|
|
Post by hhsussex on May 22, 2016 7:01:03 GMT
With that first competitive win now secured, hoever bizarre the circumstances, and with Taylor finally having shown his international form, perhaps we can go into this match in a confident frame of mind. We already know that Derbyshire are one of the weakest teams in the division and both our batsmen and bowlers had the mastery of theirs a fortnight ago. We might also have Wright back, which now poses an interesting problem: who makes way for him? Finch presumably, though it is hard luck to start the season with a hundred, get dropped after the next match without facing a ball, then fight your way back into the team and make a strong 50 only to be dropped again.
The second problem is what to do about the bowling. Robinson is a) Not as accurate as last year but b) is batting better than most of those above him and the tail is too weak after Brown to do without the chance of something between 20 and 50 runs. Probably best to conclude that, like Wells, he is there to bowl what he can when he can and pick the best three from the remaining five pace bowlers to carry the main burden. If Shahzad's fitness and attitude levels are high he should play, if not Garton should come back in for his wristy pace and angle, and his all-round cricketing skills. Magoffin is a given, so that leaves a choice between Hatchett and Whittingham.
Overall it is a much more encouraging picture than the doom and gloom after the Leicestershire game. Joyce and Nash have shown the way, Brown is finding some batting form and the emergence of Whittingham alongside Garton are all hopeful signs. If it doesn't quite add up to a title-winning side it is because they are not; it is a side with too many players just past their peak and the younger ones have not quite broken through. Davis, for all his ridiculous public fanning of hopes about Wright's fitness, has shown that the is prepared to learn and to communicate properly with spectators as well as players and if Wright can come back successfully his passion and commitment will lift the whole side. It might just coax a couple of the old matchwinning performances from Magoffin rather than these 20 overs, 2 for 45.
Joyce
Nash
Wells
Taylor
Machan/Finch
Wright
Brown
Robinson
Shahzad/Garton
Magoffin
Hatchett/Whittingham
|
|
|
|
Post by fraudster on May 22, 2016 7:25:33 GMT
Tough one on Finch if Wright plays. Ordinarily I'd say play Finch for Wells at three but Wells' bowling is becoming a factor in addition to our four man seam attack. Tough call.
I wouldn't worry about the tail so much now that Brown's at seven and we have six batters ahead of him. The best bowlers need to play in a four man attack, my comment on Wells not withstanding, and Robinson ain't that right now.
Joyce
Nash
Wells/Finch
Taylor
Machan
Wright
Brown
Shahzad
Garton
Whittingham
Magoffin
|
|
|
|
Post by coverpoint on May 22, 2016 8:02:29 GMT
Joyce
Nash
Wells
Taylor
Machan
Wright
Brown
Robinson
Garton
Magoffin
Whittingham
with Finch, Shahzad and Hatchett included in a 14 man squad.
|
|
|
|
Post by joe on May 22, 2016 8:12:38 GMT
Wells is a definate for me, tough on Finch but a good position for us to be in knowing he's in form and can come back in.
The rest as per Frauster.
|
|
|
|
Post by grandavefan on May 26, 2016 8:25:42 GMT
Looking at the last round of games, it would appear the spinners are coming into the game, esp the 2nd innings.
Time for Wells to ONLY bat. He can't do both well enough in the same match so let him do his best skill well which is batting.
Time for a change of mindset. select 2 specialist spinners, Beer & Briggs.
The present strategy has so far yielded 5 draws and 2nd to bottom in Div 2. One can safely say it's a strategy that has not worked.
The wickets are also drier so it should assist them both.
Any other team selected IMO says that the spirit of robinson/joyce still looms large in the corridors of selection.
Time to be bold, time to win a game.
|
|
|
|
Post by pipster1 on May 26, 2016 11:13:15 GMT
With showers around potentially all game we need to produce a sporty pitch here and make sure the game is a result. Absolutely no point in languishing around the foot of the table without at least trying to produce results,it's not like we can get relegated .
Comparatively to other teams in the league our spinners are a strength of ours . If we can find a dry strip that will turn then the 2 spinner option is a good idea.
