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Nice bit of SEO there. Anyone searching “what in the name of all that is good and pure is going on in the County Championship” is now highly likely to end up on this page. In your face, Google algorithm. [Watches the ad revenue roll in.]
Yes, it’s the time of year when we all return our gaze to the County Championship having been momentarily distracted by Test matches, holidays and the like. Many people will be finding themselves asking “so what the hell’s going on then?”
Yes, what the hell IS going on?
There are three matches to go, including the ones currently underway.
Essex have a bit of a buffer over Lancashire in that they could go wholly pointless in one match and still remain top of the table. Hampshire are another good chunk further behind in third.
At the bum end of the table, Warwickshire haven’t yet hit triple figures. Two teams will go down.
Is that table above accurate?
No. It’s out of date. We think it’s from just before the latest round of matches.
Actually, we screengrabbed it midway through the afternoon session. We don’t imagine they’d have updated it with bonus points from the latest round of matches, but you never know.
Any big matches to watch out for?
Essex are currently playing Warwickshire in a head v bum match. Somerset are playing Lancashire in a similar sort of match that doesn’t lend itself to anatomy in quite the same way.
Other than that, no match is obviously more important than any other, which actually means that most have something riding on them.
Any players to watch out for?
We went with these guys earlier in the season.
If we’re talking about those who’ve helped their team to near the top of the table, little-known young bucks Alastair Cook and Shivnarine Chanderpaul have been making plenty of runs. (We presume Cook will play another couple of games for Essex.)
Bowling-wise, Jamie Porter and Simon Harmer – both of Essex – are the top wicket takers, while Ryan McLaren has been doing the heavy lifting for Lancashire.
Oh, and Neil Wagner’s back is back for Essex, along with the rest of him.
Anything else?
No, not really.
So why did you go to the trouble of including the subheading?
Don’t know.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s teenage leggie is doing a job throttling the scoring rate against the talented World XI batting order in the middle overs.
‘Should I not keep an over back until the end?’ He’ll ask the captain.
‘No. Shadab and bowl’, Sarfraz shall reply.
Anyone know why this is an official “T20I” rather than a mere “T20”? Statisticians seem generally not to pay too much attention to “World XI” exhibition matches.
The point is to bring international cricket back to Pakistan, which would be unconvincing without international matches.
Howe makes the point very well, albeit somewhat savagely. Apparently it increased the allure for World XI players to travel to Pakistan by granting full international match status to these games. On the one hand, might get shot at or blown up by terrorists. On the other, potential to improve one’s career average. Decisions, decisions.
I’m taking great interest in the possibility that Worcestershire CCC might go up.
I’m sure Leicestershire will do their bit to help this week.
Deducted the number of points they would have got for a win, I see. Hilariously cruel.
As a Durham supporter…
…shush.
…a win? I think I remember reading about those once upon a time.
The deduction was for something Charlie Shreck did in the warm up game against Loughborough Uni. Not sure what it was, but he subsequently retired rather than be coached by Pierre de Bruyn. So that went well.
Quite enjoy the tied column sitting steadfastly there even though there has been one CC tie in 25 years.
If in April you were offered the current table or that same table entirely reversed, I’m pretty certain everyone would have picked the latter as a fair shout (perhaps Warwickshire aside) and laughed at the former. Lovely stuff.
That’s true. County cricket is nuts.
Carew charged with bringing the game into disrepute.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/wales/41253545
Ireland vs Windies has been washed out.
How many Ireland and Scotland ODIs against touring sides actually go to completion? In the last 4 years ago I get the impression an awful lot have been hit by the weather.
Last time I was in Edinburgh (2011?), we were staying at the same hotel as the Sri Lanka squad. The game against Ireland while we were there was rained off without a ball being bowled.
Stupid cricket. Who wants to stay in division one anyway.
Us. We do. We want that. Or whatever other prize is up for grabs in the last month of the season that we can also narrowly miss out on.
Play in September, we only play in September…
I told you Leics would help Worcs.
It wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t capitulate to everyone. Score 400 in the first innings and then go on to lose by an innings, that’s pretty impressive.
Mercifully I don’t think anyone photographed me yesterday afternoon trying to traverse the Uxbridge quagmire, somewhat overdressed, having been called in to a business meeting unexpectedly in the morning.
Was it two or three overs we saw before the afternoon deluge?
I bow to your prognostication, Daneel, in the only way I know how, which is to quote the film ‘Kung Fu’
‘Master I cannot win this match.’
‘In saying so have you not already lost?’
‘Yes’