Middlesex (A) - 19-22 Jul

Just arrived, suited and booted...cloud cover, though may break later. Feels like a vital toss to win. If there's one place you do put the opposition in under these conditions first thing it's Lord's. Much sunnier forecast for the following two days.

Jackers wrote:It's a difficult one, with a number of players rather out of sorts - especially the captain.
Sam Curran has never bowled well at Lord's, so to the extent we miss him it will be for his batting.

While he didn't bowl especially well last week, I think Lord's will suit Tom Lawes's type of bowling, so I would rest Jamie Overton ahead of next week's game at Taunton which I would want him fit and fresh for.

I would go: Burns, Sibley, Latham, Smith, Foakes, Jacks, Clark, Abbott, Lawes, Atkinson, Worrall.

Jackers

almost spot on. Overton for Atkinson in your XI.
batting first having lost the toss

I feel its a big day for the skipper

Middlesex win the toss and bowl.

Middlesex
1 11 MD Stoneman*
2 13 PJ Malan
3 12 SD Robson
4 17 JLB Davies
5 4 MDE Holden
6 20 JA Simpson†
7 29 RF Higgins
8 25 JM de Caires
9 7 TG Helm
10 54 ER Bamber
11 34 TJ Murtagh

Surrey
1 17 RJ Burns*
2 45 DP Sibley
3 48 TWM Latham
4 11 JL Smith
5 7 BT Foakes†
6 9 WG Jacks
7 30 TE Lawes
8 16 J Clark
9 77 SA Abbott
10 88 J Overton
11 8 DJ Worrall

Sibbers goes early but hopefully the long haired tart the skipper can score a few!!

Obviously the majority of us will be focused on the Test but Burns according to the stream and clips is playing much more aggressively than usual, coming down the wicket and cutting - but being selective too.

RB wrote:Obviously the majority of us will be focused on the Test but Burns according to the stream and clips is playing much more aggressively than usual, coming down the wicket and cutting - but being selective too.

You speak for yourself :-)

It looked like a tricky session out there as is often the way at Lord's when there's cloud cover. We certainly rode our luck a bit at times. But these two did well to get us through to lunch only one down. I don't want to jinx anything but Rory is starting to look in pretty good nick.

I see Burns remembered to wear his lucky pants today. He's long overdue a good knock. Are we back to a proper ball for this game or are we using the johnny foreigner version? Just wondered if that was related.

Howzat wrote:I see Burns remembered to wear his lucky pants today. He's long overdue a good knock. Are we back to a proper ball for this game or are we using the johnny foreigner version? Just wondered if that was related.

I believe we're back to using the Dukes ball.

I will get my knife and fork to eat a slice of humble pie. Good knock by Rory.

Burns and Smith, just as in the reverse fixture - how interesting a little oddity.

I think we'd have all settled for that before the start of play - except for Adelaide, perhaps :-) Hopefully we can bat on for a while tomorrow morning and give ourselves a few runs to play with. It was good to see Rory back to something like his old self.

Rory Burns deserves great credit for his innings today. He was clearly still struggling for form, but (along with Latham) battled patiently against an accurate attack in typical first-morning conditions at Lord's to lay the foundations for a good total. The one man who made batting look easy was Jamie Smith, as he has done on a number of occasions this season.

Burns and Smith 2 runs in 4 completed innings against Notts That’s Cricket for you.

Burns and Smith.Two of Surrey's best batsmen.Anyone calling for them to be left out wants their fucking brains tested.

A good day for Surrey especially Burns who batted well for the first time for quite a while and a very disiplined innings from Smith.
The only downside today was Jack's who played another dreadful shot he is probably the one who needs to be dropped at the moment .But wait probably not as we rely on him as our only spin bowler .But his run scoring doesn't justify a place in the team at the moment.

Keith Powell wrote:A good day for Surrey especially Burns who batted well for the first time for quite a while and a very disiplined innings from Smith.
The only downside today was Jack's who played another dreadful shot he is probably the one who needs to be dropped at the moment .But wait probably not as we rely on him as our only spin bowler  .But his run scoring doesn't justify a place in the team at the moment.

Jacks scored 60 in his last championship innings, less than one week ago. I don’t understand why there’s a constant need to get to the next person who should be dropped.

Cricket fans like to know better?

There seems to be a problem here with some people that Surrey has to win everything and players dropped for one poor innings. Well that's not reality, if it was the likes of Bairstow, Ali and Crawley would be long gone. Ok there are other issues with England, but one poor, or indeed two poor games/individual performances doesn't necessitate the elbow or make a poor side.
By the way a couple of us are starting up The Cameron Steel Fan Club. For a small joining fee you get a t shirt and monthly newsletter. Details to follow soon.

Chinaman wrote:There seems to be a problem here with some people that Surrey has to win everything and players dropped for one poor innings. Well that's not reality, if it was the likes of Bairstow, Ali and Crawley would be long gone. Ok there are other issues with England, but one poor, or indeed two poor games/individual performances doesn't necessitate the elbow or make a poor side.
By the way a couple of us are starting up The Cameron Steel Fan Club. For a small joining fee you get a t shirt and monthly newsletter. Details to follow soon.

It will be one of the smallest fan clubs in history then? You sure you’re not related??

I don't like his hair.

dougieginn wrote:

Chinaman wrote:There seems to be a problem here with some people that Surrey has to win everything and players dropped for one poor innings. Well that's not reality, if it was the likes of Bairstow, Ali and Crawley would be long gone. Ok there are other issues with England, but one poor, or indeed two poor games/individual performances doesn't necessitate the elbow or make a poor side.
By the way a couple of us are starting up The Cameron Steel Fan Club. For a small joining fee you get a t shirt and monthly newsletter. Details to follow soon.

It will be one of the smallest fan clubs in history then? You sure you’re not related??

Oh no. Just trying to cheer him up with all these people giving him a hard time.

VicNorth wrote:Cricket fans like to know better?

* Might be a mostly male thing.

Hardly saw any of it yesterday as I was travelling but I got the distinct impression that Helm had taken Bamber's wickets. The amount of movement up the hill was quite striking and probably not good news from my POV.

The other thing I usually note in sports fans' comments is how the player who is injured or unaccountably omitted is the best player. Then they come back into the team ... and all of a sudden they aren't.

adelaide wrote:Hardly saw any of it yesterday as I was travelling but I got the distinct impression that Helm had taken Bamber's wickets. The amount of movement up the hill was quite striking and probably not good news from my POV.

The other thing I usually note in sports fans' comments is how the player who is injured or unaccountably omitted is the best player. Then they come back into the team ... and all of a sudden they aren't.

I didn't think that Helm bowled that well at all yesterday but he was the one who picked up most of the wickets. It's a funny old game ...

Going to be hard for us to get 20 wickets in this match,this is where I think a specialist spinner would be an advantage as the seamers are getting no assistance on this pitch!