It was as if the incredible 4-0 thumping of South Africa never happened, as England endured a humiliating loss in the first of their seven ODIs in India. England were excellent against South Africa; but they paid the price for stubbornly sticking to the formula that was so successful then. In vastly different conditions, different approaches are needed.
Most fundamentally, England blundered badly in failing to select Graeme Swann. Swann had a very good series against New Zealand in the summer, was extremely unfortunate to be dropped for Samit Patel, and his stats show he should be regarded as England's premier one-day spinner. that is not to say Patel does not have a role to play; but, despite his five wicket haul in the third ODI against South Africa, he is a batting allrounder who should be regarded as the fifth or six bowler. England need both Swann and Patel in these conditions.
Though Ravi Bopara gave a long overdue reminder of his talent, it is bewildering that there is no place even in the squad for Dimitri Mascharenhas. He offers remarkable six-hitting capacity at number eight, canny bowling that could be well-suited to these wickets, smart fielding and a shrewd cricketing brain. Mascharenhas is a fine cricketer and has already done enough to suggest he could have a vital role to play for England.
The opening partnership of Matt Prior and Ian Bell excelled against South Africa, but it feels knee-jerk to critice it so soon on the tour. But, in Indian conditions power hitting, of the sort exhibited by Virender Sehwag, is needed from the off. Prior, the supossed aggressor, may be better utilised lower down the order. But England, having injudiciously selected Cook as the reserve batsman, have few options. They must adapt to survive - select two spinners and show a willingness to tinker with the batting order.
Showing posts with label Samit Patel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Samit Patel. Show all posts
Friday, 14 November 2008
Thursday, 2 October 2008
2008 Season Review: Nottinghamshire
Continuing our season reviews, 'OBR and the Nottinghamshire 606ers' offers an assesment of Nottinghamshire's season.
Final placings:
Championship Division One – 2nd;
FP Trophy – 2nd, Midlands Division (Beaten Quarter Finalists to Durham); Twenty20 Cup – 4th, North Division; Pro40 Division One - 4th
All stats are CC (unless otherwise stated)
Following on from promotion from Division two last season, once again Nottinghamshire’s season was a rollercoaster of joy, to despair, back to joy and more often then not ending up in despair. Thoughts at the start of the season were ones of how to avoid a struggle at the bottom of the County Championship and hopefully sneak some silverware in the one day competitions. In the end thoughts were one of ‘If only’ with Championship and Pro40 titles slipping away on the last day of each competition.
There were many changes towards the start with captain fantastic, Fleming moving on and David Hussey not sure how much cricket he would play for Notts, if any at all. The batting was strengthened with Matthew Wood coming in after being released from Somerset. The bowling department was also strengthened with the Stuart Broad coming in from Leicestershire, Darren Pattinson (more about him later) coming in after a recommendation from David Hussey and after a few games. Ex-Overseas player Andre Adams also came in, on a Kolpak agreement, as cover for Broad and Sidebottom, who were to be regulars in the England team. Once Hussey had made it clear that he would not play any cricket for Notts till at least July, Notts quickly moved to bring in Adam Voges and then when he made it even clearer that he would play no part at all, Ashwell Prince, came in as a replacement from Voges, who had to return to Oz in July. Chris Read took the captain’s armband with Fleming moving on.
So Notts went to Kent for the first game of the County Championship season without Broad and Sidebottom, who had been told to rest after a long hard winter (Cough!). With this in mind, many fans were just willing Notts to get up to the magical total of 155 points to avoid relegation and kick on in 2009. OK maybe that was just me but one or two other people agreed with me (I think!). But after 53.4 overs Kent were dismissed for 162 and fans everywhere were punching ‘Darren Pattinson’ in various search engines on the web to find out exactly who he was. He ended the game with figures of 36-15-85-8 and Mick Newell had unearthed a new bowling genius to add to the already cupboard stocked full of bowling geniuses. Notts finished the game with 22 points and but for rear guard actions from Key and Mahmood in each innings, Notts would have finished the game well inside 2 days.
After this game things stuttered along a little with a draw at The Parks, a win in Dublin in the FPT, an abandonment at Egbaston in the FPT, a draw at Headingley (when Notts were well on top). A D/L win against Northants was followed up by revenge for Kent at Trent Bridge. Whoever let Broad and Sidebottom play wants a stern talking to!
The first month provided an accurate pre-cursor as to how the season would pan out. A great start but a disappointing end, with the bowling being great but the batting was sadly not up to scratch.
As the season progressed the Notts fans were soon questioning the ability of openers Jefferson and Wood to provide a stable base from which to score big runs. The running joke being that Notts were starting their innings a wicket or two down, before they crossed to rope. Jefferson finished the CC season with 442 runs @ 22.10 and Wood 539 @ 26.95. Both players didn’t managed a century and both obtained a top score of 98. It was only when Shafayat (541 runs @ 41.61) came in for Wood at the top of the order did Notts get a substantial opening partnership, 157 against Sussex at Hove and that was late August!
Behind the top, two Mark Wagh proved to be Mr Consistency by eight fifties and getting past the one hundred mark twice. He ended the season with 1033 runs @ 46.95. Samit Patel didn’t quite make the 1000 run mark but ended strongly with scores of 135, 70 and 77 to end the season with 977 runs @ 51.42. Then came the Swann, Read, Ealham middle order that was either saving an innings or throwing it away. They ended up with 525 runs @ 37.50, 726 runs @ 45.37 and 329 runs @ 20.56 respectively. The two interesting things from these three is Ealham started the season with a 130* at Kent and then amassed 199 runs in the CC after that and Read’s ave was boosted by 5 NotOuts but his batting was sadly affected by the captaincy. The only two other notable contributors to the scorebook in the CC were our two Overseas players who managed 627 runs @ 36.88 and Prince 123 runs @ 30.75. This disappointing return from Voges and Prince along with Jefferson and Wood’s ‘contribution’ of 5 fifties and zero centuries, lead, in no small part, to Notts finishing second in the County Championship. As opposed to top where at one point they looked like finish.
The theme of starting well and finishing up poorly continued in the Friends Provident Trophy, Twenty20 and especially the Pro40. In the FPT we managed to finish second behind Leicestershire and then went out in a nail-biter to Durham at the Riverside, where the batting, Samit’s run a ball 114 apart, failed but Durham struggled to a win by one wicket, with Samit also picking up three wickets and the MOM award. The Twenty20 record after 6 games was W,W,L,D,W,W the next four had a consistent look about it L,L,L,L. Notts were then thrown a lifeline when Yorks fielded an ineligible player at Trent Bridge, in the decider and Notts were given the points to take them through to the Knockout stage.
That lifeline was rapidly taken away by the ECB as it somehow transpired that Notts shouldn’t be given the game points but Yorkshire should have their points taken away. This meant Glamorgan would go through to the Knockout stages after crying like babies. Strange that Glamorgan profited from this decision after the other remarkable decision of being granted the first Ashes test on an untried ground. Anyone would think that the ex-head of the ECB was Welsh or something. As for the Pro40 outings Notts won 3 from the first four games and one of the next 4, we all know what happened in the decider at Trent Bridge on Sunday the 14th September. I blame my brother who with Sussex needed loads off not many proclaimed that Notts had won and we could all go home. Murray Goodwin must have heard his big mouth and tried to ram the last ball down his throat on the middle deck of the Radcliffe Road.
In the end, as we all know, Notts threw away a great chance of sealing the CC total to make up for the Pro40 by collapsing in their first innings against Hants when they had them for the taking and the title went to Durham with their mix of imports and local stars.
I always like to end on a positive note so here it is; the bowling, Sussex game apart the seam attack of Shreck, Pattinson, Adams and Ealham was superb throughout the whole season. In the CC they ended up with 58, 47, 31 and 30 wickets each. Averages were 28.67, 24.65, 19.16 and a poor by Ealham’s high standards 29.56. They were backed up by the spin twins of Swann and Patel 32 wickets @ 27.03 and 12 wickets @ 37.91. Samit did manage to take 26 wickets @ 15.73 in List A games which catapulted him into the England ODI side and potentially on the biggest pay day of his career in the WI in November.
The 'Roof Tiler from Grimsby' as he was dubbed by the red tops was also selected to play for England in the Test at Headingley, leap-frogging the likes of Tremlett and Hoggard much to the dislike of 99.9% of the cricketing fraternity. He didn’t bowl too badly against SA, they just completely outplayed England but it would appear that Pattinson was made scapegoat for the defeat and would never darken the England dressing room door again. As I type he is on Cricinfo as saying he wouldn’t have picked himself. The point being that he didn’t pick himself the England selectors did and he was hardly going to turn them down was he now! It was only in the last game of the season did Pattinson and his seam/spin colleagues look weary. As much as our batting was fragile the bowling sextet always seem to pick up wickets early on and at the right times.
