If we're looking to play Holland and Crane, then presumably we're looking at: Amla, McManus, Vince, Northeast, Rossouw, Dawson, Holland, Berg, Abbott, Crane, Fidel. Otherwise Adams or Alsop (or Ervine) for whichever one of Holland and Crane get left out. And then in one-day cricket, something like: Alsop, Rossouw, Vince, Amla, Northeast, Dawson, McManus, Abbott, Wood, Crane, Topley. (I'm tempted to put Dickinson in there ahead of McManus, but that leaves us with about five openers and Northeast too low.)
Great news!...I hope that that ignorant idiot that kept singing "he's got his head on upside down" at him at the Ageas ****ing keeps his stupid mouth shut...
Going to be close in NZ. England set target of 235 and got 6 early wickets, but then played defensively. Looked like NZ were on target with 2 batsmen set in, but one bit of luck and NZ 7 down. Very, very close.
We looked like we were sailing when I went to bed late last night....though always with the proviso that it was clearly a batting wicket. Losing Bairstow produced a batting collapse, but we still set a decent total...however not enough.
Really shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Dave Callaghan. Anyone who listens to county cricket on a regular basis will know who he was. Anyone who doesn't he was the commentator for Yorkshire. I always used to look forward to Hampshire playing Yorkshire because he and Kevan James provided great commentary and in an entertaining way. Will be sorely missed.
Ireland and Afghanistan fighting it out to join West Indies at next years World Cup... http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/cricket/43512986
Gutted Ireland didn't make it. Made a good fight of it but fair play to Afghanistan. Judging by the quality of this competition the WC should be a 12/14 team tournament
Pretty amazing that they've managed to qualify to be honest, having lost to Nepal in the first qualifying round, and scraping through to the second qualifying round on NRR (a long at behind Scotland and Zimbabwe's points tallies). Ultimately though, on paper, the best two sides have qualified. Scotland getting screwed over by the rain against WI, and failing to get that final run against Zimbabwe, really hurt them.
Being reported in India that Surrey have signed Kohli for three Championship matches in June (whilst Mitchell Marsh is unavailable for Surrey), ahead of India's tour over here. Would be a very rare example in recent times of the BCCI allowing one of their players to play abroad. Of course it's just our luck that one of those three matches is against us! (The board might be quite happy though; might get a few more through the turnstiles for the match.)