May 2009 Archives

Middlesex 78 for 2 (12 overs) Shah 8, Malan 0.

Barker, who has impressed in every appearance for Warwickshire so far, has done so again. Coming on into the teeth of the Hughes onslaught he brings it to a close with his fifth ball which the Australian edges to Ambrose to depart for 57 from 53 balls.

Barker and Anyon have replaced Carter and Woakes.

Middlesex 53 for 1 (10 overs) Hughes 40, Shah 0.

Carter got rid of Godleman for 12 with a great piece of bowling. The batsman kept edging across to try to flick the ball to leg and he tried it once too often and had his leg-stump flattened behind his pads.

The tenth over, from Woakes, contained four fours by Hughes who has played some outrageous baseball-type hits to leg and is looking, to say the least, dangerous.

Warwickshire 276 for 7 (50 overs).

Trott perished to the final ball of the innings, caught at long off, for 120. The backbone.

Westwood played a valuable innings of 33 and reinjected a bit of momentum, not least with a glorious six swiped over mid-wicket, before thin-edging the impressive Silverwood who then bowled Botha for 13.

Barker not out 2.

Alan Richardson, not participating today, has just eaten a tuna and sweetcorn sandwich.

On brown.

Warwickshire 213 for 4 (41 overs). Trott 93, Westwood 13.

For the 36th over Middlesex turned to the part-time spin of Malan and his second ball was a rank long-hop which Ambrose, on 6, socked straight to mid-wicket.

Trott has held it all together solidly, found fielders with attacking shots probably a bit more often than he would have liked, but is steering Warwickshire towards a competitive total.

Very cold. Perishing wind.

Predicted score: 276.

Warwickshire 162 for 3 (30 overs). Trott 61.

Bell scored 13 in 15 overs then tried to cut Berg and edged to the wicket-keeper. Troughton scored 13 in 5 overs then lifted Berg to deep square leg.

Trott is nurdling away. The run-rate has slowed against the bland medium-pace of Berg and Dexter.

Very windy. Old Father Time is spinning freely.

Predicted total: 271.

Warwickshire 124 for 1 (22 overs). Trott 41, Bell 9.

A return to orthodox batting after the early Carter mayhem. Bell scored five in his first seven overs at the crease. Sunlight bouncing off about 20,000 empty white seats and the bald pate of a chap in a bacon and egg tie below the Bears' players balcony.

Warwickshire will play a 20-over benefit game for Tony Frost against Devon at Exmouth next Tuesday, the day before they play at Taunton in the T20. Not sure the extra assignment is exactly what the players need in the midst of this crazy glut of one-day games.

The soup today is parsnip.

Warwickshire 92 for 1 (14 overs). Trott 17, Bell 1.

Carter reached 50 from 29 balls with nine fours and a six. He went from 62 to 68 with an incredible hit off Evans which bounced off the roof of the Mound Stand at square leg. Two balls later he was caught at mid-off for 68 (54 balls), ten fours two sixes).

Clarke suffered a bruised hand against Scotland on Saturday. The Bears hope it is just bruising but he is getting the affected mitt x-rayed.

A few other people have arrived in the media centre. "What is Carter's first name?" one has just asked. "Is it Nick?"

Warwickshire 48 for 0 (7 overs). Trott 9, Carter 38.

Re. the team: Anyon is in for Clarke. The home of cricket gave out an incorrect team.

Carker hit three fours in Finn's first over. Good batting track. MCC flag billowing in the strong wind.

Darren Maddy will have surgery on his snapped cruciate next week.

Eating breakfast at the next table to me this morning was a bloke who used to be Nelson Mandela's private bodyguard. Big lad.

Middlesex won the toss and will field.

Warwickshire: Carter, Trott, Bell, Troughton, Westwood, Clarke, Ambrose, Botha, Woakes, Barker, Patel.

Sun shining. Tiny attendance not least in the media centre where I can select from 70 seats. Might try them all for five minutes each.

So Barker, having already played at the home of football - Sincil Bank - now also plays at the home of cricket.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It is a blowing a gale in London, bright one moment, cloudy the next.

Very chilly. Not great weather for cricket spectating so I don't think Lord's will be full today.

Carter is fit so Warwickshire might go in with three bowlers - Carter, Barker and Botha - who propel the ball with their left arm.

Just as a post-script to the Scotland game, loathe as I am to challenge the verdict of a fellow reporter, I have just read in a Scottish paper that one of their players Craig Wright has "blasted the Warwickshire fan who invaded the Grange pitch, stole a bail and wrecked Scotland's hopes of breaking their Friends Provident Trophy duck."

"We were starting to get motoring between Neil McCallum and Cameron Borgas," said Wright. "That broke it."

Not sure about that. The incident was bizarre and silly but I don't think it "wrecked Scotland's hopes". Borgas was strokeless.