English Domestic Season 2024

[Aidan11]

Potts has started Hampshire's second innings rather better than he managed in the whole of their first one. Another couple of wickets before luch could see Hampshire in trouble, despite their first innings 503.

Potts has over 250 runs already with the bat this season. This probably says more about the pitches than his bowling.

 

[Yeoman]

Potts has over 250 runs already with the bat this season. This probably says more about the pitches than his bowling.

It’s what the England selectors like to see in their bowlers.

 

[Yeoman]

Random observations from Canterbury today:
- the pitch was very slow and beat everyone
- Crawley looked very rusty
- Holder looked most lackadaisical and demotivated.
- Smith was auditioning for the Wagner role in the NZ team.
- Gibbon’s preference for bowling left arm round to right handlers gives him very limited margin for error

 

[chris.hinton]

Really happy with the start Worcester have made. We are competitive in the division which is what i wanted. Surrey look like they are going to walk the division. Lancashire have started really badly but i expect them to improve has the season goes on.

 

[chris.hinton]

Random observations from Canterbury today:
- the pitch was very slow and beat everyone
- Crawley looked very rusty
- Holder looked most lackadaisical and demotivated.
- Smith was auditioning for the Wagner role in the NZ team.
- Gibbon’s preference for bowling left arm round to right handlers gives him very limited margin for error

Holder is leaving Worcestershire soon. So i assume he's thinking about other things

 

[Third_Man]

Really happy with the start Worcester have made. We are competitive in the division which is what i wanted. Surrey look like they are going to walk the division. Lancashire have started really badly but i expect them to improve has the season goes on.

Lancashire are doing alright. They have just announced a profit for 2023.
More seriously, if Lancashire are going to improve a lot of things need to align:
Bruce needs to score heavily (av 18 in 5 matches)
Lyon needs to take more wickets in his remaining 4 games (12 in 3 not great)
Lyon needs to be replaced and whoever needs to hit the ground running for the last 5 ganes
Bowling generally needs to find some teeth (Bailey av 80+ is shocking)
More current batsmen need to score runs (only Bell and Jennings av over 30) - hardly anyone in the 2nd XI.
Re-integration of the IPL contingent into the dressing room needs to be succesfully managed

Today's 2nd XI
Wicketkeeper (capt/wkt), 19 year old Batsman, 19 yo Batsman, Bowling allrounder, 17 yo batsman, Bowler, Bowler, Bowler, Bowler, Bowler, Bowler, Bowler: 8 bowlers, 3 bats and 1 wk.

Will all that happen? Doubt it.

 

[Starfighter]

Lyon needs to take more wickets in his remaining 4 games (12 in 3 not great)

4 wickets a match is more than normal for an FC bowler.

 

[Third_Man]

4 wickets a match is more than normal for an FC bowler.

they will not avoid relegation, if their international overseas import star manages to just double his 13 runs and 12 wickets in his remaining few games. I wonder if there is another overseas international bowler in the championship with a BB of 3/50. Roach? Seales, Gohar? Agar?

 

[Starfighter]

they will not avoid relegation, if their international overseas import star manages to just double his 13 runs and 12 wickets in his remaining few games. I wonder if there is another overseas international bowler in the championship with a BB of 3/50. Roach? Seales, Gohar? Agar?

Lyon's played in April and early May which is not the best time and isn't bowling to Div 2 batsmen like Gohar. He's doing far better than Harmer who usually picks up wickets for fun and is ahead of Dawson on average. Seales, Roach and Agar are all fast-medium bowlers, Seales in Div 2.

He's a spin bowler, not a miracle worker, and if Lancashire want to stay up they need to work on things like not getting bowled out for 92. Their batting looks very thin so far and the pace attack is terribly blunt.

 

[Blenkinsop]

Yeah the idea that Lyon was going to be taking five-fors in every innings in April was always a bit optimistic. Lancs' trouble is that without Mahmood they have the trundliest of medium pace attacks, and their batting has been poor.

Chris Tremain at Northants took a total of two wickets in four matches, at an average of 180.

 

[Third_Man]

Lancs' season was expected (even as late as March maybe) to be Lyon for the whole season, all formats and both Salt and Wood available early on, both of whom were late replacement signings into the IPL. Even if they were to lose Salt to England later on. Should they have expected that CA would veto the full year of Lyon? Or should they have terminated his contract when it cut by more than 50% and losing prime spin time?

Whatever, I can't see where the improvement previously suggested will come from.

Similarly the lack of wickets from Abbott and Abbas might be why Hampshire are second bottom.

 

[ataraxia]

Don't worry about Lancs; Bruce's average will quadruple.

 

[FBU]

Don't worry about Lancs; Bruce's average will quadruple.

Maybe in Friday's match facing Stokes....

 

[Third_Man]

Early notice:
Four National Counties will be battling it out at Chester Boughton Hall on Sunday 26th for the T20 Cup. Tickets are available to be purchased in advance for £10 (chlidren free) online via eventbrite
Usual T20 finals day format. Teams reaching the final will be decided this Sunday with 3 Counties playing at each of Furness (Cumbria), Slough (Berks), Little Tew (Oxon) and Manor Park (Norfolk).

 

[chris.hinton]

My word. Surrey are 15/4

Joe Leach got 3 wickets in 7 balls so far

wonderful start. Wish we keep it up

 

[mackembhoy]

Stokes coming onto bowl for Durham after 9 overs.

 

[mackembhoy]

Stokes coming onto bowl for Durham after 9 overs.

And basically bowling like it's a net session so far

 

[grecian]

Sean Hunt getting a game for Sussex, saw him play, and he is the "type" that selectors are obsessed with, he looks capable of bowling quick to me, and he's a leftie which helps.

 

[Starfighter]

Sean Hunt getting a game for Sussex, saw him play, and he is the "type" that selectors are obsessed with, he looks capable of bowling quick to me, and he's a leftie which helps.

Perfect timing for him, considering that the ECB is now going to ignoring performance altogether on their perpetual quest to not be terrible down under.

I'm surprised that they haven't simply emailed Sam Cook a letter which contains a picture of Key, Baz and this Murray fellow each giving two middle fingers.

 

[grecian]

The two Toms are still doing it, and Rew getting in the act, finally are batting seems to have clicked.