Overall 8/10
Player of the season:
Notts say it is Charlie Shreck and they are about right but not far behind him are Samit Patel and Mark Wagh from the batsmen and Pattinson, Adams and Swann from the bowlers. All the other players are far far behind and I include Read in this due to his poor batting and keeping at times. Hopefully the captaincy doesn’t affect him as much next season.
Most disappointing player:
Lots to choose from here Jefferson, Wood, Voges, Prince, Franks (a CC bowling ave of 50+!), Ealham’s batting post Kent,
Highlight:
The start at Kent, the last ball win against Leics in the FPT, the stuffing of Surrey, Samit’s innings in the same game, Samit’s allround play against Durham in the FPT Quarter Final. All things considered 2nd in the CC when we were playing Div2 cricket last season is a great achievement. Fletcher, Saleby and Hales all playing for England U19 in the same game.
Lowlight:
Oh where to start. Obviously Sussex in the Pro40 and Hants in the final CC game, Yorks, Lancs and Durham all at home and all on Sky. Four home Sky games and four defeats. Jefferson and Wood’s batting. The Overseas contribution, we expect them to score big and they didn’t. Newell’s inability to bring youth into the equation. The ECB T20 debacle, I know we didn’t deserve to go through but don’t tell us we are through and then listen to whinging Welsh people who claim to be sooooo hard done to.
If you're interested in writing a season review for your county, please email it cricketingworld@hotmail.com
Final placings:
Championship Division One – 2nd;
FP Trophy – 2nd, Midlands Division (Beaten Quarter Finalists to Durham); Twenty20 Cup – 4th, North Division; Pro40 Division One - 4th
All stats are CC (unless otherwise stated)
Following on from promotion from Division two last season, once again Nottinghamshire’s season was a rollercoaster of joy, to despair, back to joy and more often then not ending up in despair. Thoughts at the start of the season were ones of how to avoid a struggle at the bottom of the County Championship and hopefully sneak some silverware in the one day competitions. In the end thoughts were one of ‘If only’ with Championship and Pro40 titles slipping away on the last day of each competition.
There were many changes towards the start with captain fantastic, Fleming moving on and David Hussey not sure how much cricket he would play for Notts, if any at all. The batting was strengthened with Matthew Wood coming in after being released from Somerset. The bowling department was also strengthened with the Stuart Broad coming in from Leicestershire, Darren Pattinson (more about him later) coming in after a recommendation from David Hussey and after a few games. Ex-Overseas player Andre Adams also came in, on a Kolpak agreement, as cover for Broad and Sidebottom, who were to be regulars in the England team. Once Hussey had made it clear that he would not play any cricket for Notts till at least July, Notts quickly moved to bring in Adam Voges and then when he made it even clearer that he would play no part at all, Ashwell Prince, came in as a replacement from Voges, who had to return to Oz in July. Chris Read took the captain’s armband with Fleming moving on.
So Notts went to Kent for the first game of the County Championship season without Broad and Sidebottom, who had been told to rest after a long hard winter (Cough!). With this in mind, many fans were just willing Notts to get up to the magical total of 155 points to avoid relegation and kick on in 2009. OK maybe that was just me but one or two other people agreed with me (I think!). But after 53.4 overs Kent were dismissed for 162 and fans everywhere were punching ‘Darren Pattinson’ in various search engines on the web to find out exactly who he was. He ended the game with figures of 36-15-85-8 and Mick Newell had unearthed a new bowling genius to add to the already cupboard stocked full of bowling geniuses. Notts finished the game with 22 points and but for rear guard actions from Key and Mahmood in each innings, Notts would have finished the game well inside 2 days.
After this game things stuttered along a little with a draw at The Parks, a win in Dublin in the FPT, an abandonment at Egbaston in the FPT, a draw at Headingley (when Notts were well on top). A D/L win against Northants was followed up by revenge for Kent at Trent Bridge. Whoever let Broad and Sidebottom play wants a stern talking to!
The first month provided an accurate pre-cursor as to how the season would pan out. A great start but a disappointing end, with the bowling being great but the batting was sadly not up to scratch.
As the season progressed the Notts fans were soon questioning the ability of openers Jefferson and Wood to provide a stable base from which to score big runs. The running joke being that Notts were starting their innings a wicket or two down, before they crossed to rope. Jefferson finished the CC season with 442 runs @ 22.10 and Wood 539 @ 26.95. Both players didn’t managed a century and both obtained a top score of 98. It was only when Shafayat (541 runs @ 41.61) came in for Wood at the top of the order did Notts get a substantial opening partnership, 157 against Sussex at Hove and that was late August!
Behind the top, two Mark Wagh proved to be Mr Consistency by eight fifties and getting past the one hundred mark twice. He ended the season with 1033 runs @ 46.95. Samit Patel didn’t quite make the 1000 run mark but ended strongly with scores of 135, 70 and 77 to end the season with 977 runs @ 51.42. Then came the Swann, Read, Ealham middle order that was either saving an innings or throwing it away. They ended up with 525 runs @ 37.50, 726 runs @ 45.37 and 329 runs @ 20.56 respectively. The two interesting things from these three is Ealham started the season with a 130* at Kent and then amassed 199 runs in the CC after that and Read’s ave was boosted by 5 NotOuts but his batting was sadly affected by the captaincy. The only two other notable contributors to the scorebook in the CC were our two Overseas players who managed 627 runs @ 36.88 and Prince 123 runs @ 30.75. This disappointing return from Voges and Prince along with Jefferson and Wood’s ‘contribution’ of 5 fifties and zero centuries, lead, in no small part, to Notts finishing second in the County Championship. As opposed to top where at one point they looked like finish.
The theme of starting well and finishing up poorly continued in the Friends Provident Trophy, Twenty20 and especially the Pro40. In the FPT we managed to finish second behind Leicestershire and then went out in a nail-biter to Durham at the Riverside, where the batting, Samit’s run a ball 114 apart, failed but Durham struggled to a win by one wicket, with Samit also picking up three wickets and the MOM award. The Twenty20 record after 6 games was W,W,L,D,W,W the next four had a consistent look about it L,L,L,L. Notts were then thrown a lifeline when Yorks fielded an ineligible player at Trent Bridge, in the decider and Notts were given the points to take them through to the Knockout stage.
That lifeline was rapidly taken away by the ECB as it somehow transpired that Notts shouldn’t be given the game points but Yorkshire should have their points taken away. This meant Glamorgan would go through to the Knockout stages after crying like babies. Strange that Glamorgan profited from this decision after the other remarkable decision of being granted the first Ashes test on an untried ground. Anyone would think that the ex-head of the ECB was Welsh or something. As for the Pro40 outings Notts won 3 from the first four games and one of the next 4, we all know what happened in the decider at Trent Bridge on Sunday the 14th September. I blame my brother who with Sussex needed loads off not many proclaimed that Notts had won and we could all go home. Murray Goodwin must have heard his big mouth and tried to ram the last ball down his throat on the middle deck of the Radcliffe Road.
In the end, as we all know, Notts threw away a great chance of sealing the CC total to make up for the Pro40 by collapsing in their first innings against Hants when they had them for the taking and the title went to Durham with their mix of imports and local stars.
I always like to end on a positive note so here it is; the bowling, Sussex game apart the seam attack of Shreck, Pattinson, Adams and Ealham was superb throughout the whole season. In the CC they ended up with 58, 47, 31 and 30 wickets each. Averages were 28.67, 24.65, 19.16 and a poor by Ealham’s high standards 29.56. They were backed up by the spin twins of Swann and Patel 32 wickets @ 27.03 and 12 wickets @ 37.91. Samit did manage to take 26 wickets @ 15.73 in List A games which catapulted him into the England ODI side and potentially on the biggest pay day of his career in the WI in November.
The 'Roof Tiler from Grimsby' as he was dubbed by the red tops was also selected to play for England in the Test at Headingley, leap-frogging the likes of Tremlett and Hoggard much to the dislike of 99.9% of the cricketing fraternity. He didn’t bowl too badly against SA, they just completely outplayed England but it would appear that Pattinson was made scapegoat for the defeat and would never darken the England dressing room door again. As I type he is on Cricinfo as saying he wouldn’t have picked himself. The point being that he didn’t pick himself the England selectors did and he was hardly going to turn them down was he now! It was only in the last game of the season did Pattinson and his seam/spin colleagues look weary. As much as our batting was fragile the bowling sextet always seem to pick up wickets early on and at the right times.
Overall 8/10
Player of the season:
Notts say it is Charlie Shreck and they are about right but not far behind him are Samit Patel and Mark Wagh from the batsmen and Pattinson, Adams and Swann from the bowlers. All the other players are far far behind and I include Read in this due to his poor batting and keeping at times. Hopefully the captaincy doesn’t affect him as much next season.
Most disappointing player:
Lots to choose from here Jefferson, Wood, Voges, Prince, Franks (a CC bowling ave of 50+!), Ealham’s batting post Kent,
Highlight:
The start at Kent, the last ball win against Leics in the FPT, the stuffing of Surrey, Samit’s innings in the same game, Samit’s allround play against Durham in the FPT Quarter Final. All things considered 2nd in the CC when we were playing Div2 cricket last season is a great achievement. Fletcher, Saleby and Hales all playing for England U19 in the same game.
