls well outside off. Doesn’t inspire confidence that’s for sure.

BristolBear wrote:

white-lightning wrote:

Rhodes gone cheaply. Malan will soon follow the way he's going after the ball so early. Play yourself in!!!

It’s difficult to watch isn’t it. 3 or 4 big wafts at balls well outside off. Doesn’t inspire confidence that’s for sure.

Didn't last long did he? What a waste of money he is. He should be dropped for the next match. Just reckless batting for a supposed experienced batsman!

It was an excellent catch by the keeper, and better batsmen than him have been strangled down the legside before.

Even with a few low scores, he looks more secure than Vihari ever did.

Highveld wrote:

It was an excellent catch by the keeper, and better batsmen than him have been strangled down the legside before.

Even with a few low scores, he looks more secure than Vihari ever did.

But Malan had zero patience from the off. Bagged a pair in this match! I'd rather Dan Mousley replaced him.

Highveld wrote:

It was an excellent catch by the keeper, and better batsmen than him have been strangled down the legside before.

Even with a few low scores, he looks more secure than Vihari ever did.

Neither looked great. But Vihari had 3 matches, scored 100 runs and a high score of 50. Malan has now had 4 matches, scored 90 runs and a high score of 30. So right now, the stats don’t look great for either, but worse for Malan.

The most concerning difference between the 2 however is that Malan looks to be getting worse. His highest score came in his first match, and he looks like he’s trying things to play his way into form, rather than just playing.
This wicket is the perfect example, he got strangled because he was clearly struggling with the ball outside off stump, lots of play and misses, so he came down and across to change the line, which lead to him knicking it down leg side. The irony being if he’d have stayed in his original stance that ball would have been a perfect boundary ball on his pads to get him going. Instead it was fractionally leg side of him, and he was trying to reach it, rather than let it come to him.

The top order start is following a familiar pattern. No foundation really being set, again. Just as I type 18/3 Yates gone cheaply, although I'm not overly criticising him after his batting so far this season.

Should have made them follow on, the ball is clearly doing a lot today!

14 wickets so far in this session, does suggest the conditions for batting are difficult.

Solbear wrote:

Should have made them follow on, the ball is clearly doing a lot today!

Mainly poor application and technique I feel. The batting is so brittle.

The pitch has got quite a green tinge to it, it’s moving in the air and off the pitch, so no doubt it’s a bowling wicket.
But they need to know they’ve got a day to score 150. Get a 300 run lead, take up some time, let the bowlers put their feet up and you’d expect them to win this.

Hain and Lamb have steadied the ship quite well there.

There is clearly a bit in it for the bowlers. Just need to keep them quiet after tea initially then push on.

Sam Hain, another solid start scoring 46, but just threw his wicket away offering no shot. Poor judgement. Now 107/5. 260 lead.

It was doing a fair bit for the quicks but I'm afraid that's another poor top order performance.

I suspect this lead should already be too much on a pitch clearly offering a lot to the bowlers, if Warwickshire bowl well. It’s not just swing and seam, but a few batsmen appear to have been undone by extra bounce too.
Just a case of batting as long as possible now, take up some time, keep their batsmen in the field, and make that target as imposing as possible.

Seems strange how no one wants to make the opposition follow-on anymore. If you bowl a side out in less than 40 overs, then you have not exactly spent ages in the field and have also had a break at some stage, so whilst the ball is dictating things, get them in again and go for it. The lead at the moment already looks too much so we are in control and this could be a huge step to topping the table seeing how the game at Essex has been disrupted. We really look a good unit at the moment and with so many young players hopefully learning from the elder statesmen, we should have a decent team in 3-4 years time.

Should be enough. The door has been left slightly ajar though. That partnership between Hain and Lamb either side of tea yesterday is looking huge all of a sudden...

We're well on our way, great if they can themselves a day off tomorrow.

85-6 and the bowlers are doing it again. OHD, what a player he is now. over the last 3 years, he has gone from being quite reliable to having put on a few yards of pace, swinging it more and being a new-ball bowler of some repute. A great bloke also, so big cheers all around from this bear. Dare I talk about the Bob Willis Trophy Final, too late, I have opened that door now. COYB.