Wheater still missing with illness (as he was for the irrelevant game on Friday night) is huge. Throw in Vince, Carberry and Ervine, and that's four of our top five missing for what is a huge game. Yes Alsop has come in and done well, and yes Dawson has taken on the responsibility well of batting higher up the order, but that is still a huge chunk taken out of our team.
You feel that McManus is finally going to have to score some runs given that Crane is one of two guys coming in, thereby re-lengthening our tail as it was against Kent.
I'd have been inclined to go with Taylor myself, who can hold a bat (and it's not like we need many overs from them. Ervine might not have even bowled had he been available).