Lowlight:
Oh where to start. Obviously Sussex in the Pro40 and Hants in the final CC game, Yorks, Lancs and Durham all at home and all on Sky. Four home Sky games and four defeats. Jefferson and Wood’s batting. The Overseas contribution, we expect them to score big and they didn’t. Newell’s inability to bring youth into the equation. The ECB T20 debacle, I know we didn’t deserve to go through but don’t tell us we are through and then listen to whinging Welsh people who claim to be sooooo hard done to.
If you're interested in writing a season review for your county, please email it cricketingworld@hotmail.com
Monday, 22 September 2008
Championship - Week 20
It’s all set for a grandstand finish at both ends of the table in Division 1, while in Division 2, it’s all over as the Bears and Pears clinch their promotions.
Division 1
Starting with a battle at the bottom end of the table as struggling Lancashire faced Kent, who were also looking for their early season form. Kent put Lancs into bat, skittling them for just 107, extras top scoring with 32. 91 from Geraint Jones then took Kent to 233 and a substantial first innings lead. Lancs did better second time round, Stuart Law getting 79 while Glen Chapple held the tail together with 45 as they made 288. Needing just 162 to win, Chapple then came into his own with the ball, taking 6 for 40 as Kent made just 92 to lose by 70 runs. Lancs move a point ahead of Kent, and most critically five points out of the relegation zone. Both teams face title chasing teams next week and need decent points to keep themselves safe.
Suffering most from the Lancs come back were Yorkshire, who must have thought they would move above their Roses rivals after their draw with Somerset. Somerset batted first, knowing a win would take them to the top of the table. Having lost Marcus Trescothick first ball, they were indebted to an Ian Blackwell ton, with support from Peter Trego to reach 380. An Antony McGrath ton and 98 from Jacques Rudolph got Yorkshire to 414 and maximum bonus points. Somerset were then reduced to 39 for 3 as Yorkshire smelt victory. However, the time lost at the beginning of the game proved crucial and Somerset batted out to 317 for 8 and a draw. Yorks remain in the relegation zone with a trip to also struggling Sussex. Somerset entertain Lancs needing a win to stand any chance of taking the title.
Taking advantage at the top of the table were Nottinghamshire, who sent a woeful Surrey back to Division 2. Batting first Surrey made 267, by which point they knew that they had been relegated. Notts then went on to make 532, with Mark Wagh (141) and Samit Patel (135) putting on 242 for the 3rd wicket. Surrey then made just 122 second time round as they finished the season winless. Notts are in pole position and entertain in form Hampshire, who also have title ambitions.
Also in contention at the top are Durham, 380 who made against Sussex, Shiv Chanderpaul scoring a ton and Mohammed Sami taking five wickets. Chris Nash scored 96 as Sussex made 302 in reply. However, this was another game affected by the weather and Durham could only get to 125 for 2 as the game finished in a draw. Durham are 3rd, ten points behind Notts and face struggling Kent next week. Sussex play host to Yorks, knowing that a loser will almost certainly be relegated.
Prediction time: Very rarely this season has a team stayed at the top for more than a week (and most teams have topped the table at some point). I am therefore going to predict a Hants win over Notts, opening the door for Durham to take the title, whose win will relegate Kent, as Sussex and Yorks play out a draw.
Division 2
The match of the week was at Chelmsford where Essex needed to beat Warwickshire to keep their promotion push going. Batting first Essex made 341, with 18 year old Jaik Mickleburgh and Ryan ten Doeschate both making 72. The Bears then took charge in the form of Tony Frost, whose unbeaten 242 was the highest score for Warwicks against Essex. The Bears declared on 514 for 9 and then bowled Essex out for 316, John Maunders and Ravi Bopara both getting tons in a stand of 241 and Ian Salisbury taking six wickets as the last nine wickets fell for 69 runs. Warwickshire then made the 144 needed for the loss of 4 wickets to confirm their promotion. Essex face another season in Division 2.
Warwickshire’s win also promoted Worcestershire, who found themselves against a Middlesex team showing the form that I thought would lead them to the title at the beginning of the season. Tim Murtagh took six wickets as Worcester struggled to 265 despite a Stephen Moore century. Andrew Strauss (101) and Owais Shah (86) then put on 129 as Middlesex made 321, Gareth Andrew taking five wickets. Dirk Nannes took six wickets second time round to reduce Worcester to 122 and leave Middlesex needing 67 to win, which they did for the loss of 2 wickets. In the end, the result was not important to Worcester as now prepare for life in Division 1 and without Graeme Hick.
At the bottom of the table, Glamorgan took on Leicestershire. Batting first the Welshmen scored 450, with Gareth Rees and Michael Powell both getting tons. In reply, Leicester struggled to 201 and following on 311, despite Paul Nixon getting an unbeaten 106. Glamorgan scored the 63 needed for victory without losing a wicket and move above Leicester in the table.
Both Leicester and Glamorgan are above Gloucestershire, who played Derbyshire, bowling the home side out for just 188, David Brown taking 5 wickets. Graeme Wagg went one wicket better as Gloucester made 222. He then scored 72 as Derby made 431, Greg Smith top scoring with 92. Four more wickets for Wagg saw Gloucester bowled out for 280 and a Derbyshire win by 117 runs. Derbyshire move above Essex in the table while Gloucester remain winless and bottom.
England Player Watch
Michael Vaughan did better than Marcus Trescothick, although neither scored many and both got injured. In contrast, Andrew Strauss, Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara all got big scores in their matches and Matt Prior scored another half century.
Three more wickets for Steve Harmison in his excellent season, while Tim Bresnan and Adil Rashid were both in the wickets for Yorkshire
Player of the Week
Some brilliant individual performances this week including Antony McGrath, Ian Blackwell, Mark Wagh and Samit Patel with the bat, Ian Salisbury with the ball and Graeme Wagg with both. In any other week, Glen Chapple would have been a shoe-in for the award. However, for an unbeaten 242 in promotion clash that saw his team promoted, the Player of the Week is Tony Frost
Division 1
Starting with a battle at the bottom end of the table as struggling Lancashire faced Kent, who were also looking for their early season form. Kent put Lancs into bat, skittling them for just 107, extras top scoring with 32. 91 from Geraint Jones then took Kent to 233 and a substantial first innings lead. Lancs did better second time round, Stuart Law getting 79 while Glen Chapple held the tail together with 45 as they made 288. Needing just 162 to win, Chapple then came into his own with the ball, taking 6 for 40 as Kent made just 92 to lose by 70 runs. Lancs move a point ahead of Kent, and most critically five points out of the relegation zone. Both teams face title chasing teams next week and need decent points to keep themselves safe.
Suffering most from the Lancs come back were Yorkshire, who must have thought they would move above their Roses rivals after their draw with Somerset. Somerset batted first, knowing a win would take them to the top of the table. Having lost Marcus Trescothick first ball, they were indebted to an Ian Blackwell ton, with support from Peter Trego to reach 380. An Antony McGrath ton and 98 from Jacques Rudolph got Yorkshire to 414 and maximum bonus points. Somerset were then reduced to 39 for 3 as Yorkshire smelt victory. However, the time lost at the beginning of the game proved crucial and Somerset batted out to 317 for 8 and a draw. Yorks remain in the relegation zone with a trip to also struggling Sussex. Somerset entertain Lancs needing a win to stand any chance of taking the title.
Taking advantage at the top of the table were Nottinghamshire, who sent a woeful Surrey back to Division 2. Batting first Surrey made 267, by which point they knew that they had been relegated. Notts then went on to make 532, with Mark Wagh (141) and Samit Patel (135) putting on 242 for the 3rd wicket. Surrey then made just 122 second time round as they finished the season winless. Notts are in pole position and entertain in form Hampshire, who also have title ambitions.
Also in contention at the top are Durham, 380 who made against Sussex, Shiv Chanderpaul scoring a ton and Mohammed Sami taking five wickets. Chris Nash scored 96 as Sussex made 302 in reply. However, this was another game affected by the weather and Durham could only get to 125 for 2 as the game finished in a draw. Durham are 3rd, ten points behind Notts and face struggling Kent next week. Sussex play host to Yorks, knowing that a loser will almost certainly be relegated.
Prediction time: Very rarely this season has a team stayed at the top for more than a week (and most teams have topped the table at some point). I am therefore going to predict a Hants win over Notts, opening the door for Durham to take the title, whose win will relegate Kent, as Sussex and Yorks play out a draw.
Division 2
The match of the week was at Chelmsford where Essex needed to beat Warwickshire to keep their promotion push going. Batting first Essex made 341, with 18 year old Jaik Mickleburgh and Ryan ten Doeschate both making 72. The Bears then took charge in the form of Tony Frost, whose unbeaten 242 was the highest score for Warwicks against Essex. The Bears declared on 514 for 9 and then bowled Essex out for 316, John Maunders and Ravi Bopara both getting tons in a stand of 241 and Ian Salisbury taking six wickets as the last nine wickets fell for 69 runs. Warwickshire then made the 144 needed for the loss of 4 wickets to confirm their promotion. Essex face another season in Division 2.
