*Official* English Domestic Cricket 2012

[BoyBrumby]

Saj's hair looks suspiciously grey-free after his budding silver fox impression at the tailend of last season...

The Grecian 2000 hasn't had a similarly restorative effect on his bowling tho; pie central. Fitting it's a Gatting that's tucking in. Although young Joe seems to have avoided Uncle Mike's love of lard.

 

[stumpski]

There's been some pretty ugly slogging in the last few overs; no need for that now with only 15 wanted from the last three.

 

[stumpski]

Fair comment from Bumble but it's been quite a few years since sides actually played a one-innings match on the last day when the first three were washed out. It was more common in the days of three-day matches I seem to recall.

 

[Jacknife]

good cameo by bresnan to take yorkshire over the line. I really like Ballance also. Technically good, never flashy. Personally i feel like he would be better batting at 3 or 4 for yorkshire where he can build an innings and the other batsman bat around him with a more attacking batsman at 6.

Yes Ballance was one of the few bright spots for Yorkshire last year along with Siddy and Bairtsow and like you say as he moves on in his career he will defo bat 3 or 4, just atm Gale & Jaques are in those positions. I really like the lad, great attitude and very sound technically.

Brilliant to see Jaques loving his time back at Headingley, looks pretty much back to his best since arriving and has given us that missing bit of class we needed since Rudolph left.

 

[TT Boy]

Can’t see Colly lasting much longer, hasn’t scored a fifty all season and highest score in domestic 20/20 in South Africa was about 20. For a guy with no form, 3 is a bit too high, especially when in pomp he never batted that high. Durham really need to get some batsman from somewhere, 36 year old Gareth Breese is back for today's game while Liam Plunkett gets a rare run out. Plunkett is only 27 but career seems to have completely stalled.

 

[Viscount Tom]

Durham's batting so far this season has been dire.

 

[superkingdave]

Great to see Woakes back in action, decent first bowl as well

 

[Jacknife]

Great to see Woakes back in action, decent first bowl as well

Agree, came here to say the same, always good to come back and get a couple of wickets.

 

[Jacknife]

Can’t see Colly lasting much longer, hasn’t scored a fifty all season and highest score in domestic 20/20 in South Africa was about 20. For a guy with no form, 3 is a bit too high, especially when in pomp he never batted that high. Durham really need to get some batsman from somewhere, 36 year old Gareth Breese is back for today's game while Liam Plunkett gets a rare run out. Plunkett is only 27 but career seems to have completely stalled.

It's sad to see what's happened to Colly, I was hoping he'd come back to CC after retiring from test cricket and find some form again but it's been a real struggle for him, in every form of the game.

 

[Biryani Pillow]

Listening to the Worcs game now - less than 10 overs left for Surrey to claim the last three wickets.

George Edwards seems like a handy new signing and should leapfrog Jordan in contention for a first-team place on this showing.

Rather premature - and rather wrong.

Jordan is a fine player who has been held back by injury.

I suspect within Surrey that Edwards is not considered as highly as Dunn.

Re: Colly - It's always a risk going back to the County ranks in the mid 30s. Unless he finds form there may be an announcement in July.......

 

[MW1304]

Benny loving the List A stuff atm, seems to suit his game perfectly. Has faced some poor attacks recently but can't fault the output at such an early stage.

Delighted for Bairstow also, deserves his shot.

 

[TT Boy]

Rather premature - and rather wrong.

Jordan is a fine player who has been held back by injury.

I suspect within Surrey that Edwards is not considered as highly as Dunn.

He was a talent a few years back but bowling is now gun barrel, not as quick before injury while the batting is still miles away from all-round status. Was back playing FC for Barbados during the off-season, that's where his long-term future may lie.

 

[Jacknife]

Rather premature - and rather wrong.

Jordan is a fine player who has been held back by injury.

I suspect within Surrey that Edwards is not considered as highly as Dunn.

Re: Colly - It's always a risk going back to the County ranks in the mid 30s. Unless he finds form there may be an announcement in July.......

I was hoping that Dunn might of got some first team action this season for Surrey. Watched him play a couple of times for the U19's, looks a really talent, especially at that age bowling 90mph with good control, a bit of a skiddy bowler.

Kane Williamson isn't half enjoying his time here in England, he's been in brilliant form of recent times, exciting young cricketer.

 

[TT Boy]

I was hoping that Dunn might of got some first team action this season for Surrey. Watched him play a couple of times for the U19's, looks a really talent, especially at that age bowling 90mph with good control, a bit of a skiddy bowler.

Kane Williamson isn't half enjoying his time here in England, he's been in brilliant form of recent times, exciting young cricketer.

This will be Williamson's third century of the month. Gloucestershire apparently can't afford Kane, so some unnamed sponsor is taking care of Williamson expenses with New Zealand helping out as well.

 

[Spikey]

nice fight being shown by Alex Barrow

 

[Jarquis]

Did Hildreth forget Waller was playing?

 

[theegyptian]

Moeen Ali with another 99 yesterday. Was excellent last year for Worcester in the 40 over comp and made 136 off 90 for Worcs against Sri lanka in a 50 over game. (although a caveat would be that the standard of 40 over cricket isn't that great with the England guys generally not playing and the games generally being played after 4 days of county cricket the format is weighted in the favour of batsman as good bowlers are sometimes either rested or knackered).

Personally I feel like he should at least be considered by England for a 50 over squad place. His batting is a bit too loose in 4 day cricket but in one day cricket he is ideally suited with the white ball - and he's not the worst option in the world as a spin bowler. Worth a look possibly imo

 

[marc71178]

But in place of whom? It's all well and good suggesting new names but they need to replace someone and when you consider someone like Buttler is struggling to get in, then Moeen should be miles away.

 

[Jacknife]

There was a bit of hype about Moeen when he first came up a few years ago and like quite a few of these hyped U19 players hasn't really delivered, especially in first class cricket.

I know he had a good year in CB40 last year but that came a bit out of the blue for me because he'd been pretty ordinary in previous years up to that. I'll wait and see whether it was a one off season or he can back it up this year, if he can put together another good year why not have him around the squad. Not sure what the selectors think of him because he didn't go on the Lions tour to SL.

 

[theegyptian]

But in place of whom? It's all well and good suggesting new names but they need to replace someone and when you consider someone like Buttler is struggling to get in, then Moeen should be miles away.

Buttler and Moeen aren't competing for the same spots and Buttler would have played more in the UAE were it not for the hand injury. England have to continue to look to the future and one of the problems they will have in the near future in the ODI team is a lack of opening batsman and a lack of alternative bowling options from the batsman. Buttler, Bairstow have both played in recent times as fielders; Cook, Taylor, Morgan also don't bowl. That basically leaves Samit and Stokes. Samit is OK and Stokes is injury prone. Moeen would offer an alternative to Samit as an offspinning allrounder but who opens the innings.

All I'm suggesting is England keep on looking at players especially ones who offer different options. A left handed attractive aggressive opening bat who bowls useful offbreaks would be a decent addition to an average england ODI team. Whether Moeen is good enough to fulfill this role I don't know but England should be monitoring his performances imo, and he did spend some of the winter with the performance squad so they obviously are.