The_Lickey_Banker wrote:

He's had a cracking season for Worcester - with the bat and the ball (3 for 34 off 12 overs today, against a strong Essex lineup), in both red and white ball. Another example of one we let go too soon, or didn't give enough first team chances to?

Both.

I think after a iffy start he's grown into the season quite well and seems to be impacting games more and more. He's certainly playing a lot more than I thought he might have. He looks a canny bowler. We know he's an incredible fielder.

Seam bowling all rounders don't grow on trees.

We've let a fair few homegrown lads go the last 2 winters. We're not a really a county who seems to back academy developed players as much as other counties do. We only ever seem to have 2 or 3 homegrown lads in our XI, most other counties have 5 or 6 minimum. Yorkshire had 10 in their side last week.

Lamb, Brookes, Brookes, Garrett, Johal, no great shakes you may say but 24 year old OHD wasn't pulling up many trees either and whilst all these lads got released dross like Benjamin and Miles remained on the books.

We seem to have an over reliance on recruiting/poaching from elsewhere as opposed to putting time into players we already have.

We're always scratching around for seam bowlers because we don't have a steady pipeline of homegrown seamers already coming through our academy, it magnifies our injury list.

Finch one looked an absolute shocker goodness me

sdobbs wrote:

The kookaburra's back in the game we really need to win....

My thoughts exactly, playing the weakest team in the division (once) with the ball that doesn't really lend itself to result cricket...

Feels like Kent have had injury problems for about 3 years now.

Has been named in the England Test XI.

Obviously not a Warwickshire player anymore but I feel very proud of him, he must have felt miles away from this at one point. He must have fought so hard.

No reason why Moeen shouldn't be available, if fit. Can maybe see Woakes being available, totally understand why he might not be though. Not that I'd agree with him not being available.

To not have Bethell and Mousley available would be absolutely dire for us though, both have been so instrumental in so many of our Blast wins. Mousley with the ball has such a unique skillet in that format, nobody really does what he does. As a lifelong Bears fan he'll be completely shattered to be missing out.

That article seemed to get them the call up!

4 of those wickets were absolute gifts I'd say. It became very apparent on day 1 we were on a low and slow type of surface, just not a good cricket wicket. Edgbaston can be a bit like that sometimes, its not a dig at Barwell. Who can forget that deck last year for the Ashes?!

Somerset commentary most biased on the circuit, so biased it's almost crude.

Not surprised to read that about the Overton's dad either, the South West can be a bit like that.

We've played well here against a good side but the 3rd innings has been our achilles heel all season long. We bowled ever so well yesterday I thought, Barnard was so accurate. I note Rushworth didn't bowl after tea and spent some time off the field, wonder if he felt a twinge? What a ball ton get Umeed though.

Yates catch to dismiss Leach was outstanding, don't think the live stream would have done it justice, I was sat in the Hollies pretty much in line with the slips, that ball was shifting. Incredible grab.

Fair play to Aldridge but him and Rew were a bit lucky I thought, Rae bowled a good spell at Rew after lunch. Definitely looks as though he can be bounced out.

Unbearable ain't he

Finished the day on top I'd say. Glad we picked the extra batter, particularly as we may not get many runs from our 9, 10 and 11. Bethell is starting to look a cut above and Burgess really is the man for a crisis, time and again he does this for us, he's my player of the season. Good innings from Yates too who did the hard work early on when it nipped about a bit.

Slow pitch not a great amount of carry. Sort of fancy us to bowl well on it though, no reasoning behind it just a hunch!

Not sure what to make of Mousley in this format and I've been a big supporter of his for a while...

Hamza reaching, not quite at the pitch of the ball. Stuck in the pitch a touch? Yates, touch unlucky, ball there to be hit, didnt quite get up. The odd one is keeping a bit low, he'll be disappointed though. Barnard played at one that he could have left, particularly 2nd ball.

It is a bit of a slow pitch. Somerset have bowled well in patches. Next session clearly important.

Never really rated him though he did have a very good game when we played v Somerset at Taunton this season.

Yes very strong Somerset side, and when you think of the players not playing here too... Ive always thought they're a bit iffy recruitment wise but they consistently bring through loads of cricketers through their academy, not only do they source from the local area but they take lots of lads from Devon and Cornwall etc giving them a huge catchment area. We've recently started to do the same with Staffordshire.

I think Shaikh is a fair enough pick, I agree he needs a score though (for us), but he definitely should be given a run next season at 3 when Rhodes departs. Kai Smith doesn't really strike me as a 4day player at the moment. Happy to see Hamza get a go. Quite like the balance of the side, have to see Yates, Bethell and a bit of Mousley as the spin options now.

Feels like a bowling day...

According to cricinfo 540000 is down on 2023 ticket sales, viewing figures down also apart from the final.

ODC campaign felt like a bit of a roller-coaster this season. We've done incredibly well to get as far as we did, last season we had lads back from the other comp at numerous times, this time round we had nothing like that.

Death bowling has been an issue all comp long. Its not like our bowlers in this comp are good death bowlers who bowled poorly at the death just that it's not necessarily something they've done much of before. Look at Essex away, Gloucestershire away, Surrey at home (away!) and Worcestershire at home on Friday, in all 4 games we shipped heavy runs at the end of the innings. Don't think it's through lack of application or desire, just lack of experience, maybe even lack of ability. If you're a good death bowler you're in the other comp aren't you?! Felt like the tactics today of trying to get through batter to hit towards the long boundary with fielders out there was fair enough just that whenever Booth seems to go short he does get whacked because he can't get it high enough. OHD went for his yorkers but didn't quite nail them. 30 off the last 9 balls, took it away from us, Douthwaite was great. People think bowling yorkers is just something you do. Some may criticise Barnard for not saving himself a couple but his natural length is hittable and he doesn't have a yorker either. Lintott quietly has had a very average comp overall and has shipped quite a few runs its only in the last few games where he's nipped in with a few wickets.

Teams would have known that if they can get to the last 5 or 10 overs with set batters at the crease, even ifs numbers 7, 8 or 9 etc then they could cash in.

Truth is you can see why some people aren't part of the Blast side....

Agree with Bristol Bear that this doesn't feel like a choke or a bottle job like last season v Hants, more just that we didn't have the players this time around.

Gutted after Friday, I got carried away and really believed we could go all the way!

Come on you Bears. Yates and Shaikh available.

I'm still high as a kite.