Warwickshire’s win also promoted Worcestershire, who found themselves against a Middlesex team showing the form that I thought would lead them to the title at the beginning of the season. Tim Murtagh took six wickets as Worcester struggled to 265 despite a Stephen Moore century. Andrew Strauss (101) and Owais Shah (86) then put on 129 as Middlesex made 321, Gareth Andrew taking five wickets. Dirk Nannes took six wickets second time round to reduce Worcester to 122 and leave Middlesex needing 67 to win, which they did for the loss of 2 wickets. In the end, the result was not important to Worcester as now prepare for life in Division 1 and without Graeme Hick.
At the bottom of the table, Glamorgan took on Leicestershire. Batting first the Welshmen scored 450, with Gareth Rees and Michael Powell both getting tons. In reply, Leicester struggled to 201 and following on 311, despite Paul Nixon getting an unbeaten 106. Glamorgan scored the 63 needed for victory without losing a wicket and move above Leicester in the table.
Both Leicester and Glamorgan are above Gloucestershire, who played Derbyshire, bowling the home side out for just 188, David Brown taking 5 wickets. Graeme Wagg went one wicket better as Gloucester made 222. He then scored 72 as Derby made 431, Greg Smith top scoring with 92. Four more wickets for Wagg saw Gloucester bowled out for 280 and a Derbyshire win by 117 runs. Derbyshire move above Essex in the table while Gloucester remain winless and bottom.
England Player Watch
Michael Vaughan did better than Marcus Trescothick, although neither scored many and both got injured. In contrast, Andrew Strauss, Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara all got big scores in their matches and Matt Prior scored another half century.
Three more wickets for Steve Harmison in his excellent season, while Tim Bresnan and Adil Rashid were both in the wickets for Yorkshire
Player of the Week
Some brilliant individual performances this week including Antony McGrath, Ian Blackwell, Mark Wagh and Samit Patel with the bat, Ian Salisbury with the ball and Graeme Wagg with both. In any other week, Glen Chapple would have been a shoe-in for the award. However, for an unbeaten 242 in promotion clash that saw his team promoted, the Player of the Week is Tony Frost
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
King Kev's bright new era
Here is how England's players rated in their 4-0 win over South Africa:
Ian Bell 6.5
His superb innings in the third game showed he has the ability to pierce the infield, and the game to be a very successful ODI opener. Still, the instances of a bewildering inability to assert himself - his 69-ball 35 being a case in point - remain too frequent.
Matt Prior 8
Thirteen catches - several of them exceptional - suggested an improved wicket-keeper, although the real challenge will come in Tests, when reserves of stamina and levels of skill are tested to the limit. He batted with intent and class at the top of the order, scoring at a strike-rate of 93, even if some dismissals were a little too reminiscent of Prior's last spell in the one-day side.
Owais Shah 7
Given the opportunity to bat in his county position of number three, Shah improved as the series wore on. His 44* in the fourth game was testament to what a fine limited-overs player he is, though it remains to be seen what is ultimately his best position. Credit must also be given for the improvements in his fielding, which will help his Test claims.
Kevin Pietersen 9
Moving back down to number four, where he is most comfortable, Pietersen did not bat like a man weighed down by responsibility. With his captaincy seeming inspired, and credited with reinvigorating Flintoff and Harmison, and his bowling crucial in the first game, journalists were incapable of writing a piece without reference to his "golden touch". And, so far, no one can argue.
Andrew Flintoff 10
After a run of dire batting form, the decision to promote Flintoff to five attracted some surprise. But it has always been his favourite position, for it allows him the time to play himself in; indeed, he has never been particularly adept at coming in during the slog overs. Powerful, destructive and yet calculated, Flintoff's batting looked back to his '04 ODI vintage. Add 10 wickets at less than 13 to his 187 runs for once out, and no one could argue that this was Flintoff's best ever one-day series. There is still a fear he unbalances the Test side, but in ODIs no such fears exist.
Ravi Bopara 4
His series amounted to two overs for 11 - and the doubts over his ability at international level persist.
Paul Collingwood 5
Essentially anonymous in his four games - but he is certainly a reassuring presence at number six.
Samit Patel 8
Marked his debut series with a five-fer and made a vital and composed 31 in his only innings. His batting oozes class; his bowling is canny but probably not as good as Graeme Swann's. Patel looks an international player, however. His selection may suggest bits n' pieces, but they are high quality.
Luke Wright 4
Another player who was inconsequential. The life of a non-bowling (apparently) number eight is fraught with danger. Wright offers destructive, match-turning potential, but should make way for the unlucky Swann in India.
Stuart Broad 8
His elevation to fourth in the official ODI rankings may seem a little hasty, but Broad's one-day bowling continues to improve, and his 5-23 may mark an important turning point in his career.
Steve Harmison 7
Showed the virtue of having hit-the-deck bowlers in the middle of the innings. While he is in this form, England are a much stronger ODI outfit for his return.
James Anderson 5
Anderson's miserable one-day international form continued, although at least his economy rate was more respectable. Still, Ryan Sidebottom and Kabir Ali will fancy his place, for all his tremendous improvements as a Test bowler.
The Verdict
A 4-0 victory over South Africa almost defies belief. There are certainly some significant caveats - like England in South Africa in 2004/05, the tourists put everything into the Tests and clearly did not care much for the ODIs, while their side suffered from imbalance and a weak batting line-up from five down. Still, England can claim a considerable degree of responsibility for this. Flintoff was obviously phenomenal, while Prior, Patel and Harmison also offered marked improvements on those discarded after the New Zealand defeat. The result of it all is England's one-day side has a pretty convincing look - the openers did well; numbers three to six have shown they are excellent players, while Patel and Swann complement an imposing four-man pace attack. If they can win in India, then the notion of England being second may no longer seem preposterous.
Ian Bell 6.5
His superb innings in the third game showed he has the ability to pierce the infield, and the game to be a very successful ODI opener. Still, the instances of a bewildering inability to assert himself - his 69-ball 35 being a case in point - remain too frequent.
Matt Prior 8
Thirteen catches - several of them exceptional - suggested an improved wicket-keeper, although the real challenge will come in Tests, when reserves of stamina and levels of skill are tested to the limit. He batted with intent and class at the top of the order, scoring at a strike-rate of 93, even if some dismissals were a little too reminiscent of Prior's last spell in the one-day side.
Owais Shah 7
Given the opportunity to bat in his county position of number three, Shah improved as the series wore on. His 44* in the fourth game was testament to what a fine limited-overs player he is, though it remains to be seen what is ultimately his best position. Credit must also be given for the improvements in his fielding, which will help his Test claims.
Kevin Pietersen 9
Moving back down to number four, where he is most comfortable, Pietersen did not bat like a man weighed down by responsibility. With his captaincy seeming inspired, and credited with reinvigorating Flintoff and Harmison, and his bowling crucial in the first game, journalists were incapable of writing a piece without reference to his "golden touch". And, so far, no one can argue.
Andrew Flintoff 10
After a run of dire batting form, the decision to promote Flintoff to five attracted some surprise. But it has always been his favourite position, for it allows him the time to play himself in; indeed, he has never been particularly adept at coming in during the slog overs. Powerful, destructive and yet calculated, Flintoff's batting looked back to his '04 ODI vintage. Add 10 wickets at less than 13 to his 187 runs for once out, and no one could argue that this was Flintoff's best ever one-day series. There is still a fear he unbalances the Test side, but in ODIs no such fears exist.
Ravi Bopara 4
His series amounted to two overs for 11 - and the doubts over his ability at international level persist.
Paul Collingwood 5
Essentially anonymous in his four games - but he is certainly a reassuring presence at number six.
Samit Patel 8
Marked his debut series with a five-fer and made a vital and composed 31 in his only innings. His batting oozes class; his bowling is canny but probably not as good as Graeme Swann's. Patel looks an international player, however. His selection may suggest bits n' pieces, but they are high quality.
Luke Wright 4
Another player who was inconsequential. The life of a non-bowling (apparently) number eight is fraught with danger. Wright offers destructive, match-turning potential, but should make way for the unlucky Swann in India.
Stuart Broad 8
His elevation to fourth in the official ODI rankings may seem a little hasty, but Broad's one-day bowling continues to improve, and his 5-23 may mark an important turning point in his career.
Steve Harmison 7
Showed the virtue of having hit-the-deck bowlers in the middle of the innings. While he is in this form, England are a much stronger ODI outfit for his return.
James Anderson 5
Anderson's miserable one-day international form continued, although at least his economy rate was more respectable. Still, Ryan Sidebottom and Kabir Ali will fancy his place, for all his tremendous improvements as a Test bowler.
