Mousley, since his brilliant ton v Surrey, has barely made a run and that this afternoon was a particularly poor dismissal.

Couldn't really ask for more than that. Excellent bowling helped by some dodgy Essex batting at times. Massive session coming up, should be a great watch.

Great start!

I've no issue with Farrell. Atleast she's well researched and enthusiastic for county cricket.

Definitely a bit less in it today. Essex were pretty relentless to be fair.

Clouding over again...

Terrific effort from Hain under the circumstances.

Totally agree. It would do the lad a disservice if he was just as a batter only at 7. Which actually happened last season a couple of times. If he doesn't keep, it should challenge him to progress his batting even further.

He's in a good place.

I remember Burgess standing out as being really untidy when he first came. Kai is not only that but he's actually dropping catches as well. Having said that Burgess improved so much it was scarcely believeable, he could actually affect the game from behind the stumps, brilliant keeper. Kai can improve, I reckon he will, he has too if he's gonna keep regularly, lets be honest. Re. his batting, he looked like a white ball batter playing red ball last season to me, however this season he looks far more assured outside his off stump and is developing a back foot game that he didnt really have last year. Can he bat in the top 5/6? We'll see.

Incredibly good grab from Walter to dismiss Thompson who was looking good. And then a minute they all walk off for rain, so frustrating.

Clearly a bad toss to lose, the most perfect bowling conditions we've seen for a while at Edgbaston. As has already been acknowledged this pitch will likely flatten out and slow right up on days 3 and 4.

Team selections probably about right, Woakes was never gonna play every game in this block, thought he bowled v Surrey but when he took that 2nd new ball v Sussex on Monday morning he did look jaded...he'll be back.

Kai Smith has made even further improvements with the bat this year particularly from a technical point of view but his glovework, and I appreciate this won't go down well here, remains way off im afraid. He too will be back though.

Pleased to see Zen's form for the 2's rewarded.

No specialist spinner. Barker in the 14. Green seamer incoming perhaps?

Tell us you haven't watched the first 2 games without actually telling us you haven't watched the first 2 games...

Can't see how Malik gets in Friday unless theres an injury, despite his form for the 2's.

Has signed for Yorkshire...

For Friday it probably depends on who needs a rest or not. Oscar Rees for the Cricketer seemed to insinuate that Gilchrist and Booth will rotate. Woakes might rest here as he's still working back after a bad injury. I wouldn't look to make wholesale changes unless people need their workload managed.

Woakes, despite struggling v Sussex, is still our best bowler in my opinion.

I thought the Sussex attack was also very 'samey', it just bowled better than ours.

He'd opened the bowling for Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield as recently as Feb and he was bowling serviceable off breaks at the SCG in the Ashes, he's definitely an all rounder. He looked a decent bowler for us last year. Against Surrey and Sussex thus far though he's looked ordinary. Wonder if we're using him wrong?

Feel like there's been a trend across the country with pitches getting flatter as the game goes on, broadly speaking. Maybe something to consider at the toss.

Ok, cheers