FP Trophy Weekly Round-up, Part Two!

We now complete out round-up of FP trophy matches, starting at Old Trafford.

Lancashire fans look away now! The Scots were in town on Monday and they embarrassed the Lightning again, having done so previously in 2007 and 2003. Opting to field, Stuart Law’s side restricted the Saltires to 155-9 from their 50 overs, Andrew Flintoff impressive once again in taking 2-18 from 9 overs. He really seems to be back to somewhere near his best with the ball, if only the same could be said of his batting, but I will return to this momentarily. Steven Croft took 4-24, whilst Kyle Hogg took 2-33. James Anderson meanwhile went wicketless for 33 runs from his 8 overs. Ed Cowan (41) and Colin Smith (35) were the main contributors for the Scots. It looked easy for Lancashire, guess again though. They soon found themselves reduced to 44-7, after terrific bowling from Dewald Nel (3-26), John Blain (2-22) and Craig White (2-34). However, then Kyle Hogg (66) and Luke Sutton (24) offered some gritty resistance. Hogg and Anderson took it to the last over and with Anderson needing four off of the final ball, bowled by Gordon Drummond, they could only scamper a single, which handed Scotland a deserved victory. Returning to Flintoff, who made just 8, and the selectors must really be concerned about whether they can even bat him at seven in International Test Match Cricket. They must already be thinking about using a four man attack, supported by Collingwood and Vaughan. The only question would seem to be over whether Matthew Hoggard or Monty Panesar plays at Lords next week and given their current form it would be hard to pick against Hoggard.

Moving on to Northampton, where Northamptonshire welcomed Ireland. The Irish were put into bat and struggled to 203-9 from 50 overs, youngster Paul Stirling (70) the stand out performer and one saving grace of the day. Monty Panesar did well with the ball here, taking 3-36 from 9 overs, which will help his England cause. Chasing, the Steelbacks got home with plenty to spare and with just 2 wickets down. It was an Irish boy who did for Ireland ironically, Niall O’Brien scoring 75, while Stephen Peters (103) helped himself to a hundred.

Kent elected to bat at The Oval and it looked a pretty bad decision by Rob Key (0) initially, as they slipped to 52-4, Surrey's Pedro Collins showing some lethal swing bowling (4-46). Justin Kemp (63) and Geraint Jones (86) put together a fantastically paced partnership however and allowed Azhar Mahmood (62) and Ryan McLaren (17*) to come in and lauch some fireworks, as the Spitfires totalled 282-7. Surrey never got going in reply as Yasir Arafat (4-35) and an injured Mahmood (1-27) bowled fantastically in tandem up front. Ryan McLaren (5-46) kept up the pressure with career best figures and the Brown Caps were all out for 192, only Jon Batty (63) offering any real resistance. The commentators from Sky seemed particularly impressed with Geraint Jones’ keeping, as well as his batting. Whilst I agree that his keeping is of a far better standard now than it has been, it is still his batting which is of concern. He needs to prove that he is a consistent run scorer once again, as he was dropped in the end ironically for his lack of runs, rather than keeping errors.

Middlesex’s top order put in a better showing on Monday than on Sunday, but to no avail, as Sussex still emerged victorious. The Crusaders totalled 273-5, with Ed Joyce (80) and Owais Shah (68) scoring good runs. Andrew Strauss meanwhile hit 26. There were 2 wickets apiece for Michael Yardy (2-36) and James Kirtley (2-59). Sussex got off to good start, Chris Nash (34) and Matt Prior (79) sharing a rapid 70 for the first wicket. Chris Adams then stole the show with 109 not out and he was well supported by Murray Goodwin (44), as Sussex won with two overs to spare.

There was a shortened 23 over game at Edgbaston where Warwickshire elected to field first against Leicestershire. The Foxes made 148-6 courtesy of cameos from Jacques du Toit (34), James Allenby (32) and Boerta Dippenaar (32). The Bears didn’t get close in reply, subsiding to 103 all out, only Darren Maddy (29) and Tim Ambrose (28) scoring anything of note. Ian Bell made just 3. Ryan Cummins was the pick of the bowlers (3-21) and he was supported ably by Garnett Kruger (2-23), Nadeem Malik (2-20) and Claude Hendersen (2-23).

Glamorgan visited New Road in another shortened game, but they couldn’t defend their total of 184-4 from 28 overs against Worcestershire, who crossed the line with 9 balls to spare. David Hemp (47), young Tom Maynard (48) and Jamie Dalrymple (both pictured below) helped set the target. Simon Jones got through 6 overs which went for 43 runs, as he took a wicket in the process. The Royals reply was led by Vikram Solanki (88* (below)), who carried his bat through the innings. Ben Smith (41) and Stephen Moore (30*) offered the support, while Alex Wharf was the pick of the Glamorgan bowlers (2-37).

