***Official*** English Domestic Season 2008

[Jungle Jumbo]

Langer setting some unusual fields here at the death. Thomas is bowling to the right-hander with three in the circle behind square on the off-side.

 

[Richard]

Regardless of how poor Turner is, the '"only"' is a bit out of place there. 28 off 6 is like conceding 3.5, 3.75 an over in an ODI, given the average run rate in the Pro40 this year has been close to 6. We're seeing bigger scores than in full 50-over games at the moment.

It's a poor economy-rate mostly, but at Taunton poor economy-rates are to be expected really. Good bowlers can and have still gone for under 4-an-over in the Pro40 crap - when not bowling at Taunton.

 

[stumpski]

Bit brainless for Hick to get caught at deep extra cover, especially having been dropped there the previous ball.

Somerset should do this now. But as a neutral I'd be happy to see a tie.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Somerset should do this now. But as a neutral I'd be happy to see a tie.

I guess you're happy then?

 

[Richard]

Shame that wasn't the last ever Pro40 game really.

 

[GIMH]

Absorbing game that, I say that as someone who isn't much of a fan of the Pro40, needed a beer for the last 4 overs but daren't leave the room

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Absorbing game that, I say that as someone who isn't much of a fan of the Pro40, needed a beer for the last 4 overs but daren't leave the room

I don't like the principle of 40 over cricket - not the same format as ODIs, probably too little time for real contests between bat and ball - but I find the day/night games on Sky very watchable. It just seems the right length for the spectator, time wise. Only the odd game mind - I couldn't watch a game of this every night.

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, exactly. They are on about 4 nights a week at this time of year and I often opt for The Bill and such like instead, tonight I was bored, the missus was hogging the laptop, I stuck it in and could not leave the room

 

[Uppercut]

I may be alone in preferring the 40 over format to the 50 over games. Obviously county cricket should be about preparing for ODIs, so 50 overs is the type of cricket that should be played. But as a spectacle it just contains ten more overs of tediously defensive fields and batsmen ticking over singles that the bowler is all too happy to give them.

 

[stumpski]

I guess you're happy then?

Well yes, because I didn't really care who won - and in a way neither side deserved to lose. There was a tremendous sense of anti-climax on the ground though; it's one of those results where both teams feel they've failed.

As for Turner, he got Man of the Match (does anyone else think maybe they'd prefer a cheque to a big bottle of fizz) for his 1 for 47 - I wonder what Kieswetter and Solanki (among others) made of that. Odd, tstl.

I may be alone in preferring the 40 over format to the 50 over games. Obviously county cricket should be about preparing for ODIs, so 50 overs is the type of cricket that should be played. But as a spectacle it just contains ten more overs of tediously defensive fields and batsmen ticking over singles that the bowler is all too happy to give them.

Me too, I was brought up on uninterrupted coverage of the John Player League on BBC2 and must have gone to dozens of the games, but I think there is a sense - as there was with the Benson and Hedges - that maybe it's had its day. Twenty20 has muscled in really and the town ain't big enough for the both of 'em.

 

[Neil Pickup]

You say neither side deserved to lose: I wasn't convinced that either deserved to win, after Worcestershire's running between the wickets/outfielding and Somerset's catching/outfielding... but I'll agree that the tie was about right.

 

[GIMH]

Somerset's outfielding wasn't all bad. Catching was atrocious though

 

[stumpski]

I must admit I was laughing at Caddick shamelessly rooting for Somerset throughout the match - possibly the most biased 'commentator' I've ever heard. If Sky want to use a current player in the commentary box, and it isn't a bad idea, shouldn't it be from a team that isn't playing in the match?

 

[GIMH]

LOL yeah, Caddick was refreshingly honest though. Quite criticial of Langer at some points which you wouldn't really expect.

 

[Richard]

I may be alone in preferring the 40 over format to the 50 over games. Obviously county cricket should be about preparing for ODIs, so 50 overs is the type of cricket that should be played. But as a spectacle it just contains ten more overs of tediously defensive fields and batsmen ticking over singles that the bowler is all too happy to give them.

Nah, hate 40-over cricket with a passion. The middle overs where bowlers can actually bowl economically if they can bowl well with good fields is the only thing that keeps the OD game credible as cricket. Get rid of or substantially reduce that and it just becomes a bash like Twenty20.

Games which are all about aggression with no place for defence just don't interest me. There must always be a balance.

That's why 60-over cricket > 50-over cricket. Almost all the best English domestic cricket has come in the 60-over format. It was never played at the international level though, except in the 1975, '79 and '83 World Cups.

 

[stumpski]

Often think 40 over cricket is better suited to evening TV though. A 50 over game can take seven hours to play out, which means starting early afternoon - not much use to those of us who have to earn a living. And if you actually go to the match, rather than just watching on TV, it's even more pronounced. Watching the whole of a 50 overs match 'live' would mean me being away from home for at least 11 hours - not something I could do very often.

 

[Richard]

Which just shows that the domestic game < the international one. You cannot justify doing something that will bring in a minutely larger audience for domestic cricket which will damage the prospects of the international team, because the domestic game will not survive without the international game bringing in much larger revenues.

 

[stumpski]

Still raining at Blackpool I see (after three days, the town must be underwater by now) - yet another day washed out. Still, hopefully we won't have to play in Lancashire next year, the best thing about being relegated.

 

[Richard]

This is extraordinary. Are we going to see 2 Championship games washed-out in their entirity in the same season?

Did that even happen last year?

 

[stumpski]

I just read that both captains wanted to play, but the umpires wouldn't let them. The umpires aren't in any danger, why should their wishes take precedence?

I wonder whether any consideration has even been given to moving the match to a more suitable venue, one with decent drainage.