....and George Dobell adds:
"At the age of 36 and out of his central contract in a couple of months, there is clearly a danger this incident will spell the end of Woakes' international career. Various captains and coaches came to rely on him for his commitment to the team, his selflessness and his low-maintenance positivity. If this is the end, it will have been a fine career."

Not looking good for Chris Woakes. Latest reports say:
"The injury looks more serious than expected, and the right-arm seamer is most likely to miss the Ashes as well.
The report stated that the doctors confirmed a serious injury to the shoulder and might require surgery. A surgery would mean that Woakes will miss the next five months of action."

"Do they want to win or give people a go? " - I would say that second team cricket has always been trying to achieve a balance between the two. Players need to learn how to win; but it's also a case of giving players the opportunity to show that they are ready for first team cricket.
As captain, I presume that Lintott made the decision to bat down the order. He had bowled 20 overs in the Kent innings and maybe fancied a rest. I remember, years ago, Don Kenyon, when he was captain of Worcestershire, not coming out to open at the end of a long day in the field. When he was asked if he was injured, he said he was suffering from a case of captain's prerogative.

Well done to OH-D for seeing Ed Barnard to his 100 before getting out.

I see that Richard Thompson, the ECB Chair, has said that the sale of The Hundred teams "has enabled us to hopefully create a competition that becomes the IPL of the Northern hemisphere."
In which hemisphere does he think that India exists?

Exiled Bear wrote:

Really sad to see Woakes head off the field with what looks like a dislocated shoulder just now. Really hope that isn’t the end of his test career.

It's been confirmed that he will play no further part in the Test.

A disappointing result:
https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/?tab=m_scorecard#maaf759a7-331f-4368-bd2b-7ddb250c3311

This is a bit of an admission from the ECB:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jul/31/ecb-admits-no-evidence-the-hundred-attracted-new-fans-cricket
When The Hundred was launched, much was made of it being a way into other forms of cricket.

Let's hope that Ed doesn't let OH-D down by getting out in the morning.

Congratulations to Ethan Bamber on a maiden hundred.

The latest edition of The Cricketer suggests that when Chris Rushworth's contract ends in September, he won't be offered another. It also suggests that OH-D "may be phased out." I hope that, if OH-D does go, he will be given the kind of send-off appropriate for one who has done so much for the Club - "phased out" doesn't seem right.

Devon_Bear wrote:

I wonder what the odds are on Bamber making a century this afternoon?

Better than Mousley's chances.

What the list shows is how much more Test cricket is played now. All the great all-rounders of the 20th century and earlier such as Trevor Bailey, Tony Greig, Wilfred Rhodes, Wally Hammond etc. never played enough matches to achieve the feat.

This might just be Chris Woakes's last chance to reach the landmark - I can't see him being picked for the Australia tour.
As to the answer to the question, there is one other Bear plus Stokes, Flintoff, Botham and one other!

Highveld wrote:

It is impossible to decide a stumping decision from the angle of the camera used for thr live stream, Essex do not appear to have side on cameras. Therefore you have to accept the decision of the professional umpire, who was in the best, side on, position.

Even in recreational cricket, the umpires get things right most of the time, and usually make less mistakes in the game than the players,

As has been said to me when I may (perhaps) have questioned a decision against me: "Look in the scorebook".

I thought we might see Davies dancing down the pitch at the very end of the day and being stumped by a mile, which would have incurred the wrath of at least one poster on here. It wasn't like that and looked maybe like a poor umpiring decision.
When it comes to outrageous stumpings, I am reminded of the late Robin Marlar who played in a match against Surrey and was sent in as nightwatchman. The result - stumped second ball for six! The Times described him as "the least watchful of watchmen."

My main take, looking at the averages, was what a poor season OH-D is having. Are his PCA duties taking their toll or is age (36 now) creeping up on him - or, hopefully, is this just a blip?

Highveld wrote:

Also Charlie Taylor, and they are continuing with the experiemnt of Lintott as an opening batsman!

Lintott as opening batter and captain -surely he couldn't replace another opening batter and captain?!

I see that Booth is in the team - that's good news.

Came second in the Final but a good effort.