Somerset at the Oval

I didn't realised we'd signed Dan as a spinner who bats a bit down the order!

Clark and Lawrence open the bowling and Steel will probably be the last bowler we use to wrap up the tail

141 run lead with Somerset 2-1

Jackers wrote:I didn't realised we'd signed Dan as a spinner who bats a bit down the order!

It's a waste of his batting talent if we have.

Jacks never convinced that he was anything more than an occasional red-ball spinner. Lawrence, on the other hand, already looks the real-deal.

His action is most unusual, and I am not convinced he is an orthodox off-spinner. He seems to have the one that goes the other way (what is the off-spinner equivalent of the leg-spinner's googly?)

Jackers wrote:Jacks never convinced that he was anything more than an occasional red-ball spinner. Lawrence, on the other hand, already looks the real-deal.

His action is most unusual, and I am not convinced he is an orthodox off-spinner. He seems to have the one that goes the other way (what is the off-spinner equivalent of the leg-spinner's googly?)

Doosra. (But I don't think he has.)

He does sort of look like he's got a leg-spinner's action.

I’m assuming “T Banton c Lawrence b Foakes” is a misprint?

Scorecard I’m looking at also gives Foakes’s figures as 1-0-1-1.

En route to the ground now having just seen Fulham win.

Well this is nice

He's as strong as an ox, but have you ever seen anyone as fragile as Jamie Overton?

Jackers wrote:He's as strong as an ox, but have you ever seen anyone as fragile as Jamie Overton?

Craig Overton?

Shifting the Overton window.

So long as the weather allows half a day's play tomorrow, we should finish it off. But I wish we had shown more intent in the second half of yesterday and this morning, both in terms of our scoring rate and in the batting order, given the platform Sibley and Burns had given us and the dodgy last-day forecast.

Why did Roach only bowl 4 overs? Is he injured?

Steve wrote:Why did Roach only bowl 4 overs? Is he injured?

We have so many bowling options, at one point the BBC had Foakes down as taking a wicket today!

With so much spin and Steel and Lawrence bowling in tandem at times we could almost have made do with 2 seamers rather than 4!

We'll go and pick Ryan Patel and he'll take 5 wickets

Peter.M.Gardens wrote:

Steve wrote:Why did Roach only bowl 4 overs? Is he injured?

We have so many bowling options, at one point the BBC had Foakes down as taking a wicket today!

With so much spin and Steel and Lawrence bowling in tandem at times we could almost have made do with 2 seamers rather than 4!

We'll go and pick Ryan Patel and he'll take 5 wickets

Maybe I was right to pick Virdi and Batty then!

Badges wrote:This commentary is unbefuckinglievable.

On the subject of commentary, I’ve had the radio comms on while in the ground, and have noted Mark Church’s absence from this match. Does anyone know if this is a temporary measure?

I guess the thinking is if the ball is talking for the spinners, just keep them on. Who'd want to be a fast bowler with a shit ball in April in England?

Again, you look at the scorecards across the round and it's nothing more than an absolute run-fest. Imagine putting up 500+ in your first innings and then being asked to follow on? It's mad.

I do have some sympathy with groundsmen and staff trying to prepare decent pitches off the back of what felt like an incredibly wet winter. I struggle to see how any batsman can benefit on these featherbeds and then come completely unstuck the moment they come across anything with some pace and bounce in it. How many double tons have we had in the first two rounds already?

Really not sure cricket in April is going to be sustainable if it's like this

Norcross is an utter nightmare. His mantra is why use one word when ten will do. He seems to think he needs to tell us everything he knows about cricket no matter how mundane. He rattled on for what seemed like hours about cricket in America. The bloke is completely unsuitable for TV work.

Elsewhere Roland Butcher has been a pleasant surprise on the radio commentary of the game. Bigger things to come for him I suspect.

Church on a Sunday ?

Alex! wrote:I guess the thinking is if the ball is talking for the spinners, just keep them on. Who'd want to be a fast bowler with a shit ball in April in England?

Again, you look at the scorecards across the round and it's nothing more than an absolute run-fest. Imagine putting up 500+ in your first innings and then being asked to follow on? It's mad.

I do have some sympathy with groundsmen and staff trying to prepare decent pitches off the back of what felt like an incredibly wet winter. I struggle to see how any batsman can benefit on these featherbeds and then come completely unstuck the moment they come across anything with some pace and bounce in it. How many double tons have we had in the first two rounds already?

Really not sure cricket in April is going to be sustainable if it's like this

Couldn't agree more. This ridiculous use of the useless kookaburrah ball is making rather ordinary batsmen you've barely heard off thinking they are Viv Richards. Nothing in it for the seamers hence the unusual but entertaining wickets tumbling because of spin. But yes, it's no good for the game at all.

As for the commentary: well I turn it off because it's drivel.

Steve wrote:Why did Roach only bowl 4 overs? Is he injured?

Don't know, looked like he was on the field all yesterday.

In weather news, it's windy and grey, but dry, in S London so am thinking of taking my laptop up to the Oval at lunchtime to see a Surrey win this afternoon. FLW, as it'll either start raining or we'll lose, or perhaps both.

It's look a bit windy today judging by the forecast, hope it will be safe to take the covers off...