Returning for 2026!
Makes perfect sense, replace the fading aging Rushworth with.... hmmm. Barker is 39?
Strange move ?
They clearly think the pace bowling is our weaker suit as that's now Thompson, Gilchrist and Barker in for 2026.
To be fair we do have very talented young batsmen on the books at present.
His departure from Edgbaston was strange, his return even stranger. I don't think he's played for Hampshire all year and another notch on the calendar isn't going to improve his fitness.
Is there something else to this? A coaching role?
He was banned from playing for 12 months after failing a drugs test. That ban ended last month but he’s been further sidelined by injury.
There’s a chance he could return for Hants this weekend.
Bears have been looking for a left arm seamer ever since he left. All we had to do was wait for him to come back!
Wasn’t happy when he left but can’t say I’m happy that we are now bringing him back. A key player back in the day but surely we should be looking at players for the long term.
Doesn’t say much about our ability to recruit talent really, there have been a lot of bowlers moving this season.
If they are saying he his going to mentor our youthful attack ,where does that leave OHD ?
If they are saying he his going to mentor our youthful attack ,where does that leave OHD ?
Indeed we have Rushworth supposedly player-coaching too
placing a high premium on 'mentorship' next year
Inside-edge wrote:
He was banned from playing for 12 months after failing a drugs test. That ban ended last month but he’s been further sidelined by injury.
There’s a chance he could return for Hants this weekend.
It seems that he was very unlucky to get a drugs ban:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/c2lzx7g4l7ko
The word is that he will come back for Hampshire's last few Championship games in September.
I spent a couple of hours at Taunton yesterday and, aside from seeing a classy century from Tom Abell, was interested to see Keith Barker in action. He was pretty accurate and economical; but he looked as if he was carrying a fair bit of extra weight and there were some singles taken to him at mid-on without too much risk.
No doubt a winter's training will result in his being his old trim and frisky self come next April.
Frisky eh?!
Interesting, he was never the most mobile or the best in the field, glad to see him still getting a few poles though in the first division.
Andy wrote:
Frisky eh?!
Interesting, he was never the most mobile or the best in the field, glad to see him still getting a few poles though in the first division.
I had tongue in cheek when I said "frisky".
As long as that's all it...oh nevermind...