It’s clearly an ECB decision, as it was reported he was training at Edgbaston recently, but the club weren’t optimistic he’d be available.
What I can’t understand is of the IPL group why only certain players can’t play. Malan is in tomorrow’s squad to play for Yorkshire, Billings was in the Kent squad and has been called up to England, Livingstone pulled out a bit earlier but he’s been playing for Lancashire.
If he isn’t allowed to play County cricket at all, his first match won’t be until June 23rd at the earliest. That’s almost a year of his career that he could say has been wasted.

Off out on loan for County Championship to Derbyshire this time until mid July.
With his contract up this season, I suspect he’s trying to get in the shop window, and may have been told he won’t be getting renewed.

I think this is the key round for 2 reasons.
Firstly, this has the potential to be a big haul of points with a win and lots of bonus points. Which obviously has an impact on the group.
But also, I suspect Essex will beat or at least draw against Notts at Chelmsford. Either of those 2 results puts us in the driving seat of the group you’d feel, with Essex having played a game more, and Notts then being behind or roughly level with us on points, but still having to go to Durham where the rain is more likely to play a role, and we all know Durham are much better at home than away.

Each county is different depending on the risk assessment they’ve done, and thus their adjusted capacity. There’s nothing regulation or safety wise stopping away fans. It’s just ticket availability.
So for Essex, no way will the members not take up the 200 tickets. Whereas for larger grounds the members won’t take up all the available tickets and away fans can purchase them as long as through the proper channels and do any health declarations that club requires.

That’s a match we probably don’t win a year or two ago. That’s a mark of serious progress mentally. Excellent team win, lots of contributions.

I think that stumping by Burgess is possibly the best piece of work I’ve seen in a long time by a keeper. Leg side stumpings are always a bit special, but against the opening bowler.... that’s an amazing effort.

A good target set, excellent partnership by Burgess and Briggs. Added to the runs. Took away some overs. Nicely set up.
Good to get one before lunch, even if we gave them a bonus 15 runs with some poor bowling.

On the Notts chat, I don’t actually mind the sledging and send offs. That’s part of the game. Notts do it more than others no doubt, but for the most part you can live with it.
What annoys me is the semi appeals, and the looks of anguish as if they’ve been robbed of a wicket or had a near miss, when balls hit the middle of the bat, or good shots are played. It just seems a sense of arrogance and entitlement that because they play for Notts and they think that’s so great, that they were unlucky not to get a wicket, and it’s got nothing to do with the skill of the opposition. Which you’d think would have been drilled out of them and replaced with some humility considering until this season they hadn’t won a first class match in 2 years.

Good recovery from Burgess, well supported from Briggs.

Just personal opinion from finally getting to the ground today, but I’ve never seen a side get so excited as Notts do, for balls that were not even remotely close to being a chance or appeal worthy. They had hands on heads and gave it oohs and ahhs almost got every ball, even for shots that Rhodes and Burgess had very comfortably hit to the boundary.

Today has been very much our season summed up. Failure to finish sides off, and letting them get 50-100 too many. Alongside poor top order batting not setting a platform or taking advantage of the situation.
250 target you’ve got to think is the minimum. 300-320 would have been the plan.

Andy wrote:

Wish I hadn't have talked him up now, screamer...

But that proves my point. Does the glamorous things well. But also let through more byes this morning and more untidy fumbles for what should he straight forward takes.

I mean imagine if he hadn’t cost Notts 85 runs by dropping an easier chance off Rhodes on 6......

Excellent from Norwell and OHD this morning.
But very different bowling from Notts. Yesterday they were economical even if not getting wickets. Today they’re serving up a lot of “hit me” balls.
On the collapse, I think you’re usually going to see the second new ball have an effect, so that explains it somewhat. But I also think losing Malan and Burgess to very poor umpiring decisions on day one really hurt. If 2 of your 6 wickets are clearly not out, and with them being 2 of your more fluent batsmen that is going to limit how well you can attack later on, and bonus points too.

Andy wrote:

Moores looks like he's one of the better glovemen on the circuit.

Unfortunately got to disagree on this part. Seen him keep on red ball a few times now. He does some things well like standing up to Mullaney. But too many costly mistakes, dropping a regulation chance off Rhodes on 6 cost them 85. Plus if the ball comes through at an awkward height standing back, or bounces before him he regularly fumbles, or like yesterday misses it all together. A lot of style over substance on his keeping I’m afraid.
In regards to our keeper going forward, I’d keep Burgess. I’d have him in my top 5 pure keepers in County Cricket. Never costs the team, and makes a lot of grabs others couldn’t.
Think we’re seeing what he can do with the bat too, just a shame he got an excellent ball against Essex and a bad decision in this match. He plays all formats, and seems to be popular amongst the team.
I don’t think there’s any keepers this year we would be interested in, the chance was when Cox was available, but by all accounts the club didn’t pursue him, as he wanted to get paid a great deal, and had his eyes on Yorkshire and Middlesex.

Shame about the finish to the day but that’s what happens with the new ball. And that’s a decent position when being put in.
Thought Malan and Burgess were unlucky, both got rather poor LBW decisions.
The top order was definitely better, with 3 of the 5 getting a score and 1 getting a poor decision. Just need big hundreds now rather than 50’s.

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.

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.

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.

I think at the start of the season if we’d have been offered a win and a draw against Essex we’d have run off without looking back.
For me missing out on a win against Derby because of the rain is a major annoyance. That extra 8 points makes the table look very different.
Also, the new 8 points for a draw rule is pretty rubbish. Worcestershire and Essex should both be a place or 2 back, it’s rewarding time lost to rain or very flat pitches.

It’s bowling like this that makes me feel Rhodes should move down the order. Yates will have to open anyway when Sibley goes to England. If they bring Mousley in to open, have Malan at 3, Hain 4 and Rhodes 5. I think he’d be more likely to bowl himself, and also be more likely to score runs.

Whilst it’s raining, I’m going to ask the question I suspect many are thinking. What are the club going to do about Rhodes? Can’t drop him after making him captain. But the top order is an issue. Too often we’re 50/3 or worse. They need a reliable opening partnership.
He’s yet to get a 50, only Averaging 16. Everyone knows the talent is there, but I wonder if when Sibley goes, opening with Mousley and Yates, move Rhodes to 4 or 5, and allow him to bowl more.

The more I watch, the more the decision to bat seems odd. It’s clearly tough to bat. No one ever looks comfortable, runs are very hard to come buy. Outfield is definitely slow.
Burgess and Bresnan looked like they were doing well, until Burgess seemed to have misjudged a cutter.