GerryShedd
Super Moderator
The official preview says: " No members of the Bears squad have been in contact with Lintott since the development of the symptoms, with a regular testing process covering all players."
https://edgbaston.com/fixtures/first-xi/durham-v-birmingham-bears-20-june-2021/#match-match-previews
Weather looks OK.
It could be a tough game without Woakes, Stone and Lintott. A pity that Alex Thomson is on loan to Derbyshire because he could fit in as a replacement for Lintott - second spinner who can also bat.
Jake has tested positive for COVID - bad news for him and a big loss for the Bears because he has consistently taken wickets. Let's hope he makes a speedy recovery.
I feel really sorry for him. He is a decent guy and a good cricketer so it's sad to see him have so many setbacks in his career.
Yes I agree that the weather predictions differ widely between different forecasters. Where is Michael Fish when you need him?
Anyway, sadly, I've made the decision not to travel - it's a long and tedious journey up the M5 on a Friday afternoon with the likelihood of traffic jams and the possibility of no cricket at the end of it.
Met Office forecast not looking too good for tomorrow evening.
Report on the game with quotes from Will Rhodes:
https://deepextracover.com/2021/06/bears-make-it-four-in-a-row-with-comprehensive-victory-at-grace-ro
Preview of tonight's game - no Chris Woakes.
https://edgbaston.com/fixtures/first-xi/leicestershire-v-birmingham-bears-16-june-2021/
It's available on Sky for those who have access.
A possible signing:
ps://www.espncricinfo.com/story/warwickshire-close-to-signing-che-simmons-17-year-old-dubbed-new-jofra-archer-1266631?ex_cid=OTC-RSS
Graham Thorpe says that he thinks The Hundred will help England's Test match batsmen??!!
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jun/14/graham-thorpe-the-hundred-can-help-england-struggling-test-batsmen
Either he is delusional or he thinks we are all stupid - or maybe he's just remembering who pays his wages.
Looks like the 25% will continue to apply:
https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/countycricket/english_cricket-four_week_delay_lockdown_covid_19_england_blast_hundred.html
Malan so far has been a big let down. His career credentials are impeccable - a first class average of 44, list A average of 45 and T20 average of just over 40. For Western Province, he has a first-class average of almost 60.
None of which explains why he has to date failed spectacularly for the Bears.
My hope (and guess) is that it is only a matter of time before his quality shines through and he makes a few big scores.
Chris Woakes showing how much the Bears have missed both his batting and his bowling.
A very patchy fielding display by the Bears. Mis-fields and dropped catches.
Odd fact - there are more Bears players in the team who were born on the Isle of Wight than born in Birmingham/Warwickshire.
Good start and a much more balanced commentary.
When the squad was announced, there was something said along the lines that he had only just started playing and bowling again so wasn't included. In other words, he wasn't going to play because he hasn't been playing. I have no inside knowledge at all but I can't help thinking that there is more to it than that.
It's pretty obvious where the commentators are from. As they say, you can always tell a Yorkshireman - but you can't tell him much.
But on a posiive note, good that Tim Bresnan got rounds of applause when he came in and when he was out.
Annoying when the sound wasn't working but even more annoying now that it is.