As someone who watches whatever looks exciting in the moment, this week will have plenty to get excited about (Stokes vs Lyon anyone?). Here’s the odds and squads:
Weather – Friday showers, Saturday early rain in the south. If it were me I’d bat first at Hove / Taunton / Chelmsford, to have a good chance of bowling on Saturday.
The three weakest teams in D1 are all away, so could be some thrashings this week.
Derbyshire vs Northants
Neither bowling attack has thrived this year. Northants have a lot of runs though. Derbyshire the better team.
Post game update- Derbyshire just about clung on, Northants made 732-13 with the bat, including runs from Broad who I wasn’t expecting to make the team. Also Zaib, Conners and White not playing so not my finest piece of team prediction. Sanderson 5-76 in the first innings, 1-40 in the second- it’s hard to lead the attack every innings especially as you approach 200 overs in the season halfway through May.
Glamorgan vs Middlesex
A coin toss. Glamorgan a very mixed team. Higgins carrying the bowling for Middlesex this year, in what should be a good pace attack.
Post game update- Middlesex won by two wickets. Can’t get much closer than that. 7-115 from Helm and 192 runs from Stoneman (both of whom had started the season leanly). Glamorgan got runs from two of their elite batters (Ingram and Labuschagne) but not enough from the others. Ul-Hassan picked ahead of Root.
Leicestershire vs Gloucestershire
With a comprehensive win Leicestershire (W0 L0 D5) could go top.
The whole Gloucestershire top order is outperforming this year – will it persist? Can they get 20 wickets?
New look bowling attack this week, sort of reliant on the ball turning.
Post game review- fine batting from Gloucestershire (706/6) but Leicestershire (now W0 L0 D6) held on. The outperformance from Gloucestershire continues, but 20 wickets eluded them. Gloucestershire’s new ball pair picked up just 6 wickets in 81 overs.
Sussex vs Yorkshire
A close game. Sussex getting contributions across the XI with bat and ball. Yorkshire will be missing the predictable run-a-ball hundreds from H. Cherrington Brook.
Leech getting his first outing this year?
Boy are Yorkshire reliant on Ben Coad’s bowling.
Post game update – Sussex won by 21 runs. So, indeed a close game. Root was kept quiet with 77 runs. Leech did indeed get his first game, removing Pujara twice as his wickets, conceding 44 runs.
Essex vs Warwickshire
Essex the hottest favourites this week. On top of Porter and Cook’s excellence, Snater sneaking under the radar with 19 wickets at 19. For Warwickshire, 152 overs from OHD is a hefty workload this year, others need to step up.
Post game update- a four wicket win for Essex, when they looked to be toast after day two (bookies had them 10/1). A fine fourth innings chase.
Hannon-Dalby only bowled 27 overs in the game, Warwickshire do seem to be managing his workload (though if he’d been fresher maybe Warwickshire would have had a better chance of defending 330). 5-81 in the match from C.B. Simmonds on first class debut (right arm fast, 20yr old, former Barbados under 15s… note to self- check out his 2nd XI stats from the last couple of years).
Lancashire vs Durham
Lancashire (0W 3L) are the only team to have lost more than once this year. 64 points off Surrey you’d say their season is now damage limitation. Doubt they’ve ever been this much in the soup by 16th May. Got to stop collapsing. Much pressure on their talented top three to fire. Bailey is having a poor season with the ball which isn’t helping.
Stokes playing for Durham. Deepens their batting a bit
Carse has 1-294 this year. Amazing for someone who’s got 14 ODIs behind him.
Post game review – Jennings (260 runs) the difference between the two teams as Lancashire won by 60. The two struggling pacers ahead of this game were rested (Bailey and Carse).
Notts vs Hants
Barker is back. Needed at Trent Bridge which is relatively high scoring and not the kind of ground where Abbas can do it alone in one spell. Notts (Hameed 247, Stone 90!!) got 500 hosting Lancashire last week.
Post match update – yes Trent Bridge has been high scoring lately, but this decade it’s below average for runs per wicket. Might rely on how far across the square the pitch is (you get some very short boundaries). Barker played, took 2-97 (Hameed twice), and made a vital 74 as Hampshire won by five wickets. Hampshire’s first innings 276 was the outlier in a low scoring game.
Somerset vs Kent
I assume Leach plays ahead of Bashir who hasn’t got great (or even average) county numbers.
It’s very Somerset to be a couple of batters light.
Meanwhile Crawley has the worst average of any top seven batsman this year (of the players I expect to be still in their teams this week).
Post game review – Somerset win by eight wickets. Yes, Leach ahead of Bashir. No Aldridge as Pretorius (6-162) was preferred. Key was Kent slipping to 102-5 in an otherwise high scoring game (in Somerset’s first innings just one batter scored fewer than 19 runs). Crawley’s 238 (267) means he now averages 38 this year.
Surrey vs Worcestershire
Ran out of time to tell you anything interesting…
Post match update – got interesting when Surrey were 40-4 batting first but after that it was all one way. Worcestershire could have lost by 400, were it not for some late hitting by Gibbon and Smith.
My expected XI had two misses: Chahal and Smith ahead of Brookes and Finch.
Red Ball Data 