Lots of close games this week. Last round before the mid-season break, next game is 23rd June. Showers around but nothing that should take out more than a session.
Will we see teams accept draws and bowl lesser players, keeping the good ones fresher for white ball? Or surprise players “rested” this week? Hope not.
Post match update: Wins for Hampshire (51%), Essex (57%), and Durham (56%). All other games drawn, including all Division 2 matches, in which four scores over 500 were registered. Showers slightly more impactful than expected, including Worcestershire’s first home game of the year which was limited to 103 overs.
Note that Div 2 bowling attacks are struggling, leading to lots of drawn games. 25% results in Div 2, vs 47% in Div 1.
Gloucestershire vs Derbyshire
Might stick my neck out and say “draw”, based on the bowling being, shall we say, weaker than the batting. Nice to see de Lange in the wickets.
Post game update: Called it right. 526 (Lamb 207) played 530 (Bracey 144, van Buuren 187). Not much from de Lange, though he got two top order wickets in the first innings.
Leicestershire vs Glamorgan
Leicestershire have drawn all six games. Another close game here. This has an even higher chance of being a draw: weak attacks, but the batting units are decent and could compete in the bottom half of Division One.
How has Kiran Carlson bowled 125 overs this year? Am assuming Glamorgan go with five bowlers + Carlson.
Ian Holland a useful (loan?) signing for the hosts.
Post match update: Draw. Leicestershire have drawn all seven, this week restricting Labuschagne (4,114 Test runs at 50) to a mere 39 runs across two innings. Glamorgan had pulled ahead when time ran out (200 lead, four down in the second innings). Just one over from Carlson as Glamorgan went with five bowlers.
Middlesex vs Sussex
Another (!) close game. This time lower scoring based on my ratings, yet both teams have heavy-scoring top orders this year. Can’t recall how heavily these teams scored with the Kookaburra ball, if I was paying attention I could adjust for that. Higgins averaging 89 with the bat and 30 with the ball, ludicrous.
Post match update: 554 plays 613. 21 batted, 19 made double figures. Am guessing it was a bit flat. Neither team had the spin option to do damage (though Carson’s 56-13-166-4 is rather impressive).
Northants vs Yorkshire
No Brook, no Root, no Coad. No better time to play against Yorkshire. Neither team has won a game yet. But on the fatigue tracker, Sanderson has 192 overs this year.
Post match update: Lyth (4-25) almost did enough to finish Northants off but at 250-8 they held on. Vasconcelos (129*) held the fourth innings together. Sanderson (match figures: 5-114) was his usual self but lacked support (others 11-512). Even with players missing, Yorkshire had hundreds from Lyth and Masood.
Durham vs Somerset
Hard to gauge Somerset. Overton may not be fully fit. Davey was off the field for a bit last week.
Durham’s batting looks really good, just need one of Raine or Potts to start getting wickets.
Post match update: 259 runs across two innings from Somerset. Stokes (8-77 in the match) made the difference, supported by Raine (6-67). Durham’s batting depth had an impact: 199-9 became 265 all out, meaning a 28 run slender lead was extended to be enough for an innings victory as Somerset crumbled to 88 all out. There are top order batters around the county circuit who are no better than Durham’s number ten (Raine).
Hampshire vs Surrey
Am assuming Neser plays this week, after Fuller was preferred against Essex (possibly because Neser had just arrived).
Surrey are their usual strong selves.
Post match update: Hampshire’s biggest ever win on the back of 600+ runs (hundreds for Albert, Gubbins and Brown). Surrey lack a quality spinner, so expect spinning pitches from every team hosting Surrey from now on. 12 wickets shared between Dawson and Organ. Obviously only two overseas allowed, this time Abbas made way. Organ’s removal of Sibley, Pope, Smith, Lawrence left Surrey 118-5 with no way back.
Kent vs Essex
I don’t rate Kent’s bowling, but they’ve got a good shot against Essex (whose batting is fallible).
Kent’s attack hasn’t had much luck with the ball this year.
Post match review: Got this wrong, Essex made 591 (Cox 207) and won by an innings. Harmer is getting into the summer.
Lancashire vs Warwickshire
Warwickshire are yet to win, and while they are fifth in the table, a loss could drop them into the relegation zone. Lancashire have a two thirds chance of winning.
Why no Anderson for Lancashire?
Just Jennings thriving with the bat so far for Lancashire this year.
Tough call to make whether Bailey plays (maybe Morley the extra spinner could start).
Worcestershire vs Nottinghamshire
LPW is back, I presume he doesn’t make the XI. Worcestershire will need to bring in a couple of people who’ve not played this year, tricky to know which way they go.
Red Ball Data 
Is that 49 players averaging over 50? Utterly bonkers…
Likely shows the impact that T20 is having, not by producing better batsmen but merely flatter wickets. I’d presume. The more sixes hit the more bums on seats for the pyjama stuff.
So how do you identify future test players rather than railway sleeper wielding flat track bullies amongst the carnage?
How many batsmen for instance have a median average above 30 over the last 4 years? Medians do seem to tell you something about technique as opposed to mean average.
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