County Cricket Division 2 2018

[Fred]

Derbyshire have 300 up inside 80 overs against arguably the strongest side in the division.

[square leg umpire]

funny they're playing a day early at Edgbaston. See Woakes isn't in the Warwickshire side.

[Chin Music]

Originally Posted by square leg umpire

funny they're playing a day early at Edgbaston. See Woakes isn't in the Warwickshire side.

Woakes is at the IPL.

[square leg umpire]

Originally Posted by Chin Music

Woakes is at the IPL.

Strange, didn't think he'd be IPL material. Suppose he must be.

[Chin Music]

Originally Posted by square leg umpire

Strange, didn't think he'd be IPL material. Suppose he must be.

He's not exactly been brilliant for the Royal Bangalore Challengers and isn't currently in their side. I can't say I've watched very much of the IPL but heard he hadn't been doing well.

[geoff_boycotts_grandmother]

Originally Posted by square leg umpire

funny they're playing a day early at Edgbaston.

Yes, why are they doing this?

What happened to an appointment to view?

It's a bank holiday as well so depriving school kids of action on Monday.

[sharky]

Ollie Robinson has all 5 wickets so far for Sussex.

[Chin Music]

Warwickshire are 152-2 with a batsman reaching 50. Well played nightwatchman Chris Wright!

[Notts Exile]

Darren Stevens gets 6 as Glamorgan fail to make a ton between them.

Just gives ammo to those who question the point in County cricket.

[offa59]

Originally Posted by geoff_boycotts_grandmother

Yes, why are they doing this?

What happened to an appointment to view?

It's a bank holiday as well so depriving school kids of action on Monday.

There's a marathon on Sunday. So they started a day early. Why?

[gmdf]

Originally Posted by Notts Exile

Darren Stevens gets 6 as Glamorgan fail to make a ton between them.

Just gives ammo to those who question the point in County cricket.

After play finished, Stevens said this:

The first hour we didn't get one by the bat, then all of a sudden it started doing a little bit and the ball started nibbling around with nearly 20 wickets in the day. Basically I keep it as simple as possible, try to feel a batsman out and then bowl to his weaknesses."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/43964469



This, surely, is what good bowlers have been doing since cricket started - I can imagine W G Grace, or S F Barnes, or Wilfred Rhodes or, to come more close to our time, Derek Shackleton or Don Shepherd, saying the same...

[Notts Exile]

Yep, doesn’t help us prepare for the ultimate Test though. The ECB is definitely marginalising the county game and it's to the detriment of England’s Test side. Playing so many county games on tracks tha are the polar opposite of Test tracks is just plain ridiculous. It ensures that our bowlers and batsmen have little idea of how to cope when they make the step up.

Darren Stevens is a smart cricketer. But should he really be one of the most dangerous bowlers in the country?

[Aidan11]

Durham having another shocker.

Markram was well worth the money.

[Chin Music]

Originally Posted by Notts Exile

Yep, doesn’t help us prepare for the ultimate Test though. The ECB is definitely marginalising the county game and it's to the detriment of England’s Test side. Playing so many county games on tracks tha are the polar opposite of Test tracks is just plain ridiculous. It ensures that our bowlers and batsmen have little idea of how to cope when they make the step up.

Darren Stevens is a smart cricketer. But should he really be one of the most dangerous bowlers in the country?

Can’t help but have sympathy for this. There have been many a military medium bowler filling their boots at present , but will likely look rather pedestrian against good batting lineups. The Essex v Yorkshire game being a case in point from the first division.

Heck the whole of last winter should be exhibit A as to the limitations of even skilled medium fast bowling. I almost have sympathy for Sir Virgs POV regarding spin friendly tracks at Taunton. After all that will likely help prepare batsmen far better for the challenge of playing spin bowling in Asia.

[Bestie]

Originally Posted by Chin Music

Can’t help but have sympathy for this. There have been many a military medium bowler filling their boots at present , but will likely look rather pedestrian against good batting lineups. The Essex v Yorkshire game being a case in point from the first division.

Heck the whole of last winter should be exhibit A as to the limitations of even skilled medium fast bowling. I almost have sympathy for Sir Virgs POV regarding spin friendly tracks at Taunton. After all that will likely help prepare batsmen far better for the challenge of playing spin bowling in Asia.

Equally, I think that the ability to play swing bowling (well, better than most nations anyway) is something borne out of facing these kind of conditions. I feel that a mixture of surfaces is best (props to Surrey and Somerset for adding some variety) because while it's almost certainly true that flat surfaces produce better bowlers, they're not going to be so great for batsmen to develop. James Vince would average 50+!

[Ali TT]

Originally Posted by Bestie

Equally, I think that the ability to play swing bowling (well, better than most nations anyway) is something borne out of facing these kind of conditions. I feel that a mixture of surfaces is best (props to Surrey and Somerset for adding some variety) because while it's almost certainly true that flat surfaces produce better bowlers, they're not going to be so great for batsmen to develop. James Vince would average 50+!

Unfortunately medium pace swing bowlers are not very effective in test cricket, with one or two exceptions. It tends to be pace, height and/or seam movement.

[gmdf]

Originally Posted by Ali TT

Unfortunately medium pace swing bowlers are not very effective in test cricket, with one or two exceptions. It tends to be pace, height and/or seam movement.

True today, perhaps, but for years Headingly seemed to offer that type of pitch!

[Chin Music]

Originally Posted by Bestie

Equally, I think that the ability to play swing bowling (well, better than most nations anyway) is something borne out of facing these kind of conditions. I feel that a mixture of surfaces is best (props to Surrey and Somerset for adding some variety) because while it's almost certainly true that flat surfaces produce better bowlers, they're not going to be so great for batsmen to develop. James Vince would average 50+!

The problem is that by playing so many games early and late in the season, there is precious little scope for a variety of conditions as Notts Exile suggests. It is almost killing the championship by stealth.

[Bestie]

Originally Posted by Ali TT

Unfortunately medium pace swing bowlers are not very effective in test cricket, with one or two exceptions. It tends to be pace, height and/or seam movement.

Indeed, but the ability to play swing (even starting from dibbly dobbly pace) is still something that improves players, I think. Aussies don’t have much of that and they can’t play the moving ball. I mean our test side at the moment seem to be awful against swing outside England too, these days, but we can’t play against anything.

[Bestie]

Originally Posted by Chin Music

The problem is that by playing so many games early and late in the season, there is precious little scope for a variety of conditions as Notts Exile suggests. It is almost killing the championship by stealth.

Yes that’s definitely an issue. Fewer games at this time is definitely a proposal I could get behind.