Durham match thread 2023

[captaincolly]

Game blown open that session. After about 25 overs the ball has died just a little, so there is oportunities to extend the lead if Durham can dig in and make the tail wag a little. Early doors there was a good amount of seam in it, and while Sussex made it tough, at least 3 Durham batsman should get the hair drier. Lead of about 100.... wouldnt want to chase that many, been some uneven bounce in the surface with the new ball....

But I think at 100/5 essentially, 60-40 to Sussex at the moment.

At least. Batters down the order are capable if they apply thenselves- and they usually don't!

[captaincolly]

Lead over 200 but Robinson is out for 58.

[sussexpob]

Went all over the place that. 150-6 looked like it was shaping to be match winning, but the last 4 wickets disappeared.

If Sussex can survive a new ball calamity, we should win now. Heading out to the football, but good luck guys

[Durhamfootman]

oh dear

been down the allotment all day and just got back and checked the score

Looks like we've completely stuffed this up

[Durhamfootman]

Although I suspect it might not come to that if we come out all guns blazing- it'll just be a question of how long the innings lasts!

nostradamus-esque

[Durhamfootman]

as usual we gave them too many runs late down the order.... maybe 50 or 70 runs?

add them on and maybe Sussex would be chasing thick end of 300, which gives us a real chance, but there you.... reprise of 2022, 2021 and backwards for several years. Has there been a time when we didn't do that since Colly left?

[Durhamfootman]

Sussex move serenely along

they might not need Pujara at this rate

[captaincolly]

as usual we gave them too many runs late down the order.... maybe 50 or 70 runs?

add them on and maybe Sussex would be chasing thick end of 300, which gives us a real chance, but there you.... reprise of 2022, 2021 and backwards for several years. Has there been a time when we didn't do that since Colly left?

We definitely let them get too many - think the lead was about 130 with just the tailenders to come.
Also think we really should have got 450.plus in the first innings.
I think the backwards steps are down to going into each season with a squad lacking depth. Ollie Robinson should be an excellent signing but we needed another 2 or 3 people with proven red ball records. And why didn't we sign replacements for Rushy and Dickson?
Obviously can't write things off after the first game but I don't see how this squad is strong enough. The bizarre thing is I don't think North does either! At the forum the other week he said something about not having the ability to absorb the absence of senior players to England or injury.

[Durhamfootman]

I was watching on day one and we did rather throw away our first innings

Ryan Campbell was on comms with Marty and after tea on day 1 he was talking about how declaring before close of play to have a go at Sussex in the failing light was an option that might be on the table later if things continued as they had before tea. This is the Stokes way, of course and there will be bumps in the road, but there is nothing to lose really. As you say, Capt, we don't have anything like the depth to challenge for promotion under normal circumstances, so maybe this very positive approach really is our best shot

[sussexpob]

The negative man in me thinks an early wicket tomorrow, a s it's game on.... but we should win this from here....still, I'm negative. I think it's not over for Durham yet

[Durhamfootman]

hello

2 late wickets

Sussex 5 down including the run machine and 59 still to get

2 early wickets in the morning and who knows..... Sussex might win it with a 30 run 10th wicket partnership

given ourselves a sniff at least

[Durhamfootman]

you're as negative as me, SP

I think both of us have seen it all before

[sussexpob]

Not sure how you boys feel about the concussion sub. 12 man takes 4 for nowt coming in....it's necessary but feels somewhat unfair

[Durhamfootman]

tbh, SP, I hadn't even noticed. Who did FHP come on for?

Garton by the looks of it.

Do we know when/how it happened?

[Durhamfootman]

My answer would always be that a players health must come before everything else. I suppose a Smith/Warner/Lehmann triumverate might look for ways to exploit that, but I don't imagine for a moment that this was anything but a genuine substitution

And Garton himself has had a torrid couple of years with injury, I believe, so I hope it doesn't end up setting his red ball career back again. I don't know how long a subbed player has to stay away, but if it's a week it would rule him out of the next match, which would be a shame for him after finally breaking back into the side