Did the feed stop working for anyone else? All of the second innings? Probably worth a break, it was a frustrating game!

Enjoyed watching the chase. Feel a bit bad saying Barnard should be switched out seeing him bat there as he clearly shouldn't play the next game injured. Think Mouse got just a bit lucky with that last over, if Neesham had kept it down he would have closed the over out but quality he was able to take advantage of it, two opportunistic balls, hit them both for six. There's skill in that.

I didn't watch us in the field - but seems it was a case of slow bowling wins it, for our innings too. I presume Webster's over was seam up?

Yeah captaincy makes it unlikely (I think it's unlikely full stop) but Barnard has been pretty much a passenger the last few games and he'll be out of the county set up for a month. I'd like to Garton play though, we're literally getting nothing for whatever we're paying him and he can play multiple roles. Be fascinated to see how close he is to bowling.

I know what you mean re Kai. Also seems he suffers from timing. It seems at #7 with the batters ahead of him he always seems due in with about 6-10 balls left and he gets subbed out for one of the sloggers beneath him. Really needs 4 - 5 overs to get the most out of him.

ITE7376 wrote:

Tayls79 wrote:
Re our chat on Garton on the 2XI feed yesterday, might we worth subbing him in for Barnard on Sunday and see if he can open and maybe bowl a few overs with a view to the Metro Bank.

yeah I'd think about this too albeit as EB is captain i think unlikely. on his poor batting form in isolation he'd very much be a candidate to be dropped. there's not the same groundswell of calls for that on here compared to how it is with some other players, curious, is that.

It's difficult to work out - but I think it's one of those ones where it's mathematically possible but extremely unlikely. In any scenario though, should just play our strongest team for this match, then it presumably becomes certain we can't progress in the next match, tweak a selection. Re our chat on Garton on the 2XI feed yesterday, might we worth subbing him in for Barnard on Sunday and see if he can open and maybe bowl a few overs with a view to the Metro Bank.

Didn't realise he did that role with Sussex. He's in the 90s with s/r of 200 at the moment, if this is a trial game for places in the MB there's a decision to be made. If they could somehow conjure 4/5 overs out of him with the new ball it might be an adequate Barnard replacement, though if he didn't bowl in this game I guess no-one is confident.

Andy wrote:

If he can be fit enough to bowl, he may well play, no Barnard in the ODC this year remember...

Garton as slog opener n the Metro Bank?(previously known as pinch hitter, but not in front of a baseball-conscious crowd).

Wylie looked good all-round from the middle 20 overs on the feed I saw. The one over I saw him bowl snapped Notts momentum a bit and he batted well when we could have folded without much behind. Big question for him is if he can do it for the firsts, given our paucity of spinners we could probably use him.

Andy wrote:

Theo Wylie's run out looked terrific

Love the way you've dragged this back to Davies with the bat again - who hasn't played in several games and is unlikely to play in the next. It's not really the issue.

You'll notice I categorise Kai's keeping above under 'occasional sloppiness' rather than anything more severe so agree he needs to carry on playing, probably all the One Day competition as well. In T20 the ball only really occasionally comes through to the keeper so the emphasis is generally low however there was on missed stumping when the game was alive and potentially a dropped catch as well. It didn't affect the result but it could have done if we were 20 runs lighter in the first innings.

I think he can probably overcome this and improve as a keeper (many have done so) but there must be a point at some point in the future where you he decides whether to totally ditch the gloves and focuses on becoming batsman only. I think he can probably do this too: just it's a decision to be made about what he spends his time focusing on. I do like watching him bat though and I'm keen for him to play and to bat. Either way I'm not stressing about it for white ball, it's a decent situation that we have replaced Davies place in the T20 batting order.

Highveld wrote:

At the moment Davies is unselectable, he has totally lost any batting form, and his consistant repeated failures puts pressure on the rest of the team.

Kai is still a young keeper, who will improve give the opportunity and being allowed to feel confident of his place in the team.

Allowing players to consistantly fail without consequence is not the way to build a winning culture in a team., sadly Warwickshire have done that too often with too many players over the years.

Ha. I thought the de Lange / Mousley exchange was good honest stuff TBH. dL was first to clap when Mouse responded.

Overall, good to watch. A rarity to see a whole game for me. Both the batting and bowling is complementary so hard to work out quite why they started out so poorly. It's a better balanced team than in the CC with a credible spinner and solid roles from all the bats right the way down.

The only two things I would say is it could do with another pace-off bowler and I don't think that's Mousley, at least right now. That leads me to other point is there are micro periods of slopiness I've see over the games. Mousley bowling that fourth was probably one moment, few things behind the stumps (we know this), few throws at the stumps wayward and Tariq coming out to bat without his kit. The more these are eliminated the better we are.

Looked very good and looks a settled and complimentary side now. Our groups third place does look best at present. Just wondering whether Northants as final game could be a sting in the tail. Skills of the bowlers to mix up quick yorkers with slower balls with bouncers was very impressive. I was thinking that Hain was slumping in his career but enjoyed his knock, as always quicker scoring than it appeared.

I haven't seen the clip but that's what he was doing last season when his mind was apparently fried. Loses concentration, just swings. I just took a quick look at cricinfo and he had some CC scores in early May, which may have been just the time he picked up the gloves from Kai. Since then he last scores read like an international telephone number.

