Good luck Somerset, if today means that we have shot our bolt then I hope that you win your first Championship Chilcs.
Yep, but we really should've closed that out, two whole sessions at a team with a long tail and only 2 wickets tells the story.
No front line spinner. Dropped catches. A recipe for failing to win on the final day. A much, much bigger blow than the losses to Essex and Somerset (who are both just better than us).
Without the untimely and ultimately fruitless call ups for Vincey and Daws we would definitely still be in the race (and perhaps already have some silverware).
Although Essex have only won once away from Chelmsford. You smashed them at the Rose Bowl didn’t you?
By an innings, yes. Although they were down to ten men. They lost Wheater to injury before he could bat, similar to us with Alsop against you. I'll never agree with cricket not allowing a replacement WK to be able to bat.
Completely the right decision in my view to come back tomorrow in the SF. Unless they could be 100% certain that rain wouldn't interrupt the 20 over Indian reply (which would have meant coming back tomorrow to finish off their 20 overs), it's better to come back tomorrow to finish off a 50 over game. Use a reverse day to finish off the match properly (unless it rains tomorrow), rather than use it to finish off an already reduced match. What interests me is the decision to come back at 10.30 tomorrow. An exact like-for-like would have seen the game restarting at 2pm tomorrow. Rather than an afternoon/early evening run chase, India now have a morning/early afternoon run chase. That might just favour NZ, if a wet night and/or overcast morning can lead to Boult getting some morning swing.
I still wouldn't be totally shocked if there's an ICC rule which doesn't allow players to return to domestic cricket until the WC is over. Although hopefully we win on Thursday, such that we don't need to find out.
