Continuing our season reviews, here is an assesment of Northants's campaign.
Championship Division Two - 4th
FP Trophy - 3rd, Midlands Division
Twenty20 Cup - Quarter Finalists
Pro40 Division Two - 9th
If it could have gone wrong for Northamptonshire in 2008, it probably did, as a season that began with high hopes ended in typically desultory fashion, as they failed to win a game in any competition over the final 67 days of the season. Rumours of dissension in the dressing room (rumours that allegedly came with a strong Afrikaans accent) didn’t help as Pretoria-upon-Nene endured another barren season.
If no one could understand what they were saying in the dressing room, it was hardly surprising as there were times when I couldn’t understand what they were doing on the pitch or in terms of team selection.
The County didn’t always help themselves on the field (notably with the suicidal decision to bowl first in the final game of the season, as Middlesex closed the day on 291-1, and a succession of top order collapses) but they were set on the back foot by the ECB’s initial decision to block the registration of Andrew Hall and Johannes van der Wath, found themselves dogged by bad weather and saw their best hope of silverware in years disappear with the toss of the coin under the Chelmsford lights.
Northants began the season in typical style by losing their first two Championship games. In Hall and van der Wath’s absence, they were forced to scramble for an overseas player and came up with Johan Louw, a player who we didn’t really need and one we certainly didn’t need when Hall and van der Wath were finally cleared to play. However, we were stuck with him and ultimately the ECB’s desperation to appease their Indian paymasters cost Northants a lot of money that they could ill afford, a move that will have a long-term impact on the club’s budget.
Promotion in the Championship was always liable to be beyond Northants’ reach but they ultimately sustained a promotion challenge until the penultimate game thanks to a 13-game unbeaten streak. The weather compromised a number of promising positions but an inability to take wickets ultimately cost them. However, all things considered it wasn’t a bad effort although it may be hard to improve upon next season in a division containing Kent, Surrey, Middlesex and Essex.
The chance of glory in the Friends Provident was dashed by a combination of bad luck (Hall and van der Wath’s arrival was delayed by red tape – thanks a bunch Giles Clarke – while Northants finished with more points than two of the eight teams that advanced to the quarter finals) and a rotten performance against Leicestershire on a glorious day where four of the County’s top five amassed 12 runs between them.
The Twenty/20 was there to be won. They started brilliantly, winning four games in a row, and then went off the boil in spectacular fashion, limping into the quarter finals and being drawn away against Essex. Whether the conditions that night were suitable for play is a moot point. Essex won the toss and effectively the match. Although the Eagles played much the better cricket on the day, Northamptonshire’s fate was sealed at the toss – a throwback to the bad old days of September cup finals at Lord’s.
The less said about the Pro 40 the better. Northants lost all six games they played (if the weather had not washed out the game with Kent, the Spitfires would doubtless have won and would have qualified for the playoff ahead of Glamorgan) and were frankly abysmal. Riki Wessels and David Sales provided the lone pockets of resistance in a succession of abject performances as the bowlers captured just 31 of a potential 60 wickets and none of the regular top three managed to average 20 with the bat. The whole thing was a fiasco with Northamptonshire invariably giving the impression that as the ECB had decided to scrap the competition after 2009, there was no point taking it seriously.
At times the batting was brilliant. David Sales, Rob White and Lance Klusener all topped 1,000 runs in the Championship – White enjoyed a breakthrough season after years of frustration – while Niall O’Brien, Stephen Peters and latterly Riki Wessles all scored heavily. O’Brien did a great job after stepping into the opener’s role while Wessels was arguably the County’s most exciting player over the second half of the season. He is still only 22 with the ability to make it to the top. It may be a tad ambitious to predict that a player who spent time in the second team this season could yet play for England after his father, Kepler, played for South Africa and Australia but he has enormous talent.
At other times the batting was abysmal. The old Northamptonshire adage of playing crap shots to crap balls and getting out in crap fashion lives on with White and Wessels as guilty as anyone and there were times when the theory that one wicket brings two was replaced by the Northamptonshire mantra of one brings four.
The fielding was hardly brilliant (there is a place in my nightmares for Sales throwing the ball in from the deep midwicket boundary at The Oval, whereupon Jason Brown sidestepped the ball and White and Nicky Boje dived in each other’s way and allowed it to speed on unhindered to the cover boundary) but the bowling was the area where Northants really fell short.
With the exception of van der Wath in the Championship and Hall in the Twenty/20, the bowlers’ performances fluctuated between iffy and abysmal. David Lucas tried his best and had some success while David Wigley also tried hard but their limitations were clear for all to see. Despite that they both earned new two-year deals.
Hall invariably looked overweight but found the stamina to get through four-over spells in the Twenty/20 while van der Wath was lethal at times. Louw was rubbish – at one stage he was omitted in favour of Wigley – and Klusener’s days as a bowler were clearly over, a fact that made his release easier to understand and deal with.
The spinners disappointed. Boje took 33 wickets and was the pick of the bunch but Panesar did little when he was available (18 wickets in seven games, including 7 in the final match of the season) and Jason Brown was hopeless, claiming just 9 Championship scalps at a cost of almost 80 runs each, a damning statistic that led to his release.
The fact that Northamptonshire claimed the second highest tally of batting points in the country and ranked dead last in the bowling points stakes offers clear testimony as to where the flaws lay at Wantage Road in 2008.
There is hope for the future with Sales, White and Wessels developing into a potent middle order and if Wessels kicks on next year he will replace the departed Klusener’s runs. Seam bowling reinforcements are desperately needed and an overseas pace bowler to partner van der Wath is a priority. The County has purged some of the dead wood from the ranks – retaining Wigley was presumably cheaper than buying a new bowling machine for the nets – and with a little luck and a couple of shrewd signings, next year might just be the year...
Player of the season: Still not sure about this one. Sales and Klusener were typically effective while O’Brien had as good a season as he could have done considering he started off the season uncertain of his place in the team. Rob White finally strung together a season’s worth of decent performances and scored 1,000 runs for the first time while Wessels lit up the skies with some superb hitting in the second half of the season and van der Wath and Hall had their moments. On the grounds that O’Brien was the official County Player of the Year and I can’t bring myself to agree with much that they do, I’ll nominate White for the award.
Most disappointing player: A toss up between Johan Louw and Monty Panesar. A desperation signing after the ECB initially blocked Hall and van der Wath’s registration, Louw did nothing to justify his status as an overseas player and proved to be a total waste of money who couldn’t even get in the side every game. Panesar did little more than upset the balance of the team when he played and was a pale shadow of his former self.
Highlight: The announcement that Sales had signed a new four-year contract and would be staying at Wantage Road was probably as good as it got (thereby ensuring we kept our best player and dashed Ashley Giles’ hopes of signing him into the bargain) although the news of Richard Logan’s release was also good news. On the pitch Rob White’s century to set up victory over Warwickshire in the FPT was pretty impressive as was making it four wins in a row to start the Twenty/20 campaign.
Lowlight: How long have you got? Collapsing to 61-9 in the next 20 over game, getting bombed out for 61 at Southend in the Pro 40, losing the toss and the game in the Twenty/20 at Chelmsford and having to bat in the rain under lights (admittedly we made certain of defeat with a fairly arse performance but in all honesty Australia would have struggled), failing to win a game since July 22, coming bottom of the Pro 40 and losing all six games we played....
Get the idea?
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Showing posts with label Northants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Northants. Show all posts
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Thursday, 11 September 2008
Klusener... Don't Look Back In Anger
Northamptonshire’s decision to part company with star all-rounder Lance Klusener has been greeted with disbelief and derision in certain quarters. The standard view appears to be that the County has made a serious error in electing not to extend the contract of the 37-year old former South African international.However, considering the level of financial investment it would have taken to retain Klusener’s services, a new contract would have been a serious risk for a County that is at a huge financial disadvantage to the likes of Lancashire, Surrey and Hampshire.
In his study of Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics – the number one bestseller Moneyball – Michael Lewis highlighted the merits of the system employed by the visionary general manager, Billy Beane. Beane essentially refused to pay the going rate for big names and transformed a team with one of the smallest payrolls in the sport into a perennial World Series contender. Beane ignored reputations and concentrated on recruiting players who had been discarded by other teams and building a competitive team without superstars on a shoestring. Beane concentrated on players who delivered in the clutch – coming to their side’s rescue in crucial moments and coming through when it mattered most.Although baseball is a more statistically-driven sport than cricket, there are similarities to the situation that Northamptonshire find themselves in comparison to Oakland. Neither are big players in the player-movement market.
The golden days when Northamptonshire could trump all bidders for the likes of Greg Thomas, Kevin Curran and even Devon Malcolm are long gone. Fiscal realities mean that they find themselves in a position where they are required to maximise every pound they spend on player salaries.
At first glance, the decision to release Klusener looks a mistake. After all, he has scored 1,000 first class runs in each of his three seasons at Wantage Road. He has registered 10 centuries, including a maiden double-hundred against Glamorgan at the end of last month, a performance that hardly suggests his powers are on the wane despite the fact he has recently turned 37. Additionally he retains the reputation as one of the most lethal hitters in world cricket.
However, it is pertinent to ask whether or not Northamptonshire have received a suitable reward on their investment. Without access to the official payroll, it is necessary to apply a certain amount of speculative guesswork to where Klusener’s total financial package sits in comparison with others. However, as an international player of great renown and a player who can hardly have found himself short of suitors, it seems reasonable to suggest that he is on better terms than all but David Sales. He is certainly being paid top dollar for his performances – top dollar for an all-rounder’s performances.
Klusener was signed as an all-rounder, not as a batsman. If a Kolpak batsman had been the priority, Northamptonshire would have presumably targeted such a player, specifically one who would have been able to bolster a relatively weak top order. His batting powers may remain intact but age and injury have restricted his bowling and while he may remain a fine batsman, he is singularly not the bowler he once was. His fielding has never been his finest attribute and at times his running between the wickets has been little short of lamentable.
So has he earned that money by turning in a series of match-defining performances, transforming the County’s fortunes in the blink of an eye with a match-winning spell with the ball or a crucial innings with the game on the line?The answer, brutally, is no.During Klusener’s three-year tenure with Northamptonshire, the County has won 37 games in all formats of the game, securing 11 victories in the Championship, 13 in the Twenty/20 and 13 List A triumphs.