Images from Worcester (left to right): The highly promising Tom Maynard strikes out, Vikram Solanki on his way to a match winning 88*, and Worcester Cathedral - an iconic backdrop to domestic cricket. (Pictures c/o RTE)

Our final match took place at The Riverside, where Durham hosted Yorkshire. Durham were all out for just 185, Kyle Coetzer top scoring with 61. Phil Mustard scored 26, failing to go on yet again, while Paul Collingwood managed just 2. Darren Gough (3-31) did the major damage, removing Mustard, Collingwood and Neil McKenzie. Richard Pyrah (3-25) and Adil Rashid (2-21) also got in on the wicket taking act. Yorkshire briefly wobbled in reply at 94-3, after Michael Vaughan (22) had fallen after a start yet again. The ever improving Andrew Gale (68 from just 50 balls) and Anthony McGrath (45*) did the bulk of the scoring and Yorkshire avenged last week’s defeat with plenty of overs to spare. Steve Harmison took 3-58 from his 9.4 overs, threatening, but very expensive given the context of the game.

That completes the round-up of the 17 FP Trophy matches this week and so there is just one final matter to address…

Player of the Week: I am going to pick five this week based on one performance and give a few honourable mentions to overall performers, given the volume of games on offer. First up is Geraint Jones, whose 86 and partnership with Justin Kemp turned the game at The Oval for Kent against Surrey. He was also splendid behind the stumps, taking one superb catch. Second is Darren Gough whose key wickets of Mustard, Collingwood and McKenzie against Durham put Yorkshire in charge. Third is James Benning, whose 106 at the top of the Surrey order defeated Middlesex. Fourth is David Hemp who put in two good performances for Glamorgan, his 95 at Taunton effectively setting up the game for the Dragons. Lastly, Yasir Arafat excelled in both of his matches for Kent, taking key early wickets and destroying the Surrey top order. Meanwhile, how can I not mention Ryan McLaren’s best bowling figures of 5-46 or Dewald Nel and John Blain, whose new ball bowling partnership did for Lancashire. Finally I must also give honourable mentions to Vikram Solanki, Chris Adams and Chris Benham, who all guided their sides to victory, remaining unbeaten with substantial scores at good run rates.

2008 Season Preview - Yorkshire

2007 in a nutshell:

Following the turmoil of the previous winter when Chris Adams joined and then left, Anthony McGrath left and then rejoined, and Jacques Rudolph came out of nowhere, the early season had a wonderful momentum to it and Yorkshire led the pack for much of the season. However, with the weather playing a part injuries forcing changes in an otherwise very settled team (eleven players played in ten games or more) at the end of the season, the team faded away. Still in with a shout of the title going into the last game, the eventual sixth place reflects how tight Division 1 was last season. In the shorter version of the game, Yorkshire somehow managed to get into the quarter finals of the 20:20, as Leicester had most of their games washed out. However, the One Day games were used more as a means of giving experience to the youngsters and resting older legs.

2008 prospects:

Both of the overseas players have gone and while both were good club men, neither had the impact that the team wanted. Jason Gillespie in particular was tight rather than threatening. However, with the position of Rana Naved still unclear as the overseas player, it may be down to the local talent to bowl teams out. Morne Morkel, who is touted to be the replacement if Naved doesn’t show up, isn’t anything like as threatening although he would undoubtedly strengthen the One Day side.

Chris Taylor has returned from Derbyshire, probably as a replacement for Craig White at the top of the order, who may concentrate on One Day cricket. However, it is the crop of youngsters coming through who will make or break the season for Yorkshire, with Andrew Gale, Adam Lyth, James Lee and Oliver Hannon Dalby looking to make their breakthrough this season.
Division 1 could be even tighter this year than last as Somerset and Notts look to be better teams than Warwicks and Worcester. However, I would still expect Yorks to be in the hunt on the last day of the season. In the one dayers, promotion may be a reasonable objective in the Pro 40.

Batting:

This is probably the strength of the team. Last year, of the eleven players who played in ten games or more, only Gough and Hoggard didn’t score a century. With Tim Bresnan batting at eight, there is a long line up, which will be looking to capitalise on the Boycottesque qualities of Joe Sayers at the top of the order. McGrath and Rudolph will be looking to score heavily again and the Kolpak in particular has the ability to take the attack to the opposition at this level. Adil Rashid and Gerard Brophy will swap places at 6 and 7 respectively, leaving the number 5 spot open to one of the emerging batsmen – with Andrew Gale likely to get the first opportunity, although Adam Lyth and Greg Wood will also be pushing for the place. Oh and there’s some bloke called Michael Vaughan who may want the occasional game.

