NUFAN
Y no Afghanistan flag
He did.
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***Official*** English Domestic Season 2008
- Thread starter morgieb
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TT Boy
Hall of Fame Member
Whilst on the subject of Middlesex, their bowling resources are fairly enviable - Steven Finn, Chris Silverwood, Tim Murtagh, Vernon Philander, Tyron Henderson, Dirk Nannes, Alan Richardson, Shaun Udal, Danny Evans and with Murali Kartik still to come. That's some headache if all those were fit.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
Don't forget Christopher Peploe, who currently averages in single-figures with the ball this season. 
Personally I'd go Silverwood, Nannes, Evans, Philander at the current time. That'll change a fair bit, though, obviously.
Does anyone actually know why the hell Udal elected to reverse his retirement plans? Honestly, the number of "shouldn't be playing"s (and that's not including the Gareth Andrews, Chris Wrights and James Anyons who simply come under the "shouldn't be playing because they're woeful") because of Kolpak\EU-passport and should-be-retired players is higher than ever this season.
Personally I'd go Silverwood, Nannes, Evans, Philander at the current time. That'll change a fair bit, though, obviously.
Does anyone actually know why the hell Udal elected to reverse his retirement plans? Honestly, the number of "shouldn't be playing"s (and that's not including the Gareth Andrews, Chris Wrights and James Anyons who simply come under the "shouldn't be playing because they're woeful") because of Kolpak\EU-passport and should-be-retired players is higher than ever this season.
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NUFAN
Y no Afghanistan flag
Don't forget Christopher Peploe, who currently averages in single-figures with the ball this season.
Personally I'd go Silverwood, Nannes, Evans, Philander at the current time. That'll change a fair bit, though, obviously.
Does anyone actually know why the hell Udal elected to reverse his retirement plans? Honestly, the number of "shouldn't be playing"s (and that's not including the Gareth Andrews, Chris Wrights and James Anyons who simply come under the "shouldn't be playing because they're woeful") because of Kolpak\EU-passport and should-be-retired players is higher than ever this season.
Yeah it's terrible for the English game. Country Cricket probably has about half a dozen too many teams.
BTW Philander is going to be dire I predict.
steds
Hall of Fame Member
Pretty sure Udal being listed as an enviable bowling resource is the first sign of the apocalypse.
wpdavid
Hall of Fame Member
Surreally, after subsiding to 4 for 4 in their 1st innings, Leics setting over 400 for Essex to chase.
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Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
How the hell does he keep getting wickets this season?
stumpski
International Captain
Exactly - I don't accept for a moment that a country of 60 million people shouldn't have 250 professional cricketers. Some counties probably have too many on the staff, but that's another matter. And I don't see how packing a team with 30-something South Africans does anything to raise the standard.
BTW I thought Middlesex got shot of Peploe a couple of years ago!
gettingbetter
State Vice-Captain
Surely too many teams can be a cause though. Look at some of the bowling attacks. Often, only 1 bowler seems to be of any class, culling a few teams will allow a more concentrated competiton of skill. E.g. Glamorgan: Harrison, Harris, Croft, Cosker, Dalrymple and Gillespie as there international player, combine that with another team who'd at least have 1-2 decent bowlers and your batsmen have an attack that will challenge them.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
Glamorgan, until recently 1 of the weakest sides, have 1 excellent seamer (Gillespie), 1 hugely promising one (Harris), and 2 decent to excellent spinners on a turning pitch (Croft and Cosker). Even Derbyshire can currently afford to leave-out Kevin Dean, one of their best bowlers in recent memory.
There is enough talent in the UK and Ireland for 18 First-Class counties (maybe more if Ireland and Scotland get stronger in the next few decades). The trouble is that so many counties, especially the richer ones, employ far more players full-time than they need, especially players from overseas. If counties limited their full-time staffs to 15 or 16 players, grounds and net facilities around the country would be inestimatably better, not just at county but at club level, because there'd be so much more money to invest in them. Better club cricket would mean counties could afford to call on league players when injury crises hit them.
There is enough talent in the UK and Ireland for 18 First-Class counties (maybe more if Ireland and Scotland get stronger in the next few decades). The trouble is that so many counties, especially the richer ones, employ far more players full-time than they need, especially players from overseas. If counties limited their full-time staffs to 15 or 16 players, grounds and net facilities around the country would be inestimatably better, not just at county but at club level, because there'd be so much more money to invest in them. Better club cricket would mean counties could afford to call on league players when injury crises hit them.
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