Squad to tour Bangladesh announced on Friday, Hales and Morgan have already announced they won’t go due to security concerns. Fair enough I guess, everyone has to think about what’s best for them, but Hales couldn’t half do with bashing some below-average bowling around to secure his position and Morgan is captain of the one day team, which is awkward.
Professional gobshite Michael Vaughan says it’s a huge mistake, but no-one listens to Michael Vaughan any more.
Anyway, it leaves an opener’s spot up for grabs. Smart money seems to be on Lancashire young gun Haseeb Hameed, but Ben Duckett has had a mental season for Northants and might be in the frame.
And Yorkshire are messing it up in the CC, if anyone cares about that.
Jack Leach of Somerset has somehow managed to take 55 first class wickets this summer with his slow left arm spin. Not noticed a single one of them, which is odd since I play fantasy cricket with grim determination. He’s the top spinner in county cricket this year, excluding NZ’s Jeetan Patel.
I think they will take a third spinner, but as you say the pool is preeeeeeety shallow. But if anyone can find an example of England actually playing three spinners in a match I’ll be surprised.
Squad for Bangladesh announced. 4 spinners plus Root! One of them being 39 year old Gareth Batty, whose inclusion is pretty baffling. Hameed is in and will probably open, likely to be the youngest test player for england since Ben Hollioake (RIP). Duckett’s in too though, so could be a battle between them.
Finn retains his spot for reasons that probably aren’t even clear to him, Why take a sixth seamer who’s totally out of form when you’ve stated your intentions by picking 4 spinners? Would have thought that Anderson, Broad, Woakes, Stokes and Wood will be able to hold it down, and Jake Ball is in the ODI squad and is surely a better bet. It’s probably all a ruse, we’ll go in with the standard 4 seamers and Moeen regardless.
Quite a bit on ebb and flow in the first day of the championship deciders yesterday. Middlesex are in a strong possition against Yorkshire, thanks to a combination of 3 dropped catches and a very good century from Gubbins, who perhaps should have walked on about 96.
Somerset meanwhile, were adding to Yorkshire’s woes, gaining 3 batting bonus points having lost only 2 wickets, before losing 7 for 20 runs.
At the bottom Warwickshire are doing their very best to completely screw their season up.
Thats interesting, I wouldnt say Middlesex were in a particularly strong position. Honours about even I’d say, although you’re right that dropping Gubbins repeatedly was a bit silly.
If Somerset get bowled out for less than 350, and Yorkshire restrict Middlesex to 250-300, then its all to play for.
yeah, perhaps not a strong position, but runs on the board and a day down is pretty useful for them, in a game they might be able to settle for a draw in.
Somerset are hunting their first Championship victory in the history of the club and James Hildrith played like it yesterday. Making a century with a runner and this bruise is a series effort. Would love it they managed to hijack the title this year.
I think you can in all cricket but that it had to be for a visible injury. No more ‘oh, I’ve strained my calf’ stuff but if you’re visibly bleeding it’s OK. I could be wrong!
When I heard he’d been injured I thought they were sunk. As the collapse showed there’s not a lot of batting past 4 in this side so Hildrith and Rogers basically made this a contest.
Agreed. If Somerset don’t look like winning, I fully expect Middlesex to shut up shop for the draw, and they’d be silly not to. So from a Yorkshire perspective, ironically need Somerset to be doing well at the moment.
First half hour of the day definitely favouring Somerset atm. They’ve picked up another batting bonus point, whilst Yorkshire and Middlesex appear to have reached an impasse, so no bonus points going either way, and the overs ticking by. I think right now, I’d say Somerset are favourites.
It’s a really interesting situation. On the one hand, Middlesex still have 5 wickets in hand so there’s no need to do anything rash, but at the same time they need to win if Somerset look like winning. I assume they’ve got a scout at Taunton whose giving his best readings on the wicket a double century stand followed by a 7 wicket collapse is the definition of mixed signals. Meanwhile Middlesex are playing on a used deck. It’s a Lord’s wicket so it’s playing nicely at the moment but you never know how a a worn strip will play. Yorkshire have bought 5 bowlers and have Bresnan at 5 so they look fragile if it comes to a shoot out.
This is why 4 day cricket is awesome. You know what’s happening now but you don’t know what the situation will be in 36 hours.
Yep, fantastically poised. Even as a Yorkshire supporter, I didn’t mind losing last week as long as Middlesex didn’t win, as it would set up this scenario we have here. After day 1, nothing is clear, I suspect we need to wait for Notts to bat to see how the Taunton wicket is.
Gubbins gone now for Middlesex, could do with a nice collapse there. Didn’t realise Bresnan was batting as high as 5, his batting has been good this season, but it does show why we were so desperate for Bairstow to play.
Could be critical that, as by missing a bowling point, would have had to score 400 in first innings if Somerset win. So now Yorkshire’s target is clear, if not simple. Score 350+ in first innings, and win the game to win the title.
