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Post by longstop on Jun 28, 2019 16:05:01 GMT
I remember my parents telling me if you fall off your bike, it is best to clamber straight back on and ride again. Whether the Sussex team feel that same way about their crushing defeat at the hands of Durham remains to be seen, but it’s back to business on Sunday as Northamptonshire come to town for another County Championship game. In all competitions, Sussex has only recorded one win since the beginning of May, suffering four defeats and holding on for four, generally iffy, draws.
Northamptonshire is the only Division 2 side that is yet to win a game this season. At Northampton earlier in the season, the home side was able to bat out a draw against Sussex when a win looked possible. It featured one of Sussex’s better batting performances, largely thanks to Ben Brown and Chris Jordan scoring over 300 runs between them in the first innings as they enjoyed a 7th wicket partnership of 309.
Adam Rossington and Ricardo Vasconcelos have shown good form with the bat for Northamptonshire this season; they have both averaged over 50. Taking wickets, though, has been a big problem for Northamptonshire with opponents regularly making sizeable totals. Is this the chance for Sussex’s batsmen to find some form? Varun Chopra has joined Sussex on loan for the next three games and is certain to be included in the team. Hopefully, this adds some much-needed stability to the top three.
Recent results against Northamptonshire have been poor. Last season’s low scoring defeat at Northampton finally killed off Sussex’s chances of promotion. Sussex are yet to record a win over Northamptonshire since their relegation to Division 2.
It can’t be too often that Sussex has had two consecutive home games where the visitors arrive as the team at the bottom of the table. Durham left Hove two places off the bottom. Will Northamptonshire be leaving Hove with an improved position? Or, will Sussex bounce back? We will see.
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Post by joe on Jun 28, 2019 16:56:16 GMT
Chopra
Haines
Beer
van Zyl
Evans
Brown
Rawlins
Wiese
Jordan
Robinson
Thomason
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jun 29, 2019 8:56:40 GMT
So, desperation has crept into the Club management with the signing of Essex opener, Varun Chopra. First: Chopra has not played a Championship match this season, even though he has scored 10,033 first-class runs. Second: This loan is only for 3 matches (Northants, Lancs and Australia A). Third: Chopra only plays OD cricket today at his ripe age of 32 years-old. What does that say about this signing? www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q_ZzBGPdqE |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jun 29, 2019 9:01:41 GMT
joe, Wow, Beer at three. Why not Robinson and Thomason to open with Jordan at 3? Given the tail-enders have scored more runs than the top order this season, this makes sense. PS: Sussex batting line-ups look more-like Salvador Dali paintings these days.  |
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Post by liquidskin on Jun 29, 2019 9:24:17 GMT
I agree with S&F, for once. Not about some painter nobody's heard of but of the club's desperation. A three game loan, one of them a tour game, what's the point?
What is it, our third loan signing? That's indicative of Andrew's horrendous playing staff policy. It's conceding huge mistakes have been made.
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Post by joe on Jun 29, 2019 9:27:15 GMT
I assume he’s a replacement for Salt while he’s injured. I’d rather this than shuffle all our under-performing batters around........again!
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Post by coverpoint on Jun 29, 2019 12:57:09 GMT
Chopra Haines Beer van Zyl Evans Brown Rawlins Wiese Jordan Robinson Thomason Salt and Kapil will probably replace Haines and Beer in that team.
The following squad has been named:
sussexcricket.co.uk/news/new-faces-squad-visit-northantsI reckon the final XI will be Chopra, Salt, Kapil, Van Zyl, Evans, Brown c, wk, Wiese, Jordan, Rawlins, Robinson and Thomason.
Don't expect too much from Chopra as I have spotted this on another messageboard:
"He's played 68 first class matches for Essex and averages less than 28. He was poor before he left for Warwickshire and and has been worse since he got back. Last year he averaged 15 in the 7 games he played. Not sure why that is as his record at Warwickshire was pretty good. He tends to get out the same way, lbw, pretty much every innings as well.
His white ball record at Essex since he's come back has been very good, for sure. He was making plenty of white ball runs in the last couple of years in between struggling in the CC so I don't think form has much to do with it."
