Cosy fireside
Worcestershire 224 for 4 (61 overs). Solanki 65, Davies17.
Mitchell, on 79, nicks one angled across him by Carter and Ambrose takes the catch. Smith, on 1, edges into the slips where Frost makes no mistake. Moeen bags a blob when he edges Carter to the wicket-keeper.
Carter has all four so far. I hesitate to draw your attention to the earlier offering on this blog: "Maddy has just brought himself on, conditions being decent for bowling, though I reckon this could be a day for Carter".
Rikki Clarke has signed a three-year deal with Warwickshire and leaves Derbyshire with immediate effect. He is available to make his Bears debut against Essex next Sunday.
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Brian Halford - Brian Halford’s look at Edgbaston.
Lucky Derby weren't "worried" that they'd look foolish if they let him go and he did well for a rival, eh?
I think we need to focus on signing Malan now. Good prospect for the future.
Anyone but MPV.
Three wickets for 6 runs - blogger's nightmare Id think.!
Clarke's a maverick but some brilliant cricketers have been those. Its a gamble but could just be a master-stroke.
7 bowlers used again in less than 2 sessions. I do sometimes wonder at the profligacy with which Maddy shuffles the pack. I’m not a fan of Vaughan’s later captaincy where the spinner was for 2 overs before lunch and otherwise 4 pacemen were shuffled around. But on the other hand I’m not too convinced that going through so many so quickly demonstrates a good reading of the pitch and knowledge of the bowlers. I suspect though that he doesn’t have a great deal of faith in the majority of the attack to make things happen on their own and is trying to force things with captaincy? Am I being a little unfair Brian; what’s your reading of the situation? – apart from it being a day for Carter of course!! Do the bowling changes feel natural, or do they seem a bit unconventional?
Aye, Kim, it was 3 for 4 in 9 balls from Carter. The white heat of blogging!
Interestingly, Mr A. Giles came and sat beside me at 199 for 1 and ten minutes later it was 204 for 4. He should drop by more often!
Did he nick all your grub? (Sorry but the DOC is putting on a few pounds!)
Maddy's captaincy very often seems very odd to me and, heinous though it seems, I feel he's very protective of his own bowling. His bowling changes, esp in one days, are bizzarre. But I wouldnt want MPV either - aprt from anything his age and fitness means he'd be another short term appointment and after, what, 8 captains in 12 years, Id prefer someone long term. Ideally Westwood based on the flimsy evidence of the T20 but is his first team place that secure?
Its a conundrum all right.
Hi Raggy, I'm all for a bit of unconventional captaincy but I must admit I've been left scratching me bonce at some of Darren's moves this season. True, he's got modest bowling resources at his disposal but he does wield them strangely at times, not least in one-day cricket where several times this season key men have been left with overs unbowled.
Darren's a great bloke and a fine cricketer but I think the jury's still out on him as a skipper.
I do second guess myself and wonder if its not a case of us Warwickshire fans being too used to trying to oust people and searching around for a likely target! Giles – no he’s doing OK, Povey – well he’s not great, but he’s not going anywhere…….what about that captain? Get him out!!!
I’m not that convinced at the moment, but I thought he did well in the past and it might be that as he has not been in great form since returning to the side that his captaincy is suffering as well. I suppose captaincy itself has form in some ways as well!? I think we should be mindful of the lesson of Michael Powell and resist pushing Westwood into the captaincy just yet. He’s not yet the finished article as a player, but I think he is a good VC.
We did get relegated twice under him and noone turned on him for that. He admitted he cost us the t20 and there must have been 10 of us who said "what? when he brouhht TG back last Sunday - and "what the.." the next over when he replaced him with Trott. Ive always wondered why Leics always overlooked him too. But Id rather keep Darren than mess about with MPV.
Botha for a season - then over to Westwood?
Who is MPV?
My vote is for Ant Botha for at least two years.
Michael Vaughan, Caveman, a mooted Bears target.
I'd go for Troughton. He's been around a long time now, is Warwickshire through and through and plays all cricket.
Cheers Neanderthal. Vaughny might be a great shout.
I'm not sure Troughts has the cricket brain for the captaincy.