Let us first consider the Championship where Klusener has been arguably Northamptonshire’s most reliable performer aside from Sales. In 2006 – they year when he scored six centuries and was apparently at his peak – Northamptonshire won three games. Klusener scored centuries in two of those games. However, the platform for the victory over Somerset was initially provided by Bilal Shafayat (101) and Sales (88) and clinched by Jason Brown and Monty Panesar who both claimed five wickets in an innings. Klusener’s 131 did hurry Glamorgan towards defeat but Panesar’s nine wickets in the match were arguably more important.
In 2007 the County won five Championship matches, essentially by relying on strong team performances. Stephen Peters, Steven Crook, Nicky Boje, Niall O’Brien, Johan Van der Wath, Panesar and Sales all produced individual performances that were superior to anything that Klusener managed. He did take five wickets in the win over Glamorgan but that triumph had been set up by excellent batting from Peters, Sales and Rob White.In 2008 Northamptonshire have won three matches (to date).
Klusener was absent for the first, scored 0 and 10* in the second and despite scoring 65 in the third was overshadowed by a stunning century from Sales that thwarted Leicestershire’s bowlers in distinctly unfriendly conditions for batting.Klusener may have scored consistently in the Championship but he has not proved to be a difference-maker in leading Northamptonshire to wins against the odds. He may have been the difference between defeat and a draw on occasion, but ultimately he has not been able to swing games in the County’s favours.Surely the statistics will be weighted more favourably in Klusener’s favour when we consider the shorter formats of the game.
Unfortunately that is not the case. Although Klusener has produced some brilliant performances in limited overs cricket for the county they have not counted for much – for example consider his unbeaten 111 in a losing cause against Worcestershire in the Twenty/20 in 2007. Astonishingly, Klusener has not played a central part in any of Northamptonshire’s 13 Twenty/20 victories, a fact that is perhaps emphasised by his bit-part role in this year’s competition, where he was increasingly marginalised almost as an “In case of Emergency Break Glass” type of player.
The names that come up most frequently when studying Northamptonshire’s success in the Twenty/20 format are Sales (by a mile), followed by White and this year O’Brien and Andrew Hall. In Northamptonshire’s six victories in 2008, Klusener batted just four times and reached double figures once.Despite finishing second in the Pro 40 in 2006, few could argue that Northamptonshire have come anywhere close to fulfilling their potential in one day games during Klusener’s time at Wantage Road. They have won just 13 times (three of those victories have been against Scotland and Ireland) and Klusener has produced a solitary defining moment, scoring 45 and claiming 5-33 to secure victory over Middlesex on the final day of the season in 2006, a performance that admittedly helped the County claim the runners-up spot.
However, the seven wins that the County have achieved in the past two seasons have all been secured primarily through the efforts of other players. Klusener has played little more than a bit-part role in any of those successes – he has certainly not commanded centre stage and shattered opponents single-handed.Consequently the decision not to extend Klusener’s contract was emphatically the right one. There is no disputing the fact that he has been a fine player for the county or that he could produce another 1,000-run season in 2009. The point is that he is not the player he was and for one reason or another he has failed to consistently deliver a series of match-winning performances.
Ultimately, despite providing a certain amount of box office appeal and producing some prodigious displays with the bat, Klusener has not done enough to help Northamptonshire defy the odds and win games; consequently has not given them full return on their investment. That may be a harsh assessment on a fine career at Wantage Road but ultimately it proves the wisdom of not retaining the services of a once-great player when the numbers no longer stack up.
Friday, 29 August 2008
Spin On, Monty
Years ago, whenever A.J. Lamb finally fell foul of the England selectors and was sent back to Northamptonshire for one of his temporary periods of exile, he took out his frustrations on a hapless succession of county attacks, racking up the runs and inspiring the county to greater things.
These days, whenever we get Monty Panesar back from England duty, we get a disinterested spin bowler who barely seems capable of turning one off crazy paving, let alone carving through batting orders. Panesar is at the age (26) where his batting and fielding are clearly not going to get any better - the former is pathetic while the latter is stunningly incompetent and defies belief that any international athlete could be so uncoordinated; he would not look out of place at the Special Olympics.
Panesar is reportedly undecided about committing his future to the county. Whether Northants still need him is a moot point because - apart from his marketing value - what does Panesar offer the team?
Prior to the game with Glamorgan he had taken four wickets in four games - all of which had come in the same innings. He is a one-dimensional cricketer who offers little in limited over games (had we not been forced to select him against Leicestershire in the Friends Provident Trophy as part of a three-pronged spin attack we might have fared better) and is at the stage where he appears to be going backwards. As Shane Warne noted, Panesar has not played 33 test matches - he's played the same match 33 times.
Panesar has reportedly been offered the most lucrative contract for a bowler ever at Wantage Road and it's hard to see what he's done to justify it. When was the last time he won a game for the county?
He might not be in terminal decline but he's hardly developing into a lethal weapon. Adil Rashid is on the rise and Panesar's place in England's plans may soon be in jeopardy - if he fails to secure the second spinner's berth for the one day series in India his limited overs career may essentially be over at the highest level.
Do Northants really need to break the bank for a one-dimensional prima donna who now seems to regard playing for the county as somewhat beneath him? Perhaps it would be in everyone's interests if Monty decamped to Edgbaston where he could learn at the feet of his illustrious predecessor in the England side, the Great Gilo, and be schooled in the arts of left arm spin.
Personally, if Panesar goes, I won't be missing him at all.
These days, whenever we get Monty Panesar back from England duty, we get a disinterested spin bowler who barely seems capable of turning one off crazy paving, let alone carving through batting orders. Panesar is at the age (26) where his batting and fielding are clearly not going to get any better - the former is pathetic while the latter is stunningly incompetent and defies belief that any international athlete could be so uncoordinated; he would not look out of place at the Special Olympics.
Panesar is reportedly undecided about committing his future to the county. Whether Northants still need him is a moot point because - apart from his marketing value - what does Panesar offer the team?
Prior to the game with Glamorgan he had taken four wickets in four games - all of which had come in the same innings. He is a one-dimensional cricketer who offers little in limited over games (had we not been forced to select him against Leicestershire in the Friends Provident Trophy as part of a three-pronged spin attack we might have fared better) and is at the stage where he appears to be going backwards. As Shane Warne noted, Panesar has not played 33 test matches - he's played the same match 33 times.
Panesar has reportedly been offered the most lucrative contract for a bowler ever at Wantage Road and it's hard to see what he's done to justify it. When was the last time he won a game for the county?
He might not be in terminal decline but he's hardly developing into a lethal weapon. Adil Rashid is on the rise and Panesar's place in England's plans may soon be in jeopardy - if he fails to secure the second spinner's berth for the one day series in India his limited overs career may essentially be over at the highest level.
Do Northants really need to break the bank for a one-dimensional prima donna who now seems to regard playing for the county as somewhat beneath him? Perhaps it would be in everyone's interests if Monty decamped to Edgbaston where he could learn at the feet of his illustrious predecessor in the England side, the Great Gilo, and be schooled in the arts of left arm spin.
Personally, if Panesar goes, I won't be missing him at all.
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
2008 Season Preview: Northamptonshire
Continuing our series of county previews, here is an assessment of Northants's chances in 2008.
2007 In a Nutshell:
The season began poorly for Northamptonshire with a second consecutive abysmal Friends Provident Trophy campaign where they recorded a solitary win over Scotland. It failed to pick up in the middle as they never threatened to even flirt with promotion in the Championship while a typically awful performance against Somerset killed off hopes of securing a Twenty20 quarter-final berth. The end to the season was little short of apocalyptic. The Steelbacks looked to have secured their first division status in the Totesport League before a last over meltdown, featuring the team’s two best players – David Sales and Lance Klusener – doomed them to the relegation playoff, where they capitulated against Middlesex, thus ensuring that 2008 will be spent down among the dead men in both forms of the game.
2008 Prospects:
At first glance it doesn’t look good, although their may be some reason for optimism. The ECB’s decision to block the registration of Johannes van der Wath and Andrew Hall is potentially a fatal blow. The seam bowling is too weak to expect a serious challenge for promotion in the Championship and the team lacks proven quality at the top of the batting order. Usman Afzaal left for Surrey and while his attitude may not be missed, his runs will be and it could once again be a case of Sales against the world, as Northamptonshire battle for respectability. Despite the losses of Hall and van der Wath there is sufficient all-round talent to suggest that they could feature in the mix for one of the limited overs trophies, although they will need the cards to fall in their favour.
Batting:
As Sales go, so go Northamptonshire. He was superb last year and single-handedly kept the county in a number of games. He has stepped down from the captaincy in a bid to boost his international prospects and is comfortably the most gifted player of his generation not to have been offered the chance at the highest level. There are rumours that this will be his last year at Wantage Road, so Northamptonshire fans should enjoy him while they still can.
Stephen Peters is assured of one opening spot and has the ability to score 1,000 runs and provide some impetus early on. Andrew Crook, Alex Wakeley and Rob White look set to contest the other opening spot and the number three position. Wakeley is an exciting prospect and should be given his head while White has the ability to be brilliant or awful. Crook is no more than a body. At this stage of their careers White and Crook have yet to prove they can produce on a consistent basis, while Wakeley is still finding his way. It won’t be a surprise if Sales finds himself walking to the crease with the scoreboard reading 20-2 on a regular basis.
Skipper Nicky Boje and Lance Klusener will likely bat at five and six with the wicketkeeper, Niall O’Brien or Rikki Wessels, at seven. With Johann Louw and Stephen Crook coming in lower down Northamptonshire will not lack depth and if Klusener can maintain the form he has shown in his first two seasons with the county, Northamptonshire could spring a few surprises.
Wicketkeeper:
Take your pick between O’Brien and Wessels. Northamptonshire couldn’t make up their mind last season and then muddled the situation further by giving both players two-year contracts. The two keepers played musical chairs last season and although Wessels looks the better prospect, O’Brien appears to have his supporters. It won’t be a shock to see O’Brien take the gloves – not a move guaranteed to have the Wantage road faithful turning cartwheels of delight – although Wessels will have the opportunity to earn a berth as a specialist batsman and both could figure in the limited overs competition where Wessels’ destructive hitting at the end of the innings is a legitimate threat.
