My biggest thing with the batting, it’s happened again today, is how regularly we’re very little for 2. When was the last time we had an opening stand of 50? How often do we get to 100 only 1 down?
All too often we start on the back foot, lose a third and then 5 and down are exposed to a new ball against bowlers with their tails up. To me I think Vihari was on a hiding to nothing, in 3 games he was never going to have an impact. And I can understand why they wanted an opener or number 3 to prevent these situations.
Get early stability, build a platform, and you’d also get more runs out of the likes of Hain, Lamb, Burgess and Bresnan.

Let the batting marathon begin......

SC_Bear wrote:

Notwithstanding all the above I'm very concerned about Burgess. His keeping looks pretty acceptable but his contributions with bat have been dismal. Not really up to date with our other wicket keeping options but I do wonder how much longer they can perservere with Burgess in this form.

I think you're doing his keeping a disservice, as glovemen go, he's excellent. I'm not sure I've ever seen him drop a catch. He also looks like he's a popular member of the team.

Agree batting wise he's in poor form, but it's hardly like everyone else is tearing up trees currently. What I don't understand is that for the majority of his career Ambrose would always bat 7, I'm not sure why we bat Burgess at 6. Burgess played as a batsman only in 2019 and he looked good. Since he's taken over the keeping full time, he's found it more difficult. Not excusing the form, but most keepers bat at 7 for a reason. I think we need to give the likes of him, Bresnan and Lamb a proper platform for once, they're supposed to be attacking batsmen, not digging us out a hole batsmen.

I personally can’t understand the team selection in general. I think Briggs has done well, but do you really need a spinner in a 4 day game in Durham in April? Would you not rather have Mousley or Hose batting 6? Expect it’s going to be tough, and give yourself a better chance to put a total on the board?

Think this is one of those days that just happen in cricket. You learn the lessons from it and move on. If they get bogged down in it then they stand no chance. Come back tomorrow and start again.

Not convinced we’re bowling particularly well, or have got our tactics right so far. We’re bowling on this pitch like it’s a normal pitch. It’s a newly relayed wicket, it has a settling period, especially when it’s rained recently. We’re looking for outside edges, but I’m not sure there’s the carry in it for that.
They need to do what Raine did, go full and straight, stump to stump.

Relief, Carse and Rushworth have bowled some rubbish at Miles and Norwell.
They’re searching for wickets, when it looks like all you have to do is bowl stump to stump and the pitch will eventually do it for you.

I do appreciate that, but I suppose my issue is that if you’re going to rest them, rest them all in the same round. Otherwise you could end up having hypothetically (all being fit and available) the Roses match and Yorkshire have to rest Bess, Bairstow and Root, but Anderson and Butler can play for Lancashire.
I know fitness and availability effect this, but if they said all fit ECB bowlers can play rounds 2, 3 & 5. Everyone knows where they stand, if a player isn’t fit for then, so be it. But I suppose it’s a case of the ECB comes first.

It’s absolutely bizarre to watch. Briggs got one that popped. Burgess’ looked like it went below his bat whilst playing forward. Bresnan played a long way inside it. Hain left it. I’d get it if they were all edging behind but so many bowled and LBWs is odd. Even the way the watch was offered was odd.

One another note however, I do have to ask, why in the same game do we have to rest our England fast bowler, but Durham can play theirs? I understand load management and the ECB will be sending down orders, but seems a bit unfair.

Durham have announced their squad, including Mark Wood.
If he does play as you’d assume, the Bears will have faced Harmer, Porter, Rushworth, Wood, Chappell, and Broad in the first 4 matches. That’s a formidable list of some of the best bowlers in the championship/international cricket.

This will be a good test for this side. Playing Durham in Durham in April, is the cricket equivalent of a cold Wednesday night in Stoke.
Rushworth, Raine and Coughlin are all good bowlers, especially in conditions you traditionally get up there.

GerryShedd wrote:

I agree that we can't complain; but I suspect that it won't be too long before someone on here rises to the challenge!

It’s been refreshing to see the optimism on here. Though I did see a comment on Facebook under Will Rhodes interview complimenting the side on the final innings chase saying “you only scored 11”. It’s a shame people feel the need to say such things.

That Vihari decision looked very dubious. I really hope that’s not costly.

They can’t afford to lose more than 1 early wicket.
Because they need to get that ball soft, and then deal with Harmer.
They need wickets in the bank for Harmer on a fourth day pitch.
I wonder if they might consider trying to hit him out the attack.

This is the key now. Don’t let them off the hook. Don’t let them get 200.

Must admit it's bizarre they can have 4000 people all over each other at the BRIT Awards, a full crowd at the Crucible both being indoor events, then 35,000 for the FA cup final.
But they won't let 5000 into Edgbaston? Cricket grounds and championship cricket are surely the perfect environment for these sort of test events. Plus you know the ECB will want to have evidence they can let fans into Tests and The Hundred.

I think Thomason was his own worst enemy though. By all accounts Gillespie at Sussex, was not a fan of him because he didn't want to put in the work be it in the nets or on his own fitness. Which were the rumours here when he was released. Liked the lifestyle, not the work, which is why he seemed so much better in the shorter formats.
I suspect with Brookes, it's a case of working on his batting more than his bowling, and that he'll find that natural balance as he gets older.

ajones1328 wrote:

Was looking forward to watch but the stream provided by the club is abysmal compared to Notts, it seems worse than against Derbyshire.

I only watched the first hour did it improve I.e did the camera show the ball once it left the bat ?

No it was fairly poor all day. At times it simply froze, the sound quality was not good, replays didn’t actually show what happened.
It has definitely taken a backwards step since Derbyshire. Against Derbyshire, it wasn’t as good as Notts’, but it was more than passable. Not sure why it’s worse.

After our excellent catching in the last 2 matches, 2 catches down in the slips in this match is annoying.

Anyone else finding the audio quality on the stream is very poor? Or have my laptop speakers given up on me?

interesting we're going in with a batsman less. Has Bresnans display, given them confidence that he can be a true all-rounder? Do they think the tail with Miles, Stone and Briggs is stronger than before? Do they think Vihari will step up this time? Or is it about conditions, and they think it's going to be easier to bat?

For me, I'd have still gone with the extra batsman, but only time with tell.