[Den Buckett]

Something like this gives us plenty of bowling options and they can all bat on their day so gives us depth which could make up for the brittle top order.

Sterling
Levi
Vasconcelos
Cobb
Rossington
Keogh/Thurston/Sole
Procter/Berg
Zaib
White
Hutton
Buck

I just can't give Wakely any more chances and whilst Sanderson has been great for us in the Championship, t20 is not his forte and leaving him out gives us a bit more batting.

[Shortlegs]

I've just read a report from the Northants Telegraph where Ripley bemoans the fact that we now need to fire in our last 2 games to qualify and he rightly blames our demise yesterday on our inability (yet again) to capitalise on an excellent start to our innings. While a number of our players have underperformed in the last few matches, Ripley must take some of the blame for continuing to pick Wakely when he's simply not a modern 20 over batsman and has shown no kind of form this season (not even really in the match where he scored the winning runs against Glamorgan).

He scores far too slowly for this format, putting pressure on the other batsman to score and usually gets out when he tries to accelerate, putting even more presuure on the batsman coming in. Please give Sole, Curran or Thurston his spot for the last 2 games!

[onemorerun]

Please give Sole, Curran or Thurston his spot for the last 2 games!

Or Tom Taylor! Who, you may ask? See NCCC site for details of our new recruit. Said to have great potential, though to date he's played 5 T20 games and averages 8.6 with the bat and has taken two wickets for 43 in 11 overs. I hope he's our best recruit ever, but .....

The club says he's available for selection on Friday, but selecting him would in my view be a slap in the face for existing squad members. Maybe it's as I speculated yesterday - certain players have been told they can stand down for this season and are now lacking fitness and practice.

According to a pre-competition press release, we "had all bases covered" for the T20. Doesn't look like it when you have to recruit mid-competition. The decision that Thurston (century and unbeaten 60-odd in his last match, I think) was surplus to requirements for t20 was in my view one of the strangest calls I've seen in a long time.

[Den Buckett]

Please give Sole, Curran or Thurston his spot for the last 2 games!

Or Tom Taylor! Who, you may ask? See NCCC site for details of our new recruit. Said to have great potential, though to date he's played 5 T20 games and averages 8.6 with the bat and has taken two wickets for 43 in 11 overs. I hope he's our best recruit ever, but .....

The club says he's available for selection on Friday, but selecting him would in my view be a slap in the face for existing squad members. Maybe it's as I speculated yesterday - certain players have been told they can stand down for this season and are now lacking fitness and practice.

According to a pre-competition press release, we "had all bases covered" for the T20. Doesn't look like it when you have to recruit mid-competition. The decision that Thurston (century and unbeaten 60-odd in his last match, I think) was surplus to requirements for t20 was in my view one of the strangest calls I've seen in a long time.

Taylor has left Leicestershire so if he is joining us on a 3 year contract he might as well get to know the team during these last few matches. His t20 record suggests he wont play this season but there have been some bizarre selections so we can't rule out that he will be thrown in.

[Den Buckett]

Taylor added to the squad so maybe he is going to play. Keogh, Procter and Sole are also in the squad. Ripley has hinted at changes.

[onemorerun]

Ripley hinted at changes? Then he must have been overruled.

Only change is Vasconcelos replaced by Procter. "Bradman" Wakely is of course playing, so we should get a record-breaking score and an easy win.

[Shortlegs]

We look woefully short of confidence and we're not going to post a decent score. Wakely out again in exactly the same way. I think Ripley's a good coach but he has some blind spots and playing Wakely in all games so far with the form he's shown, is borderline unforgiveable.

[Den Buckett]

We look woefully short of confidence and we're not going to post a decent score. Wakely out again in exactly the same way. I think Ripley's a good coach but he has some blind spots and playing Wakely in all games so far with the form he's shown, is borderline unforgiveable.

...and now he has got an ankle injury. At least Ripley will not have to drop him for Sunday.

[onemorerun]

73 off 10 overs becomes 140 off 20.

Wakely 8 off 11 balls, now averaging 15 at a strike rate of 84.

I seem to recall that Ripley's predecessor (Capel, of course) ultimately went for the same reason. Very popular, Northamptonshire to the core, a good coach, but would not drop the old guard (eg Sales), even when their selection could not possibly be justified.

Not that team selection will all be down to Ripley. Frankly, I think Cobb has to share the blame.

Just heard Wakely is not fielding and has his foot in an icepack. Perhaps a diplomatic injury?

Quick comment on the Somerset live stream - it's always a ball or more behind the Radio Northampton commentary. The livestream commentary is also rubbish, saying things that you can see for yourself are patently untrue, eg reporting a fielder diving when he didn't. I've tried, but I can't listen to it, so it's radio commentary for me, then treating the stream (with the sound off) as a replay.

Other counties have been very much better (Glamorgan and even us).

[onemorerun]

Thrashed again (when the opposition don't need 10% of the overs, it's a thrashing).

Not for the first time this year, there was very little in our performance to be proud of. Mostly poor batting, totally lost our way in the middle overs, bowling ineffective.

Using eight bowlers indicates either that a captain is a genius, or that he hasn't got a clue. I think we all know the answer.

We are now third in the table (could be fourth later tonight) which is something the players should be ashamed of after their start to the competition.

[onemorerun]

We are now fourth in the table; however all is not lost.

As I see it, if we win tomorrow in Birmingham, we will go above Bears on run rate. If Somerset lose to Glos, we will finish second and qualify for quarter finals.

If Somerset beat Glos, they will go above us on run rate and we will be third. At that point we need to worry about the other groups (only two of the three third-placed teams qualify). Leics and Sussex could come into play, but the main threat seems to be Durham. If they beat Notts they will also have 11 points and a better run rate. Sussex already have 11 points and a better run rate.

So basically (1) we need to win, (2) can Glos please beat Somerset? (3) or can Notts please beat Durham?

If we lose, only an unlikely combination of one-sided results in other matches could see us through.

Team? Assuming Wakely injured (or even if not), bring back Vasconcelos to try to keep score ticking over, don't leave Zaib till number 7, drop a seamer (probably Glover) to include Sole.

How about Levi, Stirling, Cobb, Vasconcelos, Rossington, Zaib, Procter, Sole, White, Buck, Sanderson?

[saintcobbler]

Oh, I feel better now!

[Shortlegs]

Thanks for all those scenarios Onemorerun. The least likely to happen at the moment seems to be us winning a game!

The dropping of Wakely must happen whether it's due to injury or not. I see the point in having Glover in the team as he is perhaps a yard quicker than our other bowlers, but he's also been a bit disappointing in my view. He's taken a few wickets but been expensive. I think I'd keep the same team but change Wakely for Vasconcelos or Sole and just hope we've finally learned some lessons!

[rwjc22]

Another pathetic performance. Can't even blame Wakely. How they can go from being 20/4 to getting 191 just bemuses me. I thought we'd win the tornament after the first few games, before I realised we were a one trick pony of Levi and Sterling. Even White who's been our most consistent bowler got tapped today.

[Den Buckett]

Don't worry, we'll get these, no problem