Bowling:
At the end of last year Northamptonshire were fielding arguably the worst seam bowling attack in the county’s history. After Stephen Crook was injured and van der Wath returned to South Africa, Northamptonshire were forced to rely on David Wigley, David Lucas and Richard Logan. Their efforts with the new ball fluctuated between iffy and abysmal and it was a major surprise that all three were offered new contracts for 2008. It will be an even bigger surprise – and not a particularly pleasant one – if all three feature on a regular basis this season.
This year Northamptonshire will place their hopes on Klusener defying the advance of time – he turns 37 in September – Crook staying fit and Louw showing the form he displayed in his first stint with the county in 2004. Yet although that trio represents a considerable upgrade over Lucas, Wigley and Logan, it is hardly an attack that will cause opposing batsmen to regard a visit to Wantage Road with any degree of trepidation. The tracks will continue to offer turn at Wantage Road and Northamptonshire could do better than expected if Monty Panesar’s exile from England’s One Day Squad continues. Boje will bowl a lot of overs and showed in a brief spell at the end of last season that he is a more potent threat than Jason Brown. Brown has a benefit to occupy him this year and could potentially find himself reduced to the role of one day specialist. Meanwhile, youngster Graeme White could force his way into the reckoning this summer.
Probable Side:
Championship
Peters
Wakeley / A Crook
White
Sales
Boje (c)
Klusener
O’Brien / Wessels (wk)
S Crook
Louw
Lucas / Wigley
Panesar / Brown
Northamptonshire’s biggest problem will be negotiating the new ball when they bat and then picking up 20 wickets when they bowl. If Rob White and Peters produce runs at the top of the order and provide Sales with a platform, runs should not be a major problem. However, it’s not easy to see the bowlers regularly dismissing a side twice until the pitches begin to take turn. If the selectors continue to ignore Sales and Northamptonshire manage to avoid their customary slow starts and hang around in contention until August, they could spring a surprise.
One Day / Twenty/20
Peters
O’Brien (wk)
White
Sales
Boje (c)
Klusener
Wessels
S Crook
Louw
Lucas / Brown
Panesar / Brown
Had Hall and van der Wath been cleared by the ECB, Northamptonshire would have had an excellent chance of winning something in the limited overs format. Even without the two South Africans they should have enough firepower with the bat – plus six bowlers – to cause a few problems for whoever they come up against. If Sales, Klusener and Louw click, Northamptonshire could yet strike gold.
Key Man:
It’s tempting to say Sales or Klusener. However, they’ve both been exceptional for the past two seasons and Northamptonshire don’t exactly have a great deal to show for their efforts. Bowling-wise Stephen Crook needs to stay healthy but the most pressure may be on Rob White. It’s time for White to stand and deliver because if he finally produces the breakout season that he seems capable of, Northamptonshire’s batsmen could run riot. If he doesn’t, he might just find that the club’s hierarchy has lost patience and decides against renewing his contract at the end of the year.
Rising Star:
Alex Wakeley captained the England Under-19s during the winter and went to the same school as Alistair Cook. He showed glimpses last year that he has the talent to develop into a force at the top of the order. He will have the opportunity to cement his place in the side this season and if he takes it Northamptonshire could be in much ruder health than anyone suspects.
Captain and Coach:
It’s tempting to suggest that Boje got the job because no one else was assured of his place in the team. By nature South Africans are not the biggest risk takers but Boje has a more open-minded approach than many of his countrymen and may be inclined to roll the dice more often. In all fairness Northamptonshire have little to lose and even though they have been dealt a lousy hand by the ECB they should not be afraid to raise the stakes.
David Capel has done a decent job with limited resources, both in terms of finances and the size of the squad. He should be encouraged to give Wakeley and Graham White an extended run this year if circumstances allow and if he can persuade Sales to commit his future to the county it will be a major boost to morale.
Outlook:
2008 has something of a do or die element to it for the Steelbacks. It promises to be the last hurrah for Klusener and possibly Sales while a number of the lesser lights are playing for their professional future. 2007 was something of a train wreck but if the ball bounces kindly for them this season the Steelbacks could find themselves in the relatively unaccustomed position of challenging for silverware.
2007 In a Nutshell:
The season began poorly for Northamptonshire with a second consecutive abysmal Friends Provident Trophy campaign where they recorded a solitary win over Scotland. It failed to pick up in the middle as they never threatened to even flirt with promotion in the Championship while a typically awful performance against Somerset killed off hopes of securing a Twenty20 quarter-final berth. The end to the season was little short of apocalyptic. The Steelbacks looked to have secured their first division status in the Totesport League before a last over meltdown, featuring the team’s two best players – David Sales and Lance Klusener – doomed them to the relegation playoff, where they capitulated against Middlesex, thus ensuring that 2008 will be spent down among the dead men in both forms of the game.
2008 Prospects:
At first glance it doesn’t look good, although their may be some reason for optimism. The ECB’s decision to block the registration of Johannes van der Wath and Andrew Hall is potentially a fatal blow. The seam bowling is too weak to expect a serious challenge for promotion in the Championship and the team lacks proven quality at the top of the batting order. Usman Afzaal left for Surrey and while his attitude may not be missed, his runs will be and it could once again be a case of Sales against the world, as Northamptonshire battle for respectability. Despite the losses of Hall and van der Wath there is sufficient all-round talent to suggest that they could feature in the mix for one of the limited overs trophies, although they will need the cards to fall in their favour.
Batting:
As Sales go, so go Northamptonshire. He was superb last year and single-handedly kept the county in a number of games. He has stepped down from the captaincy in a bid to boost his international prospects and is comfortably the most gifted player of his generation not to have been offered the chance at the highest level. There are rumours that this will be his last year at Wantage Road, so Northamptonshire fans should enjoy him while they still can.
Stephen Peters is assured of one opening spot and has the ability to score 1,000 runs and provide some impetus early on. Andrew Crook, Alex Wakeley and Rob White look set to contest the other opening spot and the number three position. Wakeley is an exciting prospect and should be given his head while White has the ability to be brilliant or awful. Crook is no more than a body. At this stage of their careers White and Crook have yet to prove they can produce on a consistent basis, while Wakeley is still finding his way. It won’t be a surprise if Sales finds himself walking to the crease with the scoreboard reading 20-2 on a regular basis.
Skipper Nicky Boje and Lance Klusener will likely bat at five and six with the wicketkeeper, Niall O’Brien or Rikki Wessels, at seven. With Johann Louw and Stephen Crook coming in lower down Northamptonshire will not lack depth and if Klusener can maintain the form he has shown in his first two seasons with the county, Northamptonshire could spring a few surprises.
Wicketkeeper:
Take your pick between O’Brien and Wessels. Northamptonshire couldn’t make up their mind last season and then muddled the situation further by giving both players two-year contracts. The two keepers played musical chairs last season and although Wessels looks the better prospect, O’Brien appears to have his supporters. It won’t be a shock to see O’Brien take the gloves – not a move guaranteed to have the Wantage road faithful turning cartwheels of delight – although Wessels will have the opportunity to earn a berth as a specialist batsman and both could figure in the limited overs competition where Wessels’ destructive hitting at the end of the innings is a legitimate threat.
Bowling:
At the end of last year Northamptonshire were fielding arguably the worst seam bowling attack in the county’s history. After Stephen Crook was injured and van der Wath returned to South Africa, Northamptonshire were forced to rely on David Wigley, David Lucas and Richard Logan. Their efforts with the new ball fluctuated between iffy and abysmal and it was a major surprise that all three were offered new contracts for 2008. It will be an even bigger surprise – and not a particularly pleasant one – if all three feature on a regular basis this season.
This year Northamptonshire will place their hopes on Klusener defying the advance of time – he turns 37 in September – Crook staying fit and Louw showing the form he displayed in his first stint with the county in 2004. Yet although that trio represents a considerable upgrade over Lucas, Wigley and Logan, it is hardly an attack that will cause opposing batsmen to regard a visit to Wantage Road with any degree of trepidation. The tracks will continue to offer turn at Wantage Road and Northamptonshire could do better than expected if Monty Panesar’s exile from England’s One Day Squad continues. Boje will bowl a lot of overs and showed in a brief spell at the end of last season that he is a more potent threat than Jason Brown. Brown has a benefit to occupy him this year and could potentially find himself reduced to the role of one day specialist. Meanwhile, youngster Graeme White could force his way into the reckoning this summer.
Probable Side:
Championship
Peters
Wakeley / A Crook
White
Sales
Boje (c)
Klusener
O’Brien / Wessels (wk)
S Crook
Louw
Lucas / Wigley
Panesar / Brown
Northamptonshire’s biggest problem will be negotiating the new ball when they bat and then picking up 20 wickets when they bowl. If Rob White and Peters produce runs at the top of the order and provide Sales with a platform, runs should not be a major problem. However, it’s not easy to see the bowlers regularly dismissing a side twice until the pitches begin to take turn. If the selectors continue to ignore Sales and Northamptonshire manage to avoid their customary slow starts and hang around in contention until August, they could spring a surprise.
One Day / Twenty/20
Peters
O’Brien (wk)
White
Sales
Boje (c)
Klusener
Wessels
S Crook
Louw
Lucas / Brown
Panesar / Brown
Had Hall and van der Wath been cleared by the ECB, Northamptonshire would have had an excellent chance of winning something in the limited overs format. Even without the two South Africans they should have enough firepower with the bat – plus six bowlers – to cause a few problems for whoever they come up against. If Sales, Klusener and Louw click, Northamptonshire could yet strike gold.
Key Man:
It’s tempting to say Sales or Klusener. However, they’ve both been exceptional for the past two seasons and Northamptonshire don’t exactly have a great deal to show for their efforts. Bowling-wise Stephen Crook needs to stay healthy but the most pressure may be on Rob White. It’s time for White to stand and deliver because if he finally produces the breakout season that he seems capable of, Northamptonshire’s batsmen could run riot. If he doesn’t, he might just find that the club’s hierarchy has lost patience and decides against renewing his contract at the end of the year.
Rising Star:
Alex Wakeley captained the England Under-19s during the winter and went to the same school as Alistair Cook. He showed glimpses last year that he has the talent to develop into a force at the top of the order. He will have the opportunity to cement his place in the side this season and if he takes it Northamptonshire could be in much ruder health than anyone suspects.
Captain and Coach:
It’s tempting to suggest that Boje got the job because no one else was assured of his place in the team. By nature South Africans are not the biggest risk takers but Boje has a more open-minded approach than many of his countrymen and may be inclined to roll the dice more often. In all fairness Northamptonshire have little to lose and even though they have been dealt a lousy hand by the ECB they should not be afraid to raise the stakes.
