Re: Pre-Season Friendlies

by RB Sun Mar 26, 2023 6:31 pm

aaaaaaand they've called off tomorrow's play, allegedly due to weather.

by offdrive4 Sun Mar 26, 2023 10:05 pm

I pretty much agree with your team Guildford, though I would put Smith and Lawes a couple of places higher in the order. I think Geddes is contesting a batting slot with Patel, but Patel has earned first chance. I doubt we will get a bunsen in April, so sadly don't expect a spinner. Something needs to be done to encourage spin bowling.

by RB Sun Mar 26, 2023 10:23 pm

My understanding over the not-playing-a-spinner is because we were felt to be light on batting otherwise. You can get away with that in England but this year I feel our hand is forced by Jacks being in the IPL.

I would rather play myself than see Steel playing and I hope that with Lawes and Abbott we have enough batting.

Therefore the XI I would begin Lancs with is: Burns, Sibley, Pope, Roy, Foakes, Smith/Geddes/Patel, Lawes, Abbott, Roach, Worrall, Moriarty/Virdi.

by guildfordbat Mon Mar 27, 2023 9:41 am

offdrive4 wrote:I pretty much agree with your team Guildford, though I would put Smith and Lawes a couple of places higher in the order. I think Geddes is contesting a batting slot with Patel, but Patel has earned first chance. I doubt we will get a bunsen in April, so sadly don't expect a spinner. Something needs to be done to encourage spin bowling.

Thanks, Offdrive. I don't know that much about Abbott but I seem to recall him batting at 6 or 7 and making about 40 in his one previous appearance for us (when he got crocked half way through the match). Anyway, that's why I had him above Lawes in the order.

I suspect Patel, Smith and Geddes are competing for two places. Roy isn't featuring in my thinking but, as I said to RB yesterday, who knows?

by RB Mon Mar 27, 2023 2:39 pm

“Waterlogged outfield”, apparently. Not that I believe them. It’s windy but sunny.

by guildfordbat Mon Mar 27, 2023 3:27 pm

Nice photo, RB. Reckon you can feel hard done by, missing out on any cricket today.

by RB Mon Mar 27, 2023 6:35 pm

Yes, I do...! The forecast for tomorrow is OK too although not as good as today... ah, my first sunburn of the year!

by RB Tue Mar 28, 2023 10:21 am

The rain is very light but persistent, sadly.

by RB Tue Mar 28, 2023 10:37 am

The fact three Sussex players have just gone past me in Hove with coffee kind of says it all really.

by Cee Gee Tue Mar 28, 2023 11:18 am

RB wrote:The fact three Sussex players have just gone past me in Hove with coffee kind of says it all really.

That they don’t realise who you are?

by Steve Tue Mar 28, 2023 11:21 am

Can’t see there being any play today. Hopefully the
weather is better next week for the start of the season.

by Chinaman Tue Mar 28, 2023 11:42 am

Steve wrote:Can’t see there being any play today. Hopefully the
weather is better next week for the start of the season.

Not looking good at the moment for Old Trafford.
Why do they schedule games in Manchester in April? It's still the middle of winter up thier.

by jackersfan Tue Mar 28, 2023 12:44 pm

I may well reproduce my experience of a few years ago,?2018?, when I could only make one day of the four (day 1), the rain started as I approached the ground, became torrential, we saw a mascots' race, it was abandoned for the day before lunch, I had a pie and a chat with a Lancy mate, and went home.

by Jackers Tue Mar 28, 2023 12:45 pm

I take the point about Manchester, but the forecast is hardly any better down here. It is another example of why the template for cricket in England was so much better 40 or 50 years ago. We never dreamed of playing ANY cricket until mid-April, and even then it was B and H group matches, a couple of which would typically be rained-off or severely weather-affected. The county championship got going in the last week of April, and finished in mid-September. More overs per day, more days to watch cricket but at a time which was much more likely to be conducive to it.

by Chinaman Tue Mar 28, 2023 1:11 pm

Yes. The problem now is that their is too much cricket to fit in to the English season: 4 Competitions, CC, Blast, 100, RLODC + 7 Tests. I'm not aware any other country has this much. Of course all I it serves is to dumb it all down. More is rarely better - in anything.

by RB Tue Mar 28, 2023 1:15 pm

The problem is no one is willing to compromise. At the moment there are 16 “weeks” of County Championship cricket, because of tour games and Lions games. I put this to Stewart in the winter and he refused to countenance any suggestion of axeing the two “rest” weeks.

by RB Tue Mar 28, 2023 1:36 pm

Cee Gee wrote:
RB wrote:The fact three Sussex players have just gone past me in Hove with coffee kind of says it all really.

That they don’t realise who you are?

Ryan Patel did, though.

No Jason Roys were spotted but Chris Jordan was, interestingly. Maybe he will play Champo after all then?

I think we’ll get a clearer picture on Thursday.

by offdrive4 Tue Mar 28, 2023 2:50 pm

Even with Overton and the Currans unavailable I think Chris Jordan would struggle to get a regular slot in our Championship side, we have Clark, Lawes, Abbott, Worrall and Roach which is I think as strong a pace attack as we have had for some time.

by RB Tue Mar 28, 2023 3:01 pm

I think he might sneak in ahead of Clark, bearing in mind he has played 8 Tests and Clark none, but we’ll find out next week.

I also would leave out them all and play Lawes-Abbott-Roach-Worrall with Moriarty.

by offdrive4 Tue Mar 28, 2023 3:12 pm

Clark did bowl very well last year and I think justifies his place. I quite like the idea of bringing in the Professor, though maybe not early season and it does gives us a bit of a tail.

by RB Tue Mar 28, 2023 3:42 pm

I think Abbott at 8 is fine, he’s marked as an “all-rounder” by some…

Also one more point about Sussex: had this been a competitive game we would have seen cricket yesterday and later on today, I think given it was a friendly there was a real lack of effort to get the game on, Paul Farbrace I overheard saying as much to our players, the common sense option here.

Forecast for Thursday to Saturday is awful so we’ll be going to Old Trafford blind. Time to embarrass ourselves on the telly again?

by optimistnot Tue Mar 28, 2023 4:47 pm

Looking at the weather forecast we not likely to get any play this week.
So could go into the first game of the season without any prep except training in the marquee.

by Jason Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:25 am

Any confirmation if the Middlesex game is open to the public? Weather doesn't look too good...

by Badges Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:45 am

Is it worth venturing out tomorrow?Weather looks iffy for all three days.I think i'll give it a go - i've been in hibernation for months!

by Badges Wed Mar 29, 2023 2:02 pm

Jason wrote:Any confirmation if the Middlesex game is open to the public? Weather doesn't look too good...

https://www.kiaoval.com/surrey-vs-middlesex-pre-season-match-day-information/

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