May 2008 Archives

Warwickshire 438. Salisbury's excellent innings was ended at 81 when a Nannes yorker knocked out his middle stump. Middlesex trail by 141 and Warwickshire's depleted forces must now do the hard bit. McLeod and Johnson are fielding as subs for the crocked Zondeki and Maddy.

Anyon and Tahir delivered decent opening spells before acting skipper Westwood threw the ball to Trott for the tenth over. Trott's second ball ripped out Smith's leg-stump.

Middlesex 25 for 1 (10 overs), Godleman 8, Shah 3.

Have just been speculating with Alan Richardson where Stoke City are going to find their points next season. We could only come up with 10.

Warwickshire 408 for 8 (131 overs). Salisbury 61, Zondeki 0.

Anyon edges Udal to slip so we now have Salisbury and Zondeki batting with Troughton and Botha as runners!

Warwickshire 407 for 7 (130 overs). Salisbury 61, Anyon 2.

Tahir gloved an attempted leave at Murtagh to second slip to perish for 1 but Salisbury has batted with great intelligence and, after reaching 50 from 81 balls, hoisted Udal into the pavilion for six to claim the fifth batting point with four balls to spare.

Warwickshire 381 for 6 (123 overs). Salisbury 39, Tahir 1.

Frost misses an attempt to paddle Udal to leg and is adjudged lbw for 90 after 280 minutes of honest Staffordshire toil.

Udal has made one or two turn and bounce sharply. Cold Botha and Troughton spin Warwickshire to what would be a heroic and remarkable victory?

Lunch: Warwickshire 361 for 5 (115 overs). Frost 84, Salisbury 26.

Through all the slings and arrows, Warwickshire have advanced solidly. Frost, 84 from 221 balls, has found another obdurate partner in Salisbury and they have added 32 so far against an attack which has proved culpably incapable of twisting the knife on Warwickshire's misfortunes.

89 for 1 in the session, including 24 extras.

Ian Salisbury made it safely through breakfast but pulled a calf muscle in the pre-match warm-up and is unlikely to bowl in this match.

That's no Zondeki, Maddy and Salisbury to bowl then.

These warm-ups. Ambrose and Salisbury have recently got crocked in them. Yet, on Wednesday, Zondeki got through them only evidently not to be warmed up at all because he tore a muscle in the third over.

Perhaps they would be better off sitting in the dressing-room, smoking and playing cards?

Warwickshire 322 for 5 (106 overs). Frost 72, Salisbury 3.

An admirable stand of 152 ends when Botha leans forward to Udal's first ball of the day and bat-pads to short leg for 50 (158 balls).

It seems I spoke too soon when reporting no injuries sustained during breakfast this morning. Salisbury has emerged with a runner and it can't be his previous injury because Middlesex would surely not allow him a runner for an injury sustained before this match began.

If Frost gets out and Zondeki comes in we face the intriguing prospect of having two runners out there.

Warwickshire 308 for 4 (102 overs). Friast 63, Botha 48.

Seven runs in nine overs. Chess-like. Botha has faced 152 balls as he closes in on his half-century.

It was interesting to see Murtagh score 9 in Middlesex's first innings. This fixture has a history of 9s.

In 2003 there were nine scores of nine registered in the match. Tim Bloomfield scored nine in either innings and there were two extras contributions of nine while among those also to score nine was Ashley Giles.

And when Giles bowled in the second innings he bowled six overs, two maidens, no wickets for...you've guessed it...seven.

Warwickshire 301 for 4 (94 overs). Frost 62, Botha 46.

The Bears race in front courtesy of four leg-byes. The ball defeated the bat and glanced off the pad before speeding to the boundary so quite why the batting side should prosper from the incident to the tune of four runs defeats me. Leg-byes are a vile and pointless stain on the noble sport of cricket and should be abolished forthwith.

But Frost and Botha's concentration remains admirable.

Extras closing in on a half-century at 42.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

It's a strange sort of a morning at Edgbaston - dry but cloudy-ish, neither bright nor dull really, neither warm nor cold and sort of, but not properly humid. Sort of 'mungy', if you see what I mean.

Play will start on time.

Good news. We understand that no Warwickshire players got injured over breakfast.