David Capel has done a decent job with limited resources, both in terms of finances and the size of the squad. He should be encouraged to give Wakeley and Graham White an extended run this year if circumstances allow and if he can persuade Sales to commit his future to the county it will be a major boost to morale.
Outlook:
2008 has something of a do or die element to it for the Steelbacks. It promises to be the last hurrah for Klusener and possibly Sales while a number of the lesser lights are playing for their professional future. 2007 was something of a train wreck but if the ball bounces kindly for them this season the Steelbacks could find themselves in the relatively unaccustomed position of challenging for silverware.
Sunday, 6 April 2008
The Young Pretenders 2008
We finalise our brief look at the top eleven up and coming talented youngsters who will be on display in county cricket over the English summer. The qualifiers are all under the age of 23 and are looking to establish themselves in their respective county sides this season.
Moeen Ali (20) – Worcestershire – Left Hand Top Order Batsman / Right Arm Offbreak Bowler
Ali is an explosive and exciting player who likes to dominate the opposition. He once smashed a century off just 56 balls against Sri Lanka U19’s and he is a confident leader. He has mainly been used at the top of the order in limited overs cricket to date, where he has plundered a century and four fifties in just 19 innings. He will be hoping for more first class action this year and with his talent he should get it. Ali is also a good offspin bowler, which makes him a formidable allround player. Brother, Kadeer, plays for Gloucestershire, whilst cousin, Kabir, is also based at New Road and the early signs are that Moeen can outshine them both.
Alex Wakely (19) – Northants – Right Hand Middle Order Batsman / Right Arm Medium-Fast Bowler
Wakely captained England U19’s at the 2008 World Cup and has performed admirably at that level. He has yet to translate his undoubted ability and performances at U19 level into first team county cricket however, although he has notched up two fifties in the County Championship to date. He possesses every shot in the book and is also a capable support bowler. However, he needs to improve under pressure, when the going isn’t so good. This will be a big year for him.
The IX Young Pretenders for 2008
Billy Godleman
Mark Stoneman
Alex Wakely
Tom Westley
Laurie Evans
Moeen Ali
Chris Jordan
Liam Dawson
James Harris
Tom Smith
Steven Finn
NB: Gary Wilson and Tom Burrows are the wicket keepers to watch but they are unlikely to gain as much exposure to first team cricket this time out. Craig Kieswetter meanwhile has already made his breakthrough and it will be interesting to see how he fairs in division one.
Moeen Ali (20) – Worcestershire – Left Hand Top Order Batsman / Right Arm Offbreak Bowler
Ali is an explosive and exciting player who likes to dominate the opposition. He once smashed a century off just 56 balls against Sri Lanka U19’s and he is a confident leader. He has mainly been used at the top of the order in limited overs cricket to date, where he has plundered a century and four fifties in just 19 innings. He will be hoping for more first class action this year and with his talent he should get it. Ali is also a good offspin bowler, which makes him a formidable allround player. Brother, Kadeer, plays for Gloucestershire, whilst cousin, Kabir, is also based at New Road and the early signs are that Moeen can outshine them both.
Alex Wakely (19) – Northants – Right Hand Middle Order Batsman / Right Arm Medium-Fast Bowler
Wakely captained England U19’s at the 2008 World Cup and has performed admirably at that level. He has yet to translate his undoubted ability and performances at U19 level into first team county cricket however, although he has notched up two fifties in the County Championship to date. He possesses every shot in the book and is also a capable support bowler. However, he needs to improve under pressure, when the going isn’t so good. This will be a big year for him.
The IX Young Pretenders for 2008
Billy Godleman
Mark Stoneman
Alex Wakely
Tom Westley
Laurie Evans
Moeen Ali
Chris Jordan
Liam Dawson
James Harris
Tom Smith
Steven Finn
NB: Gary Wilson and Tom Burrows are the wicket keepers to watch but they are unlikely to gain as much exposure to first team cricket this time out. Craig Kieswetter meanwhile has already made his breakthrough and it will be interesting to see how he fairs in division one.
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
Mystic Richard’s 2008 Predictions – Division 2
Yes I know I said that Hampshire would win Division 1, Kent would be relegated and Essex would go up last season. However, that doesn’t stop me from having another go this season. Division 1 will follow, with the predictions in reverse order.
9 Gloucestershire
Finished 7th last season and with little movement in or out, it’s difficult not to see them going backwards. Marcus North and Steve Kirby look to be their main players with bat and ball and they will be looking for success in the shorter versions of the game.
8 Leicestershire
Stuart Broad won’t be a huge loss to the Foxes as he is likely to spent the season with England rather than in county cricket. However, there is very little in the way of home grown talent and journeyman Kolpaks aplenty.
7 Northamptonshire
Another team looking to rely heavily on Kolpaks, although the ICL seems to have put paid to some of these. Another season of mediocrity beckons.
6 Glamorgan
Bottom of the pile last season, but they seem to have recruited well, with Matt Wood and Jamie Dalrymple talented players looking to kickstart their careers. Add to that the emerging talent coming out of Wales then they seem to be turning the corner. Neutrals will be hoping that this is the case as they seem to be doing a lot more to develop their homegrown talent than the Kolpakshire counties of Northants and Leicester.
5 Worcestershire
Relegated by quite some distance last season, regardless of the problems that the club had with the flooding of the New Road pitch. The signing of Simon Jones is interesting and all England fans will hope that it marks his rehabilitation. With Graeme Hick, Vikram Solanki and Ben Smith, they shouldn’t be short of runs, while Kabir Ali and Fidel Edwards should take wickets. Likely to be one of five teams challenging for promotion, but will come up short.
4 Derbyshire
An interesting off season for Derbyshire, with Rikki Clarke and Nayan Doshi both coming from Surrey and both in the last chance saloon for their respective careers. Mahela Jayawardene should score bucketloads of runs while the underrated bowling attack of Tom Lungley and Graham Wagg will take the wickets to see them in the hunt this season.
3 Warwickshire
An end of season capitulation and a resurgent Surrey saw the Bears relegated and their new recruits on the pitch don’t stir the blood as much as the off field team of Ashley Giles and Allan Donald. A season of rebuilding beckons, particularly as Tim Ambrose and Ian Bell are unlikely to be at Edgbaston much during the summer. Jon Trott and Jim Troughton will score enough runs to make them competitive. However, they will struggle to bowl teams out, even in Division 2.
2 Essex
Surely this has to be the season they go up. Ravi Bopara and James Foster will need big seasons to get them back into the international reckoning, while in Danesh Kaneria they have arguably the most dangerous bowler in the Division. The seam attack looks light, but the recruitment of David Masters looks shrewd.
1 Middlesex
The two teams promoted last season were two of the best seen in Division 2 for a while. Middlesex chased them all the way and should see their efforts better rewarded this season. Ed Joyce, Ed Smith and particularly Owais Shah form the best batting line up in the division, while they will also be looking for Billy Godleman to kick on after a promising first season. The pace attack is reliant on the veterans Chris Silverwood and Alan Richardson with Tim Murtagh giving support, although the highly rated Steve Finn will be looking to play a full season and could be a revelation. Murali Kartik and Shaun Udal provide the spin option and this team is far too good for Division 2.
9 Gloucestershire
Finished 7th last season and with little movement in or out, it’s difficult not to see them going backwards. Marcus North and Steve Kirby look to be their main players with bat and ball and they will be looking for success in the shorter versions of the game.
8 Leicestershire
Stuart Broad won’t be a huge loss to the Foxes as he is likely to spent the season with England rather than in county cricket. However, there is very little in the way of home grown talent and journeyman Kolpaks aplenty.
7 Northamptonshire
Another team looking to rely heavily on Kolpaks, although the ICL seems to have put paid to some of these. Another season of mediocrity beckons.
6 Glamorgan
Bottom of the pile last season, but they seem to have recruited well, with Matt Wood and Jamie Dalrymple talented players looking to kickstart their careers. Add to that the emerging talent coming out of Wales then they seem to be turning the corner. Neutrals will be hoping that this is the case as they seem to be doing a lot more to develop their homegrown talent than the Kolpakshire counties of Northants and Leicester.
5 Worcestershire
Relegated by quite some distance last season, regardless of the problems that the club had with the flooding of the New Road pitch. The signing of Simon Jones is interesting and all England fans will hope that it marks his rehabilitation. With Graeme Hick, Vikram Solanki and Ben Smith, they shouldn’t be short of runs, while Kabir Ali and Fidel Edwards should take wickets. Likely to be one of five teams challenging for promotion, but will come up short.
4 Derbyshire
An interesting off season for Derbyshire, with Rikki Clarke and Nayan Doshi both coming from Surrey and both in the last chance saloon for their respective careers. Mahela Jayawardene should score bucketloads of runs while the underrated bowling attack of Tom Lungley and Graham Wagg will take the wickets to see them in the hunt this season.
3 Warwickshire
An end of season capitulation and a resurgent Surrey saw the Bears relegated and their new recruits on the pitch don’t stir the blood as much as the off field team of Ashley Giles and Allan Donald. A season of rebuilding beckons, particularly as Tim Ambrose and Ian Bell are unlikely to be at Edgbaston much during the summer. Jon Trott and Jim Troughton will score enough runs to make them competitive. However, they will struggle to bowl teams out, even in Division 2.
2 Essex
Surely this has to be the season they go up. Ravi Bopara and James Foster will need big seasons to get them back into the international reckoning, while in Danesh Kaneria they have arguably the most dangerous bowler in the Division. The seam attack looks light, but the recruitment of David Masters looks shrewd.
1 Middlesex
The two teams promoted last season were two of the best seen in Division 2 for a while. Middlesex chased them all the way and should see their efforts better rewarded this season. Ed Joyce, Ed Smith and particularly Owais Shah form the best batting line up in the division, while they will also be looking for Billy Godleman to kick on after a promising first season. The pace attack is reliant on the veterans Chris Silverwood and Alan Richardson with Tim Murtagh giving support, although the highly rated Steve Finn will be looking to play a full season and could be a revelation. Murali Kartik and Shaun Udal provide the spin option and this team is far too good for Division 2.
