stevegrant

Somerset will surely be due one for their game against Durham that was done in 5 sessions, and would imagine their penalty will (should) be much bigger. Not that it makes any tangible difference to anything, really. 10% chance of rain in Taunton, so we're going to have to bat all day, which feels somewhat unlikely. One bugbear of mine, they went off for bad light as soon as Orr was given out LBW last night. The light doesn't turn in the space of one delivery, so were the umpires just hoping to get through to the end of the over before calling play off, or did they only think "ooh, bit dark now" after the fall of the wicket? Going in this morning 0 down compared to 1 might (unlikely, but might) prove the difference...

Think it would be doable if you had enough players with the right qualities, as you'd then be able to make use of the fact you can sub half your outfielders if you so choose and have four players going full pelt for 45 minutes each.

You would essentially end up with the Hasenhuttl 4-2-2-2 out of possession, but something a bit more expansive in possession. Theoretically doable but you'd be exhausting your wide players who would need to be able to operate centrally too.

Not sure what he expected, it's been a spinner's wicket for years! Somerset were 99/5, so now all we've got to do is put on a 250-run partnership and everything is fine...

Looks like a round of draws here, perhaps with the exception at the Oval in what might be a title decider. Difficult to see Surrey getting 300 in these conditions.

Eagerly awaiting the sanction handed down to Somerset for their pitch transgressions this season... Anyway, we've been beaten by the rain in Hove, fairly certain we'd have won that game if we'd been able to get the overs in, so that's annoying. Also annoyingly, Durham were saved by the rain at Chelmsford, so we are now only 6 points clear of the drop zone, and they play Worcestershire next week. We finish against two of the top three, which isn't ideal.

Fuller played a couple of the group stage games, so there's nothing untoward with him being picked IMO. Dawson is a little bit more on the sly side, but if he's available and willing, there's nothing inherently wrong with it. Bit unfortunate for whoever misses out to fit him in, but it's a squad game these days.

20 overs of Neal and Dawson will be huge, and they've both got a wicket already. Middlesex's spinners only went for 57 off 16 overs. Pitch seems pretty variable in terms of bounce for the seamers, and the outfield is a complete lottery so we've probably got to be a little bit sharper in the field. We've not let them get away from us at the start, though, so we've done OK so far.

This pitch is dreadful

Surely as the higher-placed team in the group stage, a washout would see us advance?

And so it came to pass...

Gloucestershire comms seem fairly certain it'll be better to bat on as the day goes on, does look like a couple of short boundaries in the "corners". Essex have piled on shitloads at Derby (366/6) so unless it rains all afternoon it's now a must-win.

So if we win, not only do we guarantee ourselves a qualifying place, we would also guarantee at least a home quarter-final, and potentially a bye to a home semi-final. Any win would see us finish above Gloucestershire on net run rate, which seems fairly mad considering they won all of their first 6 games. Then looking to Surrey to avoid defeat against Worcestershire, which feels like wishful thinking given their performances in this competition The weather looks mostly fine today, perhaps a few short interruptions at Derby but 5-10% chance of rain for most of the day.

Another Gubbins masterclass as we get to 290/7. His scores in this competition this year: 144*, 40, 60, 81, 87* and 144* averaging a frankly ludicrous 185.33 Spinners seemed to keep the score down in the middle overs, so hopefully Neal and Organ can replicate what their Notts counterparts managed - I think our seamers are better than theirs, so that could be the difference.

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