Notts fan Jack Richardson assesses the club's chances of success in 2007, as we continue our county previews.
2006 in a Nutshell:
Last season was very disappointing for Nottinghamshire with relegation from the County Championship and the loss of the Twenty20 cup final at Trent Bridge. Despite some brilliant contributions with the ball by Charlie Shreck, the batters underperformed, collecting only 40 batting points. Going down by only ½ a point was frustrating as was that no-ball in the final of the Twenty20 cup. In the one day game Notts are very much an improving side, despite an average finish in the then-named C&G trophy.
2007 Prospects
Batting:
The batting needs to improve and should do with the signings of Will Jefferson, Mark Wagh and Bilal Shafayat. With Stephen Fleming and David Hussey as overseas players, there should be no problem in the middle order, but Jason Gallian’s form was awful last season. Chris Read and the evergreen Mark Ealham are dangerous middle order batsmen in both forms of the game.
Bowling:
The bowling was, on the whole, very good for Notts last season, and hopefully that will continue. With the arrival of Rob Ferley from Kent to bolster the spin attack, and with Shreck, Ryan Sidebottom, And Harris and Mark Ealham as quicks, finding 20 wickets in a four-day game shouldn’t be too difficult.
Probable Championship side:
Gallian
Jefferson
Wagh
Fleming
Hussey
Read
Ealham
Swann
Sidebottom
Harris
Shreck
However, because of the World Cup Fleming won’t arrive until May 23rd, so this may give a chance for Samit Patel to shine.
The one-day team changes basically every match; it could look like
Jefferson
Swann
Fleming
Patel
Hussey
Read
Ealham
Franks
Sidebottom
Harris
Shreck
Key Man:
The key man will probably be David Hussey. Captaining the team until Fleming returns, hopefully he can recapture the same form with the bat he had last season and with Victoria in the winter. He should thrive in Division 2 facing lesser bowling attacks, as Mark Ramprakash did for Surrey last season.
Captain and Coach:
The coach Mick Newell seems a bit of a coward to me, and I am not totally convinced about him. Having been promoted or relegated every season he has been here, I think he is too inconsistent. Fleming is a very fine captain, perhaps the best in the world. It will be interesting to see how Hussey does as captain in the interim.
2007 county previews home
Thursday, 5 April 2007
What's wrong with Flintoff's batting?
England’s agonising defeat to Sri Lanka highlighted the many frailties in their batting order. England’s opening pair is almost certainly the worst of the six major sides that remain in the tournament; and they were once more guilty of a middle-order collapse.
In 2004, Andrew Flintoff was England’s best one-day batsman; in an extraordinary summer, he scored three centuries and a 99, pulverising the opposition from number five with his fearless, clean-hitting stroke play.
What has happened since remains something of a mystery. Thanks to Kevin Pietersen’s rise, Flintoff is now more valued for his unerringly accurate bowling than destructive hitting. And he has batted accordingly; he has long since been guilty of getting out to injudicious shots when more selective accumulation is the order of the day.
In his last 30 ODIs, Flintoff has been dismissed 11 times between 20 and 50. While he would claim this is because he has gone in the quest for quick runs, the stats beg to differ. On only three occasions was he dismissed after the 40th over; clearly, he has been guilty of attempting to do too much too soon. Unlike the similarly belligerent hitter Pietersen, Flintoff plays with hard hands - a reason why he is so vulnerable to slower balls - so is incapable of scoring a risk-free five-an-over through placement and timing.
Paradoxically, the brilliant form of three years ago may be one of the problems. Flintoff obviously wants to recapture that form, and imagines himself plundering the bowling as he did then. But in ’04 he was batting better than ever before; he was playing at home; and the pitches were true. Perhaps most significantly, the bowling wasn’t very good: those four scores were made against a ragtag West Indian attack, a Bond-less New Zealand, an amiable Indian lineup, Harbhajan aside, and a Murali-less Sri Lanka.
Pietersen enjoyed a similar purple patch, against South Africa in early 2005, But, rather than seek to bat in that manner every game, he has matured into a reliable batsman, gaining nous and subtlety. He remains a phenomenally destructive player, but he is able to adapt his game to the situation.
In contrast, Flintoff has become something of a batting liability of late, averaging 21 in his last 19 ODIs, Ireland aside, and a paltry 16 in his last nine. The experiment to promote him in the ICC Champions Trophy, which was supposed to free up his batting, didn't work either.
In the short term, the best thing may be to promote the impressive Ravi Bopara – whose 52 displayed so many traits Flintoff’s recent batting has lacked - to six, and drop Flintoff to seven. From there, he would seldom have to rebuild or milk the bowling.
He would be of far more use in situations that simply demanded attack. Then he would become, once more, a batsman to be feared. Sadly, his ODI batting is currently a tangled fusion of over-complication (witness his tame dismissal against Ireland, running the ball down to third man) and a nostalgic attempt to replicate his brilliance of ’04.
In 2004, Andrew Flintoff was England’s best one-day batsman; in an extraordinary summer, he scored three centuries and a 99, pulverising the opposition from number five with his fearless, clean-hitting stroke play.
