The purpose of county cricket: What does the future hold for second tier counties? | Wisden Podcast

[@amansparekh]

the kookaburra ball looks like a complete success. More spin bowling, higher quality cricket, and test cricket level bowlers still shining through, separated from the medium pacers who lack skill. Small price to play for higher scores.

[@tamasg538]

Mate there were about 3 results weekend before last, the rest were draws. I watched Callum Parkinson bowl 15 overs straight. How is that good for cricket?

[@Hunchbacc]

I think experimentation is great. Especially in a sport like cricket which is so steeped in tradition and actually quite stale due to its “guardians”. I was shocked when i heard the ball was changing. I bet the fellas in their Caramel bar wrapper ties at the MCC had alot to say. Good for Key. It may or may not work. But it doesn’t hurt to try.

[@spykl007]

Sri Lanka was the first men's team to successfully chase over 300 in an ODI (vs Zim in the 92 WC), now Sri Lankan women's team are the first women side to successfully chase 300 in ODIs 😊

[@andrewgale5482]

Interesting chat about Kookaburra balls in county cricket. I don't understand the rhetoric Australia are bad away from home compared with other sides when they have won 7 out of 16 tests away since 2021 WTC when India have also won 7 out of 15 away in the same period., with 5 and 4 losses respectively. I guess Australia drawing the Ashes in England twice tends to play to that narrative.

[@barbenheimer736]

Australia have lost one Test series away from home since 2019. Granted they hardly toured during COVID for Tests but since Cummins took over they're a solid away team.

[@AndyL-gh2hr]

well its simple, when aussies tour england the matches are close, even if they loose. when Eng tour aussie they get hammered,(2010 look at the aussie attack!!) so we need to close the gap.

[@markbateman9222]

There would be plenty of time to get all the competions played between 18 counties if a month at the height of summer wasn't taken out of the schedule! Talk of reducing the number of first class counties is all very well - until you have to go to the six or eight counties and tell them that they would be no more! What would the criteria be? Quality of the ground -so only counties with Test Match grounds would survive? Would it be on where a county finished in the Championship in the last year of 18 counties? So the bottom six in Division 2 go to the wall?

[@AndyL-gh2hr]

If they play with the Kookaburra for 3 seasons, then by the end of that 95% of the medium pace trundlers

[@stevenbox4523]

Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Olly Stone, Richard Gleeson, Saqib Mahmood, Gus Atkinson, John Turner, Jamie Overton Why do cricket pundits keep repeating this narrative, unchallenged, that England doesn't produce 90mph bowlers?

[@amansparekh]

and they’re all injured all the time aren’t they because they don’t grow up bowling relentlessly on flat pitches

[@stevenbox4523]

@@amansparekh so we've gone from workload management to they didnt bowl enough

[@amansparekh]

@@stevenbox4523 they didn’t bowl enough when developing, and now their workload is too much for what they’re used too

[@markbateman9222]

And what is wrong with the 65-75 mph bowler? Medium pace is just as valid a bowling style as the genuine 90mph quick or the genuine spin bowler. What pace did Bedser bowl at? Not good enough for Test cricket? Ask Bradman! (And didn't the 'keeper stand up to him?)

[@stevenbox4523]

@@markbateman9222 Darren Stevens always used to get Sangakkara out 🤷‍♂️

[@stevenbox4523]

Kent should just fold their women's team. There's no point.