The Verdict
A 4-0 victory over South Africa almost defies belief. There are certainly some significant caveats - like England in South Africa in 2004/05, the tourists put everything into the Tests and clearly did not care much for the ODIs, while their side suffered from imbalance and a weak batting line-up from five down. Still, England can claim a considerable degree of responsibility for this. Flintoff was obviously phenomenal, while Prior, Patel and Harmison also offered marked improvements on those discarded after the New Zealand defeat. The result of it all is England's one-day side has a pretty convincing look - the openers did well; numbers three to six have shown they are excellent players, while Patel and Swann complement an imposing four-man pace attack. If they can win in India, then the notion of England being second may no longer seem preposterous.
Wednesday, 6 August 2008
England Dangerously Close to their Best Limited Overs Side
Whilst the media circus is frenzying around the appointment of the new England Cricket Captain and his first Test match in charge, the announcement of the limited overs squad to take on South Africa has passed relatively under the radar. Whatever the rights and wrongs of who is and is not in the Test squad, it is hard to argue that the limited overs squad is far wrong, especially after the inclusion of two of the best domestic one day players in England this year, in Samit Patel and Matt Prior.
Andrew Flintoff’s return essentially allows England to replace a pace bowler with an allrounder and a brilliant one at that. More importantly though, England seem to have decided that they want an aggressive keeper batsman who can open the innings and indeed bat through it if required. The only candidate capable of this job was Matt Prior and he has rightfully been recalled. Whilst Phil Mustard is aggressive, he has not often made the big match defining innings required of a top order batsman. If Prior gets to fifty you now sense that he could go on to a hundred. There will of course be those who criticise his selection as compromising on wicket keeping ability. However, Prior’s mistakes with the gloves came in Test cricket, not limited overs cricket, where the demands of concentration and focus are not as severe on keepers as in Test match cricket, where the keeper can find himself in the field for 90 overs a day, three days out of five, as opposed to just 50 overs. Because of the very nature of the ODI and Twenty20 games there are not as many catches for keepers either and in fact there are more stumping and run out opportunities, which are Prior’s strong point as a keeper. He has also been working extremely hard at Sussex on his keeping, which has reportedly improved and he has been churning out the runs consistently.
With Kevin Pietersen now rightfully elevated to number three in the batting line-up, from where he can dictate the innings, England’s top three looks very strong, with Ian Bell acting as the foil around whom the others can bat, but whom himself can also take advantage of the Powerplay overs, with his brilliant footwork and ability to hit over the top. England need to reassess who bats at four however. Owais Shah gave a master class in limited overs batting on Monday for Middlesex against Somerset, as he essentially won the game for his side with a brilliantly paced 96. Batting at number three he rescued his side from what could easily have been humiliation and almost single handedly set a competitive target. He has comfortably been the best England One Day player over the last year and the most consistent. He has previously had to settle for late order cameos for England, coming in at number six. He is though a top order batsman and is especially adept at milking the spinners, with his wristy strokeplay. England should utilise his skills earlier and for longer and he, not Ravi Bopara, should be coming in at four.
Bopara you sense needs to settle in the side and would benefit from having the pressure taken off his shoulders for now by coming in at number six. He has played his best innings for England down the order and the nature of the position would help him to flourish I believe, as he would be capable of playing a patient rebuilding game or an aggressive cameo. The situation would not allow him time to think about what he was doing, how fast he was scoring or how much pressure he was under. A settled Bopara could then look to work his way up the order at a later date, although he looks the natural successor to Paul Collingwood long term. Collingwood himself will of course bat at number five, the position he has so expertly made his own over the last few years.
Flintoff should be scheduled to bat at number seven, although he could of course be promoted depending on the match situation. Whatever happens you don’t want Flintoff in before the last ten to fifteen overs against the spinners, or you risk losing him before the period in which he can inflict the most damage, against the faster bowlers. Doubling the power down the order, Luke Wright should feature at number eight. His best innings for England have come down the order and he could be given full license here to unleash his power in the death overs. With two such power hitters lurking down the order, the side would be well balanced and filled with matchwinners and therefore the pressure would be relieved on the likes of Pietersen and Flintoff, who would be able to perform with more freedom.
With Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann following in the order, the batting could not be any stronger, with number eleven James Anderson also far from being the rabbit he used to be. Broad would for me bat above Swann, as he has more potential and skill with the bat and has two modes of play. Both could cause damage at the end of the innings if required. So the batting line-up looks formidable, with Alistair Cook and Samit Patel on standby, along with Ryan Sidebottom and Chris Tremlett in this particular squad. Whilst Paul Collingwood is suspended I would play Samit Patel, who should remain a part of the squad to play in place of either Bopara or Wright on those pitches which offer more for spinners. He would be an able second spinner I believe.
So who is unlucky? Well, Mascarenhas is obviously one who is unfortunate to be discarded altogether, whilst Vikram Solanki is another, who after his scintillating domestic form was perhaps worthy of a look in. On the bowling front, Kabir Ali has been the best bowler in domestic cricket this year and could add another wicket taking option to the line-up, whilst Liam Plunkett, so good in Australia, is looking to prove his form and fitness. Finally, Mustard and more so James Foster are unfortunate to lose out to Prior. Foster would have been the ideal candidate to play down the order for England, as he does for Essex with such aplomb. The way England are going to play dictates that he is not in the side however.
The bowling looks stronger for the return of Flintoff for Sidebottom, whose figures (Average: 44.37, Economy: 4.86, S/R: 54.7) are hardly impressive over the last few series against New Zealand. There are also questions over his fitness. England would look threatening with three impressive and contrasting One Day performers in Anderson, Broad and Flintoff, who offer swing, seam, bounce, pace and consistency between them. The vastly improved Swann would offer the wiley spin option. Meanwhile, the fifth bowling options are plentiful with the recently impressive Collingwood well supported by the likes of Bopara and the impressive death bowling of Luke Wright. Samit Patel, when playing would offer a decent second spinning option, with Shah available if needed.
The Test match series may have gone against South Africa and it may yet be a complete disaster. However, England are making progress in Limited Overs cricket, albeit with recent defeats to New Zealand, both home and away. They have beaten Australia (a), India (h) and Sri Lanka (a) in the last 18 months, which would have been unthinkable two years ago. South Africa are currently the best ODI side in the world and for good reason. However, England have picked a squad capable of challenging them and even beating them. England are capable of beating any team in the world. Hopefully Pietersen’s brand of captaincy will encourage his charges to be bold and aggressive and play the kind of cricket we all know that they can play.
England ODI Team to take on South Africa:
Ian Bell
Matt Prior (wk)
Kevin Pietersen (c)
Owais Shah
Paul Collingwood
Ravi Bopara
Andrew Flintoff
Luke Wright
Stuart Broad
Graeme Swann
James Anderson
Squad: Alistair Cook, Samit Patel, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Kabir Ali.
Andrew Flintoff’s return essentially allows England to replace a pace bowler with an allrounder and a brilliant one at that. More importantly though, England seem to have decided that they want an aggressive keeper batsman who can open the innings and indeed bat through it if required. The only candidate capable of this job was Matt Prior and he has rightfully been recalled. Whilst Phil Mustard is aggressive, he has not often made the big match defining innings required of a top order batsman. If Prior gets to fifty you now sense that he could go on to a hundred. There will of course be those who criticise his selection as compromising on wicket keeping ability. However, Prior’s mistakes with the gloves came in Test cricket, not limited overs cricket, where the demands of concentration and focus are not as severe on keepers as in Test match cricket, where the keeper can find himself in the field for 90 overs a day, three days out of five, as opposed to just 50 overs. Because of the very nature of the ODI and Twenty20 games there are not as many catches for keepers either and in fact there are more stumping and run out opportunities, which are Prior’s strong point as a keeper. He has also been working extremely hard at Sussex on his keeping, which has reportedly improved and he has been churning out the runs consistently.
With Kevin Pietersen now rightfully elevated to number three in the batting line-up, from where he can dictate the innings, England’s top three looks very strong, with Ian Bell acting as the foil around whom the others can bat, but whom himself can also take advantage of the Powerplay overs, with his brilliant footwork and ability to hit over the top. England need to reassess who bats at four however. Owais Shah gave a master class in limited overs batting on Monday for Middlesex against Somerset, as he essentially won the game for his side with a brilliantly paced 96. Batting at number three he rescued his side from what could easily have been humiliation and almost single handedly set a competitive target. He has comfortably been the best England One Day player over the last year and the most consistent. He has previously had to settle for late order cameos for England, coming in at number six. He is though a top order batsman and is especially adept at milking the spinners, with his wristy strokeplay. England should utilise his skills earlier and for longer and he, not Ravi Bopara, should be coming in at four.
Bopara you sense needs to settle in the side and would benefit from having the pressure taken off his shoulders for now by coming in at number six. He has played his best innings for England down the order and the nature of the position would help him to flourish I believe, as he would be capable of playing a patient rebuilding game or an aggressive cameo. The situation would not allow him time to think about what he was doing, how fast he was scoring or how much pressure he was under. A settled Bopara could then look to work his way up the order at a later date, although he looks the natural successor to Paul Collingwood long term. Collingwood himself will of course bat at number five, the position he has so expertly made his own over the last few years.