What has happened since remains something of a mystery. Thanks to Kevin Pietersen’s rise, Flintoff is now more valued for his unerringly accurate bowling than destructive hitting. And he has batted accordingly; he has long since been guilty of getting out to injudicious shots when more selective accumulation is the order of the day.
In his last 30 ODIs, Flintoff has been dismissed 11 times between 20 and 50. While he would claim this is because he has gone in the quest for quick runs, the stats beg to differ. On only three occasions was he dismissed after the 40th over; clearly, he has been guilty of attempting to do too much too soon. Unlike the similarly belligerent hitter Pietersen, Flintoff plays with hard hands - a reason why he is so vulnerable to slower balls - so is incapable of scoring a risk-free five-an-over through placement and timing.
Paradoxically, the brilliant form of three years ago may be one of the problems. Flintoff obviously wants to recapture that form, and imagines himself plundering the bowling as he did then. But in ’04 he was batting better than ever before; he was playing at home; and the pitches were true. Perhaps most significantly, the bowling wasn’t very good: those four scores were made against a ragtag West Indian attack, a Bond-less New Zealand, an amiable Indian lineup, Harbhajan aside, and a Murali-less Sri Lanka.
Pietersen enjoyed a similar purple patch, against South Africa in early 2005, But, rather than seek to bat in that manner every game, he has matured into a reliable batsman, gaining nous and subtlety. He remains a phenomenally destructive player, but he is able to adapt his game to the situation.
In contrast, Flintoff has become something of a batting liability of late, averaging 21 in his last 19 ODIs, Ireland aside, and a paltry 16 in his last nine. The experiment to promote him in the ICC Champions Trophy, which was supposed to free up his batting, didn't work either.
In the short term, the best thing may be to promote the impressive Ravi Bopara – whose 52 displayed so many traits Flintoff’s recent batting has lacked - to six, and drop Flintoff to seven. From there, he would seldom have to rebuild or milk the bowling.
He would be of far more use in situations that simply demanded attack. Then he would become, once more, a batsman to be feared. Sadly, his ODI batting is currently a tangled fusion of over-complication (witness his tame dismissal against Ireland, running the ball down to third man) and a nostalgic attempt to replicate his brilliance of ’04.
Tuesday, 3 April 2007
Preview: England vs Sri Lanka
This game is massive for both sides and especially England who have to face Australia on Sunday. England need the points more than Sri Lanka, although the Sri Lankans are conscious of the need to maintain high standards following their defeat to South Africa earlier on. Mahela Jayawardene will be banking on Lasith Malinga and Chaminda Vaas to make early inroads into the fragile England top order. That top order could be boosted by the inclusion of Andrew Strauss for Ed Joyce, although England may give Joyce one final chance against meaningful opposition, to prove that he merits his place. The other selection issue concerns Sajid Mahmood who has so far failed to look threatening against even the minnows of the tournament. Liam Plunkett is the most likely replacement and he will feel agrieved at losing his place in the first place, as will Jon Lewis.
The key battle will likely be between Muttiah Muralitharan and the England middle order of Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Andrew Flintoff. England will be hoping for a repeat of Pietersen's reverse slog sweep for six off Murali in early 2006 and that they can maintain their excellent World Cup record against Sri Lanka, which currently stands at six victories to one. A tight contest will ensue.
Prediction: Against my head, I am saying England. I just have a feeling that if England can get Sanath Jayasuriya early then they can keep Sri Lanka under some semblance of control and hopefully he has just had his good game!
Players to watch: Kevin Pietersen and Kumar Sangakkara.
The key battle will likely be between Muttiah Muralitharan and the England middle order of Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Andrew Flintoff. England will be hoping for a repeat of Pietersen's reverse slog sweep for six off Murali in early 2006 and that they can maintain their excellent World Cup record against Sri Lanka, which currently stands at six victories to one. A tight contest will ensue.
Prediction: Against my head, I am saying England. I just have a feeling that if England can get Sanath Jayasuriya early then they can keep Sri Lanka under some semblance of control and hopefully he has just had his good game!
Players to watch: Kevin Pietersen and Kumar Sangakkara.
Preview: South Africa vs Ireland
Although Ireland pushed South Africa close in the warm-up games, there is unlikely to be a repeat performance. Ireland tend to do better on the lower scoring wickets, especially when there is assistance for the bowlers. They do have some good players and many in the Irish team will be hoping for regular county action, but Eoin Morgan in particular has been disappointing so far. South Africa did well to beat Sri Lanka, though their last minute collapse indicates that they are still a side that can wilt somewhat under pressure. They will be looking to allay doubts with a handsome victory.
Prediction: South Africa to canter to victory.
Players to watch: Graeme Smith and Andre Botha.
Prediction: South Africa to canter to victory.
Players to watch: Graeme Smith and Andre Botha.
Sunday, 1 April 2007
Preview: New Zealand vs Bangladesh
With the form that the Kiwis are currently in it is hard to see them stumbling in this encounter. Lightning doesn't tend to strike twice and having lost to Bangladesh in the warm-up games, New Zealand will not be taking them lightly. Bangladesh are of course punching above their weight to even be here and they will be aiming to win the odd game to prove to people that they are developing into a viable threat to the top eight.