Instead of wasting time by whinging on twitter, clue is in the first four letters of the name in terms of the type of people who write on there, perhaps Ben Brown could have used his time better coming up with a coherent plan as to how we are going to win the next county championship game against Northants. Compared to football cricketers get off very lightly when it comes to criticism from fans. When the team you support bats, bowls and fields as badly as we did against Durham we have every right to criticise the players. What you as players need to do is to show more application and determination and produce the goods on the field. We could have escaped with a draw had it not been for 4 very experienced players getting in 16 balls either side of lunch on day four. We didn't just lose because of Wells and Finch. We lost because we dropped two catches which cost 211 runs and we also had five batsmen only score one run between them in the fourth innings.
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Post by joe on Jun 30, 2019 9:52:50 GMT
Northants win the toss and bat.
No Jordan or van Zyl.
I hope Ollie Robinson is feeling fit because he’s going to need to run in all day.
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Post by joe on Jun 30, 2019 12:13:58 GMT
Got to be happy with 96/4 at lunch especially as apart from Wiese and Robinson the bowling has been wayward on a flat track.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jun 30, 2019 17:05:20 GMT
The top order are cursed, they're cursed!!!! (wail, bemoan etc..)
Sussex: 6-2
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Post by joe on Jun 30, 2019 17:19:32 GMT
Same old story as the number 10 and 11 put on the highest partnership!
Well bowled Ollie Robinson, everyone else pretty ordinary.
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Post by coverpoint on Jun 30, 2019 18:16:20 GMT
How did we let them get from 99-6 to 273? Robinson apart our bowling was ****! 200 first class wickets for Robinson. What more does he have to do to get his county cap FFS? Drakes and Danny Law got theirs for **** all!
Change of openers but the same **** result. Chopra predictably out lbw. Salt out cheaply. Was he rushed back? Sign of panic rather than clear decision making?
First hour is crucial tomorrow. Bat badly and we could easily be 40-5.
If Brown doesn't like criticism I suggest he stays away from social media. Alternatively he and the rest of the Sussex players could grow a backbone and man up.
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Post by flashblade on Jun 30, 2019 18:26:30 GMT
How did we let them get from 99-6 to 273? Robinson apart our bowling was ****! 200 first class wickets for Robinson. What more does he have to do to get his county cap FFS? Drakes and Danny Law got theirs for **** all! Change of openers but the same **** result. Chopra predictably out lbw. Salt out cheaply. Was he rushed back? Sign of panic rather than clear decision making? First hour is crucial tomorrow. Bat badly and we could easily be 40-5. If Brown doesn't like criticism I suggest he stays away from social media. Alternatively he and the rest of the Sussex players could grow a backbone and man up. Time you got off the fence, CP? |
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Post by sharkey07 on Jun 30, 2019 19:23:16 GMT
Another train journey home to Chichester reflecting on a day when we were well on top and end looking oridinary. Ollie Robinson bowled very well as usual. The rest were pie throwers who were wayward and again let Northants off the hook. The last wicket partnership summed it up . The players were quiet , and lacked any urgency and seemed to allow Northants to just accumulate easy runs. Sakande looked a second eleven player with no penetration really. Thomason ordinary
I decided to leave at change of innings and it was no surprise to see the usual pathetic opening start ....
First hour tomorrow really is critical for however the match pans out , lose two early wickets and its big problems.
I did think Ben Brown captaincy was reactive and he seemingly let this drift along.
Today just summed up when we are , an ordinary middle lower ranking Div Two team, how depressing ...
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Post by chrischammond on Jul 1, 2019 8:14:48 GMT
I’m my own worst enemy. Well - not as long as one or two others are alive, true, but I forsook (?) England/India and went back to the County Ground yesterday for the afternoon session. I saw several previous matches being played on repeat. I least I think I did. Bowling inroads/off the hook/ opening collapse/Captain’s mind wandering due to too many jobs/ journeymen cricketers. With honourable exceptions. England also tried to lose but their sheer depth saved them. For the same reason our fragility was exposed. I don’t know whether the academy is our salvation or a blind alley, but there is going to have to be significant short to medium term change in either case, or it just won’t matter. PS - I think Salt came back too early. Adrian Harmes said he WANTED to play. He has undoubted talent but absolutely no judgement.
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