Lancs v Warwick OT 30/8/21 to 2/9/21

[Dave Towers]

Aug 30, 2021 6:10:22 GMT Admin said:

Didn't think Davies would play against his new employers

Fair enough, but if we’re still paying his wages we should pick what we consider our best team, and I reckon we’d pick AD to open rather than Balderson!

[chris]

Aug 30, 2021 9:43:39 GMT redandrosy said:

Glad we have moved on from Croft. Batting a bit light but great to see Balderson and Lavelle given a go.

Five bowlers plus Livingstone gives us decent options

The ever uninformative Scott Read has only mentioned Davies not playing after being prompted by his co-commentator about lots of changes in the Lancashire side.  The word Croft isn’t spoken.

[chris]

Aug 29, 2021 22:15:10 GMT Dave Towers said:

Yes, just noticed no Davies. 84 in his last innings. Is this just punishment for leaving? (But of course he played against Somerset).

No Wood also, I presume that's an injury issue.

Thinking about the point that Des raised the other day about Lancs losing their identity: Jack Blatherwick, why did we need to sign a seamer from Nottinghamshire. Are Burrows and Moulton not up to it?

No Hartley either, but given that Parkinson, Wells, Livingstone and Croft can all bowl spin I suppose that's understandable.

Maybe Bohannon, Jones, Wells, Livingstone, Vilas, Croft, Lamb, Balderson, Bailey, Mahmood, Parkinson. But that's two new openers and are Lamb and Balderson strong enough to be first change bowlers? If not bring in one of Hurt or Blatherwick and the tail starts at 8.

One other thing, let's hope LL takes the opportunity to raise his first class seasonal average to above 10.

Moulton has been playing for Derbyshire seconds recently, I assume he has been released.  He was described by them as a former Lancashire player.

[exile]

Warwickshire piling up a big total.  What on earth possessed Lancs to prepare such a flat pitch?  Lancs haven't bowled badly at all and haven't had any luck but, apart from the first half hour, life has been easy for the batsmen.

[alanw]

I'm going tomorrow but not expecting a very interesting day. From what I have seen on the stream today I agree with exile the pitch is too flat.

[Admin]

BEEB REPORT

Warwickshire 259-3: Benjamin 127, Hain 113*; Bailey 2-50
Lancashire: Yet to bat
Warwickshire 2 pts, Lancashire 1 pt

Chris Benjamin maintained his stunning introduction to English cricket with his maiden century for Warwickshire against Lancashire in Manchester.

Benjamin, who had already scored fifties on both his List A and T20 debut for the Bears, this time went a step further to make 127.

After slumping to 7-2, Benjamin shared a stand of 237 with fellow centurion Sam Hain, who remains unbeaten on 113.

England opener Dom Sibley had earlier lasted 13 balls to go cheaply for 3.


After Rob Yates had already edged to slip, Sibley was leg before wicket to Tom Bailey, the second wicket in successive overs for the Lancashire paceman.

In this meeting of the two best-placed Division One sides following the mid-season split, Lancashire did not strike again until six overs before the early close (for bad light) when Benjamin tried to pull a short ball from Saqib Mahmood but skied a catch to home skipper Dane Vilas at mid-off.

That was belated reward for Mahmood (1-57) who had been released from England's squad to make room for Warwickshire's fit-again all-rounder Chris Woakes.

The hosts also suffered a blow to their bowling attack when England limited-over leg-spinner Matt Parkinson deflected a drive from Benjamin into his face and suffered a cut to his eye. He was soon back on the field but ended up wicketless from his 21.1 overs.

Bears captain Will Rhodes, who has so far made 5, will resume on Tuesday alongside Hain, who will be keen to add a few more after his first century in red-ball cricket for more than two years.

But this was Benjamin's day as the young Durham University-educated South African, a Hundred finalist with Birmingham Phoenix just nine days ago, took to red-ball cricket even better than he has done white ball.

[lancsdes]

Aug 30, 2021 16:14:43 GMT exile said:

[lancsdes]

It will not take my comment above. In reply to Exile as to what Lancashire were thinking of preparing such a pitch, I just put playing for a draw.

