by st_brendy » Sat Sep 23, 2017 10:05 am
Of course the irony is that we've been so much better this season than the past two years.
I'm not blaming the batters too much for yesterday. Bailey always got it wrong by enforcing the FO, given the huge amount of time left in the game. It was the only realistically way of Essex wining the game. We went from having the chance to bat with a circa 180 lead under our belts (pressure largely off of us), to instead having to bat with a circa 180 deficit (and pressure hugely on us).
Why would you willingly risk a run chase against the best bowling attack in the division? Mind boggles. Essex went into the fourth innings with their tails up and wanting blood. They got it, and I'm not even sure if Sangakkara could have helped us.
I think this makes it six games in a row now that we've waited for the "one final win". We got so many points in the bag early on (and Somerset and Warks got so few) that we put ourselves close to safety at the half way mark. We've just been treading water ever since, with something like five draws in a row and now this defeat. Not all our fault of course - the D/N home to Somerset naturally springs to mind in particular, given the state of the table, where the rain did it's best to ruin that match (and yet we still found a way to get them 8 down in the fourth innings, before we ran out of balls). We've always had what appears to be a get out of jail free card hidden in our back pocket, in the shape of a match vs Warks, should it be required. And as it turns out, it is indeed required. We just need to use it now.
Other than age and injury, there's not much wrong with the bowling attack for once. When they're on it, we have almost every base covered. But alas, age and - in particular - injury cannot be ignored. So there are problems. But the biggest problems have to be in the batting. Weatherley clearly isn't good enough. Ervine is past it, and Bailey and Adams aren't too far behind. Dawson I think is good enough, I just think that he isn't fulfilling his talent. The same with Rilee. The jury is massively out on Alsop and McManus - I can't yet lump them with Weatherley, but both need to do better. Carberry is gone, and Smith is going. Vince (coupled with Rilee and a bit of Alsop in limited overs, and the lower order and a bit of Bailey in the Championship) obviously can't do this by himself.
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Thanks for everything Pothas. You'll be missed. My nickname for you was apt and I will never forget it. For the last time, arise Sir Nic.