Cooke has been right up there with Ingram this season, in terms of Glamorgan's best batters. God knows why they didn't open with him too.
I had an inkling that Vince wouldn't know that rule. But someone in the backroom staff should have known, and told him. (If Vince was aware, he'd have surely given Turner a second as well, rather than Benny or Fuller. Not that it should matter, fortunately.)
Sussex will kick themselves for having such a horror NRR (which we played a big part to inflict). It's very possible that they could win their final game, whilst Essex and Kent both lose to Surrey and Somerset, such that all three tie on 14 points. But there is zero chance of Sussex overhauling them both on NRR.
I'm really not fussed whether we finish 2nd, 3rd or 4th. But I'd quite like to avoid Lancs. Worcs or Derby I'd be fine with playing. If Birmingham will be missing Woakes, Moeen, Hain, Hasan and Briggs (I don't know), then I'd be fine with them too. And if Notts will be missing Afridi, Munro, Samit and Stone (I also don't know), then I'd also be fine with them. (Afridi and Hasan will be joining up with the Pakistan test squad very shortly, and will definitely miss finals day. But I'm less sure about the QFs.)
For most sides that home QF would matter, I agree. But we seem to do fine wherever we play our QFs, home or away. I don't think we've lost one since Northants away in 2009. If Mason was part of our side, I'd probably be hoping for the bigger Bowl boundaries. But given that he isn't, I'm not too fussed.
Always been that “missing games” format or certainly for a few seasons anyway. I presume it’s because they can’t fit into the calendar but strange regardless.
The refusal of certain counties to revert back to the three groups of six format, where you play everyone home and away in your group (total of 10 group games), would be your primary reason for that. So instead we have this totally unfair position of teams having different looking fixtures lists. Likewise in the Championship - for example, we thrash Middlesex last week, but we don't have the opportunity to potentially beat them for a second time.
On the other hand, Somerset had to play both Surrey and Hampshire twice, and still finished top, but you make a good point.
And to be honest, it's not just about who has the easier or harder set of fixtures (albeit that is clearly a very big point). If you take the Championship last season, we only played Surrey once - our first away game of the season, as I recall. We lost, and deservedly so - Surrey were far better than us in that game. But because we never got to play at home, we never had the opportunity to get revenge and hopefully even out that record between the two sides. I'm not saying we definitely would have beaten them - we might have got thrashed again. But at least we would have had the chance to stop them getting yet another 20-odd points. Instead, the gap they opened up by beating us, they basically preserved for the remainder of last season. Sport has to be fair. And right now, county cricket is not fair.
A comment from the BBC article previewing the forth day at Lords, quote attributed to Geoff Boycott “there’s more brains in a pork pie”.
Unless WI can defend 181 vs Scotland, they will be knocked out of the WC qualifiers with two matches still to play. Even if they do somehow defend this, they would still need a miracle to qualify. Scotland on the other hand will give themselves a great chance of qualifying if they chase this down.
