Yeah, the batting is definitely the secondary issue.
Saw it a couple of times last year, we can look toothless without Norwell and Ali.
But never seen OHD and Rushworth spray it around this much. This was supposed to be our strength.

If we’d bowled just averagely, we’d have had a lead after the first innings.

Fast thinking that with no overseas, no Hain, no Norwell, and this bowling performance, I’d snatch your hand off for a draw right now. As it looks like all but the Essex/Notts game will be a draw. Yeah it’s against a team we should beat but better that than lose.

Problem is that’s part of getting in. Picking it isn’t as easy. And he played with a straight bat. Checked the drive. It wasn’t some huge swing across the line or a hook. Just down the wrong line and not enough foot movement. That’s arguably the same issues he’d have if he just tried to defend it.
And you can’t just block it for 20 balls and be in. Doesn’t work like that. Need to get the timing playing some shots. Not saying it was good by any means. But I’ve always got sympathy for a batsman getting out like that early on, more so than Davies, Yates and Rhodes.
That’s why going away from what’s working as a set batter is confusing.

On the Booth signing. We seem to be the only side other than Middlesex (who can’t afford one due to sanctions I believe), playing without a recognised, traditional overseas. I know they expected Hassan Ali to be available but if clubs with much lower income like Sussex and Essex can afford 2 high class overseas, can’t see why we?

The “he tried something” when set is just excusing him of any responsibility though. When you’re in, timing it well, don’t change anything. Keep going. Cash in.
Burgess played down the wrong line, early in his innings. It happens to every batsman.
A overseas batsman would be ideal. We need a player to show how to cash in consistently and take responsibility. I can’t understand signing Booth if he’s playing as an overseas, as that prevents us playing him and a batting overseas if we’ve already signed Hassan Ali. Also will we not be playing 2 T20 overseas if he plays T20?
Seems a strange decision.

Not an ideal start to the day, but I think some perspective needed.
Brand new ball, starting again on a new day, bowlers rested overnight, gloomy and overcast. Worst case scenario. Everything was in the bowlers favour.
Far bigger issues with the dismissals of Yates, Davies, Rhodes and Bethell. They’d got through, got set, and threw it away. When you get in, go big, hundreds win matches not the 20’s to 60’s our top order too often specialise in.
The first session bowling being at least average would have meant we’d have a lead now.
So Mousley and Burgess getting out this morning to a brand new ball, that happens. It will always happen. There are much bigger issues.
We need to bowl well now. Can’t bowl as poorly as we did before.

A good day all round. Thought we were going to have one of those endings when Bethell ran himself out. Was preparing myself for Burgess then Briggs coming in for the last 4 overs in the gloom and getting Jaffa’s.

Feel like we should be level now. We gave away 50-60 runs with some shocking bowling, then immediately very defensive fields in the first 2 sessions.

Pitch seems too good for a result unless Worcs collapse, so time will tell.

I think you could make the argument for a batsman or a bowler.
But for a second overseas, they have to be worth the money and GUARANTEED to perform. If you look around a lot of counties there seems to be overseas signed because they’re overseas. Not because they’re particularly good. Seems to be a lot of second rate Australians getting deals.
If you can’t get a player good enough to contribute worth his salary, play a talented youngster, save that money for better domestic recruitment.

Definitely agree that the bowling might be undone by a lack of depth. If Norwell does get injured again, you rely entirely on Hassan to be the point of difference. If he’s not there, then OHD, Rushworth, Miles, Barnard all relatively similar in that they rely on swing and consistency to take wickets. Fantastic bowlers but as we saw at times last year, if conditions don’t suit them, wickets can be hard to come by.

Impossible to tell from pre-season. But looks like Yates might be struggling to keep his opening spot for T20.
Burgess played all 3, and played well. Benjamin and Barnard both opened with Davies, Davies didn’t keep at all, Mousley and Hain to come in.

Way too early prediction might be:
Benjamin/Barnard
Davies
Hain
Moeen
Mousley
Burgess/Bethell
Barnard/Benjamin
Garton
Hassan
Briggs
Gleeson

1 thing I’ve noticed last year and definitely in the build up to the new season is how much the club’s social media and content has improved.
Showing net & coaching sessions, interviews with players, helmet cams for batsmen, funny videos. Been really impressed with the improvement.

