Specsavers Championship, Wednesday, June 21, 2017

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3rd & 7 37yd

WICKET: Warwickshire 65/3 (26.5 ov, trail by 476 - 1st inns) v Essex
IJL Trott c Chopra b Wagner 19 (46) Partnership: 26 (9.3 ov)
N Wagner 10.5-2-23-1 IR Bell 9* (26)

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/21/2017 10:02:56 AM
First wicket: Sidebottom caught behind

by Beth Watson 6/21/2017 10:02:54 AM
Getting out at 82 is a good problem to have

by nickcricket 6/21/2017 10:02:39 AM
@nickcricket I actually think Root seemed at his best responding to early wickets and fighting fires. He was like a less crabby Chanderpaul. Trying to set the tone for the innings is when he's started getting out seemingly permanently on 82.

by SDHoneymonster 6/21/2017 10:00:34 AM
First wicket: Hameed, handling the ball.

by StaggerBreaths 6/21/2017 10:00:20 AM
I like Nick's idea. Chef/two openers/Potato/Beard/Ginger/Other Ginger.

by StaggerBreaths 6/21/2017 9:58:28 AM
If he makes 2017 his year like Hameed & Jennings did in 2016, not done a bad job so far

by dez dezzy 6/21/2017 9:58:26 AM
First wicket - Ballance, bowled going back, back and back and missing the ball

by nickcricket 6/21/2017 9:58:20 AM
Give Lawrence another year and he could join Hameed & Jennings in the Test squad of course

by dez dezzy 6/21/2017 9:57:35 AM
@SDHoneymonster Quite like Root at 4, splits him up from Cook and does mean he gets in before they are in a real heap. Stokes could bat 5, with Bairstow at 6 but what is the point just leaves extra space lower down for a specialist batsmen. Personally I think Moeen needs to go to 5 and try and make it as a batsmen who bowls the odd over, England need to start looking at people who can develop into Test Match spinners. They won't be perfect from game one so it won't be the worst thing to have Mo there

by nickcricket 6/21/2017 9:57:10 AM
@StaggerBreaths - exactly! :)

by dez dezzy 6/21/2017 9:56:13 AM
*cough* 37 off 16 *cough*

by StaggerBreaths 6/21/2017 9:55:55 AM
I don't mind Mo batting higher as long as he bats responsibly and makes the spot his own

by dez dezzy 6/21/2017 9:55:31 AM
Even the Somerset twitter account struggles to tell the Overtons apart - Jamie's with the Lions, Craig's with the T20 squad!

by SDHoneymonster 6/21/2017 9:54:57 AM
Move Moe up again! He's used to it by now.

by StaggerBreaths 6/21/2017 9:54:47 AM
@nickcricket I'd go even further and move Root back down to five, it's where he seemed most comfortable to me. No idea what you then do about three or four though.

by SDHoneymonster 6/21/2017 9:53:40 AM
@SDHoneymonster - Lawrence is the only non-opener specialist bat in the side, and even he used to open for the Eng U19's!

by dez dezzy 6/21/2017 9:52:08 AM
wants*

by nickcricket 6/21/2017 9:51:52 AM
I think they called him up because he wouldn't miss any cricket and could work with the spin bowling coach, Nick Hoult in the Telegraph reckons Root want to go back to 4 so they are also looking for a number three

by nickcricket 6/21/2017 9:51:27 AM
@StaggerBreaths - Yes was thinking that, though the inclusion of Garton or Bess wouldn't have made any difference

by dez dezzy 6/21/2017 9:51:19 AM
The downside being that only two can actually open. Or will they swap it around between innings?

by StaggerBreaths 6/21/2017 9:51:14 AM
Big fan of the England selectors not knowing what do about the opening slot and therefore shoving seemingly every opener in the country into the Lions side.

by SDHoneymonster 6/21/2017 9:50:19 AM
Bit of a tail on that Lions side.

by StaggerBreaths 6/21/2017 9:50:02 AM
No Bess :(

by dez dezzy 6/21/2017 9:46:40 AM
Just glancing at the SA A squad for people to watch out for, de Bruyn played their last Test in place of S Cook but isn't a career opener. If the latter struggles then he could lose his place by the end of the series against Sussex Bavuma opened with the highly rated Markram so one of them could well come in. I suppose they might also need someone to play instead of Faf he makes himself unavailable for Lords. With Steyn out there is a very real chance that if they hadn't signed Kolpak deal both Rilee Rossouw and Abbott could have been in that starting lineup which should worry the ICC if they even notice

by nickcricket 6/21/2017 9:43:28 AM
Little nervous about Kent for today. A lead of over 200 with Shah bowling in the fourth innings would make things interesting. A quickfire century from Stevens would go down very nicely indeed.

by mdpayne87 6/21/2017 9:33:54 AM
@StaggerBreaths Forecast to wipe out the first session at least

by nickcricket 6/21/2017 9:25:55 AM
Can live match updates (wickets, 50's. 100's etc) from the Lions game be added to this page?

by dez dezzy 6/21/2017 9:25:55 AM
UPDATE: Match start delayed (Start delayed due to rain), Durham 281/4 (74 ov, trail by 14 - 1st inns) v Glamorgan

by ESPNcricinfo Live 6/21/2017 9:12:03 AM
Hoping the same 5 and possibly others will be get a look-in for the WI ODI's too

by dez dezzy 6/21/2017 9:10:56 AM
Bairstow should be playing for the Yorkies this week - he's a dead cert to play in the tests, so why isn't he getting some batting in?

by Matt_MYano 6/21/2017 9:10:55 AM
He nice to see that waiter Bairstow play more than one match a week, what is he up to for the year? 5 England ODIs, 5 RLODC games and one CC game. Its a hard life...

by nickcricket 6/21/2017 9:09:14 AM
Livingstone & TC are the ones i'm most interested in, though i'll be pleased if Crane does well, but as others are saying the longer format would be preferable.

by dez dezzy 6/21/2017 9:06:18 AM
I said 'somewhat' Dez. Between AB throwing a quiet internal wobbly, and the new ingredients being thrown into the pressure cooker (albeit cooker's set to perhaps 90 Celsius), there's just about enough drama for this to be worthwhile. But by gum is it a close-run thing.

by StaggerBreaths 6/21/2017 9:05:30 AM
Not sure about Crane playing T20 after only 5 domestic matches, just don't want him to have a scaring experience then decide he needs to bowl leg spin at medium pace

by nickcricket 6/21/2017 9:04:37 AM
Morning all. Can't say I'm quite as enthusiastic as Dez, since two of those games he mentions are a warm-up and a somewhat meaningless T20 series, sandwiched in between more important ones. (I suppose if nothing else it'll be another chance to see AB breaking down on the cricket pitch.) But there is sun, there is first-class cricket, and there is the blog. If not quite all good in the hood, it's at least mostly sound in the ground.

by StaggerBreaths 6/21/2017 8:59:28 AM
Great day for cricket today - County Championship, England Lions, England Women face a stern test against a good NZ side, all finished with the T20 this evening!

by dez dezzy 6/21/2017 8:56:26 AM
by David Hopps 6/21/2017 8:32:03 AM
Foster's emotional ton adds to Essex feelgood factor
David Hopps: Give or take the little matter of a last over defeat in the Royal London Cup semi-final, these are good times for Essex

by David Hopps 6/21/2017 8:31:25 AM
Beleaguered Yorkshire brace for a thrashing
Tim Wigmore:Yorkshire have lost to Middlesex in remarkable contests on each of their last three visits to Lord's. This time, they might simply be thrashed.

by David Hopps 6/21/2017 8:30:40 AM