The Northampton Hamster
Great to see so few empty seats in that charming old ground. Good atmosphere.
Patel, sensibly employed between overs 11 and 17, bowled well. Botha was terribly unlucky not to bowl Boje long before he did. Piolet, bowling-wise, is the Barry Wood of the 21st century.
The absence of Maddy, Ambrose and Clarke today left the Bears with a middle and lower order of Westwood, Frost, Botha, Barker, Piolet, Johnson. Good batsmen but orthodox or inexperienced. How often are they going to produce the blazing cameos that turn T20 games?
Ashley Giles' take on the opening fixture, in a nutshell, or rather two nutshells:
"We have to bowl better up front. You expect to go round the park a bit in Twenty20 but we can't afford to bowl both sides of the wicket and too full."
"I think we got into a really good position to win the game at one stage but there was some very good death bowling from them at the end."
Ian Bell will be back from England duty at Taunton on Wednesday. Tim Ambrose is recovering ahead of schedule and could be available against Worcestershire on Friday. Tony Frost has tweaked a hamstring.
Warwickshire will do very well to qualify for the quarter-finals. Missing some big T20 players through injury they are asking a great deal of some young 'uns. If they don't beat Somerset, they will be under huge pressure to beat Worcestershire on Friday.
Jim Troughton is batting superbly this season. His 53 today was his 23rd odd-numbered score in Twenty20 for Warwickshire.
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Brian Halford - Brian Halford’s look at Edgbaston.
Hi Brian it was good to see such a good crowd on such a lovely day, inspite of Jane complaining on the way there about the weather. I thought our fielding wasn't quite up to scratch today but it wasn't always going to be difficult with so many young players against a very experienced Northants side. Troughton has been our best batsman this season and I hope they dont move him down the order to accomodate Bell. Its good news about Ambrose. I think Woakes needs a break. I am suprised that Rankin keeps being left out because of one bad performance in Scotland.
I can't see us getting anything at Taunton unless Troughton makes a hundred. I am hopeful we might win against Worcs and Glamorgan on saturday, which will just about keep us in it.
Hi Paul. Yes I wonder if Rankin might get another go. Bit of a gamble but, if he gets it right, he could be the death bowler required.
I did see you, by the way, at Northampton and waved so extravagantly that about eight people sitting near you waved back instinctively in case it was someone they knew but you either didn't see me or ignored me with lofty disdain.
No I didn't see you Brian, obviously as usual in a world of my own.
I had to find the shade too hot for me.Sorry to have missed you we could have had another chat about leg byes
So few empty seats? It was standing room only. But I agree, it is a wonderful ground. There's not many places where you'll see a six literally land in someone's back garden.
I saw you tapping away on your keyboard in Edinburgh and was going to say hello, but did not want to disturb your flow.
Hi Caveman. I doubt that I was flowing!
Please say hello next time - and that's the case for all others out there in the ether. It would be nice to put a few faces to names.