Re: Lancashire (A) - 6-9 Apr (Sky Sports)

by Jedrich Fri Apr 07, 2023 11:29 am

Well played Cameron Steel.

I've never understood why Sky don't show more championship matches. Surely it would be relatively cheap for them, especially if they took the feed from the counties when they could. And it would fill a lot of air time for them.

by Alex! Fri Apr 07, 2023 12:21 pm

Good total, over to the bowlers

by Jedrich Fri Apr 07, 2023 1:02 pm

Good start from Worrall and Roach but no luck so far.

by Chinaman Fri Apr 07, 2023 1:43 pm

Steel has just cemented his place for the season. Looks like he's improved a lot over the winter. Unless we get some turners I wouldn't think we'll see much of Moriaty, and Virdi might be better off looking elsewhere especially if Jacks comes back.

by Alex! Fri Apr 07, 2023 3:37 pm

Suffice to say that bringing Abbott back was a good move - glad to see us try and stick with the same guys when it comes to overseas players

by dougieginn Fri Apr 07, 2023 4:41 pm

Cameron Steel has scored more runs in this one innings (141) than in 7 innings last year (118). Terrific improvement since 2022,can’t argue with a stat like that.Well done Steel and the Troughton.

by Alex! Fri Apr 07, 2023 5:37 pm

On a pretty flat deck this has been an excellent session from the bowlers

by RB Fri Apr 07, 2023 5:39 pm

Bowled well, captained well, Foakes should take all the credit for Jennings's dismissal by coming up to the stumps and preventing him from advancing.

by Jackers Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:14 pm

We have looked in control in all departments over the first two days. And it's all the more impressive given that I still can't see beyond Lancashire (and possibly Essex) as the toughest rivals in the division.

One thing that strikes me is that we played pretty sensibly in the first two sessions yesterday to get ourselves in a strong position. Taking nothing away from our bowlers who all bowled well today, several of the Lancashire batsmen gave their wickets away through injudicious shots. As I said last week, "Bazball" is not necessarily a recipe for success for all teams in all situations. Horses for courses.

by Alex! Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:35 pm

Of the other teams that will challenge Hampshire will inevitably be up there again.

As for the dismissals from Lancs, pretty soft apart from the young lad Bell who got a good one. Bit annoying for the tail to wag here, but overall an excellent day

by guildfordbat Fri Apr 07, 2023 10:24 pm

Jackers wrote:My personal take on the reduction in draw points is that it is generally a good thing in incentivising teams to gamble on winning rather than playing safe.

My one reservation is that it allows the vagaries of the English weather to play a more significant part in determining the outcome of the championship. For example, we and Lancashire were fortunate not to lose any play yesterday, and given the forecast we may not lose much across the match. Somerset and Warwickshire lost the entire day, and the ground is apparently so wet there may be little play today. In the old days (18 or more matches spread across the summer) these things may have evened themselves out to an extent, but with just 14 games, many of which are played in the margins of the season, bad weather will inevitably mean some teams play proportionally much less cricket than others.

My solution would be to award 5 points per team for a draw as standard, but 8 (as previously) per team in any match where the equivalent of a day or more's play has been lost to the weather.

I certainly follow your reasoning there, Jackers, but my worry would be that some counties would then make less effort for play not to be lost to the weather in order to end up with 8 points rather than 5. As we all know, we get little enough Championship cricket to watch as it is.

by guildfordbat Fri Apr 07, 2023 10:33 pm

Anyway, I was unable to watch today but clearly another very good showing.

160+ runs put on by our last 3 wickets (not so long ago it seemed to be our opponents regularly dong that to us) and then all our bowlers getting something in the end column.

by Chinaman Sat Apr 08, 2023 7:49 am

Let's get on and win this. Looking at the forecast for next week's Oval game it's looking like a washout on two sites. Hope it's wrong.

by Pink Panther Sat Apr 08, 2023 10:28 am

guildfordbat wrote:A minor disappointment is that the new points system - as touched upon recently by Jackers - means we'll most likely only end up with 3 batting points out of a potential maximum of 5. That seems harsh considering how well we knuckled down and came good.

