12 month ban if he fails another drugs test. It did sound suspicious when it was announced last week that we has taking a break from playing for Notts. He hadn't played a game for them since last summer!!
3 chances is one too many. Especially if the drug was cocaine. If it was cannabis then ok, maybe the 3 week ban is sufficient.
Important that we keep on chipping away at these wickets, just in case the rain gets heavier. If Essex's innings is curtailed, a DL target for us would be more and more in a favour with every wicket we take before the rain.
Oh well at least Somerset didn't take advantage of our off day. Our tail is too long though. Donald should come in for Wheal.
It's just such an obvious move. I don't know why we didn't do it for today. Even once Wood is fit again (if that happens before the group stage finishes - I don't know how bad the injury is), I'd still be keeping Donald in. It just makes so much more sense than playing Berg and Fuller as part of a six man attack (plus Markram as 7th). (Come the KO stages, should we get there, we won't have any choice but to play Berg or Fuller at 7. Losing Markram will hurt us.)
Surrey losing to Glamorgan has worked in our favour, given that we go to the Oval next. It has killed off any chance of Surrey finishing in top 3. If they'd have won today, their tails would have up on Tuesday knowing that they were still just about alive. Of course without Roy, Plunkett, Pope and both Currans, they are very weakened.
Actually, thinking about it, Surrey on Tuesday will be our only remaining chance to play a top 7 of Alsop, Markram, Vince, Northeast, Rilee, Dawson and Donald. Because even before we lose Markram for the KO stages (should we qualify), we lose Vince for the final two group games. So if Wood can't make those final two group games, I think what I would do is select Brad Taylor. That would leave us with Alsop, Markram, Donald, Northeast, Rilee, Dawson, Taylor, Fuller, Berg, Abbott, Crane.
Listening to Birrell's post match interview, I certainly get the impression that he's questioning whether we've made the right move to play the extra bowler. So that's good to hear. For me, it's quite simple. One day cricket is about scoring runs, and having wickets available at the back end to score even more runs. So the more batters, the better.
Highly likely that Vince will be going to the WC then. I know that the WC preliminary squad can be changed, so Hales being dropped from that doesn't make it a certainty that he won't be in the final squad - but in reality, you can't see it. This is Hales' WC over. Even putting aside the morality issue here (eg. is it right that someone serving a drugs ban, for the second failed test, should be able to play at the WC), there's the cricketing issue. By missing Notts' one day campaign, Hales would have been going into the WC having barely played for months. Compared to Vince and others, who would have been smashing runs around for the past month.
Just saw the headline that he has been removed from the WC squad for an incident last year. I assume this is the drugs ban thing?
The BBC and other outlets are refusing to say what the current incident is (in theory it's private, so the ECB haven't actually confirmed what the incident is). But the Guardian, followed by a number of other outlets, broke the news a few days ago that it's Hales serving a 21 day drugs ban (which is rumoured to expire this coming Friday or Saturday) for failing a second drugs test. The first failure happened sometime in the past 12 months. That's in addition to the Bristol fight incident with Stokes, and apparently being dumped by his finance for cheating on her during the tour to the WI earlier this year.
And Vince now confirmed in the Pakistan series. We are somewhat screwed now for the KO stages, should we get there. No Vince, no Markram, no Wood.