Flintoff should be scheduled to bat at number seven, although he could of course be promoted depending on the match situation. Whatever happens you don’t want Flintoff in before the last ten to fifteen overs against the spinners, or you risk losing him before the period in which he can inflict the most damage, against the faster bowlers. Doubling the power down the order, Luke Wright should feature at number eight. His best innings for England have come down the order and he could be given full license here to unleash his power in the death overs. With two such power hitters lurking down the order, the side would be well balanced and filled with matchwinners and therefore the pressure would be relieved on the likes of Pietersen and Flintoff, who would be able to perform with more freedom.
With Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann following in the order, the batting could not be any stronger, with number eleven James Anderson also far from being the rabbit he used to be. Broad would for me bat above Swann, as he has more potential and skill with the bat and has two modes of play. Both could cause damage at the end of the innings if required. So the batting line-up looks formidable, with Alistair Cook and Samit Patel on standby, along with Ryan Sidebottom and Chris Tremlett in this particular squad. Whilst Paul Collingwood is suspended I would play Samit Patel, who should remain a part of the squad to play in place of either Bopara or Wright on those pitches which offer more for spinners. He would be an able second spinner I believe.
So who is unlucky? Well, Mascarenhas is obviously one who is unfortunate to be discarded altogether, whilst Vikram Solanki is another, who after his scintillating domestic form was perhaps worthy of a look in. On the bowling front, Kabir Ali has been the best bowler in domestic cricket this year and could add another wicket taking option to the line-up, whilst Liam Plunkett, so good in Australia, is looking to prove his form and fitness. Finally, Mustard and more so James Foster are unfortunate to lose out to Prior. Foster would have been the ideal candidate to play down the order for England, as he does for Essex with such aplomb. The way England are going to play dictates that he is not in the side however.
The bowling looks stronger for the return of Flintoff for Sidebottom, whose figures (Average: 44.37, Economy: 4.86, S/R: 54.7) are hardly impressive over the last few series against New Zealand. There are also questions over his fitness. England would look threatening with three impressive and contrasting One Day performers in Anderson, Broad and Flintoff, who offer swing, seam, bounce, pace and consistency between them. The vastly improved Swann would offer the wiley spin option. Meanwhile, the fifth bowling options are plentiful with the recently impressive Collingwood well supported by the likes of Bopara and the impressive death bowling of Luke Wright. Samit Patel, when playing would offer a decent second spinning option, with Shah available if needed.
The Test match series may have gone against South Africa and it may yet be a complete disaster. However, England are making progress in Limited Overs cricket, albeit with recent defeats to New Zealand, both home and away. They have beaten Australia (a), India (h) and Sri Lanka (a) in the last 18 months, which would have been unthinkable two years ago. South Africa are currently the best ODI side in the world and for good reason. However, England have picked a squad capable of challenging them and even beating them. England are capable of beating any team in the world. Hopefully Pietersen’s brand of captaincy will encourage his charges to be bold and aggressive and play the kind of cricket we all know that they can play.
England ODI Team to take on South Africa:
Ian Bell
Matt Prior (wk)
Kevin Pietersen (c)
Owais Shah
Paul Collingwood
Ravi Bopara
Andrew Flintoff
Luke Wright
Stuart Broad
Graeme Swann
James Anderson
Squad: Alistair Cook, Samit Patel, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Kabir Ali.
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Championship Review - Week 10
For the first time in ages, last week’s leaders are this week’s leaders as Notts cling on for a draw against Surrey. In Division 2, no-one takes advantage of Warwickshire’s week off. And Ramprakash’s wait goes on.
Division 1
My recommendation of backing a Nottinghamshire defeat nearly paid off as they struggled against Surrey. Having been put in by Notts, Surrey made 403, Usman Afzaal top scoring with 89 and Darren Pattinson taking 5-fer. Mark Ramprakash made 42 to remain on 99 centuries. This was plenty for a substantial first innings leas as Notts made just 218. Following on they were again struggling, leading by just 22 runs with 6 wickets down. However, 134 from Samit Patel in a unbroken stand of 165 with Graeme Swann saw Notts to the draw which keeps them top of the table by a point.
All eyes were on Andrew Flintoff at the Rosebowl as Hampshire batted first against Lancashire. Hants made 327, Chris Tremlett scoring a useful 60 at the end of the innings. Lancs replied with 295, Dimitri Mascarenhas taking 6 wickets. However, despite the promising situation, Hants collapsed to just 130 second time round leaving Lancs needing 163 to win, which they got for the loss of four wickets, Flintoff hitting 39 off 23 balls to finish the game. Lancs go 2nd, one point behind Notts.
A further point back in 3rd are Kent who edged a tight game with Yorkshire. Winning the toss, Antony McGrath and Jacques Rudolph both made tons in a stand of 217. However from a position of 341 for 2, Yorks only managed 410 with Azhar Mahmood taking 6 wickets. Rob Key hit a ton for Kent to hold the top of the innings together in the face of Adil rashid’s first 5 wicket haul of the season. However, it took an unbeaten 90 from Yasir Arafat to give Kent what would become a critical lead of 57 as batting conditions suddenly took a turn for the worse. Arafat then took 4 wickets as Yorks made just 196 to leave Kent chasing 140 to win. At 108 for 7, the game could still go either way, but Arafat and Geraint Jones saw Kent home and into 3rd two points off the top.
Both teams were playing catch-up at the Riverside as rain didn’t allow play to start until the third day. Somerset were best able to take the game on, declaring on 352 for 8, Zander de Bruyn hitting a ton. Durham were then bowled out for 261 and when Somerset declared their second innings at 193 for 5, Durham required 285 in around 50 overs to take an unlikely victory. Somerset reduced Durham to 8 for 2 to scent victory. However a half century from Dale Benkenstein led Durham to safety as the innings closed on 113 for 4.
So two points separate the top three places. Yorkshire were three wickets away from top place, but instead sit 5th, level on points with Durham and 2 points above Somerset. At the bottom, Hants are in danger of being cut adrift.
Division 2
With Warwickshire enjoying a week off, there was an opportunity for the rest of the Division to close the gap at the top. In the box seat were Middlesex, who opened up by declaring on 300 for 8 in a rain affected match with Gloucestershire, Eoin Morgan scoring an unbeaten 137. Dan Evans then took 5 wickets as Gloucester made 189 in reply. Middlesex then declared on 212 for 4 second time round, to leave Gloucester a target of 324. At 147 for 9 with 22 overs to go, Middlesex must have thought they had the win in the bag. However, Anthony Ireland and Ian Saxelby held out for an unlikely draw and a lost opportunity for Middlesex .
Also affected by the rain were Essex and Glamorgan, who made just 132 in their first innings, Danesh Kaneria taking 5 wickets. Essex went past the Glamorgan total without losing a wicket and despite Dean Cosker’s 5-fer, scored 376, Mark Pettini top scoring with 92. The Welshmen made a better fist of batting second time round and were 268 for 6 when the game drew to a halt.
There was another tight draw despite the weather at Derby where Derbyshire made 208 in their first innings, which was enough for a lead of 19 as Leicestershire made just 189. Derby then made an even 200 second time round leaving Leicester needing 220 to win in 58 overs. Derby reduced Leicester to 100 for 6. However, an unbeaten 72 from James Allenby took the Foxes to the brink of an unlikely win. Two quick wickets from Charl Langeveldt put the breaks on the run chase and Leicester finished on 202 for 8, 18 runs short of victory, with Derby two wickets shy.
Despite a plethora of wickets on the first day, rain for much of the rest of the match put paid to a positive result between Worcestershire and Northamptonshire. Worcester batted first, making just 146. Northants were then reduced to 153 for 7 until a stand of 120 between Lance Klusener and Johan van der Wath took Northants to 287. Vikram Solanki’s ton meant that Worcester never looked like surrendering the game which drew to a finish with Worcester on 245 for 6.
England Player Watch
Andrew Flintoff was the main attraction away from the test match and he took a combined 3 for 83 in 32 overs and hit a brisk 39 to finish the game for Lancs. Chris Tremlett looked in better form with the bat than the ball, scoring a first innings 60 but only managing one wicket. Matthew Hoggard started the Kent second innings collapse bowling with control, while Adil Rashid’s 5-fer is hopefully a welcome return to form.
There looks to be less opportunities on the batting front as Paul Collingwood is probably jettisoned for the returning Flintoff. However, of the players in contention, Rob Key continued his good form with a century. Likewise, Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah both made decent scores as their counties looked to force their matches.
Player of the Week
James Allenby’s valiant effort to win the match for Leicester is worthy of consideration, as is Samit Patel’s effort to save the game for Notts against Surrey. Rob Key kept Kent in the game against Yorkshire. However, it was one of Key’s team mates who made sure that they won a tight match and for 109 runs and 6 wickets, the player of the week is Yasir Arafat.
