***Official*** English Domestic Season 2008

[Richard]

Maybe they thought it wasn't safe for the players?

After all, who's in charge?

 

[stumpski]

But if both captains want to play, that should be the end of the matter IMO. The umpires aren't running around, they just have to stand there. The players could be warned of the risks involved. I suspect the groundsman has talked the umpires into making this decision because he doesn't want his precious square spoiled.

I'm all for playing at outgrounds but this doesn't do them any favours at all. Cricket has been played everywhere else in the country.

 

[steds]

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.

We love you too.

 

[Richard]

But if both captains want to play, that should be the end of the matter IMO. The umpires aren't running around, they just have to stand there.

But the players do, and it's the Umpires' responsibility to ensure the safety of the players.

 

[Richard]

For the life of me I can't work-out why, with Nottinghamshire easing along at 327 for 3, Michael Yardy (2 wickets at 140s this season) has bowled 13 overs while Chris Nash (3 wickets at 4 this season) has bowled just 1. Shocking captaincy.

 

[Richard]

Hell of a victory for Hants against Durham, and surely the innings of Sean Ervine's life - one of only two half-centuries in the game to make easily the highest score of the game to earn a two-wicket victory.

Onions and Plunkett costing Durham dear again - when will they learn and drop these donkeys?

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Cant believe Durham didnt win that. But well played Hampshire. Nice support from Dawson and Mascarenhas down the order too. Chasing such a low score you only need 2 semi decent partnerships and you're almost there.

 

[Perm]

Onions and Plunkett have been going pretty well this season, can hardly turn around and drop them for one poor performance. The wicket may have dried out on the last day and made batting a bit easier - it does happen. Excellent knock from Sean Ervine though, has been batting really well lately.

Excellent win for Essex on the back of Foster's century too, though it seems Chris Wright's figures of 6-22 flattered him heavily. "The beneficiary of a rash of dreadful strokes" according to reports.

Denly looks set to make it a pair of fifties against Yorkshire, hopefully he pushes on and turns this one into a century as Kent currently trail by 125 runs.

 

[Richard]

Onions and Plunkett have been going pretty well this season, can hardly turn around and drop them for one poor performance. The wicket may have dried out on the last day and made batting a bit easier - it does happen.

Both took 0-fors in the match, it was Davies who blasted through Hants in the first-innings (and he got a 3-for second time around too). Plunkett and Onions have both gone poorly this season, as ever. Plunkett got gifted 6-119 by Yorkshire's awfulness in his 1st game of the season and since then he's taken 10 wickets in 5 games at over 40. Onions was also gifted an 8-for by Yorkshire in the other game and apart from that he's had 7 games, taking 15 wickets at an average in the mid-30s.

In short, both have gone dreadfully apart from when Yorkshire have made them look good. Not like either have been much crack earlier in their careers either.

 

[superkingdave]

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?

Probably, given the Worcestershire situation, our match at New Road was called abandoned about a week before it was due to start

 

[Richard]

Rana bowling woefully again.

Naved-ul-Hasan 9 0 53 1 5.88 (2nb)
Naved-ul-Hasan 5 0 37 0 7.40 (3nb)

Seriously hope he doesn't play the second season of his contract - I could tolerate his ICL connections if he was bowling well, but he's been shocking this year. So that's a double disadvantage to the county.

 

[Richard]

And meanwhile at Wantage Road MSP is currently almost justifying his promotion to #9, with 17*. Just going to check what his career-best is...

 

[Richard]

At Hove James Kirtley has finally got his first First-Class wicket of the season on the 29th of August.

 

[stumpski]

And meanwhile at Wantage Road MSP is currently almost justifying his promotion to #9, with 17*. Just going to check what his career-best is...

39 not out, so he has quite a way to go, but the important thing is not how many runs he makes but how long he can stay and support Klusener, who's gone past 150.

 

[Manee]

91 balls and counting, he's doing a good job.

 

[stumpski]

Yes - and 'Zulu' is on to 184 now, past 1000 runs for the season, and rather more impressively, averaging 76 this year. Didn't he do something similar last year as well?

 

[Richard]

Klusener's batting is just getting better and better in recent years.

Shame his bowling has gone almost completely off-the-boil though.

 

[stumpski]

It was 2006 actually, he averaged 65 with six 100s. Shades of Andy Flower there, even if his bowling has gone. And he is almost 37 after all, which is maybe why his scoring rate has slowed a little.


Just caught sight of Croft's figures: 47-22-83-0. Accurate rather than penetrative, you might say.

 

[Perm]

Klusener past 200, and Northants declare. Awesome stuff from Monty.

 

[stumpski]

They declared when Klusener got his 200, the first of his career. His previous best was the 174 he made against Hussain's side at Port Elizabeth in December 1999 - I remember it well.