Looks like there are a few players who may be on the move because their contracts are up:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/derbyshire-leus-du-plooy-middlesex-1382748
Leus du Plooy, Callum Parkinson and Colin Ackermann plus a whole load of Pears - Josh Tongue, Pat Brown, Ben Cox, Dillon Pennington and Mitchell Stanley.

Bearing in mind that Finals Day is only a week or so after the quarter finals and two weeks after the last Group match, I assume he is available. Australia will be still playing the Ashes series so it won't clash with any of their commitments.
But I could be wrong - maybe he has signed up for some other T20 tournament in Outer Mongolia or Azerbaijan.

I've seen (and occasionally played on) plenty of pitches that I would describe as shockers but I don't think this was one of them. It lacked pace and bounce and so wasn't a good Test match pitch BUT - it played its part in producing a great match. 36 wickets fell and more would have fallen if half a dozen chances had not been missed that should have been taken (plus a wicket fell to a no ball). So the pitch wasn't all that unfriendly to bowlers and we also saw some great batting.
As to Gary Barwell being over-sensitive, I suspect that he takes great pride in his work and in the work of his staff so it is perhaps natural that he resents criticism of the results of his and their work.
He has had plenty of well justified praise for pitches that he has produced in the past for international matches and also received awards so he is entitled to feel proud of what he has achieved overall since he arrived at Edgbaston.
What I would hope is that, regardless of whether or not he defends his pitch to others, he is asking himself what he could have done differently to produce a pitch with more pace. It's one thing to resent criticism from others and another to fail to be self critical.

I think that Bob Woolmer and Dermot Reeve are responsible for the reverse sweep craze.

When he made his debut aged just 19, he seemed a great prospect. But I agree that his time is probably up with the Bears and I think he will be lucky to find another county - but good luck to him.
I remember interviewing him during his debut match and him telling me that he and Rob Yates were at university together and sharing a flat.

Biggest worry is star man Maxwell averaging 13.

Not bad, is it?
6.00 pm on the last day, all results still possible and a full house at Edgbaston.
Test Match cricket is still the best!

This book should be an interesting read:
https://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/last-corinthian
And a happy 90th birthday to him at the end of June!

Whilst I agree that the pitch could do with more pace in it, somehow it has produced an extremely interesting match with a good balance between bat and ball. If England had taken their chances, the match would be much more strongly in their favour.
I just hope that the weather tomorrow doesn't spoil an excellent finish.

Chris Woakes available for the next three matches is good news:
https://edgbaston.com/fixtures/first-xi/durham-vs-bears-20-june-2023/

Overall, added to Hasan Ali leaving, it's not good news:
https://edgbaston.com/news/injury-update-ahead-of-blast-r/

Not good news of Norwell:
Robinson says:
“Liam’s had a setback and he’s still probably some weeks away. We’ve got to keep being patient with him because he’s got a bulging disc in his back. These things aren’t straightforward but we’re hoping at some stage he’ll return this season when we need him the most.”

Yes, disappointing for the Club but good news for him.
Norwell's fitness becomes even more of a key issue.

I see that, despite missing four chances yesterday, England are blaming the pitch for not doing better. Stuart Broad says: . “It is a very slow, low surface that zaps the energy out of the ball. It is pretty characterless so far, pretty soulless, but you can only judge a surface towards the end of the match and see how it develops."

Pleased to see that Keith Cook had the honour of taking the Ashes trophy onto the pitch, though I see that they didn't dare bring out the actual Ashes Urn:
https://edgbaston.com/news/ashes-honour-for-bears-legend-keith-cook/?fbclid=IwAR1cWw-wDlUJBi5N1msXP2Etr6Ca39QO7Y4rCln-HAFxXaXe3uhNeIzs3nQ

I guess that Stokes may also have factored in the weather in declaring - my daughter tells me it's raining at Edgbaston right now.

I thought that, having won the toss on that pitch and in this weather, 450 was the minimum score to settle for. But tomorrow, I may be proved totally wrong.

That lad Maxwell (whoever he is) seems to be a useful bowler. Pity he can't bat.
Being serious, although it would be great to have Sam Hain back asap, his absence gave younger players like Mousley and Bethell the chance to shine - and they are (or should be) the future of the Club.

Yes I think that is the best option, both for him and the Club.
The Hain Train is in the station.

Looks like Sam Hain is at least in the squad despite his injury:
https://edgbaston.com/fixtures/first-xi/worcestershire-rapids-vs-bears-16-june-2023/#match-match-previews