Hain, Lamb, and Benjamin in 2 innings have scored a combined total of 28 runs. Include Rhodes and that total rises to a mighty 63.
So with 8 opportunities, 4 of our top 5 have scored a total of 63 runs.
Include Sibley, the entire top 5 in 2 innings scored 109.
To put that in perspective Burgess scored 103 by himself.
Hopefully Bresnan, Miles and then Norwell can get a lead beyond 200.

Yeah the last 2 overs from Miles were unplayable. A couple you could just watch the keeper and cordons reaction, and know they were serious deliveries.

It’s Yorkshire, in September, at the end of the day, you’d be surprised if the bat dominated. But Burgess and Balance have shown the others that there is a better way to play.

I think it’s a bit of conditions and poor batting. Headingley with clouds on the first day is notoriously tough. Ask India a week or 2 ago, and even the Ben Stokes miracle came off the back of being ripped through in a poor first innings.
The ball was definitely moving, not just in the air but off the pitch, so conditions were tough. Even to the point the bounce was a little uneven. Also their bowlers are just perfectly suited for those conditions, and they’ve exploited them well all season.
But also technically we struggled, hard hands, not sure where our off stump was, getting caught on the crease, issues you see most touring teams have when they come over here not used to a swinging, seaming ball.

Thought Burgess was superb, wanted to get down the pitch to negate the swing, but played the ball with soft hands under his eyes, knowing in those conditions you will edge it, so make sure it goes wide or doesn’t carry. Then attacked when it was just Norwell left.

Briggs, Yates and Holder miss out. Woakes, Bresnan and Bethell in.

Can only assume injury or illness for Briggs and Yates. Thought Briggs bowled well last match, just needed some support at the other end.

Woakes for Holder I’d say. Straight swap, obviously a top bowler, but also makes the tail significantly shorter, as it’s only Miles and Norwell who are true tailenders.
Lie and say he’s injured; or do whatever is needed to save Holders pride, but don’t play him just because they’ve paid far too much for him.
Also I think it’s time for Rhodes to score some runs, can’t have your number 4/5 barely contribute with the bat all year.. Or if he is far more of an all rounder now, move him to 7 and have Lamb and Burgess go 5&6.

Exiled Bear wrote:

What a joke. Yates, Briggs and Norwell all got shocking decisions that have cost us that game, and probably any chance of the title.

Hain and Burgess also both seemed to be very unhappy about caught behind decisions in this match.

I’d definitely say that Bresnan would have been significantly more helpful than Holder in that match too.
Someone mentioned passengers above, it’s considerably alarming that all season in the championship, that our overseas players have been passengers. That is the exact opposite of their purpose. Farbrace needs to have a serious look at himself and his ability to attract top overseas talent.

His contract runs until the end of 2022.
If memory serves, he had a good T20 last year which resulted in his selection for the hundred, and then he got picked in 1 or 2 overseas winter t20 or t10 franchise tournaments.
But this year he’s been nowhere. Injury obviously didn’t help, but it appears he’s severely out of form, probably low on confidence, as at the start of the season he was fighting for a place in the red ball side. Whereas now he’s found himself having fallen behind Mousley and Benjamin in the hierarchy, and probably even Bresnan in terms of who they’d bring in if a batsman in this team got injured.
With Davies arriving next year, Hose really becomes a white ball specialist, because even if Davies does keep, which I don’t think he will, I’d have Burgess in the side as a pure batsman ahead of Hose.

157 needed tomorrow with 8 wickets in hand.
I’d make Warwickshire favourites but need not to lose early wickets tomorrow. Hampshire haven’t threatened much since Abbas went off, they had the same issue as ourselves Dawson can be played risk free, just waiting for bad balls.

Which makes the way Sibley and Benjamin got out even more frustrating. The Benjamin dismissal especially was really not clever, only just in, close in sight. He needs to be smarter than that to succeed in first class cricket, all well and good scoring runs on a pitch like that Old Trafford one, but that’s twice in this match he’s thrown his wicket away with unnecessary poor shots.