Bowling:

England’s dropping of Matthew Hoggard means that he should start the season in a mood to prove the selectors wrong and itching to get his test place back. This should help to kick-start the pace attack which otherwise would be reliant on the aging legs of Darren Gough and the 23 year old veteran Tim Bresnan. The loss of Rana Naved would be a huge blow, with Morkel being nothing like as threatening with the ball. However, Ajmal Shazad showed promise in the matches he played and in James Lee and Oliver Hannon Dalby, there are two bowlers of immense promise looking to make their breakthrough.

Yorkshire have more strength on the spinning front, with the highly rated Adil Rashid looking to kick on again after a successful Lions tour, and David Wainwright and Mark Lawson waiting in the wings. A dry summer could mean Yorkshire taking to the field with more specialist spinners than seamers, a far cry from the steady pace attack that used to frequent Headingly.

Probable side:

Chris Taylor (Michael Vaughan when available)
Joe Sayers
Anthony McGrath
Jacques Rudolph
Andrew Gale
Adil Rashid
Gerard Brophy
Tim Bresnan
Morne Morkel
Darren Gough
Matthew Hoggard

Key Man

To win games, you need to take 20 wickets, so the key man has to be Adil Rashid. He topped the wicket takers last season with 40, despite the weather not being conducive to spin bowling. He was one of the few Lions to come out of the India trip in credit, out bowling Monty Panesar at times. He shouldn’t be needed by England this summer but should be looking to get the second spinners spot on the winter tour.

Rising Star

There are plenty of candidates for this including Greg Wood, the England U19 wicket keeper who is likely to be second in the pecking order should Brophy be injured. However, the rising star isn’t someone I have included him in my probable side, but the batsman likely to be the next in. Adam Lyth played for England U19 last season out scoring more established county players like Billy Godleman and Ben Wright, with a fluent century. He is highly rated at the club and should any of the top five struggle this season, he could make a big impact.

Captain and Coach

There’s not a lot to be said about the captain that hasn’t already been said. However, it is likely to be his last season and it would be unrealistic to expect him to play as much this year. Martyn Moxon was responsible for keeping Anthony McGrath at the club last winter and I’d expect a smooth transition from Gough to McGrath as the season progresses.

Yorkshire 2007 Season Review

After the surprising turnaround in fortunes last winter, from the depths of Chris Adams coming and going, Michael Lumb leaving and Antony McGrath trying to walk out, to the return of Darren Gough and Martyn Moxon persuading McGrath to stay and Jacques Rudolph to join, most Yorkshire fans were quietly optimistic about the new season. Certainly in Rudolph and Younus Khan, there was the potential for big runs from the middle order.

Also, with the strange set up to the English summer and the domination of the World Cup at the start of the season, Matthew Hoggard was available for a much greater chunk of Yorkshire’s games than he had been previously. This meant that the three main strike bowlers – Gough, Hoggard and Jason Gillespie could boast well over 700 test wickets between them. Backed up by England Lions tourists, Tim Bresnan and Adil Rashid, this looked to be a deep batting line-up and a useful bowling attack.

Indeed, consistency was a key to the season. In the Championship, eleven players played in at least ten of the matches, with only Hoggard and Gough not going on to make a century during the season. However, only Jacques Rudolph scored over 1000 runs for the season. Of the five main bowlers, all took more than 20, but no-one got more than 40. Therefore, while Yorkshire were missing a Ramprakash or Di Venuto with the bat, or a Gibson or Mushtaq with the ball, the effort was very much a team one and the make up of young talent (Joe Sayers, Rashid and Bresnan), old pros (Craig White, Gough and Gillespie) and established stars (McGrath, Younus, Rudolph and Hoggard) is a good mix to move the county onwards.

Overall, Yorkshire still finished in the same place as last year. However, the journey was very different and there is huge promise for next season

In the One Dayers, consistency certainly wasn’t the watch-word. Yorks didn’t threaten promotion in the Pro 40 nor look like qualifying from the Friends Provident. Reaching the quarter-finals of the 20:20 was a shock and probably more a feature of the weather.

Highlights of the season
Essentially the first half of the season showed Yorkshire playing to a successful formula. Joe Sayers, in particular, would set a platform for the more explosive middle order to build upon and with Bresnan coming in at 8, the team batted a long way down. This would then set the platform for bowling the opposition out twice. Starting by winning three of the first four championship matches, Yorkshire were comfortably top of the table, and stayed there or there abouts up to the penultimate week.