As you say Inside, I think the club looking after him at this stage is the most important thing. Probably he should just take a mental health break and then come back in the middle order for the ODC without the gloves. Zen opening in the T20 and getting 99 certainly helps for the irreplaceability part. Maybe part of Davies issue is it's always been the perception that he's irreplaceable. Puts a lot of pressure on him.

Inside-edge wrote:

I feel for Davies, it must be soul destroying to lose form like that but he’s got credit in the bank for the Bears and I hope they look after him.

This is totally an influenced view as I missed all the good stuff. But ... I started watching at 177 for 1 and from then they lost 9 wickets for under 50 runs in over five overs and the last man wasn't dressed. It was pretty unprofessional. We might win this easily but if you wanted to provide a platform for Worcester to come back strongly, that would be it.

Dropped Davies? Never thought they would...

I've got two main points here, nothing more i) We have a habit of letting players go and they become better at other counties ii) Questions can be made of our coaching. In addition for Simmons, like I said, the five years doesn't tell the full story. For the first three he was presumably fine and built up to that promising Essex game. The last two is where all the questions arise - and for multiple reasons.

Highveld wrote:

If a player has been on the staff, with full time professional coaching and fitness support, for five years and has not yet become an established first team player, or even a regular in first team squads, what are the chances of that player actually imnproving to reach established first team player level? I'd say it was very slim indeed, and the question then becomes what is the better use of the budget, another contract to a player who hasn't reached the required standard, or invest in a 18/19 year old with the potential to improve with the full time coaching and support.

Yeah, interesting you have seen him and will have a more rounded view. From the clips I have seen he looks to have a good, sustainable action and he's sharp. It was also around this time last season he got ill and missed the back half of the season including the One Day Cup. So it could be he's starting to put illness and injury behind him. Just fear another one of those Lintott, Benjamin and Ethan Brooks scenarios where someone else signs him, looks after him properly and we look stupid.

From what you say he seems like he could break through and he has the potential. I just looked up that he's been with us almost exactly five years, as you say, just that 2024 was a plateau point. He played in the CC against Essex then, played really well, then injuries and inconsistencies ever since. Might well have developed fine for the first three years. Just have this feeling that it's misfortune or our bad management (or both) that have led to this two year hiatus.

The_Lickey_Banker wrote:

paulbear wrote:

If Simmonds goes on not getting games, he might get frustrated and wonder why he's not getting a chance, even looking elsewhere maybe. It would appear with all our injuries and bowlers of similarity, why not give him a chance and see, he's got youth on his side and good pace, time to let him loose.

I think Management believe Simmons hasn't done enough (or had enough injury free time), to justify more 1st team opportunities. And I have to say, I agree. I've seen Che a lot in 2nd games and he really hasn't shone - a few notable bowling performances, but, while quick, he has always been expensive and a bit wayward. He is also a decent fielder & batsman (with some big hitting in white ball games) and has always had a great attitude (and is a really likeable guy), but in nearly 5 years, his bowling doesn't inspire belief that he has a future with us.

I think it would be fairer on him, to release him now and see if another County takes him on. He does have some ability and I think new opportunities elsewhere, might kick start a career that has gone backwards at Edgbaston.

That's a good point, am sure Wylie will be 50 over, interested to see if Taylor does as well - he's a teenager as well, right?

Highveld wrote:

I'm sure Whlie and Charlie Taylor have to be possible options for the 50 competition.

It will also be make or break time for some of the out of contract players to show they can contribute at a professional level and deserve further opportunities.

Thanks, good to see that there is some movement through the academy though looks like not an opener.

WRT the game, good to see some runs from Kai with some of those earnt off Willey. Garton didn't bowl and seemed rusty with the bat so not sure what that means for the first team. I'm guessing we'll see Woakes play a role in this next T20 block though seemed, as he has already this season, down on pace which is no surprise with the Hernia (-like symptom). Wondering if they are thinking about elevating Wylie at some point? He seems to have been playing bigger roles for the seconds.

Andy wrote:

Tayls79 wrote:

Some strong sides assembled, notice a sighting of the lesser-spotted Gleeson. Who is AS Nahal by the way? Is he a regular opening bat?

Sometimes opens, more often than not comes in middle order. He's only 17.

Some strong sides assembled, notice a sighting of the lesser-spotted Gleeson. Who is AS Nahal by the way? Is he a regular opening bat?

Agree the spinners are the main concern, but the back end of the seam rotation is a concern as well. Woakes and Barnard are averaging over 40, Thompson over 35 and we don't know how much we're going to get out of Barker and Woakes. Booth I hope gets a run soon, Gilchrist, to be fair, is averaging and striking more than I expected, but regard him very much as a rotation bowler. We might be OK but this game did show a bit of a bare cupboard in the bowling department.

Reabank wrote:

Umh, I'm not too worried about the seam bowling. There's Booth, Gilchrist, Barker and Woakes to rotate through, plus Barnard and Thompson are very handy back ups. With trips to Cardiff and Chelmsford spin bowling might be more of an issue but the top order batting is where the real problems are. I wonder if there's the money in the kitty to bring in an overseas player for the last 6 games? Three wins and 3 draws might be enough for the championship.

We've talked about the batting to death, nothing to add now. But take a look at the bowling. Specifically beyond Bamber and OHD. That's a concern too.