Let’s hope they’ve learned from previous experience.
Outgrounds are fantastic when done right. Look at Cheltenham, Liverpool, Guildford, Arundel. But shocking if done poorly.

This is very good. Keeping hold of key performers like Burgess and OHD is crucial.
Didn’t they only extend him less than 6 months ago anyway? Seems odd.

Great video posted by the club of OHD training this off season. Doing some accuracy drills, on length especially.
Posted a similar thing with Craig Miles.

From just a brief clip Stuart Barnes definitely seems to be very precise in his work. Seemingly from the same school as Graham Welch, that bowling is good and players need to be bowling fit.

Just hope there’s plans for both of them. Wylie too.
It’s all well and good having these young players doing well at under 19. But there needs to be a plan, the players don’t need to know it, so it avoids undue pressure on them. But the club should have one in terms of the 50 over comp, second XI, if Briggs gets injured or we play on a turner at Somerset do we bring in Tazeem. Things like that.

Agree the youngsters need to come through but if you look at the seam bowling, we got rid of them instead.
3 young seamers left this off season. All that’s realistically seemingly behind them in terms of home grown youngsters is Simmons.
On the surface our seam attack of Rushworth, OHD, Norwell, Miles, Barnard, Booth and Ali as an overseas is decent. But when you look at the ages, injury history, availability or experience, then it’s concerning.
And as much as the loan system can work, you’ll never win a championship relying on loans. The best players don’t go on loan unless you’re signing them permanently next season. Squads always need adding to, to stop them overly aging or becoming stale.

It’s different in age and length, but not particularly different to the Garton signing. It’s got 1 aim in mind, and it seems a case of willing to mortgage the ability to make championship signings in order to spend the money on T20.

Time will tell.
At least there’s no problem with him being “assured his place in the team” because we all know he’s assured a place in the team no matter how he bats.

I think players moving on is a bigger factor now, and also that the selection policy is much more skewed towards bigger counties. I know during the Bayliss period and Morgans white ball captaincy, players like Phil Salt were told they preferred players at bigger counties because it meant competing to win more but also higher expectations in terms of performance. So similar quality players didn’t get the same consideration necessarily from the selectors.
I’d also be interested in viewing white ball debuts, as that’s become far more prolific in the last 20 years. And you get a lot of white ball players coming from smaller counties. Salt, Billings, Mills, Willey, Topley, Brown, David Payne, Archer, Tongue, Buttler, all started at non-test match counties, and have had or are shaping up to have good England and franchise careers.

1 final thing I’d say is we need to be careful about wishing away first class counties. Once you start, it becomes a slippery slope, and you end up with 8-10 teams called Birmingham, London, Manchester, with no history, no loyalty, and the game contracts as those in it try to make the most money for themselves without considering the wider health of the sport.

You’re right on the score. Good spot.
And he’s definitely not had a good BBL. But I do think he gets unfairly judged in tournaments, and by the ECB, mostly due to his style.
Look at Laurie Evans. Hardly the most demonstrative hitter. He builds up into his innings and look how well he has done in the BBL, Blast and Hundred. Though he again is another who’s never really been given an England shot despite outperforming the likes of Livingstone and Vince on a regular basis.

Hain never seems to get the patience lots of T20 players do. Both abroad and in the Hundred.
Compare how Hain gets treated, 1 knock after a match winning 80, to how we have persevered with Blast overseas not performing in the past, how other English players have been given the entire tournament in the Hundred. Hain gets dropped first opportunity. Whilst others have gone entire Hundred and Blast tournaments without a significant score.
Suspect it’s because of the way he plays, accumulates early and then accelerates. Rather than swinging for the ropes from ball 1. The likes of Tim David within that Hobart team seem to rarely score big but because of his reputation is seen as a huge talent wherever he plays.

Every year I’m amazed that they’re able to play cricket there.
Incredible work by their ground staff every off season.