Low Point
The Champioship showdown with Sussex was a huge disappointment. The loss of form of Sayers and White, Younus and Gillespie being called back to International duty and Gough pulling out injured at the start of the game meant that much of the consistency had gone from the team. Inzamam looked to be a good replacement, but didn’t get to grips with the situation. Michael Vaughan seemed in holiday mode after a tough test series and even at the time, the selection of Imran Tahir made no sense to anyone. The only positive out of the game was another 50 for Andy Gale, who will have a bigger part to play in the team next season.

Player Ratings
Joe Sayers - a breakthrough season for the Limpet. Reminiscent in so many ways of Geoff Boycott, he was the platform around whom the rest of the batsmen played. His aim now has to be to do it for the whole season 7

Craig White – Once a bowling all-rounder, now an opening batsman. Next season is likely to be Chalky’s last and he will probably see less and less action in the Championship. A great servant over the years, but a poor season by his standards 5

Antony McGrath – From want-away to vice-captain, a fine season after a slow start, although Mags will be disappointed at just missing out on 1000 runs 6

Younus Khan – The big scores were expected, the leg-spin bowling wasn’t. Almost single-handedly forced a win against Sussex at the start of the season which would have had a huge impact at the end. A real team man who seems rejuvenated by his season if his recent performances for Pakistan are anything to go by 7

Jacques Rudolph – A controversial signing, but just the type of Kolpak player that should be coming over as he raised the standard of those around him. Solid if not spectacular, he was the stand out one-day player as well as top scoring in the Championship 8

Gerard Brophy – A huge improvement after a disappointing 2006. Useful runs and solid behing the stumps. Also an effective pinch-hitter in the limited over stuff 6

Adil Rashid – Following his break-though with the ball last season, this year he showed he could bat as well, scoring nearly 800 runs and still finished up as the leading wicket taker. His bowling tailed off as pitches became less spin friendly following the rains, and the emergence of Graeme Swann should put back any international call-ups for the time being. However, it was another season than showed more than just promise. 8

Tim Bresnan – Over 500 runs at nearly 40 with the bat plus a century for the England Lions and 34 wickets at 32 with the ball adds up to another excellent season for Brez, who despite having been around for ages is still only 22. On the fringes of the England One Day squad, next season could be a big one for him 7

Jason Gillespie –He created a lot of pressure for his fellow bowlers but only 23 wickets during the season is a disappointing return for the overseas bowler 5

Matthew Hoggard – Started the season like a train and was a big factor in Yorkshire’s flying start to the season. Less effective when he returned after teh test matches, he's still England’s best bowler and good to have around when fit and firing. 6

Darren Gough – The expectations were for the occasional glory day, plenty of missed matches and reminiscence about how good he was first time round. In reality, he took two 6-fers and 37 wickets at just 23, while only missing two games. His captaincy was almost as good as he said it would be and he has to take a lot of credit for turning the club around 7

The Others
Michael Vaughan played in 6 matches, but was a waste of a place after the test series had finished, when he probably needed to rest.
Deon Kruis played when Hoggy didn’t and only managed 8 wickets in 6 matches
Amjad Shahzad was the next quick bowler in an turned in some promising performances. He is likely to feature more next season
Andy Gale played five games but was a One Day regular. Again he’s likey to feature more next season, with his fifty against Sussex showing what we can expect.


Player of the Season
Tricky. As I said at the top, it’s currently a team without stars and the contribution came from everyone. Runner up is Jacques Rudolph, who showed that there would be runs without Darren Lehman. However, the winner is Adil Rashid for his all round effort.

Who should England pick for Twenty20?

With the Twenty20 World Cup looming in September, it is time England assemble a strategy to win the tournament. Considering the amount of domestic Twenty20 played, England should be genuine contenders for tournament victory – but not if they dogmatically insist on playing an identical side to the one utilised on one-day internationals.

Here is the side they should pick:

Marcus Trescothick
The powerful left-hander has long since proved himself a superb international player, and has a game perfectly suited to Twenty20; indeed, he averages 55 in the three international games he has played to date.

Mal Loye
Mastered the art of the slog sweep off quick bowlers, an idiosyncratic shot which infuriates bowlers and has been extremely effective, even during his brief ODI career. Loye’s aggressive, fearless style has worked terrifically well to date in this form of the game.

Darren Maddy
Dubbed "Mr Twenty20" by David Lloyd, Maddy was the key man in Leicestershire’s two Twenty20 triumphs, opening the innings to great effect and scoring a match-winning 86* in last year’s final.

Kevin Pietersen
The world’s best ODI batsman is a must pick if England choose to treat the game with the respect it deserves.

