st_brendy wrote:budgetmeansbudget wrote:st_brendy wrote:budgetmeansbudget wrote:st_brendy wrote:We've won the toss, and will bowl (given the cold, overcast conditions). Unchanged XI, so Wood again misses out.
Bird not fit again!
We announced during the week that he was still injured.
It's not like the management can't have been aware of his history of injuries. We took the same risk that Northants took on him last season, and it backfired horribly on them.
I've lost track of how many overseas signings you can have. I guess its one and he's it, hopeless.
Nothing to stop us cutting our losses and replacing him though. I think Arafat has retired from FC cricket, so it's not like we could just suddenly call him into the side (and I'm not sure we would want to, even if he is available - Arafat and Adams in the same bowling attack would make it one exceptionally old attack). We'd have to actively go out there and find someone, just like we would already have to in a few months time when Bird's part-season contract expires any way. But with the better non-IPL cricketers already signed up by counties, I doubt there'll be too much out there. Guess we're just going to have to stick it out, and hope that Bird does get fit eventually.
Fair play to Benks, he was very open about this is his interview this evening.
Bird's injury is more than just his shoulder, which apparently wasn't originally picked up. He'll be flying back home to Oz for treatment, with the door open for him to potentially rejoin in the second half of the season if Oz/Oz A don't require and he is fit. But reading between the lines, I got the impression that we wont be seeing him again. We're looking for another overseas player in his place, but the options are very limited due to IPL (as I suspected) so we basically shouldn't hold our breath. And fair enough, we don't want any old guy to come in and play for us, just because he's classed as overseas. Things could be easier come June, once the IPL is over, but obviously we'll be a fair way the CC season by then.
To partly make up for it, we've brought forward Fidel Edwards' arrival. He'll be joining us over the coming days, and will have about ten days to get up to speed ahead of our game vs Yorks (we don't play in the next round of matches, thankfully).
One reason why Edwards wasn't due to join us until late July was because of his CPL commitments. I assume they still exist, so in a couple of months we will lose him for a short while on that basis. (Also Bird and Adams both have/had these three months contracts for April, May and June, lessening the need for Edwards during this time, prior to Bird's injury)
Benks also confirmed what I suspected with Arafat, namely that he doesn't intend to play any four day cricket at this late stage of his career.
