**Official** Tour Matches

[Richard]

Rain in three-day games is soooooo annoying.

 

[Prince EWS]

Rain in cricket games is soooooo annoying.

Fixed.

 

[Matt79]

50 up for Watto.

so, was Hughes dismissal another carbon copy of his last few, as it sounds like it was. If so, it's getting cruel now - he's not going to make any runs anywhere til he works out a way to get past this.

 

[pasag]

This has thrown a bit of a spanner into the works. Hussey's safe, but North will be playing for his spot this innings especially now that his bowling isn't much of a factor anymore with Hauritz doing alright. Still reckon if McDonald takes a few he'll catapult in front of all of them, for better or worse.

 

[Prince EWS]

This has thrown a bit of a spanner into the works. Hussey's safe, but North will be playing for his spot this innings especially now that his bowling isn't much of a factor anymore with Hauritz doing alright. Still reckon if McDonald takes a few he'll catapult in front of all of them, for better or worse.

I still think Watson actually needs to take a few wickets to get himself into contention. I've been listening to the BBC commentary of Watson's innings and while he's played well, the bowling has been absolutely rank at times.

 

[pasag]

I still think Watson actually needs to take a few wickets to get himself into contention. I've been listening to the BBC commentary of Watson's innings and while he's played well, the bowling has been absolutely rank at times.

Can he even bowl these days?

 

[Prince EWS]

Can he even bowl these days?

He was bowling a bit in the nets last week apparently although I'm not sure if he'll bowl in this game.

That was my point, though. While I reckon Watson has it in him to be a Test batsman - bowling or no bowling - there's no point dropping North or Hussey for him at the moment if he can't bowl.

 

[Prince EWS]

He's a batsman who bowls a bit of spin.

Yeah, startlingly similar to his Dad BTSOT. He was a moderate but fearless batsman and moderate-quality spinner too.

He's actually been bowling seam-up in this game.

 

[Prince EWS]

Watto gone for 84; caught behind to give Graeme White his 4th First Class wicket in his 7th game.

 

[pasag]

Just as I got the radio working...

 

[superkingdave]

He's actually been bowling seam-up in this game.

Yeah i saw the Katich dismissal on the U19 coverage, was actually a pretty decent ball as well.

 

[pskov]

This Northants team must be the worst side Australia have faced on an Ashes tour in donkeys years. Only one player averages over 30 with the bat, only one bowler of note averages under 35 with the ball and five of the team have played less than 10 FC matches. Bit of a joke that this match has first-class status really.

 

[Richard]

Fixed.

Well, yeah, absolutely, but it's even more annoying in three-dayers than five-dayers.

 

[Richard]

This Northants team must be the worst side Australia have faced on an Ashes tour in donkeys years. Only one player averages over 30 with the bat, only one bowler of note averages under 35 with the ball and five of the team have played less than 10 FC matches. Bit of a joke that this match has first-class status really.

It's the organisations (ie, CA and Northamptonshire CCC) involved that determine whether a match has First-Class status, not the players picked. It's a joke that Northants pick such a weak team, but it's been happening for ages now, and there've been many examples as bad as this, even if this could conceivably be the most stark in numerical terms.

What would've been ideal would've been if the ECB had scheduled the match against a county with stronger backup, eg Nottinghamshire, who have picked as many as 10 seam bowlers in First-Class cricket so far this summer - Sidebottom, Adams, Franks, Broad, Ealham, Pattinson, Shreck, Fletcher, Footitt and Kevin O'Brien. Once you schedule a match against an A-list county for three or four days, and play it as an eleven-a-sider, it's a First-Class game. It's the ECB's responsibility to encourage strong sides to be sent out, either by making some sort of directive (though even then no-one can force players to give their best) or by deliberately using counties who are strong-ish even when they do rest 5-6 first-teamers.

 

[Richard]

This has thrown a bit of a spanner into the works. Hussey's safe, but North will be playing for his spot this innings especially now that his bowling isn't much of a factor anymore with Hauritz doing alright. Still reckon if McDonald takes a few he'll catapult in front of all of them, for better or worse.

Hussey overnight on 75*, North on 32*... I'd say both could do with a few more (another century would obviously be ideal for Hussey) tomorrow.

Just wish Hughes had scored some and it hadn't rained.

 

[GIMH]

It's the organisations (ie, CA and Northamptonshire CCC) involved that determine whether a match has First-Class status, not the players picked. It's a joke that Northants pick such a weak team, but it's been happening for ages now, and there've been many examples as bad as this, even if this could conceivably be the most stark in numerical terms.

What would've been ideal would've been if the ECB had scheduled the match against a county with stronger backup, eg Nottinghamshire, who have picked as many as 10 seam bowlers in First-Class cricket so far this summer - Sidebottom, Adams, Franks, Broad, Ealham, Pattinson, Shreck, Fletcher, Footitt and Kevin O'Brien. Once you schedule a match against an A-list county for three or four days, and play it as an eleven-a-sider, it's a First-Class game. It's the ECB's responsibility to encourage strong sides to be sent out, either by making some sort of directive (though even then no-one can force players to give their best) or by deliberately using counties who are strong-ish even when they do rest 5-6 first-teamers.

Notts never get warmups though, because they are a Test county

 

[superkingdave]

Notts never get warmups though, because they are a Test county

The Saffies played Middlesex last year

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, but Middlesex aren't really a Test county as they don't get the revenue from Lord's hosting Tests as it isn't their ground.

I know this because I had a rant at a mate of mine who supports Middlesex when they got a tour match last year, and that was his measured response. It was also why it was played at Uxbridge (I think).

 

[Richard]

Notts never get warmups though, because they are a Test county

Even aside from what dav said, 'twas just an example. Could as easily have said Essex (Masters, Palladino, ten Doeschate, Wright, Chambers, Westfield, Ahmed, Middlebrook), or Gloucestershire (Lewis, Franklin, Kirby, Ireland, Saxelby, Woodman, Banerjee, Stayt, Hussain, Dawson), or Kent (Parnell, Saggers, Joseph, Azhar Mahmood, McLaren, Cook, Jones, Khan, Edwards, Tredwell, Ferley).

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, fair enough...