Paul Collingwood (captain)
Collingwood is seen as a nudger and nurdler but, as he showed with a 26-ball 46 in the Twenty20 game against Australia in 2005, is very adept at improvising to hit boundaries. He also possesses an ice-cool temperament and his accurate medium-pace bowling has much Twenty20 potential – his 4-22 against Sri Lanka are the best international figures in this form of the game.

Andrew Flintoff
An extremely destructive hitter when his mind is uncluttered, Flintoff’s accurate and fast bowling would surely prove very effective in Twenty20.

Paul Nixon (wicket-keeper)
Matt Prior has done terrifically in Test cricket and is a big hitter but, at the death in the claustrophobic environment of Twenty20, Nixon, with his resilience under pressure and penchant for the reverse-sweep, is an ideal man to have coming in – and his relentless sledging could also be worth a few wickets.

Ian Blackwell
Monty Panesar could prove too predictable in Twenty20 cricket, but Blackwell has fared well with bat and ball in this form of the game. His excellent ODI economy rate – 4.27 – suggests he could tie top quality batsmen down; regulars at Tauntan know he has copious destructive batting potential.

Mark Ealham
Snigger if you must but Ealham’s brand of frugal medium-pace bowling and uncultured hitting have earned extraordinary success in Twenty 20: his strike-rate is a phenomenal 174; his economy rate a mightily impressive 6.8.

Darren Gough
Gough was never granted a satisfactory international farewell but, in Twenty20 cricket, his love of the big stage, fantastic yorker and late-order biffing are deserving of one final international crack – remember he claimed 3-16 against Australia in 2005.

Stuart Broad
Broad revealed his big-match temperament with some sterling exploits in Leicestershire’s Twenty20 triumph last season, taking 3-13 off four brilliant overs against Kent in the quartr-final. An immensely promising quick, he can also bat reasonably well.

Other squad members:
Owais Shah
Shah has done disappointingly for England in ODIs, but he is a richly talented player whose unorthodoxy and flair have come good in Twenty20 - he averages 35 and has a strike-rate of 147.

Ravi Bopara
A Collingwood clone, albeit more obviously talented, Bopara had an excellent World Cup and, despite a modest Twenty20 record, is well suited to this format of the game.

Jeremy Snape
Snape’s nerve and willingness to bowl extraordinarily slow balls - known as 'moonballs' - have served him brilliantly in Twenty20; he has captained Leicestershire to their two titles and also averaged 25 with the bat.

Ryan Sidebottom
Sidebottom brings variety, in that he is a left-armer, control and the crucial ability to swing the white ball. These have certainly stood him in excellent stead in the helter-skelter of Twenty20: his economy rate is an exceptional 6.6.

If Trescothick were unavailable, Shah would replace him - he would bat at three and Maddy would open.

If Flintoff were unavailable, Snape or Bopara would replace him.

On the periphery: Mark Ramprakash, James Hildreth, Matt Prior, Michael Yardy, Dimi Mascarenhas, Monty Panesar

Darren Gough

As the 2007 county season approaches, we will be compiling a list of six men to watch; not necessarily the finest players, but those with particularly significant and interesting seasons ahead.

Darren Gough (Yorkshire)
Many people expected Darren Gough to retire when, for all his bravado, he was – probably correctly – omitted from England’s World Cup squad. He stalled on a contract offer from Essex before – incredibly – being named new Yorkshire skipper.

With Jacques Rudoph’s signing confirmed and Anthony McGrath opting to stay, Yorkshire, after a highly tumultuous winter, were suddenly all smiles. The failings – and desperation - of appointing a 36-year-old with a suspect knee were badly remarked upon. In reality, Gough will do very well to play in 10 of Yorkshire Championship matches, so either McGrath (who originally rejected the job) or Younis Khan will have to fill-in regularly.

What Gough does have to offer, though, is an infectious love of cricket – particularly Yorkshire cricket – which will be very welcome after a turbulent few seasons. If he can inject a genuine sense of enjoyment and camaraderie, a very talented side should avoid the profound relegation concerns of last season.

As a captain, Gough will surely be instinctive and attacking, for that is how he has always played the game. He has a cannier cricket brain than he lets on, and has vast experience of the county game. But for him to be a success it is essential that his bowling leads by example; if not, his waning on-field powers could undermine his captaincy.

