Ross Whiteley.

2010, we won the CB40, 2012 we lost, absolutely gut wrenching defeat.

No, can only play overseas who have played in the group phases? It's just bad luck Latham got injured otherwise he'd have been coming back.

Not really the area I'd have looked to strengthen. Desperately need a pace bowler in the CC. Suppose Booth helps here.

Interesting.

Feel like he'll take Mousley's place at 3 which is probably a little bit harsh after making 69 and 75 in his 2 most recent CC innings.

Maybe he opens.

Not played a huge amount of cricket this year...

Agreed, I'm a huge fan of Kai, he's a much better keeper now than he was in April May but he's still got a way to go. Tuesday showed that, he was particularly untidy though he did take a good catch to dismiss Ibrahim. He'll get there.

ITE7376 wrote:

I'm going to throw a bit of a hand grenade in here but I can't help noticing the double standards regarding Davies and Barnard

Davies gets a T20 team to the knockout stage for the 2nd consecutive year and gets a dog's abuse for it- and he got us to the knockout stage last year with a basically unbeaten record in his tenure as captain, recovering the team after a terrible start after we looked appalling losing (i think) every game (or virtually every game) under the lacklustre 'guidance' of Moeen.

He visibly injected energy and purpose into that dismally failing T20 team last year, until the usual QF bottle job which has roots deeper and wider and longer than Davies has been at the club to be blamed for. (for a start, and I'll throw another hand grenade in, our best batsman by far Sam Hain is a big-game bottler who has only once made a contribution in I think 8 T20 knockout games it is now. I say this as someone who near-worships Hain, but facts are facts, he has a horrendous record in knockout T20, just the 2017 final knock against Notts to his name amidst a series of limp, anxious failures).

(I also recall distinctly Davies getting 1000 CC runs last year and it scarcely causing a ripple of recognition on here.)

And St Ed of Barnard, forum darling, his team snatches competition failure from the jaws of success, to seemingly near-universal acclaim.

Look, I love Ed and he's had another good year in this comp but not nearly up to previous standards, and until the ton at the weekend was having a pretty mediocre competition with the bat. He also got out especially early in the comp playing shots certain other players (mentioning no names) would be taking abuse for playing.

I think there are a couple of factors specific to T20 in play here, not least that nowadays we go into the QFs with our best two batsmen robbed of time at the crease and form and touch by the 100, not Davies's fault.

I also think that on here and among members particularly, T20 (for various reasons in my opinion, some pretty churlish) is willfully downgraded as the least important comp, so I suppose i can see why not getting to the knockout stage in 50ov can be counted equivalent to doing so twice in T20. In fact, not just equivalent but better, just about everyone praising St Ed's captaincy and looking forward to the next campaign after what was ultimately an unsuccessful debut as captain, nobody doing the same for Davies for getting to 2 QFs.

I'm being both a little facetious and exaggerating just a little for effect. But only a little, 'well done Ed, credit for the this campaign!', I see above; credit for what? having his worst 50ov tournament with the bat in 3 years (pretty sure his wickets were down too), and captaining a team that failed to get to the knockout stage?

Imagine the reaction if he'd got us to 2 consecutive knockout stages.

I'll leave the mini-rant on this thought, Barnard and Davies have exactly the same number of match-winning centuries in the 50ovs this year. The reaction to those centuries was a comical study in contrasts. Its not a complement to say the seemingly constant need for club supporters (of any sport) to find a whipping boy makes the club supporters concerned look just like football fans. If there is a club, and a forum, there will be a whipping boy, and there will be a darling. Its like BBC 5live on Saturday at 6pm on here half the time, which really, really isn't a complement.

Great post.

UrsaMinor wrote:

paulbear wrote:

Well, we need a strong side and as we will have our players back from The Hundread so we should be alright to put out a full strength side.

I'd have Sam Hain and Danny Briggs back but Bethell will be with England and I'm not sure that Mousley merits a place ahead of, say, Shaikh. Who's available from the Overseas players?

For the Blast quarter final? Mousley is way ahead of Shaikh.

We'd have been at home Thursday had we have won. Ageas Bowl unavailable due to the Hundread apparently. Middlesex v Hampshire at Radlett on Thurs.