Monday, 25 June 2007
Mystic Richard’s Half Term review – part 1
We’re at the mid term break as 20:20 cricket takes over. So the question is, where do my predictions from the beginning of the season stack up and how are the teams doing. The teams seem to be split into three groups, with the top seven in Division 1 being well ahead of the bottom two and the top four in Division 2 challenging for promotion. I’ll start with the teams at the bottom of Division 2 and work my way up.
Derbyshire
I predicted 9th and they are currently well above my expectations in 5th, despite a horrendous injury list and problems with Ian Harvey’s work permit. The batting has relied on Simon Katich while Steve Stubbings and James Pipe are also having an excellent seasons. Their highlight was at Somerset, where they reached 801 for 8 declared, which is good even for Taunton. Tom Lungley and Graham Wagg are starring with the ball, although Wayne White and Boyd Rankin (my early season tips) have done well when fit, and top the averages. They won’t challenge for promotion this year, but are putting together a strong squad for future years.
Northamptonshire
I predicted 5th and they are currently 6th and may have been higher if they’d been able to pull off an unlikely victory against Gloucester, losing by 4 runs in the last over of play. Lance Klusener and particularly David Sales have starred with the bat, as Northants also enjoyed their trip to Taunton. With the ball only Steve Crook has taken 20 wickets, and the bowling has continued to struggle. A win against Essex at the start of the season showed what could be possible. Losing by an innings in the return fixture is probably a more accurate reflection of the relative strengths.
Gloucestershire
I predicted 6th and they are currently 7th, with just the tight win against Northants to their credit. Runs haven’t been a problem with Marcus North, Grant Hodnett and Alex Gidman all passing 500 runs. Gidman’s fine form won him a call up to the England Lions team and will look to continue in the same vein to be involved in a winter tour. Bowling wise, things have been more difficult, with Alex Noffke leading the list with just 15 wickets to date. The loss of Jon Lewis to injury has been a big blow and with Craig Spearman only managing two games to date, they must be hoping for a better second half of the season.
Leicestershire
I predicted 8th and they are indeed 8th and the only winless team in the Division. Their batting problems are shown by the fact that Paul Nixon tops the averages and no-one has reached 500 runs yet. HD Ackerman, who Leicester need to score heavily is averaging only 25 and no other team has scored fewer centuries. On the bowling front Stuart Broad has been injured for much of the season, and only Nick Walker and Dave Masters have taken more than 10 wickets. Surprisingly, given their struggles, Jeremy Snape hasn’t been seen in the Championship. The county probably take 20:20 more seriously than any other and must be hoping for a boost for the second half of the season.
Glamorgan
I predicted 7th and they are 9th. However, despite being bottom, they have a great deal to be encouraged about, with the emergence of young talent such as James Harris and Gareth Rees. They have played one game less than anyone else, but must be disappointed that no-one has topped 300 runs yet, despite four players getting centuries. Having said that, only three players have played in each of their games (top of the table Somerset have had 8 ever presents). Harris leads the bowling averages and has taken 19 wickets in his 4 matches. Dean Cosker, Alex Wharf and Robert Croft are also well into double figures, while Simon Jones has only managed one game so far. It would be a surprise if they were still bottom at the end of the season.
Derbyshire
I predicted 9th and they are currently well above my expectations in 5th, despite a horrendous injury list and problems with Ian Harvey’s work permit. The batting has relied on Simon Katich while Steve Stubbings and James Pipe are also having an excellent seasons. Their highlight was at Somerset, where they reached 801 for 8 declared, which is good even for Taunton. Tom Lungley and Graham Wagg are starring with the ball, although Wayne White and Boyd Rankin (my early season tips) have done well when fit, and top the averages. They won’t challenge for promotion this year, but are putting together a strong squad for future years.
Northamptonshire
I predicted 5th and they are currently 6th and may have been higher if they’d been able to pull off an unlikely victory against Gloucester, losing by 4 runs in the last over of play. Lance Klusener and particularly David Sales have starred with the bat, as Northants also enjoyed their trip to Taunton. With the ball only Steve Crook has taken 20 wickets, and the bowling has continued to struggle. A win against Essex at the start of the season showed what could be possible. Losing by an innings in the return fixture is probably a more accurate reflection of the relative strengths.
Gloucestershire
I predicted 6th and they are currently 7th, with just the tight win against Northants to their credit. Runs haven’t been a problem with Marcus North, Grant Hodnett and Alex Gidman all passing 500 runs. Gidman’s fine form won him a call up to the England Lions team and will look to continue in the same vein to be involved in a winter tour. Bowling wise, things have been more difficult, with Alex Noffke leading the list with just 15 wickets to date. The loss of Jon Lewis to injury has been a big blow and with Craig Spearman only managing two games to date, they must be hoping for a better second half of the season.
Leicestershire
I predicted 8th and they are indeed 8th and the only winless team in the Division. Their batting problems are shown by the fact that Paul Nixon tops the averages and no-one has reached 500 runs yet. HD Ackerman, who Leicester need to score heavily is averaging only 25 and no other team has scored fewer centuries. On the bowling front Stuart Broad has been injured for much of the season, and only Nick Walker and Dave Masters have taken more than 10 wickets. Surprisingly, given their struggles, Jeremy Snape hasn’t been seen in the Championship. The county probably take 20:20 more seriously than any other and must be hoping for a boost for the second half of the season.
Glamorgan
I predicted 7th and they are 9th. However, despite being bottom, they have a great deal to be encouraged about, with the emergence of young talent such as James Harris and Gareth Rees. They have played one game less than anyone else, but must be disappointed that no-one has topped 300 runs yet, despite four players getting centuries. Having said that, only three players have played in each of their games (top of the table Somerset have had 8 ever presents). Harris leads the bowling averages and has taken 19 wickets in his 4 matches. Dean Cosker, Alex Wharf and Robert Croft are also well into double figures, while Simon Jones has only managed one game so far. It would be a surprise if they were still bottom at the end of the season.
Tuesday, 17 April 2007
Mystic Richard’s Division 2 Predictions
The curtain has been raised, Ali Cook has shown Essex what they’re going to miss this season and flush from my successful predictions for the World Cup, I’m putting my neck on the line for the County Championship. Division1 to follow, but here, in reverse order, is my prediction for Div 2.
9 Derbyshire
Mike Di Venuto was their only player to top a thousand runs last season, and he’s not coming back. There is an enormous responsibility on the shoulders of the three Aussies Ian Harvey, Simon Katich and Travis Birt to carry a weak batting line up. The bowling also looks poor with last season’s leading wicket taker, Stefan Jones, also having left. Graeme Welch will have a lot of bowling to do, but the progression of Wayne White and Boyd Rankin should also be watched with an eye on the future. Anything better than bottom should be seen as success.
8 Leicestershire
The loss of Darren Maddy will be difficult to get over, with HD Ackerman and Darren Robinson now heavily relied upon for runs. Jeremy Snape and Paul Nixon will add experience and grit to the middle order, but the bowling looks light, especially if Stuart Broad ends up playing for England for most of the summer. They did well to contend for promotion last season. This season will be a struggle.
7 Glamorgan
A season of change for Glamorgan approaches, not least with the new Sophia Gardens being built. On the pitch, rebuilding is also required and like Leicestershire, they should lose their main strike bowler, Simon Jones, to England for most of the season (if fit). Their bowling will be reliant on David Harrison and the evergreen Robert Croft. Their batting line up looks much stronger, with David Hemp, Jimmy Maher and Michael Powell all capable of big runs. However, it’s the performances of youngsters such as Ben Wright and Huw Waters that will determine the how the future will pan out.
6 Gloucestershire
The loss of Ian Harvey will be a short term blow, particularly in the One Day games, but in Hamish Marshall, Alex Gidman and Craig Spearman, Gloucester have three proven run getters to go with the all round ability of Kadeer Ali and Steve Adshead. On the bowling front, Jon Lewis will be the key man again, with the erratic Steve Kirby in support. Michael Ball’s retirement reduces the slow bowling options somewhat and they need Ian Fisher to contribute more than the meagre ten wickets he managed last season.
5 Northamptonshire
A big turn around last season with David Capel taking over from Kepler Wessels in mid season and should carry on the progression this year. A strong batting line up, with skipper David Sales, Chris Rogers, Usman Afzaal and Lance Klusner all likely to get over a thousand runs. This will also be bolstered by the signing of the Irish wicketkeeper, Niall O’Brien. Top of the bowling averages last year was Monty Panesar, but he won’t be seen much in Northampton this season. “Replacing” him is new signing Richard Dawson who will be looking to recapture the form that got him an England call up. Overall the bowling looks the weak suit, but Northants are an improving team.
4 Somerset
Bottom last year, with only Cameron White scoring over a thousand runs. This year, they will be bolstered by Justin Langer, who scored a triple hundred in one of his two games last season, and Marcus Trescothick, who will surely not be recalled in to the test team without a great deal more cricket under his belt. On the bowling side they look very strong, with the signing of Stefan Jones adding to Charll Willoughby and Andy Caddick meaning that Richard Johnson shouldn’t be missed. The top four in the division will be tight and Somerset will be challenging for promotion.
3 Middlesex
Relegated last season after falling away at the end of the summer, their bowling was hugely reliant on the previously injury prone Chris Silverwood. The return of Richard Johnson and the signing of Chaminda Vaas should take some of the pressure off Silverwood and allow the impressive batting line up to make a challenge for promotion. Andrew Strauss won’t be seen much, but Nick Compton, Ben Smith, Owais Shah and Ed Joyce will all be pushing for international recognition, as will Jamie Dalrymple as England’s second spinner.
2 Essex
On the plus side, the World Cup and the mid season ODI break means that Ali Cook will play a bit more for his county this season. However, that will be at the expense of Ravi Bopara, who has been one of the plusses for England over the winter. The loss of Darren Gough will be a blow to Essex, but with seven players getting more than 20 championship wickets last season and Andre Nel and Danesh Kaneria coming in, bowling teams out shouldn’t be a problem. Likewise, with the Flower brothers, Ronnie Irani and the hugely promising Varun Choppra and Mark Pettini and World Cup star Ryan Ten Doeschate, runs should be plentiful. It’s also a big season for James Foster, with a prospective new England coach to impress. Just short last year – they should go up this year.