2007 Yorkshire Preview

Kirkstall Lane Enders – An everyday story of Yorkshire cricket folk

The story so far
It’s the start of the 2006 season, and Yorkshire are fresh from their promotion of 2005 and ready to start the new season in League 1. However, rumours of unrest abound at the club and one of those leaving is former England pace bowler, Chris Silverwood, to Middlesex. His departure, following the loss of Ryan Sidebottom (to Notts), Darren Gough (to Essex) and Steve Kirby (to Gloucestershire) leaves the club low on pace bowlers. Jason Gillespie is in as an overseas player, and it is hoped that he can replicate his old form, rather than that which we saw in the 2005 Ashes series.

The season starts inauspiciously, with a rain affected draw at Trent Bridge. However, the Notts total of over 400 for 8 is an indication of the struggle to bowl teams out. The frailties in the bowling are matched by those at the top of the order, where Joe Sayers, Matt Wood and Michael Lumb are in appalling form together. The team is thus heavily reliant on Anthony McGrath and Darren Lehmann for runs. The situation is perfectly summed up by the Hants game, where on the back of a McGrath century and a great all round performance by Tim Bresnan in the first innings, we set them over 400 to win, which they never look like not getting, losing only five wickets in the process.

Chris Silverwood then inspires a Middlesex victory, we lose by an innings to Sussex and we’re at the 20:20 stage of the season, rock bottom and we still haven’t taken twenty wickets in a match. All of a sudden, some form is found. We qualify for the 20:20 quarter finals and some confidence is taken from some strong performances. Of particular note is Gerard Brophy, our wicket-keeping pinch hitter, scoring 57 from 18 balls (13 fours) on TV against Derbyshire. Sadly the rain won that one.

The second half of the season begins with Lehmann injured but our first win (at Durham) with Gillespie (finally) and Bresnan both in the wickets and McGrath holding the batting together. Then we see the introduction of possibly the most promising spinner to come out of Yorkshire since Hedley Verity – Adil Rashid. Completely overshadowing Andrew Gale’s maiden century, Rashid ran through the Warwickshire second innings, taking a 6-fer as we won by an innings. Missing the next game, at Hampshire, (on England U19 duty taking an 8-fer and scoring a hundred in the process), his place is taken by another leggie, Mark Lawson, who also obliges with a 6-fer. However, despite Lumb’s ton, Hampshire win comfortably.

Two rain affected draws follow and we’re into the last three games of the season. Still in the relegation zone, we’ve got the three teams who are down there with us to play – Middlesex, Notts and Durham. Silverwood again inspires Middlesex, but Rashid and Lawson take all ten in their second innings, leaving Yorkshire needing 235 on the last day to win with all wickets standing – and it promptly rains all day. However, this result is more of a blow to Middlesex as they end up being relegated.

The game against Notts is the turning point. A White century and Rashid and Lawson getting 14 wickets in the match a win takes us out of the relegation zone and means we only need 10 points against Durham to survive. This is achieved largely through Darren Lehman’s amazing 339 in a total of 677 and then reducing Durham to 191 for 6. The job is done, the foot comes off the gas and Blenkenstein and Gibson put on over 300 for the next wicket, saving Durham and condemning Notts.

The off-season
Just when we thought the season itself was traumatic, the winter begins very badly. Player of the season by a country mile, Darren Lehmann has already announced that he is leaving, and he is followed by the underachieving Michael Lumb (to Hampshire) Also Craig White announces that he doesn’t want to captain the team any more.

Chris Adams is then unveiled as the new Director of Cricket, Coach and Captain, leaving previous coach David Byas to wonder what he is doing there. Byas eventually leaves, but so does Adams, when he realises that Yorkshire is a bit colder than Sussex (or something). Anthony McGrath then announces that he has no intention of ever playing for Yorkshire again. Yorkshire remind him that he’s under contract and the whole thing gets messy.

Into the breach rides the new Chief Executive, Stewart Regan. Not being a huge cricket fan when he started the job, he decided to talk to someone who does know a bit about Yorkshire cricket, and Geoffrey Boycott persuades Younus Khan to come over as the overseas player. His next coup was even greater as Jacques Rudolph decided to give up on South Africa for the next three years and signed as a Kolpak player. Darren Gough was then persuaded back as captain and Anthony McGrath decided that this is a team he can play in again. The final pieces in the jigsaw were the return of Martyn Moxon from Durham as coach and the promotion of Ian Dews from developing the best group of young players we’ve had for quite some time to Head of Cricket Operations.

Prospects for 2007
When I first wrote this in January, I was worried whether we’d get a team out and we were dertainties for relegation. Now it looks like we could be challenging for honours. The team for the first match will be along the lines of:

Craig White
Joe Sayers
Younus Khan – now they’re out of the World Cup
Anthony McGrath
Jacques Rudolph
Adil Rashid
Tim Bresnan
Gerard Brophy
Darren Gough
Jason Gillespie
Matthew Hoggard

which leaves Deon Kruis, Mark Lawson, Andy Gale, Matthew Wood and Simon Guy as cover. Plus some bloke called Vaughan, should he ever get the chance to play for us again.

