No one said there was a plot of any sort but central contracts were to stop players bowling 40 overs in a Test in Manchester and then getting in a car to drive up to The Oval for a cup game the very next day. The fixtures need to change to keep in line with this and CC needs to be played during Tests so that any player who is called up, has some sort of form going into the longest format games, Woakes has only played a few T20 games before this Test but then again, fixtures are for another argument altogether. Central contracts affect batsmen as much, the lack of CC for Test players before a home series in poor, you could hold back a player for the first 2 CC games and say he can play in 2 nearer the first Test and if they are rain ruined, you have a player with no real practice of any sort going into an important series.

The whole thing is so inconsistent and I can understand anyone's disappointment seeing as Lawrence had a big impact on the game itself. The whole business of England players playing for their counties is not something that the ECB actually care about as they appear not to give a shit about anything that concerns the counties. Regardless of whether players are centrally contracted, the ECB are just happy if they get all THEIR players in the squad but have no problem with them getting little cricket and carrying drinks.

Yes, was pissed off with the edges they got compared to ours, a bit like the C & G final v Hampshire in 2005. The RL Cup despite it's detractors has a 'Top of the group goes straight into the semi's' scenario and the 2nd and 3rd in each group has to decide the other semi's. We should have enough talent to get to finals day but we choke on the day one way or another.

Should we really be surprised? Every year. Why bother to finish top when it makes no difference. I always agreed with Neil Carter who thought sides finishing top should go straight to finals day but instead you have to play a side who scrape into 4th place and get to knock you out in a one-off game. but seriously, another poor batting display on a wicket where 180 looked good. Too many batsmen giving outfield catching practice and yet another overseas 'Star' who didn't shine, not one fifty to show all campaign. All the turning up, hoping for a place to park somewhere and watch us play well to get through and what I hoped would be a successful finals day only to see 4 other teams going to OUR ground to have their day in the sun.

Also he bowled at the right time. Cannot believe we only made 141 but then a gain, we did defend it well. Ben Raine at number 9 was a major surprise, he made a ton here for Leicestershire a few years ago so why have him so low but then again, Durham look a poor side in this format. Looks like Essex in the quarter-final then.

It is no surprise what has happened to Stone. If you work out how many days per year he has played (I have not but 158 games in all formats since 2012), it probably amounts to very few. Even when we signed him, he was injured and took ages to make his debut. No one seemed that bothered when he left for Notts because we had not seen much of him anyway. Pity because when he was firing, he was fast and great to watch. I would hope that Woakes will be back for the quarter final or are England going to keep him in the squad let him carry the drinks, AGAIN.

Lintott, that innings against Essex was a great warm-up for tonight but terrific runs from Yates. Great to keep on winning, please let us get one in the quarter-finals.

Wish someone would have stopped our skipper from putting in the opposition, Australia love to bat first and this one looks gone already.

Pity to lose that seeing as Surrey are struggling and could very well lose tomorrow. With a game in hand, it could have made things interesting. Surrey, even if they end up winning are vulnerable at times but seem to have people in their side to get them out of trouble but it can't work every time. That was a strange looking Warwickshire side and it didn't fill me with confidence even before the toss.

I wish someone at the ECB could Explain what Mark Wood is doing in the squad if they feel he is not yet fit enough to play. He is just a name on a sheet of paper then with no real purpose. Wood is 33 and will not be bowling at 94-95 mph for much longer. His career has been full of injury and so much time off that 28 Tests in 8 years is not that good. He will I feel, leave the game soon like Archer and Stone because he cannot go on being picked as a non-playing cricketer. So England might as well risk it all and let him loose on the opposition and if he breaks down again, then it will mess up the Test match but it's better than saying 2 years down the line that he is fit and ready when his best years are behind him. As for Woakes, he should retire from Tests so that he can at least spend the last few years of his career, actually playing and not being messed about by selectors who don't want to pick him.

I am making no predictions or hints at what is to come. I have been chastised by coolerking and quite rightly so, I must know my place.

Looks as though this one is now dead and buried along with my Harmer comments. I should have just shut up, can't win them all really.

You cannot keep coming up with new things whenever there is a bee-in-the-bonnet of someone who think we need change. If all these 'New Fans' are appearing, are they just watching The Hundred or other thing also. If all they want is The Hundred then the whole thing has been a waste of time if they are just watching the one competition, then it has achieved nothing at all.

Harmer has had little success against us for a few games now so we should be confident about scoring off him. Even though his record is pretty superb over the last 6-7 years, I have never seen him bowl well so if he could just keep that up for this game it would be nice.

Am I right in thinking that Lawrence is going off to the England squad (And be replaced by a sub batsman) but we are without Woakes who is not allowed to play part of this game and then be allowed to piss off. What the hell is going on with so-called 'Team England' who seem to be able to mess counties around left, right and centre.

A really strange looking side. Believe it or not, I was just on the BBC site to look at the 2 teams and Moeen Ali's name was there. I had to look again and then after 10 seconds, it disappeared and Dom Bess appeared. Pity we lost the toss with all those spin options.

Yes, no one on here I think would try and push aside the importance of Birmingham to the club and it was obviously a good idea to put the club into a big city rather then just anywhere else in the county. Would it be the same if we all had to travel to Nuneaton or Leamington or indeed, how many would. No disrespect to either of those places.

Still not happy with the 'Birmingham' part of our name and never use it to the point of correcting people (In a nice, soft, cuddly and delicious way) when they say it at work but I think the Hollies stand now like to live up to a certain level of expectation based on reputation alone and it can get out of hand sometime. I would never want to watch cricket in that stand and sometimes I think the game comes secondary to the actual behaviour that is projected.

Yes, I can only agree with how good it is to see us making runs without Hain. Thought Maxwell was going to go big last night, that's always the problem with being one six-hit away from a landmark, the temptation to get it with one hit but he did play well and kept the impetus of the innings going. Not sure what the crowd numbers were last night but I am sure some of the 'Bearboffins' we have out there will know.

Bald_Reynard mentioning bowlers not bowling their full lot of overs, both Maddy and Chopra were good at that, seeing some bowlers have tight spells and then making sure the most expensive bowlers came back to get even more of a hiding.