1 Nottinghamshire
Champions one year relegated the next. By half a point. They should go back up comfortably as champions this year with David Hussey and Stephen Fleming scoring heavily. A return to form by Jason Gallian would also be welcome although The signing of the highly rated Will Jefferson and Bilal Shafayat will add good support. On the bowling front, they have a balanced attack, led by Ryan Sidebottom and Charlie Shreck, with the evergreen Mark Ealham and Andy Harris and spin from Graeme Swann. Like Foster at Essex, Chris Read may have another England coach to try to impress, and should spend more of the season with England than Notts.
9 Derbyshire
Mike Di Venuto was their only player to top a thousand runs last season, and he’s not coming back. There is an enormous responsibility on the shoulders of the three Aussies Ian Harvey, Simon Katich and Travis Birt to carry a weak batting line up. The bowling also looks poor with last season’s leading wicket taker, Stefan Jones, also having left. Graeme Welch will have a lot of bowling to do, but the progression of Wayne White and Boyd Rankin should also be watched with an eye on the future. Anything better than bottom should be seen as success.
8 Leicestershire
The loss of Darren Maddy will be difficult to get over, with HD Ackerman and Darren Robinson now heavily relied upon for runs. Jeremy Snape and Paul Nixon will add experience and grit to the middle order, but the bowling looks light, especially if Stuart Broad ends up playing for England for most of the summer. They did well to contend for promotion last season. This season will be a struggle.
7 Glamorgan
A season of change for Glamorgan approaches, not least with the new Sophia Gardens being built. On the pitch, rebuilding is also required and like Leicestershire, they should lose their main strike bowler, Simon Jones, to England for most of the season (if fit). Their bowling will be reliant on David Harrison and the evergreen Robert Croft. Their batting line up looks much stronger, with David Hemp, Jimmy Maher and Michael Powell all capable of big runs. However, it’s the performances of youngsters such as Ben Wright and Huw Waters that will determine the how the future will pan out.
6 Gloucestershire
The loss of Ian Harvey will be a short term blow, particularly in the One Day games, but in Hamish Marshall, Alex Gidman and Craig Spearman, Gloucester have three proven run getters to go with the all round ability of Kadeer Ali and Steve Adshead. On the bowling front, Jon Lewis will be the key man again, with the erratic Steve Kirby in support. Michael Ball’s retirement reduces the slow bowling options somewhat and they need Ian Fisher to contribute more than the meagre ten wickets he managed last season.
5 Northamptonshire
A big turn around last season with David Capel taking over from Kepler Wessels in mid season and should carry on the progression this year. A strong batting line up, with skipper David Sales, Chris Rogers, Usman Afzaal and Lance Klusner all likely to get over a thousand runs. This will also be bolstered by the signing of the Irish wicketkeeper, Niall O’Brien. Top of the bowling averages last year was Monty Panesar, but he won’t be seen much in Northampton this season. “Replacing” him is new signing Richard Dawson who will be looking to recapture the form that got him an England call up. Overall the bowling looks the weak suit, but Northants are an improving team.
4 Somerset
Bottom last year, with only Cameron White scoring over a thousand runs. This year, they will be bolstered by Justin Langer, who scored a triple hundred in one of his two games last season, and Marcus Trescothick, who will surely not be recalled in to the test team without a great deal more cricket under his belt. On the bowling side they look very strong, with the signing of Stefan Jones adding to Charll Willoughby and Andy Caddick meaning that Richard Johnson shouldn’t be missed. The top four in the division will be tight and Somerset will be challenging for promotion.
3 Middlesex
Relegated last season after falling away at the end of the summer, their bowling was hugely reliant on the previously injury prone Chris Silverwood. The return of Richard Johnson and the signing of Chaminda Vaas should take some of the pressure off Silverwood and allow the impressive batting line up to make a challenge for promotion. Andrew Strauss won’t be seen much, but Nick Compton, Ben Smith, Owais Shah and Ed Joyce will all be pushing for international recognition, as will Jamie Dalrymple as England’s second spinner.
2 Essex
On the plus side, the World Cup and the mid season ODI break means that Ali Cook will play a bit more for his county this season. However, that will be at the expense of Ravi Bopara, who has been one of the plusses for England over the winter. The loss of Darren Gough will be a blow to Essex, but with seven players getting more than 20 championship wickets last season and Andre Nel and Danesh Kaneria coming in, bowling teams out shouldn’t be a problem. Likewise, with the Flower brothers, Ronnie Irani and the hugely promising Varun Choppra and Mark Pettini and World Cup star Ryan Ten Doeschate, runs should be plentiful. It’s also a big season for James Foster, with a prospective new England coach to impress. Just short last year – they should go up this year.
1 Nottinghamshire
Champions one year relegated the next. By half a point. They should go back up comfortably as champions this year with David Hussey and Stephen Fleming scoring heavily. A return to form by Jason Gallian would also be welcome although The signing of the highly rated Will Jefferson and Bilal Shafayat will add good support. On the bowling front, they have a balanced attack, led by Ryan Sidebottom and Charlie Shreck, with the evergreen Mark Ealham and Andy Harris and spin from Graeme Swann. Like Foster at Essex, Chris Read may have another England coach to try to impress, and should spend more of the season with England than Notts.
Saturday, 24 February 2007
2007 Season Preview: Northamptonshire
In the build-up to the new county season, we are running fans' county previews, beginning with Northants. Do feel free to email one to cricketingworld@hotmail.com, in the same format as the preview below.
2006 in a nutshell:
It was an average season for Northants in 2006, that saw us win only 1 C and G tie early on and some poor championship form gave us a bad start to the season. In June Kelper Wessels got sacked as coach and we never looked back - we qualified for the Twenty20 quarter-finals, came 3rd in the Pro40, and even our championship form picked up. Lance Klusener was our star man, basically running the show.
2007 prospects:
I am hopeful for 2007, we have a good group of players, and, with a fine captain and captain, this may even be the year in which we finally win a trophy.
Batting:
I am disappointed to lose Bilal Shafayat after only 2 years at Northants. He was a key batsmen to us and was averaging nearly 50 in first class games until he had to fill in with the gloves, due to Riki Wessels' injury. We have two good overseas pros this year: Johan Van der Wath (South Africa) and Chris Rogers (Australia). We shouldn’t lose these two to international duty and they could play a key role - Rogers was superb last season hitting two double hundreds and a triple hundred. Meanwhile, Lance Klusener batted exceptionally last season. Uzman Afzaal, Stephen Peters and the reliable Sales should complete the batting order with Wessels or Niall O’Brien in at 5, 6 or 7 with the gloves.
It will be interesting to see who emerges as the regular gloveman; Wessels has done a good job in the last couple of seasons, but O’Brien has international experience and do we let a capped international play 2nd team cricket? Wessels starts as favourite to play because O’Brien was only brought in for cover, but an impressive World Cup could even it out for O’Brien. It is anyone’s guess at this stage who will play. This is a hell of a one-day batting unit and not a bad one in the Championship arena. Rob White will play a part too, mostly in the one-day tournaments in which his huge hitting can be very effective.
Bowling:
A virtually new look bowling line-up all together. Out - Phillips, Nicholson. In - Logan, Browning (youth and 2nd team player), Dawson.
Sadly, it seems Monty Panesar won’t be in the team much more, going on to international hero status. This means we have signed Richard Dawson from Yorkshire as our 2nd spinner - he will certainly play in the majority of games. Richard Logan looks a half-decent signing and I am looking forward to seeing how he does. Browning probably won’t play too much as he is only 18 and will play a lot of 2nd team stuff.
Put these new bowlers with the old Jason Brown, we have a respectable line up, with Van Der Wath opening the bowling and Klusener putting in a few overs.
Probable Championship side:
Peters
Rogers
Afzaal
Sales (capt)
Wessels / O’Brien (wk)
Klusener
Van Der Wath
Wigley/Crook
Logan
Dawson
Brown
With our powerful batting line-up, I feel we have every chance of winning the Pro40 competition. In the Championship, promotion will probably prove elusive, while the Twenty20 is anyone's guess. Considering Northants' penchant for starting the season slowly, though, do not expect much in the C & G Trophy.
Key Man:
Got to be Lance Klusener. He is a legend down here already. Had a great season last season and we are hoping for much of the same. He plays as a batsmen in Championship cricket now, just bowling as a fill-in. He can still hit it a mile when he gets going, although his inconsistency in one-day cricket is slightly frustrating. However when he is at his best in one-day cricket he is a match-winner: last season he almost single-handedly won us a few games, in both formats.
Rising Star:
Tough one. Ryan Nelson looks good at only 19, although I doubt it very much that he will break into the first XI. It will be experiance all the way, much like last season.
Captain and Coach:
Very pleased with the captain, David Sales, who is in his benefit year. He is a top batsmen and a good captain, can’t ask for any more than that. David Capel took over for the last third of 2006 and you can’t fault him. Our form went up and he gets on well with the boys. A million times better than Wessels.
2006 in a nutshell:
It was an average season for Northants in 2006, that saw us win only 1 C and G tie early on and some poor championship form gave us a bad start to the season. In June Kelper Wessels got sacked as coach and we never looked back - we qualified for the Twenty20 quarter-finals, came 3rd in the Pro40, and even our championship form picked up. Lance Klusener was our star man, basically running the show.
2007 prospects:
I am hopeful for 2007, we have a good group of players, and, with a fine captain and captain, this may even be the year in which we finally win a trophy.
Batting:
I am disappointed to lose Bilal Shafayat after only 2 years at Northants. He was a key batsmen to us and was averaging nearly 50 in first class games until he had to fill in with the gloves, due to Riki Wessels' injury. We have two good overseas pros this year: Johan Van der Wath (South Africa) and Chris Rogers (Australia). We shouldn’t lose these two to international duty and they could play a key role - Rogers was superb last season hitting two double hundreds and a triple hundred. Meanwhile, Lance Klusener batted exceptionally last season. Uzman Afzaal, Stephen Peters and the reliable Sales should complete the batting order with Wessels or Niall O’Brien in at 5, 6 or 7 with the gloves.
It will be interesting to see who emerges as the regular gloveman; Wessels has done a good job in the last couple of seasons, but O’Brien has international experience and do we let a capped international play 2nd team cricket? Wessels starts as favourite to play because O’Brien was only brought in for cover, but an impressive World Cup could even it out for O’Brien. It is anyone’s guess at this stage who will play. This is a hell of a one-day batting unit and not a bad one in the Championship arena. Rob White will play a part too, mostly in the one-day tournaments in which his huge hitting can be very effective.
Bowling:
A virtually new look bowling line-up all together. Out - Phillips, Nicholson. In - Logan, Browning (youth and 2nd team player), Dawson.
