A blank week (almost) for Notts

It's the last week in May and Notts haven't had a game since Sunday, today is Thursday - however if they had been scheduled a fixture, there is every likelihood it would have been disrupted by the weather (officially the coldest spring in 50 years). I was in Birmingham today and it was more like Manchester in November, little wonder the Champions Trophy related fixture between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was wash-out at Edgbaston.

White loan

Graeme White is in the squad to travel to Hove and it has also been announced that Graeme White will go on loan to Northamptonshire for Championship matches only for a period between 10/06 and 08/07; during this period he will be available for Outlaw selection in the YB40.

The Notts squad to travel to the South coast: Alex Hales, Ed Cowan, Michael Lumb, James Taylor, Samit Patel, Steven Mullaney, Chris Read, Paul Franks, Ajmal Shahzad, Graeme White, Harry Gurney, Luke Fletcher


The Daily Telegraph reports that Andy Carter is available for loan - "Essex are you interested?" again!

Watch your back

Former Outlaw, Dirk Nannes has withdrawn from the Welsh Dragons T20 squad due to a back injury - Glamorgan staff will monitor unattached players during the Champions Trophy with a view to poaching one of those as their second overseas player for the tournament. The Champions Trophy starts tomorrow, as if anyone needs reminding with whole country on tenterhooks in anticipation.

Arm Watch

Glenn Querl (Hampshire and Unicorn Zimbabwean) and Jack Taylor (Gloucestershire) have been suspended for illegal bowling actions, displaying more than 15 degrees of elbow extension on two reported occasions in the past 12 months. Onus is now on the bowlers to prove that they have corrected their actions, before they can play County Cricket again.

Flower watch

The post match interview by Jonathan Agnew of Andy Flower, transcribed by the Independent  (remember England WON):

Jonathan Agnew You got there, is it fair to say you did it the hard way?

Andy Flower You'll have to expand on that, Test cricket is a hard game, and taking 20 wickets is difficult, but do you want to expand on your question?

JA You might have enforced the follow-on...

AF We had the right to choose, and we chose to bat again and get well ahead of them, we thought we would have enough time on a wearing pitch to take 10 wickets and that's what we did.

JA What about our second innings? Were you a bit frustrated at the pace of the scoring rate?

AF We could have been more urgent. Trott could have learnt a little from [Root and Bairstow] from the first innings, the right amount of urgency and positivity.

JA Did you bat too long? Do you think you might have declared at lunch-time?

AF We could have declared at any time, that was our right. We chose 20 minutes after lunch and we thought that was enough time and it's nice that that was proved right.

JA You won, Andy. I am not attacking you. I assume that you want to win in the best possible way every game, what might you take away from this game in that regard?

AF What do you mean 'what might we take away from this game in that regard'?

JA Well, do you think that this was a 100 per cent performance?

AF I am sure, Aggers, when you reflect on your broadcasting today that you wouldn't have been 100 per cent, none of us operate at 100 per cent. It was a very good performance from our side: we won by over 200 runs. Cook and Root got tons, Swann is back in form, Finn got bounce. I would prefer to focus on these things than some of the negative things that you mention.

JA You have a break away from the limelight now, the next time we see you will be that series beginning with A – are we allowed to talk about it or not, that A word?

AF Why might you not be able to?

JA I thought we were put off talking about the Ashes…

AF No, I am asking you. Why might we not be able to talk about the Ashes?

JA I don't know, I simply read in the newspaper that it was not a directive, but a preference for the Ashes not to be talked about at the moment?

AF OK, and where would that directive have come from?

JA You, apparently.

AF Well, that is incorrect.

JA OK, see you at the Ashes.

Rain watch

In the "four day test match" that ought to have finished in 3, Day 5 has England needing to take 4 NZ wickets between rain breaks.

Good news Graeme Swann has currently 5/90 and NZ are 219/8 needing another 249
Bad news - they off for light rain
Worse news - Stuart Broad (2/26) is off the field with an injured knee
Good news, an early lunch and a break in the weather NZ 220 all out, Graeme Swann 6/90 - England win the series 2-0.

Graeme Swann's 10 wicket match haul being the best by an England spinner in England since 1997 (Tufnell's 11 at the Oval).

Ground watch

Radlett Cricket Club, Cobham Hill, Hertfordshire: the venue for Middlesex v Yorkshire in a Bank Holiday YB40 match - more photos on Harry's Facebook, including Eoin Morgan's Golden Duck.