I don't like the tweak to the bonus points at all. There were plenty of examples in the past of teams taking more than 110 overs to score 400, including some when they didn't reach 350 quickly enough to claim the 4th batting point. Yet I've seen examples of teams reaching 400/5 inside 90 overs, then the bowling side picks up cheap wickets after bowling poorly to claim a couple of extra points. I'd have left the batting points as they were, with no further bowling points awarded after conceding 400 runs.

We could now have a classic contest on a spicy pitch with 1,000 runs scored in 4 days, and neither side claims any batting points. Yet we could have two sides flaying mediocre bowling on a shirt front and claiming maximum bonus points in a bore draw.

by adelaide Sat Apr 08, 2023 11:20 am

I think that sort of thing is inherent in pretty much any bonus point system and the tweaks do not change that much.

Am I misremembering? I seem to recall that when bonus points first came in there was no cap on the number of batting points that you could achieve. I think one team managed nine, at rates that Bazball would regard as just normal!

It is possible to bowl extremely well on a shirtfront and I'm not convinced that it would be fair to deprive the bowling side of points just because they come late in the innings. The tendency now, anyway, is to bat on unless the weather looks bad so the batting side might not be throwing wickets away.

A final thought. Whatever the system is, people will try and game it. Change the system more radically and you just get a (different) set of unintended consequences.

by RB Sat Apr 08, 2023 11:51 am

I do wish Paul Allott and Dominic Cork would hide their anti-Surrey bias a bit more. All they've said is "why has it taken so long for Abbott to bowl" (it hasn't, Roach and Worrall only had four overs each with the new ball), "why did Sibley bowl the first over", "why has Burns put out a deep point"...

by Chinaman Sat Apr 08, 2023 12:45 pm

This wicket looks like it's getting flatter and flatter, typical Old Trafford.
On the bonus points: there is too many iffs and butts here for my liking. 3, 5, 8? Maybe radical, but I'd dump them completely then you simplify the whole thing. Batting unlimited points (perhaps) and bowling 3 maximum. I don't like a system like now which favours a draw to scramble 5 extra points.

by Badges Sat Apr 08, 2023 12:57 pm

The commentators beggar belief.Do Ward and Dagnall know they are watching Lancs v Surrey? Also,have they heard of "labouring the point."?

by RB Sat Apr 08, 2023 3:13 pm

Slightly surprised at the run rate being below 4. Burns looks like he's trying to get a move on but keeps hitting the ball straight to fielders.

by Keith Powell Sat Apr 08, 2023 5:04 pm

Why are Surrey still batting??

by John Hamilton Sat Apr 08, 2023 5:09 pm

What on earth are we playing at...Clark playing defensive shots and 5 off 15 balls.

This approach has been absolute madness

by Sir Winston Churchill Sat Apr 08, 2023 5:17 pm

Is it me or is the production of the game better than first couple of days? Have sky sent in their own cameramen?

by Jackers Sat Apr 08, 2023 5:26 pm

Nothing wrong with the scoring rate gven the match situation - comfortably over four-an-over. We have batted Lancashire out of the game and given ourselves over a day to bowl them out, with no rain predicted.

If England are daft enough to bring YJB back as wicket-keeper instead of the majestic Foakes, I will be both surprised and delighted to see him play a full season where he is most appreciated.

by RB Sat Apr 08, 2023 5:53 pm

Steel is really going to have to stand up with the ball on this wicket. Part of me wonders if 445 is enough on this placid surface.

by Badges Sat Apr 08, 2023 8:17 pm

I predict they will be 150 short with 7 or 8 down.We batted far too long.The last time anyone got 400 in the last innings at OT to win a game was 1910.

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