***Official*** English Domestic Season 2008

[Richard]

Lancashire in trouble on Sky, have plenty of work to do to make this a game worth watching later. Ealham, now the oldest player on the circuit, looks as if he could go on for a few years yet.

Can't quite see him making 2011, but it's ridiculous that he's still one of if not the best OD bowler in the country and hasn't played for England for 7 years. And Tim Bresnan and Sajid Mahmood have.

Just wish Read didn't use him at the death so much - unlike Ian Austin, it's never been a strength of his and his economy-rate would be much better if Read just bowled him at the start and in the middle.

 

[Richard]

So long as it's a better game than the one between Glamorgan and Derbyshire on Monday night ... Derbyshire just pottered along at three an over as if unaware they had to score at over five - ended up needing 70 off the last three.

Maybe they were restricted by good bowling?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Another heartily commendable performance from Big Sammy Patel with the ball. Comfortably outbowled the supposed senior spinner, a certain Mr Swann.

The latter has somewhat made amends with a 36-ball 50 tho & brought up in the grand manner to boot as Notts look to nip the Red Rose in the bud.

 

[Richard]

Another heartily commendable performance from Big Sammy Patel with the ball. Comfortably outbowled the supposed senior spinner, a certain Mr Swann.

At least Swann's outbowled Patel in pretty well every other game this season.

 

[Richard]

Just wish Read didn't use him at the death so much - unlike Ian Austin, it's never been a strength of his and his economy-rate would be much better if Read just bowled him at the start and in the middle.

And as if by magic - after 6 overs for 21, last 2 go for twenty-****ing-two. Really annoys me that. Dreadful captaincy.

Swann taken for 18 off his last 2 as well. If those 2 had bowled-out earlier they'd almost certainly have gone for not-much and anyone else bowling at the end (Pattinson, Adams or Shreck) couldn't possibly have gone much worse.

 

[stumpski]

Game on at Trent Bridge? Notts were off to a flyer in pursuit of 203, but 88 needed off 17 now with Shafayat and Read together - and they probably have to make most of them. Croft bowling very tidily and Keedy getting it to turn and bounce.

 

[stumpski]

Good finish this ... Notts fell away and needed 40 off five, then some big hitting by Adams got it down to 25 off four. Superb over by Smith has gone 1 0 0 0 W 0.

And Keedy to bowl the 38th, this'll be good.

 

[GIMH]

close call but I was always confident

 

[Uppercut]

close call but I was always confident

Lancashire fan? Explains the religious love of Freddie..

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, though unlike in footy I'm an England fan first and foremost, and the Freddie love would probably be the same whichever county I followed

 

[Uppercut]

Yeah, though unlike in footy I'm an England fan first and foremost, and the Freddie love would probably be the same whichever county I followed

I remembered today why i always want England to lose at football. Seemingly any Englishman who commentates on an England game immediately become blinkered, biased, stupid, and an absolute ****.

As for the cricket, i like Lancashire as my temporarily adopted county. But for reasons unknown i've always supported Hampshire.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I remembered today why i always want England to lose at football. Seemingly any Englishman who commentates on an England game immediately become blinkered, biased, stupid, and an absolute ****.

To be fair Alan Green is a countryman of yours & he quite comfortably out-****s every other commentator, tonight's game not excluded.

 

[Uppercut]

To be fair Alan Green is a countryman of yours & he quite comfortably out-****s every other commentator, tonight's game not excluded.

I don't think he's the worst, but there's no chance i'm going to for one moment countenance defending him. All I can say is you obviously aren't familiar with the other Norn Irish commentators the BBC get to do our games.

 

[superkingdave]

Good win, we needed that...could be a Roses playoff to decide promotion/relegation tbh although the most fitting thing this season would be for that to be rained off (and for us to win the bowl off of course)

Nice to see Crofty doing well, Smith back and Brown going ok given the chance.

 

[stumpski]

Are we going to see the side batting first wriggle off the hook for the second evening in a row? Yesterday Lancashire won after finding themselves 74-5, and now Middlesex are past 150 at Hove having been reduced to 65-6. I can't see Sussex having a problem with a target around 180 though.

Both need a win - Sussex to keep their title hopes alive, Middlesex to avoid the drop.

 

[Richard]

How on Earth has Jacques du Toit managed to take 3 wickets against Gloucestershire? He's been brought on to bowl joke-bowling by the looks of things, but instead has got 3-17 off 3.2.

 

[stumpski]

How on Earth has Jacques du Toit managed to take 3 wickets against Gloucestershire? He's been brought on to bowl joke-bowling by the looks of things, but instead has got 3-17 off 3.2.

Hmmm, yes - you'd think, if they were just slogging, they'd have been caught on the ropes, but two of them have been lbw. I must admit I'd never heard of him, so had to look him up - he had bowled 53 overs in 12 matches before this game though, so not a complete non-bowler. More of an Ian Bell than an Andrew Strauss, perhaps.

 

[Richard]

Yeah he's bowled a bit earlier this season - which makes the biggest question, I suppose, why he rather than, say, Nixon, has been brought on to send down the joke-bowling. But to see a joke-bowler get a 3-for is, well, I don't think I've ever seen it in the 9 years I've been reading county scorecards.

And normally when joke-bowlers are bowling fielders don't take catches, they just let it go to the ropes.

 

[GIMH]

So, looks like Surrey are down and I believe Northants have released Klusener

 

[Richard]

They have? Wow. Surprising.

Don't suppose it's much if any worry to him mind with his ICL bucks coming in. He doesn't need to play proper domestic cricket anywhere any more.

Northants could do to do the same to Hall, van der Wath, Boje and Louw too. Think a fair few of them are ICL-ers too. And surely now they've got O'Brien they don't need Wessels as well?