Kent away Canterbury

If we play anywhere near our best we will win easily.  Any rumours on team?  Will Pope and Foakes be allowed to play?

Lawes has to come in for Overton.  If Worrall is fit maybe Clark will be rested.

It would be nuts if the England players dropped out now the Dukes ball was being used.

It was nuts that Gus couldnt play in our first game so it wouldnt surprise me!!

Lawes should be in for Roach on form.

Steve wrote:If we play anywhere near our best we will win easily.  Any rumours on team?  Will Pope and Foakes be allowed to play?

Lawes has to come in for Overton.  If Worrall is fit maybe Clark will be rested.

If Foakes is missing would we play Josh Blake as Wicket-keeper? He's a decent batsman isn't he? good enough for top 6? Maybe Jamie Smith could then go up to 3 in order if he isn't keeper?

Obviously other option would be Smith keeps wicket and Ryan Patel comes in at number 3, would be good to have another left handed batsman in the top order.

Lawes has to play and Overton needs to be "rested"

VicNorth wrote:It would be nuts if the England players dropped out now the Dukes ball was being used.

100% agree, if any had had a Sam Northeast type innings, but Pope has batted for 33 minutes so far this season.

Kents opening match versus Somerset BBC Report

Most wickets fell to seam bowlers and Somerset didn't select Shoaib Bashir, so hopefully their pitch suits our attack. Kent only saved the rain affected match with a 4th wicket partnership of 222 from Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly on last day. (Parkinson 2 wickets in match, Goldsworthy 3 - the two spinners)

We need to win this match with Essex playing Lancashire at same time.

Will be interesting to see how the Leggies compare against each other this weekend Parkinson was highly rated a season or so ago.Now seeking a fresh challenge at Kent. Steel looks a massively improved Bowler he certainly has become quicker through the air and getting proper Leg Spinners wickets.

Dan Worrall is back - that's the good news. But rumours that the ECB had asked us to rest Ollie Pope after his exertions in the last two matches (did not bat at Old Trafford and 11 in each innings last week) have proved true. Which individual makes these calls? Rob Key? I wonder who he played for! At least they haven't taken Ben Foakes off us (yet).

Why on earth do we need to name a 15-man squad, including both Dunn and McKerr? What is the point of bringing along seamers who are not going to be needed regardless of the wicket? Why do we need to bring both Patel and Geddes in, when we won't need both to play?  

Burns, Sibley, Smith, Geddes, Lawrence, Foakes, Steel, Clark, Lawes, Roach, Worrall

Get Jamie Smith up the order. He is capable of batting at 3, and should be encouraged to do so when Ollie Pope is missing. For reasons which became apparent last week, both he and Dan Lawrence should bat above Ben Foakes.

No qualms with Geddes playing, personally

Still feeling incensed that FA cup replays from the 1st round proper next season will not continue I now find that the ECB are resting Ollie Pope!. What possible justification?. The public are being cheated.

I hope Geddes gets the nod ahead of Ryan Patel. Lawes should play too. Overton isnt a good enough red ball bowler these days more suited to white ball cricket.

Atkinson plays one game in 5 months and is rested who are the idiots making these decisions?
I bet they dont have the balls to explain to county members why they are being rested when they have hardly played. Spineless weasels deserve a right hander.

I know that a lot of people will quite correctly say there is nothing one can do about it BUT I have just looked at the weather forecast for Canterbury over the next few days and tomorrow looks terrible with a 70-75% chance of significant rain!! Just another example of how ridiculous it is for all these important and potentially exciting CC games to be played now.

The ECB and the FA ( Football Association) represent everything that is wrong in this country. No consideration for the paying public.

Wokoval wrote:The ECB and the FA ( Football Association) represent everything that is wrong in this country. No consideration for the paying public.

The ECB are worse. At least the FA don't tell professional clubs that they can't pick who they want outside of the agreed international windows.

Jamie Smith 4 or 5 for me.

Jackers wrote:

Wokoval wrote:The ECB and the FA ( Football Association) represent everything that is wrong in this country. No consideration for the paying public.

The ECB are worse. At least the FA don't tell professional clubs that they can't pick who they want outside of the agreed international windows.

That might be because footballers are not on central contracts. Which in turn is because the clubs generate their own income, rather than relying on income from the FA. It really is a case of who pays the piper.

David Waghorn wrote:I know that a lot of people will quite correctly say there is nothing one can do about it BUT I have just looked at the weather forecast for Canterbury over the next few days and tomorrow looks terrible with a 70-75% chance of significant rain!! Just another example of how ridiculous it is for all these important and potentially exciting CC games to be played now.

I agree, but I don't see a solution when you have 4 domestic competitons. What's it going to be like when all this new women's cricket comes on line. A March start and October finish?

Pope should be playing. But, as he's not, Lawrence should bat at 3.

Pope has faced 27 deliveries all season and scored 22 runs. England do not have a test match until 10th July. What the bloody hell is that idiot Key thinking in keeping him out of the Kent game. I would venture to suggest there is something whiffy going on here.

If there is one person who needs game time it is Pope. He had a reasonably poor winter tour and needs to get himself in to form.

I think we can live without Atkinson, but even that is even more bonkers considering he didnt play a minute in India and wasnt allowed to be picked for Lancashire.

Excuse my language but it is all bollocks.

If we didn't let the market dictate so...

Don't we have a "rest week" immediately after Canterbury? That means Pope needs two weeks off to recover from his exertions.

adelaide wrote:

Jackers wrote:

Wokoval wrote:The ECB and the FA ( Football Association) represent everything that is wrong in this country. No consideration for the paying public.

The ECB are worse. At least the FA don't tell professional clubs that they can't pick who they want outside of the agreed international windows.

That might be because footballers are not on central contracts. Which in turn is because the clubs generate their own income, rather than relying on income from the FA. It really is a case of who pays the piper.

I would wager Surrey could match whatever the ECB pay this particular piper if they did not impose a salary cap to prevent us from so doing. Why does this hypocritical governing body not impose a salary cap on its own central contracts? They seem to be free to award as much as they wish to as many as they wish.

Almost Jackers. We have Hampshire at home next week then a week off. Its maddening. Its staggering in it wrongness and stupidity.

Rain due all day Friday and Monday, so we can forget winning this. Lets hope we go for the batting points this time!