It's a bit like when a great fast bowler's bowling - the best place to be is at the non-striker's end. And if the Aussie's are rampant, the best place to be is at home in England. That's probably true not just of Dom but of a few others who didn't go to Australia but may be selected to tour the West Indies and face far lesser bowlers than Cummings and co.

I think I had a dream last night that England had managed a half-century opening partnership. Then I woke up and found that they were all out for 124.

I'm not sure that these events often discover future top level performers but it seems like a worthwhile initiative:
https://edgbaston.com/news/80-cricketers-attend-warwickshire-open-trials/

This article gives more information:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/59931818
As well as saying that fixtures for the 2022 domestic season will be released after the final men's Ashes Test, either at the end of next week or in the following week, it confirms that Yorkshire won't be demoted from Division One.

As Highveld says, the article does seem to suggest that the Club are going about the recruitment in a professional manner.
The word on the grapevine is that some very strong applications have come through so it will be an interesting appointment.

Having just seen a video interview with (dare I say it?) the Worcestershire Chairman, he says that the fixtures will be out in "the next two to three weeks."

I see that England have now sunk to bottom in the Test Championship table:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/icc-world-test-championship-2021-2023-1268315/points-table-standings

I've seen no recent updates.

Those massive bonuses awarded to the top people at the ECB who were responsible for launching The Hundred look even more embarrassingly inappropriate now than they did at the time.

I just wanted to wish everyone on here a Merry Christmas and a happy cricketing New Year!

Can't argue with that, Highveld! Pope and Burns both averaging 12 so far and lucky to have managed even that. Best get Rob Yates on the next plane back to Australia.
Chris Woakes is having a strange series - no luck with the ball (and not bowling at his best) but third in the batting averages behind Malan and Root.
Although Australia are undoubtedly the stronger side, if England had held all their chances, the scores would be much closer.

I'm not sure that I can see the bit about it being a wider ranging role.
On the Club site, his current role is described as: "He now has a broad brief, to work with the current first-team bowlers but also set up a conveyor-belt of bowling talent which will benefit the first-team squad in medium and long term."
Hampshire say: "Alongside working with the bowling group of the senior squad, Welch will oversee the development of all the Hampshire bowlers throughout the age-group system. "
That seems like two different ways of describing the same role.

Another bad day for England.
That gibe directed at the England side of 1987/7 by the late Martin Johnson - "Can't bat, can't bowl, can't field" - may at last be coming true, though - Jack Leach apart - the bowling seems to have held up reasonably well.

This is the message from the Club to members:
https://edgbaston-comms.com/1AFS-7NGP2-C639A8FDB42EF659R425FP20E44EB447EC9D5C/cr.aspx
As the message says, the proof will lie in actions rather than words but at least the Club is starting off by saying the right things.

As a Warwickshire supporter, I'm not disappointed with Darren Gough's appointment. It's on an interim basis; and according to the Talk Sport website, he will be a "figurehead", in which capacity he may do very well. And, to be fair, I probably underestimated the extent of his popularity in Yorkshire. Also, I did read that when he undertook some coaching on a consultancy basis with England, he did a lot to help Chris Woakes.
As for McGrath, I agree that it would be a strange appointment. Of all the counties that Yorkshire might turn to, Essex would be an unlikely choice bearing in mind the racism allegations that are emerging there. McGrath has not been implicated so far; but the independent inquiry into the Essex racism allegations is only beginning its work today and anyone who wants to provide information has until just before Christmas to do so, so anything could emerge.

....and David Hopps has some interesting insights:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/yorkshire-racism-crisis-sacked-staff-seek-legal-action-after-purge-1292274

I agree that the key criterion is the ability of the candidate to carry out the job. But in this instance, that means much more than being the best coach. The appointee will have to embody everything that Yorkshire CCC wants to be from now on. So somebody like Darren Gough who seems to have the same characteristics of those who have just departed - white, Yorkshire born, played for the Club - starts with several disadvantages in the selection process. When you add in that he has no great coaching experience, I think that rules him out, hence my remark.
I actually think that sacking all 16 coaching staff, whilst a powerful gesture, may cause Yorkshire some problems. Either they were all guilty of offences justifying being sacked and have each gone through agreed dismissal and appeal procedures (which is unlikely) or Yorkshire have lumped the innocent in with the guilty. Unless they are allowed to re-apply for their jobs, I can see a few employment tribunal claims happening.

I'm not sure what would get a middle-aged white Yorkshireman with virtually no previous coaching experience to the top of the list:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-10273229/Ex-England-bowler-Darren-Gough-emerges-contender-director-cricket-role-Yorkshire.html

This is a long interview with a Surrey bias; but Rikki has some very positive things to say about his time at Warwickshire, with particular reference to the influence of "Pop" Welch, Jim Troughton and Ashley Giles:
https://www.kiaoval.com/rikki-clarkes-new-life-his-final-surrey-interview/

Update from the Club:
https://edgbaston.com/news/2022-fixtures-update/
I guess we should at least be pleased that there will be more Championship cricket in July. But overall, the ECB are trying to get the proverbial quart into a pint pot (or whatever the metric equivalent of that is).