Division 1
My recommendation of backing a Nottinghamshire defeat nearly paid off as they struggled against Surrey. Having been put in by Notts, Surrey made 403, Usman Afzaal top scoring with 89 and Darren Pattinson taking 5-fer. Mark Ramprakash made 42 to remain on 99 centuries. This was plenty for a substantial first innings leas as Notts made just 218. Following on they were again struggling, leading by just 22 runs with 6 wickets down. However, 134 from Samit Patel in a unbroken stand of 165 with Graeme Swann saw Notts to the draw which keeps them top of the table by a point.
All eyes were on Andrew Flintoff at the Rosebowl as Hampshire batted first against Lancashire. Hants made 327, Chris Tremlett scoring a useful 60 at the end of the innings. Lancs replied with 295, Dimitri Mascarenhas taking 6 wickets. However, despite the promising situation, Hants collapsed to just 130 second time round leaving Lancs needing 163 to win, which they got for the loss of four wickets, Flintoff hitting 39 off 23 balls to finish the game. Lancs go 2nd, one point behind Notts.
A further point back in 3rd are Kent who edged a tight game with Yorkshire. Winning the toss, Antony McGrath and Jacques Rudolph both made tons in a stand of 217. However from a position of 341 for 2, Yorks only managed 410 with Azhar Mahmood taking 6 wickets. Rob Key hit a ton for Kent to hold the top of the innings together in the face of Adil rashid’s first 5 wicket haul of the season. However, it took an unbeaten 90 from Yasir Arafat to give Kent what would become a critical lead of 57 as batting conditions suddenly took a turn for the worse. Arafat then took 4 wickets as Yorks made just 196 to leave Kent chasing 140 to win. At 108 for 7, the game could still go either way, but Arafat and Geraint Jones saw Kent home and into 3rd two points off the top.
Both teams were playing catch-up at the Riverside as rain didn’t allow play to start until the third day. Somerset were best able to take the game on, declaring on 352 for 8, Zander de Bruyn hitting a ton. Durham were then bowled out for 261 and when Somerset declared their second innings at 193 for 5, Durham required 285 in around 50 overs to take an unlikely victory. Somerset reduced Durham to 8 for 2 to scent victory. However a half century from Dale Benkenstein led Durham to safety as the innings closed on 113 for 4.
So two points separate the top three places. Yorkshire were three wickets away from top place, but instead sit 5th, level on points with Durham and 2 points above Somerset. At the bottom, Hants are in danger of being cut adrift.
Division 2
With Warwickshire enjoying a week off, there was an opportunity for the rest of the Division to close the gap at the top. In the box seat were Middlesex, who opened up by declaring on 300 for 8 in a rain affected match with Gloucestershire, Eoin Morgan scoring an unbeaten 137. Dan Evans then took 5 wickets as Gloucester made 189 in reply. Middlesex then declared on 212 for 4 second time round, to leave Gloucester a target of 324. At 147 for 9 with 22 overs to go, Middlesex must have thought they had the win in the bag. However, Anthony Ireland and Ian Saxelby held out for an unlikely draw and a lost opportunity for Middlesex .
Also affected by the rain were Essex and Glamorgan, who made just 132 in their first innings, Danesh Kaneria taking 5 wickets. Essex went past the Glamorgan total without losing a wicket and despite Dean Cosker’s 5-fer, scored 376, Mark Pettini top scoring with 92. The Welshmen made a better fist of batting second time round and were 268 for 6 when the game drew to a halt.
There was another tight draw despite the weather at Derby where Derbyshire made 208 in their first innings, which was enough for a lead of 19 as Leicestershire made just 189. Derby then made an even 200 second time round leaving Leicester needing 220 to win in 58 overs. Derby reduced Leicester to 100 for 6. However, an unbeaten 72 from James Allenby took the Foxes to the brink of an unlikely win. Two quick wickets from Charl Langeveldt put the breaks on the run chase and Leicester finished on 202 for 8, 18 runs short of victory, with Derby two wickets shy.
Despite a plethora of wickets on the first day, rain for much of the rest of the match put paid to a positive result between Worcestershire and Northamptonshire. Worcester batted first, making just 146. Northants were then reduced to 153 for 7 until a stand of 120 between Lance Klusener and Johan van der Wath took Northants to 287. Vikram Solanki’s ton meant that Worcester never looked like surrendering the game which drew to a finish with Worcester on 245 for 6.
England Player Watch
Andrew Flintoff was the main attraction away from the test match and he took a combined 3 for 83 in 32 overs and hit a brisk 39 to finish the game for Lancs. Chris Tremlett looked in better form with the bat than the ball, scoring a first innings 60 but only managing one wicket. Matthew Hoggard started the Kent second innings collapse bowling with control, while Adil Rashid’s 5-fer is hopefully a welcome return to form.
There looks to be less opportunities on the batting front as Paul Collingwood is probably jettisoned for the returning Flintoff. However, of the players in contention, Rob Key continued his good form with a century. Likewise, Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah both made decent scores as their counties looked to force their matches.
Player of the Week
James Allenby’s valiant effort to win the match for Leicester is worthy of consideration, as is Samit Patel’s effort to save the game for Notts against Surrey. Rob Key kept Kent in the game against Yorkshire. However, it was one of Key’s team mates who made sure that they won a tight match and for 109 runs and 6 wickets, the player of the week is Yasir Arafat.
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
FP Trophy Weekly Round-up
It pure simple knockout from now on in the Friends Provident Trophy as the race to be this year’s winner hots up.
Essex opted to bat at Grace Road against Leicestershire and were in a spot of bother at 37-3. Ravi Bopara arrived at the crease and played the innings of his life in front of England selector Geoff Miller. He plundered his way to 201 not out, in the process hitting an incredible 18 fours and 10 sixes, as he joined a select group of players who have achieved the feat in fifty over cricket. The prominent support came from another England player who was keen to impress, James Foster, who hit a rapid 61. The Eagles finished up on 350-5, a formidable total indeed. Garnett Kruger (2-70) and Dillon du Preez (2-60) each took two wickets for a rather South African looking Foxes side. In fact there were only four England players on view for the home side, which according to Essex Captain Mark Pettini, made the victory all the sweeter, much to the disgust of the Leicestershire board. In reply, it was two of those Englishmen, Matthew Boyce (57) and the evergreen Paul Nixon (62), who impressed most, each hitting fifty, but it was Bopara (2-34) who again stole the show, taking two wickets, as the Foxes were all out for 232. Alex Tudor (2-38), Graham Napier (2-48) and Ryan ten Doeschate (2-32) were the other major wicket takers.
Play was delayed by a day at Beckenham where Kent eventually took to the field against Somerset, opting to bat first in a match I fancied the winners of to go all the way. They made 259-6, with Captain Rob Key (73) and Neil Dexter (101*) (only in the side because of the absence of Martin van Jaarsveld) scoring the major runs. Ben Philips (2-55) and a miserly Charl Willoughby (10 overs for 24) were the pick of the bowlers. Chasing, Craig Kieswetter hit a well paced 90, but he received precious little support as Yasir Arafat impressed once again with 3-23, Somerset all out for just 222. Kent appear to have the whole package when it comes to limited overs cricket and they remain my pick for the title. They bat deep, with plenty of explosive hitters towards the lower order, have plenty of experienced bowling options, have an excellent captain in Key and they field with energy.
At Bristol Yorkshire opted to field first against Gloucestershire and it proved to be a wise decision as the Gladiators were restricted to 201 all out, Matthew Hoggard (3-26) and Tim Bresnan (4-31) impressive up front in swinging conditions. Gloucestershire were indebted to Chris Taylor (54) and Steve Adshead (71), who managed to forge a total which they had a chance of defending. Yorkshire failed to struggle in reply however, as minus Steve Kirby, Gloucestershire seemed to lack penetration, despite the valiant efforts of Captain Jon Lewis (2-21) and Mark Hardinges (2-36). Craig White’s patient 55, coupled with Jacques Rudolph’s solid 53 not out, was enough to see them home as they made 205-4, Adam Lyth hitting a rapid unbeaten 38 at the end.
The final quarter final saw Nottinghamshire opt to bat first in a thriller at The Riverside against holders Durham. Samit Patel played a blinding innings of 114 from 113 balls, as nobody else on his team managed to make it beyond the teens. Resultantly, the Outlaws could only total 188 all out, with Steve Harmison (2-40), brother Ben Harmison (2-33), Callum Thorp (2-20) and Gareth Breese (2-50) all taking two wickets apiece. Although Phil Mustard (14) fell early once again in reply, Michael Di Venuto (70) and Will Smith (41) then shared 107, as Durham reached 127-1. A collapse followed though and they found themselves 177-9, with Gareth Breese and Mark Davies at the crease. Breese hit 34 from 37 balls to win the match for the Dynamos with an over to spare to ensure that Durham remain on course to defend their title. Patel completed an impressive allround performance with 3-27, while evergreen Mark Ealham (2-29) and Darren Pattinson (2-46) each took two wickets.
