UrsaMinor wrote:

I believe Jacob Bethell may be coming home early with the IPL suspended. Can't see how he would get in the team at present!

Play him as a spin option and bat him at 8!

Zen Malik has presented an interesting problem. Mousley and Sheikh have sit this one out, Malik gets a ton to go with his 49 breaking the back of the Yorkshire win. Presumably the last batsman is his now - wouldn't have expected that.

Well played you Bears and kudos to Latham, Barnard, Yates and Malik in particular. Zen Malik deserves huge credit for his tenacity, having apparently spent years trying to get a professional contract, trialing at multiple counties. Credit too to the SACA for helping to put him in the shop window, he’s no youngster but he’s made a terrific start to his career and is going to take some dislodging. And he’s got something that Bethell, Mousley and Sheikh don’t have - a first class hundred to his name!

Hain has had a quiet season but I don't think he'll get dropped...only way I see Bethell get in this line up is if Latham takes the gloves and Kai Smith sits out.

One of the dullest pitched I have seen for a while, a bit like the 1970's/1980's ones where Bernard Flack used to get praise for good pitches. Why is a pitch good if it produces dull draws and some of ones from years ago wouldn't have been helped by 4-day cricket either. As Trevor Bailey used to say, "A pitch that produces a low-scoring game with a result and keeps people interested get a points deduction and yet when 500 plays 500, that it is surely a poorer pitch...". I was going to probably give Monday a miss depending on if Sunday is another 'Bat-fest' but tomorrow, the thought of watching any opposition bat all day, does make me not want to go. Malik was superb, scored quickly without having to score many boundaries but he sped up considerably until he suddenly realised there was time for another Warwickshire 100. As for Troughton's remark, seriously, that Surrey bowling attack would have struggled anywhere, they look insipid without Roach, Worrall and Atkinson.

Thought it at the toss this Surrey XI looks a good deal weaker than anticipated. But yes this pitch looks incredibly docile, no pace in it whatsoever, will probably turn a bit after lunch tomorrow. There does seem to be a couple of particularly flat wickets over that side of the square, remember Northants at home 2022? This looks flatter than even that did.

Here's my report on the day.
If Gary Barwell reads it, he probably won't forgive me for likening his pitch to a dead parrot:
https://deepextracover.com/2025/05/rothesay-cc-match-report-day-two-warwickshire-v-surrey/

Oh boo hoo, how dare teams use their home advantage instead of preparing pitches that are perfectly suited to Surrey! Honestly.

GerryShedd wrote:

Here's my report on the day.
If Gary Barwell reads it, he probably won't forgive me for likening his pitch to a dead parrot:
https://deepextracover.com/2025/05/rothesay-cc-match-report-day-two-warwickshire-v-surrey/

That photo of Ed Barnard is becoming rather familiar! Doesn't he deserve an up to date one?

Why's Davies keeping?

UrsaMinor wrote:

GerryShedd wrote:

Here's my report on the day.
If Gary Barwell reads it, he probably won't forgive me for likening his pitch to a dead parrot:
https://deepextracover.com/2025/05/rothesay-cc-match-report-day-two-warwickshire-v-surrey/

That photo of Ed Barnard is becoming rather familiar! Doesn't he deserve an up to date one?

We keep on using the Ed Barnard photo:
a) because he keeps on scoring runs and taking wickets and
b) because we have no money so can only afford photos that are free and not copyrighted
BUT - we'll look for another one!

Exiled Bear wrote:

Oh boo hoo, how dare teams use their home advantage instead of preparing pitches that are perfectly suited to Surrey! Honestly.

I've no problem with the preparation of a pitch that doesn't suit Surrey. Unfortunately, this is a pitch that isn't producing a decent, watchable game of cricket. I'm not sure how many will go to watch today; but I can imagine someone at the ECB saying: "Look at all those empty seats. That's why we need to play fewer of these four day matches."

It is a shame because this match was set up to be a terrific contest.

I love trips to Edgbaston but have seen two dreary days on Saturdays this season.

I think we probably declared far too late and Davies isn’t the most imaginative captain.

Including so many seamers again also bizarre given how Edgbaston has played this season.

But the pitches this season are awful and it was predictable without some action in the winter.

I guess we take the draw and move on but questions now asked of Edgbaston.

Yeah, this game is crying out for a frontline spinner. Not sure what Taz Ali has done wrong

Why has Davies got the gloves?

5 down, Jason Roy, they must have been desperate to bring in a player who hasn't had that much CC cricket in the last 4 years. Also, as someone pointed out when he was picked for the Test side in 2019, he hasn't ever batted for more than 3 hours in ANY innings during his career so when he plays a shot like that to get out, it's no great surprise.

Lively from Simmons.

Simmons with some chin music and who knows what could happen if Surrey are put back in just before the close. If so, give Simmons the new ball and say, "Get 'em, let them know what's coming tomorrow".

Think they stuck at it really well on an absolutely lifeless, pudding pitch. Webster is such a useful cricketer being able to bowl seam and spin, great option. The day was drifting until Simmons managed breathe some fire, that short ball barrage was pretty hostile and he showed good pace to extract some bounce and life out of the pitch. Days like today do Yates a lot of good in terms of his development as a spin bowler, he's definitely improving and seems to bowl well and get wickets on these type of surfaces and in these type of situations (ie, runs on the board, in/out field etc), gets good overspin.

Encouraging signs just think psychologically we needed them following on tonight.

Do we know why Kai Smith isn't keeping?

Allegedly there was a feeling that Kai didn't keep well at Yorkshire but they didn't want to drop him completely, not sure I agree with that assessment