Rumours...

To win 5 out of 8 and not go through to the knockouts feels a bit unlucky, no? Maybe it's just me.

It's gonna take some getting over isn't it?!

Did all that hard work on the road away from home in Liverpool and then v Durham. Rocked the boat away at Taunton the week before to then throw in that one today.

When Barnard and Davies were going the way they were at about half 4 i was thinking how we were starting to get stronger and stronger with each game and maybe we could go all the way...jeez

I assume it was a used pitch. Have a feeling people thought we'd be put on the edge of the square like we were for 2 games in 2023 but I'd imagine this pitch had been recently used in the other comp. Played alright for used pitch, decent carry, presumably a hybrid pitch. Took some turn. Was definitely holding up a bit in our innings, think the dismissals of Barnard and Davies maybe reflected that. I'm sympathetic towards the team selection, we played Friday, Sunday then today of course with the prospect of playing Thursday and maybe again this Sunday. Something had to give. Don't matter now though and admittedly it doesn't look good. Sylvester bowled poorly, our only bowler to go at more than 6 an over, if yer gonna keep banging it in short the batter will be set for it...

Can't say much more about the collapse than has already been said, can't defend that. Such a shame as we've batted so well lately in run chases. Thought Lenham bowled pretty well to be fair to the lad.

Was surprised by the crowd today, very decent, way more than we've seen in the CC at times. Plenty of families too. Even the West Stand was open! Good for a Tuesday. I've enjoyed the outgrounds, having visited Scarborough, Rugby x3 and Liverpool but its nice to sit in actual stands again with a clearer view.

Ed Barnard is such a thoughtful and responsible cricketer and suddenly looks in sparkling form with the bat again after looking a bit iffy only a week or so ago. I'd be in favour of him becoming our captain in the future he still have some learning to do though. Today the Sussex left handers kept hitting our spinners, when they bowled from the City End, over or through mid off for boundaries and Barnard simply wasn't reacting to this until Lintott (not bowling at the time) instructed him to bring Zen into the ring from deep backward square (I don't think he touched the ball once there) and put Hamza back on the long off boundary and bring himself in closer on the one. 2 balls later, the Sussex batter (Alsop, I think) had to change his hitting area then holed out to Yates at long on. The field change brought about the wicket, needed to happen 20 mins sooner though. We're learning. And I must stress before people get emotional, this isn't a criticism of Barnard or a praise of Davies or whatever, just saying we should give Barnard time to learn the role when the change does come.

Also Lancashire, i watched the end of that, they weren't trying an inch, we'll remember that!

Gutted personally, I really enjoy this format, I'd done 6 out these 8 ODC games and I wanted more.

Very decent crowd in.

It's just rotating the bowlers.

Wicket, virtually centre of the square. Grey skies.

Brilliant result. Excellent from Booth, hard to imagine us picking a side without him in it if he's fit these days. Barnard, this is why you have to back people, he was quietly having a poor comp with the bat, talking about picking yer moments though!

Yeah hard to gauge the conditions when only watching on the live stream.

Alex Lees showing that time at the crease will never fail you. No matter the struggle early on etc just don't give it away, hang on in there. Great innings.

Raine has just taken Taz for 22.

I think Halford was credited with it yes.

This looks the sort of pitch where anybody who has tried to force the scoring rate has got out unless they are really 'in' and well set. Another beauty from Taz Ali for his wicket.

GerryShedd wrote:

It's often interesting to see what the opposition has to say. The Durham preview says:
"Ian Westwood’s first season as head coach at Edgbaston has contained some promising signs – Warwickshire have delivered some eye-catching Rothesay County Championship wins and qualification for the Vitality Blast quarter-finals. To lift the Metro Bank One-Day Cup would assure supporters that their side is settling again after the long period of transition since winning the 2021 County Championship – and also underline Ed Barnard’s credentials to be the next club captain."

This is the exact same preview, word for word, that was in the Somerset pre game notes last Sunday.

Another big game for us. Durham have nothing to play for but it's a fairly strong looking squad.

Same squad for Warwicks.

One more thing, Davies getting dropped twice then nicking off all in the space of one over was amusing even if it did make the game a bit closer for a moment.