The coaching is and has for a while been an issue. I wondered when they were all retained, if the backroom staff are essentially in a trial year, and if they perform then they'll stay. As Robinson can only do so much himself.
But I do know that a number of players have gone externally for coaching, Hose and Hain have gone externally for batting coaching in the past. I believe Burgess arranged for Michael Yates the ex-Hampshire keeper to be brought in to do some keeping sessions with him.
Plus I know the rumour around the local club circuit from those who know, is that there have been grumbles about Tony Frosts work ethic, and that he isn't particularly helpful or flexible in regards to players asking for him to come and work with them on days off, or before mandated training sessions.

Get to 150 needed with only 1 or 2 down by the close of play, and you'd make Warwickshire favourites. Lose more than that, and let Hampshire get their tails up, and it could be difficult.

Tayls79 wrote:

Sibley and Rhodes both have got better since they joined us. We do get a lot of academy bats graduate, find elite cricket too much, then get released, which is just life independent of coaching. But Pollock seemed to get established and then plateau or even get worse. I think we can bring on one batsmen a year with current resources, perhaps attention is more with Benjamin and perhaps Lamb this year.

Streetly_Bear wrote:

In recent years can anyone name a batsmen who has improved consistently?

In my time as a member, around 8 years, our batting unit has always been the weak link.

My question for that would be, when did we last have a really good batting overseas? I can't think of one for a while, and what I've always seen from not only Warwickshire but other clubs, is that it's hard to have a consistently good batting line-up without a really good overseas. Because the best domestic batsmen either get picked for England, the Lions and often move clubs.
If you don't have that, then you need consistent and experienced players in their prime who for whatever reason aren't involved with England. Because those more experienced players and the overseas provide great learning and performance opportunities for younger, talented players. Without them, it takes more time or even prevents, younger players meeting their potential and the standard required. The club need to give younger players the platform from which to perform, and I think in terms of batting, in both the senior player department and the coaching, I don't think many of those players have been helped.

It’s round about now that we need someone like Stone, and OHD available or had picked Bresnan.
Someone with express pace or just that experience and nouse to get through the tail and break a partnership.
Briggs is doing a great job but neither of these players need to play a shot at him or take a risk, because the bowling seems very unthreatening or uneconomical from the other end.

One thing I will say about Holder, other than he is yet another poor short term overseas choice, is that the ball he bowled that went for 4 byes, is possibly the most I’ve ever seen a ball swing after the stumps.
Pitched short, going comfortably down leg, and it swung so much it almost took out Yates at first slip. Burgess and the slips were just trying to work out what on earth happened. Was one of the weirder things I’ve seen in a match.

It’s a shame but realistically, with the emergence of Benjamin and the signing of Davies, he was going to struggle getting into the T20 side. At that point, it’s harsh to say, but why keep him around if he’d only ever compete to play on the 50 over comp?

At least Burgess and Hain fought. Tea came at the wrong time for them both, they were in and would have probably been better off just stay in out there.

I suspect Warwickshire know the only way they win this is by playing T20 style, which on this pitch is also the only way they can lose it.
Even if they smashed 200 in 25 overs. I don’t think the pitch would allow them to get 10 wickets quickly enough.
More valuable and realistic to get Sibley back in form, maybe if the chance presents itself give Rhodes some time to bat, then call it at tea and give themselves an extra sessions rest and get ready for the next one.

If Somerset get a fine for a pitch that does too much. This pitch should too. It’s turgid at best. Hard to get wickets on, hard to score runs on.
No way should you get to the end of day 3 without any rain, and still have 2 complete innings to go, but neither team has posted 400. Just makes for an incredibly dull match.

I thought Holder was ok but didn’t do anything special. Was a bit loose early on then tightened up.
There didn’t seem to be too much in it for the seamers after the batsmen established themselves. Much like Hain and Benjamin’s partnership.
Think Briggs could be really important over the next couple of days.

Wasn’t bad bowling by any means, but we didn’t seem to be able to threaten and be economical at the same time.

Though that was probably as bad as Miles has bowled all season. But everyone’ has a poor session every so often.

I’d put it this way. We lost the last 5 wickets for 49 runs. But Lamb and Burgess put on 50 together. No matter what the rate.
One of them gets out early and suddenly it’s 320 not 370. And equally it could have been less with a newer ball, and less overs under the bowlers belts.
The other thing is that 140 overs in the field is really mentally draining. If our bowlers bowl good lines, keep it tight, the batsmen will be really challenged to keep their concentration and not throw their wickets away.