***Official*** English Domestic Season 2008

[morgieb]

Dexter is leaving Kent isn't he?

 

[Richard]

Yes, as has been mentioned in the previous 2 posts...

 

[Rickripper]

Denly must be injured, surely?

As for Geraint, well, he might be better than Mustard, but that's no achievement - there are many county second-team wicketkeepers better at batting than him. How he keeps hold of a place at Durham, especially in the Championship team, is beyond me. What's frightening is that people honestly were in favour of the idea of him playing Tests not long ago.

And no way is Geraint a better batsman than Foster or Ambrose. Not a chance.

As for Dexter, I believe he came over to come to uni, which'd suggest he was 18 before he arrived. I'm fairly certain he's a Kolpak, though the all-knowing-on-this-subject TT_Boy would be the best man to say for certain.

What Cricinfo has to say on Dexter: "Neil Dexter is another of Kent's Kolpak qualified South African contingent, and he arrived at Kent in the Summer of 2005. He made an instant impact, hitting 79* on debut against Nottinghamshire. Dexter is an extremely promising batting allrounder. Towards the end of the 2008 season, he turned down a three-year contract with the county."

Maybe you're right about Jones, I probably just remember him as a better player than he was. I guess when you're coming in way down the order, it's easy to look better than you are.

 

[TT Boy]

Neil Dexter has been signed up by Middlesex. Dexter turned down a three year deal with Kent and moves also to Essex where he spent time on loan this year and Sussex. Apparently, there is a story that Neil after Kent's Lord's finals day (a game in which he did not play in) was 'barred' from his side's dressing room.

Also Neil has a British passport like Dawid Malan. Although, Neil had to do it the hard way.

Kent are currently chasing Ed Joyce to fill the gap left by Dexter and Matt Walker but apparently Joyce is on too much money and will opt for a move to Hampshire instead.

 

[TT Boy]

That is, Imran Tahir won't play in the last couple of games of the season?

Why?

Tahir has a 12 month contract with the Titans until 2010 and they want him back to help in pre-season with their youngsters and also his trying to qualify for South Africa, so he doesn't need to be spending any more excess days in the UK.

Hampshire want him back for the next two years and are trying to sort out some sort of deal but it looks increasingly likely that even if Imran does commit it won't be for a full county season.

 

[Rickripper]

Another good start for Essex, Masters removes Maddy second ball of the innings. He's taken 40 wickets at 22 this season, he must be one of the most consistent opening bowlers in the country at the moment.

Surrey all out for 267, Shoaib fell onto his stumps after he got one full in the face attempting a pull shot. And Joe Denly has finally come in at number 8 for Kent, apparently he had a migraine.

 

[Richard]

Dexter has been signed up by Middlesex. Dexter's turned down a three year deal with Kent and moves also to Essex where he spent time on loan this year and Sussex. Apparently, there is a story that Neil after Kent's Lord's finals day (a game in which he did not play in) was 'barred' from his side's dressing room.

Also Neil has a British passport like Dawid Malan. Although, Neil had to do it the hard way.

Kent are currently chasing Ed Joyce to fill the gap left by Dexter and Matt Walker but apparently Joyce is on too much money and will opt for a move to Hampshire instead.

Why on Earth are Middlesex so keen on these imports? You'd think they'd be happy with the Strausses, Godlemans, Shahs, Joyces and Morgans, all either home-grown or taking Middlesex as their first county.

But no - they want Ed Smith, they want Dexter, they want Malan... greed, nothing less.

Unneccessary movement between counties really does piss me off. We're fast heading for a vaguely football-esque situation.

 

[Richard]

Another good start for Essex, Masters removes Maddy second ball of the innings. He's taken 40 wickets at 22 this season, he must be one of the most consistent opening bowlers in the country at the moment.

I've said it a few times this year - if he's not the most accurate bowler in the country currently, I don't know who is.

 

[Rickripper]

Unneccessary movement between counties really does piss me off. We're fast heading for a vaguely football-esque situation.

So you must be as annoyed at Rikki Clarke moping about as I am?

 

[TT Boy]

Another good start for Essex, Masters removes Maddy second ball of the innings. He's taken 40 wickets at 22 this season, he must be one of the most consistent opening bowlers in the country at the moment.

Surrey all out for 267, Shoaib fell onto his stumps after he got one full in the face attempting a pull shot. And Joe Denly has finally come in at number 8 for Kent, apparently he had a migraine.

Would love to see that.

Anyhow, Surrey are officially down

 

[Rickripper]

The highlights will be on Surrey TV tonight sometime.

 

[Richard]

So you must be as annoyed at Rikki Clarke moping about as I am?

Yep, think he should've stayed with Surrey. One bad season resulting in him being dropped for a few games and he decided to leave. People should have more sticking power IMO - if Clarke's good enough he'd have forced his way back in before long - FFS, look who's been playing this year, Stewart Walters and Matthew Spriegel.

And likewise if he's not good enough going to another county isn't going to help him.

Far, far too many players at the current time seem to think a move of county is going to solve loads of problems that it can never possibly solve. And it's resulting in the current unsettled look the game has.

 

[gettingbetter]

Samit Patel scores another 100. Bolter for India?

 

[Scaly piscine]

Samit Patel scores another 100. Bolter for India?

Should be there for me, he's got a good record and there are not exactly people clamouring ahead of him to play as a batsman.

I hope he does well so we can get rid of the millstone that is Panesar when England play Tests at home.

 

[Richard]

Jason Gillespie is set to retire completely after these last couple of games. Probably for the best for mine - he's still quite capable of keeping control (and has been a part of a surprisingly good Glamorgan attack at times this season in himself, Shantry, Harris, Croft and Cosker) but doesn't seem to be the wicket-taking force he once was. And that's another ICL player out of the county game and into ICL-only territory, which is where such players are served best.

 

[gettingbetter]

Should be there for me, he's got a good record and there are not exactly people clamouring ahead of him to play as a batsman.

I hope he does well so we can get rid of the millstone that is Panesar when England play Tests at home.

Urgh. Can't stand this double-discipline England POV. Patel is a batsmen who can bowl. Not an all-rounder let alone out and out bowler.

 

[Rickripper]

Terrific game at the Oval today, I've even abandoned my beloved Essex who are heading for a bore-draw. A better than a run-a-ball 100 for Samit Patel, Mark Wagh's thousandth FC run of the season, Shoaib Akhtar getting hit in the neck and treading on his stumps, and a fox running up the sight screen. Batty had a pretty bad injury too, but the commentators haven't specifically said what it was while I've been listening.

 

[Prince EWS]

Patel is a batsmen who can bowl

And that's exactly what they need given they currently have Flintoff batting at #6.

 

[Rickripper]

Another failure for Vaughan today. I'll be very disappointed if he's in the India squad. He needs to go play FC cricket in the winter, not sit on the sidelines in the sub-continent.

Gough's last match today... no wickets, and only 8 overs to boot. He's had a poor season. And Shiv's approaching a classy century.

 

[superkingdave]

Still half hoping we get relegated and get a clean break from the Watkinson era