Can't sugar-coat that performance, it was awful.

If it was the first time you could and probably should let it go. It's happened more than once now and whilst we can't forget we've done well in the group stage, it's not enough to regularly choke at knockout stage.

Difficult to call for a change of captaincy as I think the only way we could do this is through an outside recruit..let's see

The shower didn't seem that heavy for so much rain to accumulate on the covers..

Seems bit poor or maybe I'm being harsh

Unfortunately looks like the rain might win. Met office said no rain after 12.30..

Short shower and inspection at 3.30 with play likely around 4-4.15

Short shower has delayed the game by potentially 1.15hr mins. Trying to explain to a friend who doesn't often come to the cricket.. no wonder its hard to attract fans

Rain should be stopping by 12.30 so hopefully start around 3

Shaikh looks like a nice player to watch

Really enjoying the competition this year, shame it's not a 12 game tournament and have 6 home games in the month of August.

18 counties plus Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland and could have three groups of seven

LeicesterExile wrote:

Andy wrote:

2 division Blast is so clearly the best idea. Home and away fixtures, each team plays each other twice, 16 games. Can market the top division as the English Premier League or whatever. Wouldn't even need to have Finals Day and knockouts, the team who wins the EPL will be the best side and will be worthy winners. Play it throughout the duration of the season with games on Fridays and/or Sundays only, each game would be a proper event. Everyone knows where they are and what the craic is. Can even have a Gillette Soccer Saturday style show on TV that provides updates from each ground. The relegation/promotion element would be huge. It really would capture the imagination.

Why would you want to do away with Finals Day? The one day when Edgbaston is full for a domestic game with a tremendous atmosphere.
It would make sense to have a reserve day for every game too.

You could have a finals/relegation/promotion day with a 2 league t20 format

Relegation/promotion decider
8th team div 1 v 2nd team div 2

Finals play off
2nd team div 1 v 3rd team div 1

Finals match
1st Team Div 1 v Finals play off winner

Just a suggestion. Plenty of others I'm sure

Shame another washout of hundred cricket...ahh well !

Switching onto sky and listening to them try and justify how 4 formats of cricket can co-exist and how everyone has something they can pick and enjoy.. of course it's complete and utter bias and I'm sure people can see through it

Will be interesting to hear the likes of Robert Croft and Charlie Dagnall change their tune if the hundred is scrapped next season for a revised T20 competition

Andy wrote:

Good win. We were pretty solid throughout. It threatened to get close a couple of times but the young lads kept their nerve well.

Good toss to win, definitely a fair bit of seam movement throughout the first 15 overs.

Excellent all round performance from Barnard, List A best with the bat, good opening spell with the ball and a truly exceptional run out. If a run out like that happened in the Blundred we'd be seeing it on repeat on all platforms for the next month. Hopefully he's shut some of the doubters up for a bit.

How good was Hamza Shaikh six?! Nailed.

Love this format, it should be protected at all costs.

Agreed it is a great format. Think it will find a new popularity after the world cup..less is more at an international level however, I hope it gains more importance at a domestic level

I thought the whole point of the hundred format was that T20 was too long for fans (non cricket fans that is)

Games are lasting as long if not longer. Another BS reason given for this tournament.

Shocking from Brookes

Somerset have great online coverage, we should provide the same quality.

Watched 5 mins and the crowd attendance doesn't look impressive.

Andy wrote:

Just had a quick gander. We've both used 18 players. Hain averages more than any Surrey player this season. Yates averages more than Sibley, Davies is averaging more than Burns.

A different player seems to do something exceptional every game though, something match winning. One week Abbott, the next week Worrall etc.

Our tail is a little bit like once we're 6 or 7 down we're all out sharpish. Look at our last 3 championship games, G. Stewart, Bailey and TRJ have all come in against us down the order at no.9 and done some damage. Can't expect that from OHD, Rushworth etc but i wouldnt swap those 2.

It's odd comparing us to Surrey. We don't have the financial clout to attract the best players like they do and we don't produce enough quality players through out pathway like they do consistently.

And as I said, Hain has been carrying us. I wasn't comparing our financial muscle to Surrey merely stating the benefit of competion for places and we can build a squad that is based on competition, we certainly have the capability to do so.

All in all, losing to Middlesex the way we did is really poor and I'd like to see tweaks to the size if we play so poorly in our next red ball game.

Andy wrote:

I bet us and Surrey have used the same amount of players this season in the Championship. Roughly.

Difference between us and Surrey performance wise this season is that they get way more runs from their lower order than we do. JOverton, Abbott, Clark, Lawes etc are all decent run getters down the list, a different one puts theyre hand up each game.

They get quality overseas players in too all season.

Id imagine their batters averages aren't too much different to ours. I've gone out on limb there though admittedly.

Probably have used same number of players ..but odd comparison as you don't change a winning side!

Andy wrote:

You've lost me here. Mediocre this season?

Who, outside of the XI who played here, could have made a difference to the outcome of this game had they been selected instead? Considering we lost an absolutely enormous toss Tuesday morning.

You say players can come back from being dropped, they can also come back from a bad performance.

Where did I say mediocre this season ? That was a mediocre performance. Its been a average season so far.

As I mentioned in my first post, the issue we have is squad depth. Hence the issue we have is that we can't replace people easily. Surrey have a big squad and can replace players struggling for form if required. Someone like Davies (in my opinion) would benefit from competition.

I do think our Batsmen have been fairly mediocre. Hain has carried our red ball and white ball side all season.

I have zero criticism of our bowlers I think we've had a great attack for years.

Losing to a fairly poor side in virtually two days and people are questioning some of the players/management. I would not call that overreacting, its not accepting average performances.

Successful teams don't accept mediocrity. Dropping a player or two isn't a big issue, they can come back from it.

Andy wrote:

I wasn't aware we were having such a poor season.

Not sure we're all saying it's been poor, I think it has been pretty average like last season. Hence looking for ways to improve.

We don't have the squad depth to make changes when required, need healthy competition.

Rayb wrote:

We don’t have many squad options and I’m not sure that many of our first team regulars are that bad. I do think however that we need a far more robust attitude to our four day cricket, our bowlers and more importantly our captain and coach, need to realise that having the opposition 7 down does not mean they are all out! In addition our batters need to spend more time with a batting coach who impresses on them that 20/30 is not enough.

Sometimes I think we do so well with the new ball it makes our lower order bowling look poor, I just think we lack a bit of pace and sometimes other teams bat all the way down and have abit of grit

Totally agree about the batting.

Highveld wrote:

A lot of the problems this season have been caused by the poor starts from the opening batsmen, with very very few exceptions.
However their mediocraty was rewarded by giving them full county caps when they were not deserved.

Have to agree although youd have to add Rhodes in to. Rhodes dissmisal second innings was awful.