English County Cricket Season 2014

^ What counts against & for many teams is where they play.Lancashire have an average batting line-up compared to Somerset who are still stronger than them despite Butler moving to Old Trafford.But Lancs stronger bowling & playing on result pitches as opposed to Taughton's batting paradise means Lancs could stay up.
Yorkshire hardly win any games at home,it has been voted one of the best wickets in the country in the past few years,compared to Durham who win a large percentage on matches at home on their seamer friendly wicket.

^ Yes very true. A constantly good home batting strip can go against home team.

There was a time when the pitch at Headingley was completely bowler friendly. I recall a test match between England and West Indies was done and dusted inside 2 days. Nowadays those pitch conditions are not permitted to exist.

^^ Groundsmen are encouraged to produce fair wickets.Pitch inspectors are called out all the time but have been very reluctant to penalize teams points & usually blame poor batting when rather than a pitch that is offering too much help to the bowlers in terms of excessive seam movement or spin.Often the weather which can lead to lack of preparation can throw up a substandard surface through no fault of the groundsmen.

These days, with all the money being pumped into the game from Sky, it would be an economic disaster for the club if a money generating test match was to last only 2 days because of a 'sporty' pitch.

CC Div 1
Day 1
Middlesex V Yorkshire Lords
Middlesex won the toss & elected to bowl.
Yorkshire 178 Plunkett 56 not out Finn 4-50
Middlesex 64-3

Yorkshire skipper Andrew Gale dropped himself in order to allow Joe Root to play his first 1st class match since his injury in the west Indies.
Root didn't just replace Gale in the No.4 batting position,he was surprisingly made captain.At 23 he is the youngest the captain Yorkshire in a first class match since Lord Hawke in 1882 when he was 22.
Root sadly was out for a duck trapped lbw by Finn.

Once again it was nice to see Finn taking wickets. Does anyone know when Stokes is back? I would love to see him back for Durham and available for England.... with him at 6/7 it is the only way i see the selectors picking a wild card paceman like Finn or even Mills.

No news on Stokes.As for Finn,yes he's taking wickets,but by all accounts his figures have flattered him & that has come from his captain Chris Rogers.Even today it was noted that he's not bowling at top pace.I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see him in an England shirt this summer.His mentor Angus Fraser the Middlesex Managing Director of Cricket is now on the England selection panel & I don't think he'll get pushed back into the side at an early stage by him.

(27-04-2014 21:49 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  No news on Stokes.As for Finn,yes he's taking wickets,but by all accounts his figures have flattered him & that has come from his captain Chris Rogers.Even today it was noted that he's not bowling at top pace.I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see him in an England shirt this summer.His mentor Angus Fraser the Middlesex Managing Director of Cricket is now on the England selection panel & I don't think he'll get pushed back into the side at an early stage by him.

My first test line up: Cook, Robson,Bell,Root,Vince, Stokes (with durham games) Buttler, Broad, Anderson, Panesar, Mills

If not stokes, then Taylor and replace Mills with Jordan

^^ Fantasy First Test line- up :- Lyth, Lees, Root ©, Ballance, Baistow (w), Rashid, Bresnan, Plunkett, Rafiq, Sidebottom, Brooks