Totally agree.

There's been some pretty brutish deliveries. We know Wood is rapid but this Carse is bloomin sharp too. Extra pace seems to have been key on this deck. This has been an education, onto the next one.

I'm still more annoyed about the way we bowled as opposed to how we batted, odd as that sounds looking at the scorecard.

Getting the gang back together with Raine and Borthwick, Coughlin etc

I sat and thought about Vihari earlier, clearly a very good batsman but he was on a hiding to nothing here. He was never gonna do well over these 3 games. He's gone 0, 8, 32, 52. Not great. Recent form in India domestic was worse! Still got the 2nd dig here though and like I say even in his brief stays at the crease he's looked capable.

I think Malan will find it tough too, he's not gonna have played for a couple of months.

Would Mousley have made more runs? Perhaps, impossible to say. He did look good at the end of last season. 47, 31, 71 I think he went. And did well in T20's.

It's a cruel game. We've had some terrific highs the past couple of weeks, seen Hain, Lamb and Yates bat well and show form, bowlers bowl well. And even bat well. Rhodes getting his first wins. Showing tons of resilience. Resilience we haven't showed in a few years to be honest.

We knew there'd be bad days, we're a team in transition, but this was just too much. I'm still stunned!

Oddly I'm probably more annoyed at how we bowled.

How do we not lose this from here.

The overhead conditions look to have improved but Brez and Miles have bowled dross here, too many leave balls and something on the batsmans hip every over.

Is this at Portland Road? If the first team ever play one day matches there we'll see 500 plays 500 I reckon. Absolute postage stamp ground.

It's all so unnecessary, 7 or 8 hours watching from the same seat is a long time. It's why I don't go to international games.

I ain't got a clue which stand I want to sit in, I like to watch different bowlers from different vantage points, depends on the pitch location too. If I'm sitting in the Hollies but I rock up on the 27th and the pitch is Raglan side and I can't move ill be a bit annoyed!

However I'm gonna be at all 4 days of this game regardless so...

The restrictions are totally disproportionate to the transmission rates now.

Just let us sit where we want and move about!

Yeah I have wondered if the ECB will let Stone play this one after the exertions of the last 2 games.

Good challenge for us this, Durham away.

We haven't had this sort of feeling in a long time.

We are a team of fighters.

Dont fancy us

Great chance now, what a session.

I'd like to think the current partnership has engineered us into a position where we shouldn't lose. Early to say though. The middle session was great cricket, Essex bowled so well as a unit and Lamb in particular showed great composure against them. Briggs lower order batting has been a revelation.

Great resistance this

Essex have been good. Some of the dismissals look bad, but as a unit Essex have been pretty much spot on.

To be fair Thomason is making a good fist of the openers job down at Sussex.

Agreed, it's absolutely outrageous that we can't go in. Why aren't counties badgering the government more?

Anyway, Bears day.

Come on you bears

Yates to open and Mousley to go 6 for me.