To my mind, that should be a batting line up to match any in the division, and a bowling attack that has over 700 test wickets between them.

Key Man
Younus and Rudolph have big shoes to fill in replacing the 1700 runs that Lehmann scored. However, the key man is likely to be Tim Bresnan. He tasted the international scene last season, in the chastening series defeat to Sri Lanka, where he did no worse than most. If he wants to maintain that presence in the build up to the next World Cup, he needs a big season with bat and ball. Despite only being 22, he’s been around for years and now needs to kick on.

Rising Star
Jason Gillespie gave an interview saying that it would be wrong to put any pressure on him, but Adil Rashid is the best young cricketer in England. No pressure then!

Rashid is probably the most promising leggie onto the England scene for some time, and his performances with the bat show that he is a genuine all-rounder. However, he needs to be carefully handled to make sure he doesn’t go the same way as Chris Schofield. He toured with England A, but with the success of Monty Panesar in the England team as a genuine attacking spinner, there shouldn’t be the need to rush him further. A season of consolidation will do nicely.

Captain and Coach
Two true Yorkshire legends. Barnsley boys and old friends, Moxon and Gough have already turned the mood of the club round just by turning up. Moxon has a great track record with Durham. Gough should help us to be more competitive in the One Day game and should also be an inspiration to the raft of young fast bowlers who are looking to make the breakthrough. Strangely, and I didn't think I'd be writing this at the start of the year, the future looks bright.

The Ones Who Got Away

Consistent and planned are not two words that could ever be used to describe England’s One Day selection, which is strange considering the success that approach has had with the test team. Since England’s last trip to the West Indies just three winters ago, around 40 players have donned the blue pyjamas. This is the squad of fifteen that didn’t make it.

Marcus Trescothick – By far and away the biggest loss to the World Cup squad. A shoe-in for England’s best One Day team of all time. 12 hundreds and an average of nearly 40 at an astonishing strike rate of 85 per hundred balls. Without his stress related illness, the debate over Mal Loye would be superfluous. With his stress related illness, England’s task has become much harder.

Matt Prior – Included as a batsman, because that’s how he’s played most of his International cricket. A destructive batsman for Sussex, he couldn’t bring that form to the International arena failing to pass 50 in 12 attempts. Still in the frame when the wicket-keeping position is discussed and it would be a surprise if he isn’t given another chance.

Vikram Solanki – Here’s an odd one. Over fifty games for England without ever looking like a regular. Even his two centuries (only Pietersen, Flintoff and now Collingwood have more in the current squad) only ever hinted at what might be rather than looking like the catalyst for a real breakthrough. Admittedly he wasn’t helped by the ill-fated substitute rule, or batting at anywhere from 1 to 9 is a terrible batting line up, but a measure of how far his star has fallen is that no-one even considered him in contention for the World Cup.

Anthony McGrath – Also never in contention for the World Cup, and some would wonder why he played for England at all. Fourteen ODIs (and that’s 14 more than Mark Butcher) with an average of 16 and a strike rate of less than 50, his debut performance of 33 runs in 75 balls should have been a giveaway. As an “all-rounder” he bowled less than 3 overs per match.

Owais Shah – Made a promising ODI debut in 2001, and has played just 17 matches since. Badly used by England after his debut, his perceived lack of ability in the field may have counted against him during the Fletcher years. Still scoring healthily for Middlesex.

Michael Yardy – Genuine all-rounder as no-one really knew if he was a batsman or a bowler. The figures would suggest the latter, despite him batting at number 4. English conditions suited his bowling. However, subcontinent and the Champions trophy didn’t and off he went.

Rikki Clarke – A two ball duck in his debut, a golden duck in his last game, England have tried and tried to convince that Rikki Clarke is the answer to our one day problems. A bit like Yardy in that no-one really knows if he’s principally a batsman or a bowler, and with a batting average of 11 (strike rate just 62) and bowling average of 37 (economy over 5) he’s not good enough at either discipline.

Alex Loudon – Selected for the ODI squad in 2006 possibly because he can bowl a doosra, he played one game, was run out without scoring and bowled six overs going for a run a ball (reasonable in the context of the game, but crucially not as good as Jamie Dalrymple). By the end of the 2006 season, he was struggling to stay in the Warwickshire team.

