***Official English Domestic Off Season 2014-2015***

[Howe_zat]

All I know of Colin Graves is that he's pretty much a forumer at heart

Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves attacks England stars after relegation | Sport | The Guardian

Graves underlined the problem by explaining how the Headingley pitch had been developed this season to the team's wishes. "Don't blame the bloody pitch, it's not the pitch," he said. "It's the fact they can't play on it, that's the problem."

 

[fredfertang]

Alviro Petersen Old Trafford bound by all accounts

 

[theegyptian]

This lions bowling lineup is pretty volatile I would say. Don't think you'd go into a proper test or 4 day game with a similar composition. Rankin and Wood rarely bowl more than 15 overs in a day. All the four seamers are generally used as attacking options in short bursts to attack opposition. Would be fine if they had a reliable spinner to bowl 25 overs in a day at one end tightly but Rashid doesn't really offer that.

 

[grecian]

This lions bowling lineup is pretty volatile I would say. Don't think you'd go into a proper test or 4 day game with a similar composition. Rankin and Wood rarely bowl more than 15 overs in a day. All the four seamers are generally used as attacking options in short bursts to attack opposition. Would be fine if they had a reliable spinner to bowl 25 overs in a day at one end tightly but Rashid doesn't really offer that.

Rashid got smashed, Lyth had to bowl, not terribly encouraging. Hope Adam has changed his action, looked pretty filthy when I've seen it before.

 

[theegyptian]

Good to see Wood get through 30 overs. The reports yesterday seemed to suggest Wood and Plunkett were the best of the bowlers and that's reflected in the figures.

Now it's down to Robson and Lyth.

 

[Pothas]

Good stuff Trott. Probably should not be speculating yet but I am going to do it anyway, could he maybe open? Or maybe Ballance could, sure I heard Dobell say that he thought of himself as an opener.

Finally some Lions runs for Vince as well.

 

[grecian]

Good stuff Trott. Probably should not be speculating yet but I am going to do it anyway, could he maybe open? Or maybe Ballance could, sure I heard Dobell say that he thought of himself as an opener.

Finally some Lions runs for Vince as well.

Yes, I was thinking opener too. Odd after donkeys years of having no-one perform at three, we could suddenly have two very solid performers there. Can't really see another slot for him really. All looks pretty settled in Tests anyway

 

[theegyptian]

Shoulda declared a while ago in this match imo. Coulda declared 120 behind and try bowl SA out again and force a result (however impropable). Need to learn about the bowlers on flat wickets rather than Trott filling his boots.

Result at the end of the day in these games is secondary to learning how players deal under pressure. Don't learn much by watching Trott go from 120 to 200 as the game peters out into a draw.

 

[Cabinet96]

I think there's a strong case for Trott just filling his boots tbh. Really pleased for him anyway.

 

[grecian]

I think there's a strong case for Trott just filling his boots tbh. Really pleased for him anyway.

Yeah, the pitch is clearly pretty flat, let their bowlers flog themselves into the ground rather than ours. Also Plunkett could do with a bigg-ish score to enhance his all-round prospects. Always looked like he was an half-decent bat.

 

[Cabinet96]

The great man has joined the dark side: Sangakkara joins Surrey | England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) - The Official Website of the ECB

Despicable.

 

[ImpatientLime]

2,000 FC runs incoming.

 

[Niall]

Warner should also apologise for inspiring one of the worst articles of the year from Martin Crowe

Martin Crowe: Why cricket needs yellow and red cards | Cricinfo Magazine | ESPN Cricinfo

***ism, and sulking about guff like "spirit of cricket" and "gentleman's game", is this all he moans about these days?

 

[Cabinet96]

Craig Kieswetter is seeing an eye specialist in Belgium today to assess whether he'll be able to keep playing cricket. Really hope it goes OK.

 

[superkingdave]

Vince has finally turned up in a Lions shirt. Might just be enough to save them, 200 ahead with 3 wickets left and about 50 overs remaining.

 

[Pothas]

Saved it easily in the end. Delighted with that from Vince, been a great year for him, now just a full season of making runs in division 1 please. He is the long term replacement for Bell though.

 

[superkingdave]

So Lancs have signed Alviro Petersen for 2 years. Batting could use all the help it can get i guess.

 

[morgieb]

So Lancs have signed Alviro Petersen for 2 years. Batting could use all the help it can get i guess.

Are Lancashire supposted to be representing the county of Lancashire, or South Africa?

 

[theegyptian]

Both those lions games there was a chance to make a contest of it but instead they let both matches fizzle out into draws. Second test they called it draw at tea. How about declaring a little earlier and leave SA 220 in 48 overs or something. Give a test to the bowlers. The approach to the whole series was formulaic. At the end of the day the result is meaningless. A lions result isn't the end game - making quality international cricketers is. Robinson as coach should have been trying to challenge the players. Instead from the look of it he was putting his own self interest in front of english cricket's best interests and making sure they got a decent 0-0 draw which looks good on his cv but actually means nothing.

The general approach is just wrong imo. Also the likes of Stokes, Roy, Parry etc should have been allowed to finish in the Big Bash. As it was all their teams crashed out so they didn't miss much but surely these players would benefit more from playing in front of big crowds in a position of pressure as overseas players. It would have given opportunites to other players a little further down the totem pole to play for the lions and work with the coaches and Stokes, Roy etc would turn up eventually.

Going on the results of the 4 day stuff I'd imagine England will go with Trott and Lyth as the final two batsman for the test tour of the West Indies. Robson might have got another go if he didn't fail so bad not that Lyth did much better.

Sounds like Wood bowled well even if his figures didn't reflect it. Importantly he managed to get through 64 overs in 2 and a bit innings so hopefully he's through the worst of his injuries.

 

[theegyptian]

English county cricket clubs face being left even further behind foreign money after ECB slash salary cap by 10 per cent* | Daily Mail Online
County news : Counties hit by new payment rules | Cricket News | England Domestic Season | ESPN Cricinfo

This seems really stupid. How can you make the decision so late? Most teams have signed players on the old budgets and they've just ripped it up less than 3 months before the start of the season.

Couple of other pieces of news. MCC news : Cook gets WI warm-up in Abu Dhabi | Cricket News | Marylebone Cricket Club | ESPN Cricinfo MCC squad for game v Yorkshire


Northants managed to top up their SA quota with Kleinveldt and Levi. Kleinveldt is overseas, Levi Kolpak. Northants swoop for Levi and Kleinveldt | England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) - The Official Website of the ECB. Appears Levi is currently opening in 4 day cricket in SA but not sure how he'll transfer that to England. Northants already have a surplus of middle order options and few opening options so he'll probably end up there even if that isn't ideal.