Sadly, it seems Monty Panesar won’t be in the team much more, going on to international hero status. This means we have signed Richard Dawson from Yorkshire as our 2nd spinner - he will certainly play in the majority of games. Richard Logan looks a half-decent signing and I am looking forward to seeing how he does. Browning probably won’t play too much as he is only 18 and will play a lot of 2nd team stuff.
Put these new bowlers with the old Jason Brown, we have a respectable line up, with Van Der Wath opening the bowling and Klusener putting in a few overs.
Probable Championship side:
Peters
Rogers
Afzaal
Sales (capt)
Wessels / O’Brien (wk)
Klusener
Van Der Wath
Wigley/Crook
Logan
Dawson
Brown
With our powerful batting line-up, I feel we have every chance of winning the Pro40 competition. In the Championship, promotion will probably prove elusive, while the Twenty20 is anyone's guess. Considering Northants' penchant for starting the season slowly, though, do not expect much in the C & G Trophy.
Key Man:
Got to be Lance Klusener. He is a legend down here already. Had a great season last season and we are hoping for much of the same. He plays as a batsmen in Championship cricket now, just bowling as a fill-in. He can still hit it a mile when he gets going, although his inconsistency in one-day cricket is slightly frustrating. However when he is at his best in one-day cricket he is a match-winner: last season he almost single-handedly won us a few games, in both formats.
Rising Star:
Tough one. Ryan Nelson looks good at only 19, although I doubt it very much that he will break into the first XI. It will be experiance all the way, much like last season.
Captain and Coach:
Very pleased with the captain, David Sales, who is in his benefit year. He is a top batsmen and a good captain, can’t ask for any more than that. David Capel took over for the last third of 2006 and you can’t fault him. Our form went up and he gets on well with the boys. A million times better than Wessels.
Saturday, 30 September 2006
Sweeping to success
Jamie Tabord profiles Mal Loye, and asks whether he can still harbour hopes of international recognition
Mal Loye has been one of the mainstays of the Lancashire batting line-up since his arrival from Northamptonshire in 2003. His consistency has led him to become one of the most reliable cricketers on the county circuit in all forms of the game. His aggressive, if slightly unorthodox style, has recently been recognised with a call up for England’s provisional 30-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy. Many felt he should have been included in the final party.
Loye started his career at Northamptonshire and represented firstly England under 19s, and then England A team in successive years in 1995 and 1996. A devastating top order batsman, particularly in the one-day game where he averages an impressive 35 in over 250 games, he seemed destined for England honours from early in his career.
Loye had an impressive year in 1998, scoring almost 1200 first class runs, including a triple century against Glamorgan. His 322 not out remains the county’s scoring record and Loye was told he was to be picked for the final test of the summer against South Africa. However, only three hours later, the selectors decided to pick Steve James instead and, although he made the A team tour to South Africa that winter, he slipped down the pecking order after that.
The England selection fiasco affected his batting and his career dipped over the next two seasons when he failed to score a first class century. In 2001 he was back, averaging 55 and scoring three tons.
Loye joined Lancashire at the start of the 2003 campaign and helped them to second in the County Championship with an average of over 50 and five more hundreds.
Since then Loye has gone from strength to strength. He averaged 49 in 2004 and 2005, and opened the batting in one day and 20/20 games.
Loye has developed a unique slog sweep, which he uses against the quicker bowlers, and has earnt him a lot of runs in shorter versions of the game. He is the only batsman brave enough to sweep Shoaib Akhtar for six!
He has over 600 runs in 20/20 cricket and has been singled out by David Graveney as a possible specialist for the international form of the game. Perhaps Graveney should take note of Loye’s form in the County Championship. His six centuries in 2006 helped Lancashire come so close to recording their first Championship outright in over 70 years.
Many people thought Loye had missed the boat for international honours but if he keeps piling on the runs he will increase the pressure on the selectors to consider him, not just for the one day side, but perhaps even the test team.
Mal Loye has been one of the mainstays of the Lancashire batting line-up since his arrival from Northamptonshire in 2003. His consistency has led him to become one of the most reliable cricketers on the county circuit in all forms of the game. His aggressive, if slightly unorthodox style, has recently been recognised with a call up for England’s provisional 30-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy. Many felt he should have been included in the final party.
Loye started his career at Northamptonshire and represented firstly England under 19s, and then England A team in successive years in 1995 and 1996. A devastating top order batsman, particularly in the one-day game where he averages an impressive 35 in over 250 games, he seemed destined for England honours from early in his career.
Loye had an impressive year in 1998, scoring almost 1200 first class runs, including a triple century against Glamorgan. His 322 not out remains the county’s scoring record and Loye was told he was to be picked for the final test of the summer against South Africa. However, only three hours later, the selectors decided to pick Steve James instead and, although he made the A team tour to South Africa that winter, he slipped down the pecking order after that.
The England selection fiasco affected his batting and his career dipped over the next two seasons when he failed to score a first class century. In 2001 he was back, averaging 55 and scoring three tons.Loye joined Lancashire at the start of the 2003 campaign and helped them to second in the County Championship with an average of over 50 and five more hundreds.
Since then Loye has gone from strength to strength. He averaged 49 in 2004 and 2005, and opened the batting in one day and 20/20 games.
Loye has developed a unique slog sweep, which he uses against the quicker bowlers, and has earnt him a lot of runs in shorter versions of the game. He is the only batsman brave enough to sweep Shoaib Akhtar for six!
He has over 600 runs in 20/20 cricket and has been singled out by David Graveney as a possible specialist for the international form of the game. Perhaps Graveney should take note of Loye’s form in the County Championship. His six centuries in 2006 helped Lancashire come so close to recording their first Championship outright in over 70 years.
Many people thought Loye had missed the boat for international honours but if he keeps piling on the runs he will increase the pressure on the selectors to consider him, not just for the one day side, but perhaps even the test team.
Wessels‘ departure lifts Northants‘ gloom
Philip Ellis reflects on a tumultous season at Wantage Road, and what the future holds.
It really was a season of two halves at Wantage Road as the boys yet again dropped anchor early on; a rickety boat called ‘No Hope’ tied up and moored near the bottom of the Championship quay by late June. But the tide did turn once the players had mutinied over coach Kepler Wessels; just three wins in all competitions, the infamous player vote just before the Twenty20 quarter-finals the final nail in his coffin. Keps was condemned to walk the plank and swim to Robben Island, the ‘Caped Crusader’ (David Capel) grabbing the wheel, throwing up a spinnaker of hope, tacking around the bouy, flat home four day wickets from then on in steeling easy draws for welcome buoyancy in more sedate waters.
By all accounts Wessels was a nasty piece of work and radical improvement on the pitch did follow, especially in the one-day Pro40. The only one of the core first team players to support Wessels was, of course, his son in young Rikki. The three abstentions from the 15 surprisingly came from the Asian players, considering previous and historic racist complaints about the Afrikaner. The hopeless Ganguly, the excellent Uzman Azfaal and the hapless and troubled Bilal Shafayat, his lengthening religious beard reflecting his angst over the summer of woe, were the trio of players that strategically didn’t vote. Even Lance Klusener-the three stone lighter version Keps encouraged over to Northants-voted against him, although this clash of loyalties was apparently down to an unfortunate ruck between the two in the dressing room just two days before the stealth vote.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the players that voted against Keps threw the Twenty20 quarter-final and the opening Pro40 game against Essex to hasten his departure. That is the general consensus amongst supporters too. The departing Ben Phillips, as PCA union rep, was asked to take the vote, the mild mannered Jason Brown the instigator of the show of hands, by all accounts. Captain Sales (Homer Simpson) also voted against his boss, the second time he’s done this after the last coach, Bob Carter, was similarly ousted.
Away from the year’s big story at the County Ground it was the Pro40 runners-up spot that saved the season, the competition ideal for our squad. Ironically, if we hadn’t had chucked the opening game against Essex then we would have won the thing. I think they call that karma. Nevertheless the twenty-two grand cheque was very welcome, especially as the sacked Wessels had to be paid off for next year to the tune of £70 000.
Monty’s central contract (he also signed a two year retainer at NNC last week), although bad for availability reasons, was inevitable and frees up some cash for the now sparse seam attack replacements (and the move away from those infamous turning NCG wickets), now the indifferent Nicholson is likely to go to Surrey as their overseas option. With the reliable Ben Phillips also off to get smashed about at Taunton then the thought of going into 2007 with just David Wigley with the new cherry scares me more than global warming and terrorism put together!
The useless Charl Pietersen was first out the door—the kind of Kolpak signing that brings the game into disrepute. He is Kevin’s third cousin but obviously picked the wrong sport. He did bowl a beautiful straight ball that hit the middle of the bat every time, though. I hear customs and immigration are coming after him for lying on his passport under the bit marked ‘profession’. The unused Wessels signing Rob White and the reserve wicket keeper in young Pythian followed; the later bizarre when you consider our first choice keeper was injured for half the year, Billy Shaf taking up the backstop duties.
There’s talk that Uzman Azfaal wanted to go to Surrey and there is a deal on the table from Warwickshire, but I see Uzi as the type of guy that likes to be a big fish in a small pond and really enjoys the banter with the crowd. His Bollywood lifestyle and likewise girlfriend in the winter takes care of the rest of it. But if he still wants to play for England then he needs to move up to division one. Only three of the England seventeen tourists off to Australia were from this year’s league two, all of those last minute replacements due to injuries when they were capped.
On paper we are a good one day side and if we can find a couple of tidy seamers - maybe James Averis from Gloucestershire - then the glimpse of silverware could well become a glare. If young Crook is fit and plays from the off next season then his late slogging and excellent pace for going through the tail may be the decisive factor and I fancy a pot.
But again it depends on finding a tidy one day seamer to compliment the bits and pieces attack. Northants don’t have a history of this: Blain, Anderson, Cawldron, Weeks and Ricky Anderson are a painful reminder of that. Many a time the ball was whacked back high over their heads with a vapour trail on it when they tried to bowl. It was like an exploding munitions dump in Baghdad when they were the opening attack in 2002 in the middle. We need to unearth a trier like Darren Cousins and not a poser like David Wigley. The batting is strong, although Rogers, who hit 1000 runs after his mid-season break at one hundred, looks cool on a return and the twin losses of himself and Azfaal would be huge.
