A handful of counties are speculating about maybe having crowds of up 20% to 25% capacity (for t20 matches - obviously would be less than that usually for red ball anyway). Even us.
That is a stunning piece of architecture. Jaw-dropping!! Well done Surrey. PS: I love aqua marine seats. Would love to see that colour at Fratton Park as blue is a cold colour and makes the stadium feel cold.
I seem to recall someone from a county in the South-west saying on the radio a couple of years back that attendances at county matches during the week had been exceedingly small (I think it was in the 100's) but the number of people around the world following the same matches on line was something like 10,000. I cannot recall the exact figures but the disparity was quite incredible. I see that the season has now been put back to 1st August and I just think that this seems like tacit recognition that there will not be any cricket this summer. This is a real shame for the sport because England's World Cup win last year had managed to create a new audience for the sport. My 10 year old nephew had been getting into cricket before when I took him down to Hedge End but England's success has meant that all his mates are now in to cricket.
Sounds like the counties are aiming to agree later this week to the restart (most likely 1 August), hence resulting in furloughed players returning to training later in the month. Not quite sure where us, Lancs and Warks will be training, mind!
I know it's just a practice match, and there's no commentary, but it's good to see some live cricket again. And there are many spots up for grabs in the first test next week - arguably only Sibley, Stokes, Pope, Broad and Anderson can be confident of their places, if they come through this march fine - that hopefully there might be some good performances. And on top of this, county cricketers are back in training today too.
RIP the last of the Three "W". Walcott, Worrell and now Weekes. All three were Bajans. How has that island with a population of less than 300,000 produced such a collection of outstanding cricketers from the 50s to the present day? And how many Hampshire born players can we say have been world class in that same period, and we are a county of over 1,000,000!!! Get your act together Hants, you are underperforming.
What about the great Shaun Udal?, currently suffering from Parkinson's Disease...God bless you Shaggy.
At last. As from next season, the ECB are finally allowing a return to two overseas players per county across all competitions. Something which in opinion they never should have gone away from in the first place. The slight caveat - and the reason for the change - is that it's expected that kolpak status will be abolished after this season, so sides like us won't experience any overall positive change from this. Abbott will simply go from being a kolpak to our second overseas. (I'm assuming it will be Abbott, because I believe that he's still contracted to us for next season. Whereas Fidel and Rilee aren't. Plus, giving up Abbott for 4 day cricket would just be crazy - and he plays across all formats, unlike the other two.)
I hope England are preparing for the future. It would be rather unjust to leave out Wood, for example, who performed really well in SA during the tests there. I would hope Bess is included in the attack as by July there should be some bounce and turn in the wicket, although not ofTauntonesque proportions. Who to leave out? Anderson as it is time to move on, and oñe other.
And leave out Bess and Woakes? Anderson is a great bowler, but surely it is time to trust Wood, Archer, Broad, Bess, Woakes. Plus Stokes;
Anderson remains lethal in swinging conditions and England won't drop him - he will retire when he feels he can no longer perform at the top of his game. I don't rate Woakes as a test bowler either.
I just feel England should go with the bowlers from last summer to draw the Ashes, and then did so well against SA. Two series in which England did really well without Anderson.
The most successful fast bowler in Test history will not get dropped unless he is ready to stop playing for his country.
So who do you leave out to accommodate Anderson. Each bowler who took part in the Ashes and SA series merits their place ahead of Anderson. And as a spinner, Bess has to play.