Hopefully the week our luck changes, it would certainly be a boost for us if Ben Stokes is available.
As of now, questions are requiring answers about the batting, bowling and coaching. The questions about the ground should atleast go quieter while we’re away from home
Aside from that, everything is rosy in the garden!
Worcestershire have had mixed fortunes in their three games, winning one, losing one and a draw. The win was in their only home fixture, however. Azhar Ali hasn’t had the greatest start, he’s averaging 6.8 from his 5 innings so far - and we thought we had problems with Petersen
and Borthwick.
They’ve got a pretty solid and experienced side in general though, plenty of lads who you’d call time served county pros who I get the impression know their own games and know their jobs. Despite our thumping victory there last season I expect they’ll be a tough nut to crack this week, we’ve not exactly set the world alight with our own start to the season and with the questions I alluded to above I can’t have any certainty that we’ll perform to a level this week that would see us grab our first win of the season. Obviously having a world class allrounder in our side will (or should) improve our chances of that.
Selection wise - aside from the obvious Stokes question - I’m not sure there’ll be much of a change and I don’t genuinely believe there should be either.
I’ve got a team in mind that I’d pick based on what we are likely to have available to us. There are several questions about fitness and availability of course which aren’t likely to be answered until tomorrow and the answers could potentially change the look and feel of it entirely.
Dickson
Lees
Peterson
Borthwick
Bedingham
Stokes
Eckersley
Trevaskis
Raine/Coughlin/Salisbury
Potts
Rushworth
That batting order would be flexible, if Stokes plays he could bat 5 with Bedingham 4 and Borthwick dropping to 6. That may also help Borthwick to find some form. I know there are people on here who’d drop Borthwick and I also appreciate that Petersen is a player to whom questions apply - for now, for me, I don’t feel like dropping either would be the right thing to do.
Bowling wise we clearly need help there, Potts aside the others really really need to stand up, be counted and make a positive contribution. If Stokes plays it would allow the extra batsman and in that scenario I’d play 3 frontline seamers (Stokes being the 4th) with Rushy and Potts taking the new ball and Raine and Stokes being the change options. I think those two would dovetail nicely in that scenario. It’s often the case that bowlers need partnerships in order to be successful, I know Raine hasn’t done the business up to now but I think having a lad in Stokes with an extra yard of pace would assist Raine in making his nagging accuracy much more of a threat. I still see him as the best fourth option in a team where Stokes plays. Plenty of lads on here have bemoaned the ‘samey’ nature of our seam attack. Stokes addition could just create a bit more variation that gives all the others an increased chance of success.
Considering the workloads that the bowlers have had to get through to this point, there could be an idea to freshen things up too. I thought Coughlin bowled well at Cardiff, he seemed to have a bit of zip about his bowling that the others don’t have (and that we’re crying out for) and so he’s what I’d consider the best of the rest, if fit. Salisbury would be my third choice for that last seamer slot, he played last week in what seemed like a freshening up tactic but didn’t do anything that was any different to the other failing performers. He’d probably feel unlucky to miss out after one failure over others who have failed a number of times but I simply see others are better options.
Lastly, I haven’t forgot about Carse. He plays, if fit, in my strongest Durham lineup. He’s currently playing in the Second Eleven at Derby, he could leave that fixture today and join up with the First Team at Worcestershire, but I don’t imagine he will if Ben Stokes is available. I think they’ll continue his rehabbing in the Second’s for one more week atleast.
As always, the match thread has been an exercise in me typing out my own mental ramblings, I’m sorry for inflicting this upon you if you’re still reading at this point
Come the squad announcement, about 80% of the above could all prove to be complete and utter nonsense (if it isn’t already).
Ha’way Durham!!
As of now, questions are requiring answers about the batting, bowling and coaching. The questions about the ground should atleast go quieter while we’re away from home
Aside from that, everything is rosy in the garden!Worcestershire have had mixed fortunes in their three games, winning one, losing one and a draw. The win was in their only home fixture, however. Azhar Ali hasn’t had the greatest start, he’s averaging 6.8 from his 5 innings so far - and we thought we had problems with Petersen
and Borthwick
.They’ve got a pretty solid and experienced side in general though, plenty of lads who you’d call time served county pros who I get the impression know their own games and know their jobs. Despite our thumping victory there last season I expect they’ll be a tough nut to crack this week, we’ve not exactly set the world alight with our own start to the season and with the questions I alluded to above I can’t have any certainty that we’ll perform to a level this week that would see us grab our first win of the season. Obviously having a world class allrounder in our side will (or should) improve our chances of that.
Selection wise - aside from the obvious Stokes question - I’m not sure there’ll be much of a change and I don’t genuinely believe there should be either.
I’ve got a team in mind that I’d pick based on what we are likely to have available to us. There are several questions about fitness and availability of course which aren’t likely to be answered until tomorrow and the answers could potentially change the look and feel of it entirely.
Dickson
Lees
Peterson
Borthwick
Bedingham
Stokes
Eckersley
Trevaskis
Raine/Coughlin/Salisbury
Potts
Rushworth
That batting order would be flexible, if Stokes plays he could bat 5 with Bedingham 4 and Borthwick dropping to 6. That may also help Borthwick to find some form. I know there are people on here who’d drop Borthwick and I also appreciate that Petersen is a player to whom questions apply - for now, for me, I don’t feel like dropping either would be the right thing to do.
Bowling wise we clearly need help there, Potts aside the others really really need to stand up, be counted and make a positive contribution. If Stokes plays it would allow the extra batsman and in that scenario I’d play 3 frontline seamers (Stokes being the 4th) with Rushy and Potts taking the new ball and Raine and Stokes being the change options. I think those two would dovetail nicely in that scenario. It’s often the case that bowlers need partnerships in order to be successful, I know Raine hasn’t done the business up to now but I think having a lad in Stokes with an extra yard of pace would assist Raine in making his nagging accuracy much more of a threat. I still see him as the best fourth option in a team where Stokes plays. Plenty of lads on here have bemoaned the ‘samey’ nature of our seam attack. Stokes addition could just create a bit more variation that gives all the others an increased chance of success.
Considering the workloads that the bowlers have had to get through to this point, there could be an idea to freshen things up too. I thought Coughlin bowled well at Cardiff, he seemed to have a bit of zip about his bowling that the others don’t have (and that we’re crying out for) and so he’s what I’d consider the best of the rest, if fit. Salisbury would be my third choice for that last seamer slot, he played last week in what seemed like a freshening up tactic but didn’t do anything that was any different to the other failing performers. He’d probably feel unlucky to miss out after one failure over others who have failed a number of times but I simply see others are better options.
Lastly, I haven’t forgot about Carse. He plays, if fit, in my strongest Durham lineup. He’s currently playing in the Second Eleven at Derby, he could leave that fixture today and join up with the First Team at Worcestershire, but I don’t imagine he will if Ben Stokes is available. I think they’ll continue his rehabbing in the Second’s for one more week atleast.
As always, the match thread has been an exercise in me typing out my own mental ramblings, I’m sorry for inflicting this upon you if you’re still reading at this point
Come the squad announcement, about 80% of the above could all prove to be complete and utter nonsense (if it isn’t already).
Ha’way Durham!!