The positives have been Klusener’s world-class season with the bat and useful wickets. Steven Peters flourished after Wessels’ ousting, hitting the ball sweetly with Rogers as opening partner, a particular liking for the ‘perfume ball’. Azfaal will get you 1000 runs whereever he goes and Sales, although a useless leader, is still the best eye in division two, able to deliver that explosive innings.
It really was a season of two halves at Wantage Road as the boys yet again dropped anchor early on; a rickety boat called ‘No Hope’ tied up and moored near the bottom of the Championship quay by late June. But the tide did turn once the players had mutinied over coach Kepler Wessels; just three wins in all competitions, the infamous player vote just before the Twenty20 quarter-finals the final nail in his coffin. Keps was condemned to walk the plank and swim to Robben Island, the ‘Caped Crusader’ (David Capel) grabbing the wheel, throwing up a spinnaker of hope, tacking around the bouy, flat home four day wickets from then on in steeling easy draws for welcome buoyancy in more sedate waters.
By all accounts Wessels was a nasty piece of work and radical improvement on the pitch did follow, especially in the one-day Pro40. The only one of the core first team players to support Wessels was, of course, his son in young Rikki. The three abstentions from the 15 surprisingly came from the Asian players, considering previous and historic racist complaints about the Afrikaner. The hopeless Ganguly, the excellent Uzman Azfaal and the hapless and troubled Bilal Shafayat, his lengthening religious beard reflecting his angst over the summer of woe, were the trio of players that strategically didn’t vote. Even Lance Klusener-the three stone lighter version Keps encouraged over to Northants-voted against him, although this clash of loyalties was apparently down to an unfortunate ruck between the two in the dressing room just two days before the stealth vote.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the players that voted against Keps threw the Twenty20 quarter-final and the opening Pro40 game against Essex to hasten his departure. That is the general consensus amongst supporters too. The departing Ben Phillips, as PCA union rep, was asked to take the vote, the mild mannered Jason Brown the instigator of the show of hands, by all accounts. Captain Sales (Homer Simpson) also voted against his boss, the second time he’s done this after the last coach, Bob Carter, was similarly ousted.
Away from the year’s big story at the County Ground it was the Pro40 runners-up spot that saved the season, the competition ideal for our squad. Ironically, if we hadn’t had chucked the opening game against Essex then we would have won the thing. I think they call that karma. Nevertheless the twenty-two grand cheque was very welcome, especially as the sacked Wessels had to be paid off for next year to the tune of £70 000.
Monty’s central contract (he also signed a two year retainer at NNC last week), although bad for availability reasons, was inevitable and frees up some cash for the now sparse seam attack replacements (and the move away from those infamous turning NCG wickets), now the indifferent Nicholson is likely to go to Surrey as their overseas option. With the reliable Ben Phillips also off to get smashed about at Taunton then the thought of going into 2007 with just David Wigley with the new cherry scares me more than global warming and terrorism put together!
The useless Charl Pietersen was first out the door—the kind of Kolpak signing that brings the game into disrepute. He is Kevin’s third cousin but obviously picked the wrong sport. He did bowl a beautiful straight ball that hit the middle of the bat every time, though. I hear customs and immigration are coming after him for lying on his passport under the bit marked ‘profession’. The unused Wessels signing Rob White and the reserve wicket keeper in young Pythian followed; the later bizarre when you consider our first choice keeper was injured for half the year, Billy Shaf taking up the backstop duties.
There’s talk that Uzman Azfaal wanted to go to Surrey and there is a deal on the table from Warwickshire, but I see Uzi as the type of guy that likes to be a big fish in a small pond and really enjoys the banter with the crowd. His Bollywood lifestyle and likewise girlfriend in the winter takes care of the rest of it. But if he still wants to play for England then he needs to move up to division one. Only three of the England seventeen tourists off to Australia were from this year’s league two, all of those last minute replacements due to injuries when they were capped.
On paper we are a good one day side and if we can find a couple of tidy seamers - maybe James Averis from Gloucestershire - then the glimpse of silverware could well become a glare. If young Crook is fit and plays from the off next season then his late slogging and excellent pace for going through the tail may be the decisive factor and I fancy a pot.
But again it depends on finding a tidy one day seamer to compliment the bits and pieces attack. Northants don’t have a history of this: Blain, Anderson, Cawldron, Weeks and Ricky Anderson are a painful reminder of that. Many a time the ball was whacked back high over their heads with a vapour trail on it when they tried to bowl. It was like an exploding munitions dump in Baghdad when they were the opening attack in 2002 in the middle. We need to unearth a trier like Darren Cousins and not a poser like David Wigley. The batting is strong, although Rogers, who hit 1000 runs after his mid-season break at one hundred, looks cool on a return and the twin losses of himself and Azfaal would be huge.
The positives have been Klusener’s world-class season with the bat and useful wickets. Steven Peters flourished after Wessels’ ousting, hitting the ball sweetly with Rogers as opening partner, a particular liking for the ‘perfume ball’. Azfaal will get you 1000 runs whereever he goes and Sales, although a useless leader, is still the best eye in division two, able to deliver that explosive innings.
Thursday, 3 August 2006
The hardest man in cricket
Northants fan Philip Ellis analyses the implications of Kepler Wessels' departure from Wantage Road
Although the downfall of coach Kepler Wessels has disappointed many at Northampton, the general consensus was that he had taken the club as far as he could under the current fiscal regime and that uncompromising leadership style had outlived its welcome. We know he was a hard case and revelled in that image; any player who crossed ‘Keps’ felt his roth. Apparently he was reported three times to the Players Union by bullied players. In fact the ‘alleged’ instigator of the vote was none other than the player’s rep in Ben Phillips, surprising many at the ground. David Graveny himself, along with the top PCA union rep, was at the game against Essex when he was fired to allegedly warn Wessels over his conduct. The coach, fearing the sack, was about to ask for an extended contract to force the issue.
The big poser that is Graeme Swann was first out of Wantage Rd under Keps tenure after one season too many, apparently the coach pulling him aside on day one of the South Africans reign and enquiring if it was true that he could do impressions. Swanny replied that he could indeed do some famous voices. ‘What would you like—maybe a Bruce Forsyth!’, the unsuspecting Swann did chirp. Wessels snarled back that if he ever did one of him then he would snap the off-spinners spine in half. That’s was the way Wessels ran the ship.
The now departed Jeff Cook- an Aussie Kolpak-also suffered Keplers iron fist when he finally scored a hundred for Northamptonshire on a pancake wicket at Wantage Rd-his first for three years-Wessels following him up the pavilion stairs with the death nell of ‘it it doesn’t matter how many f*****g hundreds you score for this club because you will never play for it again. The guy did not suffer wimps and slackers. But once the club was hit by a serious fraud and the income dropped, he never had the budget to buy the players that would bring us his brand of success. Ironically the club is now playing like he batted!
The player vote did happen and it was a ratio of about 3:1, although ive heard it was more like 14 to 2 for him to go. It was noticeable that on the day after his ‘amicable’ departure (he got all the money plus no tax on the remaining year and a half on his deal), the players that were against him ate their lunch in the dressing room whilst a conspicuously small table of players remained in the canteen, all murmuring with a distinct Southern Hemisphere twang!—the Steelboks versus the Steelbacks, if you like.
The ‘Capes Crusader’ (David Capel) has taken up the reigns until the end of the current season at Wantage Road, denying he knew anything about the downfall that many feel he engineered. A stonking reverse in the Pro40 against Notts, who flipped us out of the Twenty20 quarter-finals last week, started the renaissance with a superb win on Sunday, Lance Klusner taking the winning four wickets for his old boss. The administrators of the club, also facing big change when the chairman leaves next year, have tried their hardest to kill this story stone dead. Two men who have benefited are batsmen Rob White and Stephen Peters, playing like Bradman now the atmosphere has lifted.
Although the downfall of coach Kepler Wessels has disappointed many at Northampton, the general consensus was that he had taken the club as far as he could under the current fiscal regime and that uncompromising leadership style had outlived its welcome. We know he was a hard case and revelled in that image; any player who crossed ‘Keps’ felt his roth. Apparently he was reported three times to the Players Union by bullied players. In fact the ‘alleged’ instigator of the vote was none other than the player’s rep in Ben Phillips, surprising many at the ground. David Graveny himself, along with the top PCA union rep, was at the game against Essex when he was fired to allegedly warn Wessels over his conduct. The coach, fearing the sack, was about to ask for an extended contract to force the issue.
The big poser that is Graeme Swann was first out of Wantage Rd under Keps tenure after one season too many, apparently the coach pulling him aside on day one of the South Africans reign and enquiring if it was true that he could do impressions. Swanny replied that he could indeed do some famous voices. ‘What would you like—maybe a Bruce Forsyth!’, the unsuspecting Swann did chirp. Wessels snarled back that if he ever did one of him then he would snap the off-spinners spine in half. That’s was the way Wessels ran the ship.
The now departed Jeff Cook- an Aussie Kolpak-also suffered Keplers iron fist when he finally scored a hundred for Northamptonshire on a pancake wicket at Wantage Rd-his first for three years-Wessels following him up the pavilion stairs with the death nell of ‘it it doesn’t matter how many f*****g hundreds you score for this club because you will never play for it again. The guy did not suffer wimps and slackers. But once the club was hit by a serious fraud and the income dropped, he never had the budget to buy the players that would bring us his brand of success. Ironically the club is now playing like he batted!
The player vote did happen and it was a ratio of about 3:1, although ive heard it was more like 14 to 2 for him to go. It was noticeable that on the day after his ‘amicable’ departure (he got all the money plus no tax on the remaining year and a half on his deal), the players that were against him ate their lunch in the dressing room whilst a conspicuously small table of players remained in the canteen, all murmuring with a distinct Southern Hemisphere twang!—the Steelboks versus the Steelbacks, if you like.
The ‘Capes Crusader’ (David Capel) has taken up the reigns until the end of the current season at Wantage Road, denying he knew anything about the downfall that many feel he engineered. A stonking reverse in the Pro40 against Notts, who flipped us out of the Twenty20 quarter-finals last week, started the renaissance with a superb win on Sunday, Lance Klusner taking the winning four wickets for his old boss. The administrators of the club, also facing big change when the chairman leaves next year, have tried their hardest to kill this story stone dead. Two men who have benefited are batsmen Rob White and Stephen Peters, playing like Bradman now the atmosphere has lifted.
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