Player of the Week: It can only be on player despite the valiant efforts of Neil Dexter, Yasir Arafat, Samit Patel, Matthew Hoggard and Tim Bresnan. Ravi Bopara is this week's star player for his awesome unbeaten double century and two wickets against Leicestershire for Essex. Let us hope that he can take that form into England's upcoming One Day Series against New Zealand.
The Semi Final Draw:
Durham v Kent, The Riverside
Essex v Yorkshire, Chelmsford
Essex opted to bat at Grace Road against Leicestershire and were in a spot of bother at 37-3. Ravi Bopara arrived at the crease and played the innings of his life in front of England selector Geoff Miller. He plundered his way to 201 not out, in the process hitting an incredible 18 fours and 10 sixes, as he joined a select group of players who have achieved the feat in fifty over cricket. The prominent support came from another England player who was keen to impress, James Foster, who hit a rapid 61. The Eagles finished up on 350-5, a formidable total indeed. Garnett Kruger (2-70) and Dillon du Preez (2-60) each took two wickets for a rather South African looking Foxes side. In fact there were only four England players on view for the home side, which according to Essex Captain Mark Pettini, made the victory all the sweeter, much to the disgust of the Leicestershire board. In reply, it was two of those Englishmen, Matthew Boyce (57) and the evergreen Paul Nixon (62), who impressed most, each hitting fifty, but it was Bopara (2-34) who again stole the show, taking two wickets, as the Foxes were all out for 232. Alex Tudor (2-38), Graham Napier (2-48) and Ryan ten Doeschate (2-32) were the other major wicket takers.
Play was delayed by a day at Beckenham where Kent eventually took to the field against Somerset, opting to bat first in a match I fancied the winners of to go all the way. They made 259-6, with Captain Rob Key (73) and Neil Dexter (101*) (only in the side because of the absence of Martin van Jaarsveld) scoring the major runs. Ben Philips (2-55) and a miserly Charl Willoughby (10 overs for 24) were the pick of the bowlers. Chasing, Craig Kieswetter hit a well paced 90, but he received precious little support as Yasir Arafat impressed once again with 3-23, Somerset all out for just 222. Kent appear to have the whole package when it comes to limited overs cricket and they remain my pick for the title. They bat deep, with plenty of explosive hitters towards the lower order, have plenty of experienced bowling options, have an excellent captain in Key and they field with energy.
At Bristol Yorkshire opted to field first against Gloucestershire and it proved to be a wise decision as the Gladiators were restricted to 201 all out, Matthew Hoggard (3-26) and Tim Bresnan (4-31) impressive up front in swinging conditions. Gloucestershire were indebted to Chris Taylor (54) and Steve Adshead (71), who managed to forge a total which they had a chance of defending. Yorkshire failed to struggle in reply however, as minus Steve Kirby, Gloucestershire seemed to lack penetration, despite the valiant efforts of Captain Jon Lewis (2-21) and Mark Hardinges (2-36). Craig White’s patient 55, coupled with Jacques Rudolph’s solid 53 not out, was enough to see them home as they made 205-4, Adam Lyth hitting a rapid unbeaten 38 at the end.
The final quarter final saw Nottinghamshire opt to bat first in a thriller at The Riverside against holders Durham. Samit Patel played a blinding innings of 114 from 113 balls, as nobody else on his team managed to make it beyond the teens. Resultantly, the Outlaws could only total 188 all out, with Steve Harmison (2-40), brother Ben Harmison (2-33), Callum Thorp (2-20) and Gareth Breese (2-50) all taking two wickets apiece. Although Phil Mustard (14) fell early once again in reply, Michael Di Venuto (70) and Will Smith (41) then shared 107, as Durham reached 127-1. A collapse followed though and they found themselves 177-9, with Gareth Breese and Mark Davies at the crease. Breese hit 34 from 37 balls to win the match for the Dynamos with an over to spare to ensure that Durham remain on course to defend their title. Patel completed an impressive allround performance with 3-27, while evergreen Mark Ealham (2-29) and Darren Pattinson (2-46) each took two wickets.
Player of the Week: It can only be on player despite the valiant efforts of Neil Dexter, Yasir Arafat, Samit Patel, Matthew Hoggard and Tim Bresnan. Ravi Bopara is this week's star player for his awesome unbeaten double century and two wickets against Leicestershire for Essex. Let us hope that he can take that form into England's upcoming One Day Series against New Zealand.
The Semi Final Draw:
Durham v Kent, The Riverside
Essex v Yorkshire, Chelmsford
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
FP Trophy Weekly Round-up
There were only three results from the final round of Friends Provident Trophy matches this week, with the weather wreaking havoc once again.
At Lord’s Essex were able to bat a full fifty overs despite the gloom, with Ryan ten Doeschate top scoring with 97, as they made 244-8. Tim Murtagh (2-28), Steven Finn (2-52) and Vernon Philander (2-46) shared six wickets evenly for the Crusaders. Duckworth Lewis came into play for Middlesex as they won by eight wickets, finishing on 120-2 from 25 overs, Billy Godleman carrying his bat for 43, while there were 34 runs at nearly a run a ball rate from Shaun Udal, batting at number three.
The rain tried its best to ruin the game at Oakham School between Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, however there was a result. The Foxes batted 35 overs, in the process scoring 147-7, HD Ackerman making a patient 37 at the top. England hopefuls Samit Patel (3-32) and Graeme Swann (3-23) each took three wickets for the Outlaws from six overs. Nottinghamshire were only able to bat 12 overs in reply, making 47-3, although that was enough for a result, whether rightly or wrongly, as they lost out on Duckworth Lewis by 13 runs.
In Dublin Northamptonshire amassed 205 against Ireland, Andrew Hall the Steelback’s saviour with 72, as Ravi Rampaul (2-61), Kevin O’Brien (2-34) and Gary Kidd (2-33) each took two wickets apiece. Ireland were abysmal in reply however and were soon all out for just 106, opener James Hall the top scorer by some distance, with 27. In fact only one other player made it into double figures. Skipper Nicky Boje took 4-12, while there were two wickets each for Lance Klusener (2-20) and Johann van der Wath (2-21). You could be forgiven for thinking you had just watched a One Day International…
Player of the Week: Well it is exceedingly hard to pick a star player this week thanks to the truncated nature of the games and the lack of volume of them. Ultimately, Andrew Hall (72) and Nicky Boje (4-12) probably should share the honour as their respective performances ensured that there was to be no embarrassment for South Africa, sorry Kolpakshire, I mean Northamptonshire, against Ireland.
The Quarter Final Line-up:
Durham v Nottinghamshire, Riverside;
Gloucestershire v Yorkshire, Bristol;
Kent v Somerset, Canterbury;
Leicestershire v Essex, Grace Road.
At Lord’s Essex were able to bat a full fifty overs despite the gloom, with Ryan ten Doeschate top scoring with 97, as they made 244-8. Tim Murtagh (2-28), Steven Finn (2-52) and Vernon Philander (2-46) shared six wickets evenly for the Crusaders. Duckworth Lewis came into play for Middlesex as they won by eight wickets, finishing on 120-2 from 25 overs, Billy Godleman carrying his bat for 43, while there were 34 runs at nearly a run a ball rate from Shaun Udal, batting at number three.
The rain tried its best to ruin the game at Oakham School between Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, however there was a result. The Foxes batted 35 overs, in the process scoring 147-7, HD Ackerman making a patient 37 at the top. England hopefuls Samit Patel (3-32) and Graeme Swann (3-23) each took three wickets for the Outlaws from six overs. Nottinghamshire were only able to bat 12 overs in reply, making 47-3, although that was enough for a result, whether rightly or wrongly, as they lost out on Duckworth Lewis by 13 runs.
In Dublin Northamptonshire amassed 205 against Ireland, Andrew Hall the Steelback’s saviour with 72, as Ravi Rampaul (2-61), Kevin O’Brien (2-34) and Gary Kidd (2-33) each took two wickets apiece. Ireland were abysmal in reply however and were soon all out for just 106, opener James Hall the top scorer by some distance, with 27. In fact only one other player made it into double figures. Skipper Nicky Boje took 4-12, while there were two wickets each for Lance Klusener (2-20) and Johann van der Wath (2-21). You could be forgiven for thinking you had just watched a One Day International…
Player of the Week: Well it is exceedingly hard to pick a star player this week thanks to the truncated nature of the games and the lack of volume of them. Ultimately, Andrew Hall (72) and Nicky Boje (4-12) probably should share the honour as their respective performances ensured that there was to be no embarrassment for South Africa, sorry Kolpakshire, I mean Northamptonshire, against Ireland.
The Quarter Final Line-up:
Durham v Nottinghamshire, Riverside;
Gloucestershire v Yorkshire, Bristol;
Kent v Somerset, Canterbury;
Leicestershire v Essex, Grace Road.
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