As long as New Zealand play their best bowlers they should not face any trouble. Though the top order batting looks slightly weak, the rest of the team looks exceptionally strong, with Scott Styris the stand out player so far. Most importantly, the Kiwis look focused and Stephen Fleming will not allow them to take their eye off of the prize. There might be an upset, but the Kiwis are too professional a side I feel.
Prediction: New Zealand, but Bangladesh will not be embarassed.
Players to watch: Shane Bond and Mashrafe Mortaza.
As long as New Zealand play their best bowlers they should not face any trouble. Though the top order batting looks slightly weak, the rest of the team looks exceptionally strong, with Scott Styris the stand out player so far. Most importantly, the Kiwis look focused and Stephen Fleming will not allow them to take their eye off of the prize. There might be an upset, but the Kiwis are too professional a side I feel.
Prediction: New Zealand, but Bangladesh will not be embarassed.
Players to watch: Shane Bond and Mashrafe Mortaza.
Plunkett, or Mahmood?!
Liam Plunkett can count himself extremely unfortunate to have been recently dropped from this England side. He consistantly took wickets with the new ball and got good runs with the bat in recent months. It was not his fault that England lacked a middle overs wicket taking threat against New Zealand, when England scored too few runs and against Canada, when Monty Panesar, Paul Collingwood and Jamie Dalrymple were not particuarly threatening, minus Andrew Flintoff. Now that Monty and Fred are in form, the attack is carrying Sajid Mahmood, whose idea of new ball bowling is to spray it down leg ala Harmi.
Plunkett has three wickets from two games against New Zealand and Canada at 29.66, whereas Mahmood has just one against Kenya and Ireland at 73! And Plunkett contributed a crucial (in run rate terms) 29 with the bat against the Kiwis.
Overall, Plunkett averages 26.09 at an 86.70 strike rate with the bat (best 56) and 35.22 at a 36.41 strike rate, with an economy of 5.80, with the ball.
Comparatively, Mahmood averages just 9.22 at an 86.45 strike rate with the bat (best 22*) and 42.81 at a 44.04 strike rate, with an economy of 5.83, with the ball.
Surely it is common sense. Plunkett lengthens the batting and forms a very good new ball partnership with Jimmy Anderson, both able to exploit dramtic swing in both directions. I understand what England have attempted by playing Mahmood. They hope his pace will make the difference in the middle, but it isn't just pace that brings you success in international cricket, just ask Glenn McGrath, leading World Cup wicket taker.
Hopefully Plunkett will be restored against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, or England will do themselves a diservice. The Mahmood experiement has failed, he has not taken wickets against the minnows. Plunkett was key to the CB series success down under, he earnt his place and deserves it back. The England management may worry about wicket taking in the middle overs, but I'd be more concerned about the wicket taking threat up front and Plunkett offers more of it, whilst Mahmood has so far offered very little.
Chris Pallett
Plunkett has three wickets from two games against New Zealand and Canada at 29.66, whereas Mahmood has just one against Kenya and Ireland at 73! And Plunkett contributed a crucial (in run rate terms) 29 with the bat against the Kiwis.
Overall, Plunkett averages 26.09 at an 86.70 strike rate with the bat (best 56) and 35.22 at a 36.41 strike rate, with an economy of 5.80, with the ball.
Comparatively, Mahmood averages just 9.22 at an 86.45 strike rate with the bat (best 22*) and 42.81 at a 44.04 strike rate, with an economy of 5.83, with the ball.
Surely it is common sense. Plunkett lengthens the batting and forms a very good new ball partnership with Jimmy Anderson, both able to exploit dramtic swing in both directions. I understand what England have attempted by playing Mahmood. They hope his pace will make the difference in the middle, but it isn't just pace that brings you success in international cricket, just ask Glenn McGrath, leading World Cup wicket taker.
Hopefully Plunkett will be restored against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, or England will do themselves a diservice. The Mahmood experiement has failed, he has not taken wickets against the minnows. Plunkett was key to the CB series success down under, he earnt his place and deserves it back. The England management may worry about wicket taking in the middle overs, but I'd be more concerned about the wicket taking threat up front and Plunkett offers more of it, whilst Mahmood has so far offered very little.
Chris Pallett
Preview: West Indies vs Sri Lanka
It really is do or die for the West Indies today. Lose and they are all but out of this competition already and that would destroy the party atmosphere. The bad news for the Windies is though that Sri Lanka are a top side and having narrowly lost to South Africa earlier in the week, they desperately need the points too if they are to get their own qualification hopes back on track. Jerome Taylor should return for the Windies, but how will his confidence have been effected by being brainlessly discarded? Both sides will fight, but Sri Lanka's quality should ultimately tell. West Indies need their big players to fire in unison and it may be asking too much.
Prediction: Sri Lanka to grind out a result.
Players to watch: Jerome Taylor and Lasith Malinga.
Prediction: Sri Lanka to grind out a result.
Players to watch: Jerome Taylor and Lasith Malinga.
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