Chris Read – The man who murdered Duncan Fletcher’s favourite dog. Surely that is the only explanation for his treatment at the hands of the England selectors over the past few years. A contender for best wicket-keeper in world cricket and an unorthodox batsman. His best series was in the WI last time England toured with two cameos of 20+ to see England home.

Geraint Jones – It all started so well. Brought in on the back of his superior batting, he started at 3 in the batting line up and was also used as a pinch hitting opener. However, he eventually found his place at 7 and when his Test match form became untenable even for Duncan Fletcher, he disappeared from the One Day scene as well.

Tim Bresnan – Injuries cost him his chance to come back from the debacle of the Sri Lanka series and at still only 21 (despite having been in the Yorkshire team for 5 years) he should get more chances. Currently scoring and conceding runs at over one a ball in International cricket.

Steve Harmison – England’s best ODI bowler for a number of years, he seems to have been more mentally scarred than most following the Sri Lankan demolition of last year. The three-fors in the first two matches were forgotten with the 0-97 in the final game. Confidence gone, Harmison retired from ODI cricket after the Champions trophy a pale shadow of the match winning bowler seen two years previously.

Kabir Ali – A promising start away to South Africa where he played in all seven matches of the 04/05 series taking 13 wickets, he was then dropped for a year. Always expensive, the latest nail in his international coffin came at the hands of the Sri Lankans. Six overs for 72 runs and back to Worcestershire.

Alex Wharf – Another wonderful example of England’s selection policy. A regular for 6 months two years ago, he played 13 matches in five months, taking 18 wickets at an economy of just over four…..and hasn’t been seen again since.

Darren Gough – No shortage of self-belief and England’s leading ODI wicket taker. Despite lobbying and the support of Graham Gooch, Dazzler’s dream of one more World Cup didn’t come true. Last seen playing beach cricket, a career in show business beckons.

Do England still need Darren Gough?

It is undoubtedly true that Darren Gough is his own biggest fan. But the ODI series against Sri Lanka illustrated the inadequacy of those playing instead of him. Liam Plunkett, Tim Bresnan, Kabir Ali and Sajid Mahmood played 14 games between them; each went for over 7 an over.

Of course, the causes of the first three names were aided by their supposed batting prowess, and Duncan Fletcher’s desperation for numbers eight and nine to be capable batsman.

However, Gough could be the bowling all-rounder England are looking for. He was once considered an adequate test number eight; he made two half exhilarating half centuries in his first 10 tests. Yet, thereafter, his batting subsided. Indeed, the abiding image of Gough the batsman is selfishly slogging to leg and walking off with an enormous grin on his face.

But the Yorkshireman has been transformed as a batsman. He has averaged 57 in the Championship this year, including two fifties. In one-day cricket, meanwhile, Gough has enjoyed success as a pinch-hitting number three.

While his batting has surely convinced the selectors that he is good enough to bat at number nine – or eight at a push – it is his bowling that will ultimately decide his fate. Gough has done well in the Championship, averaging 28. He was somewhat disappointing in the C & G Trophy; but in the Pro40 competition, he has played three games and taken seven wickets at just nine.

His inclusion in the 30-man squad for the Champions Trophy was no surprise, in that he is undoubtedly amongst the best 30 one-day players in England. But it suggested that Duncan Fletcher has forgiven Gough’s decision to go onto Strictly Come Dancing rather than tour with England in Pakistan, and may now be willing to recall him.

Although he has done very well with the new ball in limited overs cricket for Essex, Gough was seldom able to take wickets with it during his last spell in the side. But his nous and skill at the death was still apparent. If he is to play again, he will surely be required to bowl during the middle of the innings and at its end.

Gough is a bubbly and enormously self-confident character. He would bring great experience to the side and could prove a terrific asset to the side until the end of the World Cup; equally, others could learn much from both his skill and temperament. However his constant grumbling over not being selected does raise a vital question. Namely, could he handle being a ‘squad player’, something he has never been for England? Would Gough moan – and perhaps damage team morale – if he wasn’t selected?

The bowler’s current murmurings of discontent are surely partly justified, in that many of the men selected above him are palpably not international class. Yet, though he may well merit a squad place, we must not fall into the trap of believing the 35-year-old is the answer to all of England’s one-day woes. For his displays last summer against Australia were very disappointing indeed.

Even so, Darren Gough is well worth a recall. It should be clear within a few games whether or not he still has something to offer; and it would be prudent to make those games against Pakistan so, if nothing else, England can eliminate him from their World Cup plans. What England do not want to do is continue experimenting with youngsters, in the hope they will prove up to the task, then return to Gough come the World Cup. Having reinvented himself as a bowling all-rounder, the talismanic figure could yet have a glorious swansong and further illustrate the mediocrity of many of those selected ahead of him.