Durham Match Thread 2021

[captaincolly]

Going off for rain 115/4 one ball into the 16th.

[westoelad]

so are we spinner-less then?

I did briefly consider going down, but it feels as though we are on the slide.... can't get players on the park, form gone completely out of the window.... so I decided I could make better use of my Friday evening than sitting with my head in my hands.

Even if we were to salvage something from the last few matches, we'd have lost every single bit of the momentum we had in the early rounds and we'd be turned over in the QF's, probably in our usual catastrophic QF way

I think our T20 season is probably done

Certainly looks like it--coincided with Stokes appearances.

[captaincolly]

Restart at 9.10. 88 required from 9 overs. I gave up the ghost so if we pull it off I'll watch the YouTube!

[captaincolly]

I'm pleased I didn't stay. Usually on a hiding to nothing bowling second in a reduced overs T20.

[Durhamfootman]

so are we spinner-less then?

I did briefly consider going down, but it feels as though we are on the slide.... can't get players on the park, form gone completely out of the window.... so I decided I could make better use of my Friday evening than sitting with my head in my hands.

Even if we were to salvage something from the last few matches, we'd have lost every single bit of the momentum we had in the early rounds and we'd be turned over in the QF's, probably in our usual catastrophic QF way

I think our T20 season is probably done

Certainly looks like it--coincided with Stokes appearances.

in fairness, if Stokes hadn't been available we'd only have had an extra academy boy in those games

[Durhamfootman]

I'm pleased I didn't stay. Usually on a hiding to nothing bowling second in a reduced overs T20.

DLS is pretty unsatisfactory in T20 at the best of times

It absolutely never works for sides that get off to slow starts and lose early wickets before having their innings curtailed, which is probably why it always screws us

[Durhamfootman]

I suppose the trouble is that we were spoilt for many years having Phil Mustard in the side, so watching us scratching around in the PP overs is hard to fathom

[Durhamfootman]

County Championship resumes tomorrow, of course, so we can put this T20 nonsense behind us. I wonder if Stokesy will turn out for us at Edgbaston?

Two big matches coming up

I'd love it if we could stick two fingers up at the ECB

[Durhamfootman]

although.... we could get in the first division, win the Bob Willis Trophy and the ECB might be very happy about that because then they could take great delight in putting us back into div 2 again next year...... it would be like relegating us twice and the thought of that might even give them a stiffy

[westoelad]

Squad v Birmingham Bears: 4-7 July
Scott Borthwick (c), Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Chris Rushworth, David Bedingham, Michael Jones, Ned Eckersley (wk), Jack Burnham, Ben Stokes, Sean Dickson, Matt Salisbury, Ben Raine. Cameron Bancroft.
Bit worrying that our lead performance coach appears to believe we're playing a 4 day T20 game
Strong looking squad,pity the weather forecast mitigates against a positive result.

[Durhamfootman]

that's probably all the players available to us

I presume that Salisbury misses out. The only call for Franklin to make is whether to leave Burnham in the side or to replace him with Dickson. I think Dickson has done enough in the T20's to warrant a red ball start, tbh

[captaincolly]

Dickson gets the nod over Burnham. We won the toss and are bowling.

[westoelad]

Dickson gets the nod over Burnham. We won the toss and are bowling.

Good -when we bat first immediately after T20 we're normally all out by mid-afternoon.

[captaincolly]

Dickson gets the nod over Burnham. We won the toss and are bowling.

Good -when we bat first immediately after T20 we're normally all out by mid-afternoon.

True! Start delayed by rain.

[Durhamfootman]

pity about the rain, because it's lovely here

It's been warm and sunny all morning despite the forecast continuing to say that the chances of thundery downpours range from 71% - 96%

I've been down the allotment, cut the lawns all sorts, which is remarkable given the deluge that has been sweeping over CLS all day