[hariseldon]

I wonder how bad is Livington's injury after he was taken off the field by damaging his shoulder.

[man in the stand]

Dead pitch...even so hopefully we can make some inroads tomorrow morning. Be aware it's a bit chilly at OT so come prepared.

Reasonable crowd 1,000+ but not many kids so the hundred doesn't seem to have increased the interest in CC.

[exile]

Aug 30, 2021 19:42:06 GMT lancsdes said:

It will not take my comment above. In reply to Exile as to what Lancashire were thinking of preparing such a pitch, I just put playing for a draw.

You could well be right, Des, but a draw suits Warwickshire a lot more than it suits Lancs.

[alanw]

Good bowling performance from Lancashire in the morning session. It looks a very good wicket with a bit of movement for the seamers and no help for spin as far as I can tell. 58 runs conceded for two wickets. Thought Warwickshire batting quite negative they made a half-hearted attempt to get the 3rd batting point but failed. Livingstone hasn't taken the field which is a concern.

[exile]

A very disciplined performance today by Lancs to take 7 wickets for just 112 and limit Warwickshire to 2 batting points. Good batting, especially by Bohannon, after the somewhat predictable demise of Balderson.  Winning looks out of reach on such a dead pitch but there's a chance of picking up more batting points than Warwickshire did.

[alanw]

Totally agree with excitement very professional performance by Lancashire. It should be a draw but Lancashire could still lose but things would have to go very badly wrong for that to happen. The more I see of Bohannon the more I am impressed. Thought it was ridiculous to use Balderson as an opener surely he should be batting at 6 or 7 when I saw him on the scorecard to open I'd assume that was because Davies had been dropped.

My last visit to Old Trafford this season and it had a definite autumnal feel. Decided not to stay for the members forum.

[Admin]

Beeb report LV= County Championship Division One, Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester (day two):
Warwickshire 371: Benjamin 127, Hain 118; Mahmood 4-77, Bailey 3-53, Parkinson 3-96
Lancashire 100-1: Bohannon 59*, Wells 35*
Lancashire (1 pt) trail Warwickshire (2 pts) by 271 runs

Josh Bohannon went past 600 County Championship runs for the summer at Old Trafford as he hit his sixth 50-plus score to help dogged Lancashire reply to Warwickshire's 371 all out.

After resuming on 259-3, the Bears lost their last seven wickets for 112 as paceman Saqib Mahmood ended with 4-77.

But the visitors then kept things tight when they bowled, limiting Lancashire to just 100-1 from 44 overs.

Bohannon ended the day on 59, well supported by Luke Wells, who is on 35.

Sam Hain, one of the Bears' two first-day centurions, added just five to his overnight score, before being trapped leg before wicket by Bailey for 118.

Aside from Chris Benjamin's 127 on day one, the next highest Warwickshire scorer was Matt Lamb with 36.

Warwickshire (21) and Lancashire (16.5) went into this first of their four Division One matches with two of the three highest points carry-overs from the opening Championship rounds earlier in the season.

Lancashire fast bowler Saqib Mahmood:

"We have had some pretty flat pitches here but this is the flattest of the lot. After a tough first day we stuck at it brilliantly this morning and, from the position they were in, to react like we did, it's an amazing fightback.

"To get in the England Test side is hard work. If I'd made it would have been great. Hopefully there'll be another chance.

"It's crazy how things work. Initially I wasn't in any of the squads but I got my opportunity through the squad isolating, put in some performances and before you know it you're in the frame again.

"I knew that Mark Wood and Chris Woakes were back fit again this week so I knew it was going to be hard. Last week I was close to playing but they went with Craig Overton in the end and the way he performed was pretty good."

Warwickshire centurion Sam Hain told BBC CWR:

"After winning the toss and batting you know the pitch is going to get worse as the game goes on, so we would have taken that total.

"Lancashire bowled well and dried us up and got their rewards but, as long as we are controlling the run rate, Lancashire are going nowhere and the game will stagnate and we'll be happy with that.

"I've been knocking on the door with the red ball for a while and not putting too much pressure on myself to convert and setting small targets, so I'm pretty happy with a century - hopefully the next one is not too far around the corner."



Nailed on draw this one