The planning and execution this season have been bizarre - last season we had 2 x overseas left arm
quicks to complement Harmer, excellent planning you’d say and boy did it work!
This season we’ve had a right arm quick for the championship early and now late season although we still have Harmer!
In the t20 it’s clear we needed another big hitting batsman - we signed Matt Coles who could fill that role except we’ve barely played him and when he has played he’s had about 3 overs to bat max! Some games we’ve played neither Coles or our other big hitter Zaidi and we expect to get late runs??
The overseas situation again is bizarre - we signed Zampa when we already have two excellent one day spinners (as well as Zampa has done in the main) and then with Wagner going back early we didn’t exactly have a backup and instead re-signed Siddle. Even without hindsight we’d have been better finding an overseas batsman who could have filled the role nicely in both the remaining t20 and championship matches given we’ve got a quick bowling attack of Porter, Sam Cook, Quinn, Walter and Plom (not even include new Beard and Dixon).
We knew before last season started we’d have Alastair Cook for more than half a season so we didn’t need to get an overseas batter and the left arm quick with Harmy worked a treat! This season surely those in charge should have realised an overseas batter is required for this part of the season now Waggy has sadly gone and given we probably won’t have A.Cook around for any of the remaining championship fixtures?? I don’t know how close or not we came to signing Northeast but perhaps we put our eggs in one basket and when it didn’t happen had no plan B ??
DT.
Wagner wasn’t very good this year, but we had Amir replace him for a couple of key matches last year, when Wagner was OK but apart from the odd match not that great - Porter was better and we had Quinn early season as well.
Harmer does a very good job with the red ball, not so much in white ball matches and doesn’t make the runs that even Wagner makes.
Siddle was quality early on. I’d rather he stayed and we didn’t have Wagner. If we need a leftie to make some rough for Harmer, then we should pick a youngster.
Zamora is quality. We’d be even worse off without him.
Coles should play more and maybe bat higher but fitness and attitude may be an issue here as he wasn’t pulling up trees with his previous club.
Indeed the same could be said about Wheater and Chopra. Whilst it’s great to see them back, having both back was somewhat of a gamble - as if a player leaves us they usually return because there’s no place for them there: just compare Wheater with Foakes, although my colleague who supports Slurrey reassures me that BF might be looking for a move, although this depends upon the career path of Ollie Pope (and other home grown bats coming through).
We clearly need Lawrence to overcome this (not unusual) early career slump as RtD and Fossie are not the players they were and can’t compensate for the top order weaknesses. Browne’s slump is worse because he’s older and more experienced. Hopefully he’ll turn things around latter season. If Browne and Lawrence were playing to par, along with Westley, we wouldn’t be needing an overseas bat in BOTH red and white ball.
Wagner was better than OK last year - won us at least one match (Somerset away) and always gives 110% effort. Quinn was missing most of the season so not sure how that stacks up with what you’re saying? Sam Cook benefited from Quinn not being able to play and boy did he benefit!
Harmer has bowled well in a couple of t20 matches and the one day cup also - yes red ball clearly is his strength but signing Zampa when we already had Harmer and Zaidi was probably not that great an idea - we won’t qualify so that closes that case. It’s also meant our best hitter of a ball in Zaidi has mostly been left out and it’s cost us big time.
Ref Siddle, he clearly wasn’t signed all season given how well Wagner did last season and the tactics used as already mentioned.
If what you say about Coles is true then why did we sign him?? Furthermore, why are we barely using him in one day cricket?? It makes no sense...
I’m not sure I agree with your thoughts about Chopra and Wheater. With Wheater he’s done as much as can be asked certainly at the end of last season why he played as a bat instead of Westley and this season keeping and batting in all forms. Chopra’s championship form since returning is very disappointing but given he’s a one day regular he has clearly justified the decision to re-sign him, he must average close to 50 in all one day cricket since he returned to us?
I’m not sure Browne is in a slump given his last game yielded a 50 and a 100!
But the point is last season the club knew Alastair Cook would be around for more than half a season so we signed a quality offy and thus went for a left arm quick overseas to create the rough for Harmy to bowl into. This season we knew we wouldn’t have Ali for anything like last season so we could have gone for an overseas batter at least for this coming end to the championship season and the t20. Whether it would have been the same player or two players doesn’t really matter. Ali playing the amount of matches last season was the batting cover we needed, the solid starts allowed the others to come in and make hay - this season the guys you mention have been coming in at 20-3, 30-4 and it’s a different game.
It’s been obvious since Napes retired we haven’t had the big hitter in one day cricket - we signed Coles who is a similar player but barely been used...it just doesn’t make sense!
(PS: As for Zamora, are you a West Ham fan with the auto correct??😀)
