Very weird tactics like suddenly giving Yates ago now, sorry Barny, it looks too late.

117/0 after Tea. Under the circumstances and game situation, thats a horror session I'm afraid.

Suthar a bit disappointing? Mousley and Yates got a couple to turn, he hasnt bowled badly but i expected better from the overseas even though he did get 3.

I thought they might just keep him going from one end and rotate at the other. It's not as if the heat would get to him and he must be used to long spells. To blow this now after being so far ahead, will really mess up the season as well as seeing that mouthy bastard Overton looking smug. I do hope we lodge a complaint about the sub or else they will do it whenever they can get away with it.

On Suthar, the angles kind of work against him becuase of how perpendicular and vertical his release point is - Leach releasing from a slightly wider angle gets a ball turning from middle to off stump whereas Suthar produces more prodigious but unthreatening turn because it lands fairly straight on from his release, meaning he gets a lot of play and misses but doesn't ever look like getting an edge to slip to me. He'd have to pitch on or even maybe just outside leg to threaten the stumps it feels like. The batter can be confident that bowled and lbw aren't in play if he pitches it on and he doesn't look like he has an arm ball a la Danny Briggs (or at least a more threatening one, probably because of release point?)

Weirdly, it feels like he'd be more threatening to a left hander.

Fair points, I couldn't put my finger on why he didnt look as threatening as he might but I didnt consider his release points.

I don't think we did an awful lot wrong today. I wondered about more attacking fields to begin with but, to be fair, I don't recall a chance that would have been snaffled by a third slip or a silly point. The pitch seems to have gone dead under a baking sun.
This could well end up drawn unless Overton and Baby Rew lose interest and give it away. We should be able to bat out what remains of tomorrow.

Im not so sure, even Yates and Mousley got a couple to turn sharply. I can just see Leach on his home ground going through us. He'll likely get 30 overs at us with seamers rotating from the other end. Might need a Hain special. Somerset favourites here for me :(

Even when we were getting wickets it felt as though we were relying on Somerset making mistakes as opposed to our bowlers just being too good. I hope this isn't going to be another example of the opposition bowlers exploiting whatever conditions on offer better than our bowlers.

Even if we dont get wickets, we absolutely cannot let Somerset get off to a bit of a flyer in the morning, going at 5's etc, gotta keep em off us.

They have to start again tomorrow so we need to get rid of them both quickly.

It's likely that Somerset will get a lead of 300. That will make for a tricky chase. If we lose this it would be a disaster given the advantage we held yesterday.

Andy wrote:

Im not so sure, even Yates and Mousley got a couple to turn sharply. I can just see Leach on his home ground going through us. He'll likely get 30 overs at us with seamers rotating from the other end. Might need a Hain special. Somerset favourites here for me :(

indeed. I see no route for the win

Overton 3rd ton of the season

Does anyone know what Somerset's intentions are? Do they want to se a target or are they happy just bat out time? You'd have thought they would need sixty overs minimum to take the wickets, and wouldn't want to set any less than 300 or so in that time. They're getting close.

Having said that, now 8 wickets down, they might not have a choice in what gets set...

I’m surprised at Somerset’s conservative approach this morning, thought they’d look to get runs on the board quickly, stick us in well before lunch and aim to bowl us out. As it is, it looks as if we’ll need to negotiate two sessions, which surely we can achieve … can’t we??!

these 2 have combined 29 runs in 70 balls. Maybe Overton thinks 2 sessions will be enough and they could bowl more with 2 spinners. I can't see us winning so I do hope no one decides to 'Bazball' the situation. It does look dead out there but with a 300 lead and men round the bat, it could be really hard. Does Overton think the pitch ahs been dull and nothing will happen so has decided to carry on. Only 63 overs minimum left in the day.

I think it would be a case of batting until tea and seeing where we are.

What was the score when Malik dropped Rew? It seems that was a very expensive drop, and probably took away any chance we had of victory.

61 overs minimum, surely we can manage that unless it starts to turn square.