Just not a featherbed where any rain makes it a draw. This is a must win , anything else against the team that will finish bottom and our championship season is over for another year.
|
|
|
|
Post by jonboy on May 26, 2016 13:51:24 GMT
With showers around potentially all game we need to produce a sporty pitch here and make sure the game is a result. Absolutely no point in languishing around the foot of the table without at least trying to produce results,it's not like we can get relegated . Comparatively to other teams in the league our spinners are a strength of ours . If we can find a dry strip that will turn then the 2 spinner option is a good idea. Just not a featherbed where any rain makes it a draw. This is a must win , anything else against the team that will finish bottom and our championship season is over for another year. With that in mind, I wonder if we can read anything into the selection of Finch and Beer for the current seconds game, but perhaps more importantly, the omission of Briggs. I suspect Wright won't play, we always tend to underestimate our injuries, and how long players take to recover. If they ever do. So it could be that we might return to the five bowler option, with Briggs coming in for Finch. I'd be disappointed if that were the case, though not half as disappointed as Finch, who averages more than a hundred in First a Class cricket this season. Also, both Brown and Robinson, have looked a good deal more comfortable batting at seven and eight. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 7:35:23 GMT
Joyce Nash Wells Taylor Machan Wright Brown Robinson Garton Magoffin Whittingham with Finch, Shahzad and Hatchett included in a 14 man squad. Briggs will be in the squad too, unless he is injured. |
|
|
|
Post by joe on May 27, 2016 9:13:21 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by flashblade on May 27, 2016 9:32:27 GMT
It's a shame, but no real surprise. I wonder if he'll test his back in one of the T20 games next week? |
|
|
|
Post by joe on May 27, 2016 10:12:46 GMT
It's a shame, but no real surprise. I wonder if he'll test his back in one of the T20 games next week? That would be my guess. |
|
|
|
Post by hhsussex on May 27, 2016 13:11:26 GMT
Without Wright and with a pretty variable weather forecast I can't see any case for bringing back Briggs just yet. The wickets are hardening, certainly, but there is not likely to be a baking sun that would accelerate 4th innings wear. Everything that we have seen so far this season suggests that Brown's real batting position is No 7, and that Robinson at No 8 complements him well. Finch played well when it mattered against Worcestershire and is still in form, evidenced by his runs for the Seconds in the T20 against Hampshire yesterday.Contrary to granbdavefan I don't believe Wells strongest suit is his batting alone; it is inconsistent and probably always will be, but his spin is strong enough to make him a natural to go to for at least a couple of wickets, even in good batting conditions.
The only issue is which fast bowlers are fit, willing and in form. In a perfect world I'd like to think that Shahzad was all three - not least for his useful batting and his agression - and that Garton, a very promising all-round cricketer, would get more of the bowling to show what he can do. That leaves Magoffin, who is no longer a strike force but a dependable economic bowler for this season.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 13:48:07 GMT
I can't see any case for bringing back Briggs just yet. Agreed. But he must be feeling pretty fed up. He left Hampshire because he wanted regular red ball cricket and was heading towards third choice spinner at the Ageas behind Dawson and Crane - and Robinson promised him he would be a regular in Sussex's CC side! |
|
|
|
Post by jonboy on May 27, 2016 14:27:14 GMT
I can't see any case for bringing back Briggs just yet. Agreed. But he must be feeling pretty fed up. He left Hampshire because he wanted regular red ball cricket and was heading towards third choice spinner at the Ageas behind Dawson and Crane - and Robinson promised him he would be a regular in Sussex's CC side! Maybe, but he's probably suffering because we made the wrong choice of overseas player. Not that Taylor isn't a class act, but if we wanted to include a front line spinner, no matter what the conditions were like, then we really needed to sign a seam bowler who could bat in the top six. Having said that, when he has played, he hasn't really nailed a place, but in that respect, he's no different to any of the other senior bowlers. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 14:40:57 GMT
we really needed to sign a seam bowler who could bat in the top six. Well every team would love one of those. But how many can you name in English cricket? Stokes. Woakes...after that you're struggling, other than naming players who are primarily batsmen but bowl medium-pace dibbly-dobblers that nibble off the seam a bit in helpful conditions (Ryder, Stevens, Bopara etc) ... Overseas? Bravo, maybe. Faulkner... But a genuine seam bowler who can also bat in the top six is actually the rarest breed in cricket... |
|
