Anyone doubting whether Andy Flower really would provide a fresh start need only look at his first Test squad.
It is a squad which has scant regard for reputations and says form is everything. Michael Vaughan, Ian Bell and Steve Harmison will not be done any harm playing more county cricket to prove they deserve to play in the Ashes.
Of all those omitted, the one for whom prospects look bleakest is surely Owais Shah. Given his long-awaited chance in the West Indies on some of the most batsmen-friendly pitches you're ever likely to find, he was undone by a penchant for suicidal runs and his own cramp. The selectors seem to have decided he is neither fit enough nor calm enough for the demands of Test cricket. It is a hsrah call, certainly: he is a man who should have been given his chance much, much earlier so to jettison him after three bad Tests is ruthless. Ultimately, he was probably unfortunate that it was the number three vacancy that he was given his opporunity in; Shah's brand of wristiness and quality against spin is such that he could have become a fixture at five, say.
So Ravi Bopara will have the opporunity to solve England's perennial troubles at number three. He is a man high on confidence, having scored a century in his only Test of the winter and, in stark contrast to the other Englishmen (bar Dimitri Mascarenhas) has made a positive impression in the IPL. Has he got the technique and experience to bat at three, however? Bopara has been nothing more than mediocre during his spell as an opener for England in ODIs. It is asking a lot of him to score centuries at three in the Ashes - the feeling persists that Andy Flower could do a lot worse than set Kevin Pietersen the new challenge of leading the way from number three.
Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan have both been on the periphery of the England set-up for a few years and, given their excellent starts to the season, it makes sense to give them an opportunity. The new England have said a lot by who they have selected; they have probably said even more by who they have left out.
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Monday, 27 April 2009
Championship Review - Week 2
A full round of matches with little interference from the weather and wicketkeepers go run crazy.
Division 1
Starting with my two tips for relegation as Lancashire hosted Sussex. The visitors were soon struggling, despite 90 for Ed Joyce as James Anderson took 6 wickets to restrict them to 289. Lancs then recovered somewhat from a poor start to their innings, with Mark Chilton, now in the middle order, getting 89, to reach 299; Luke Wright taking five wickets. Anderson and Gary Keedy then took five wickets a piece as Sussex crumbled to 167, leaving Lancs requiring 158 to win, which they made for the loss of two wickets, Ashwell Prince contributing an unbeaten 91. A winning start for new Lancs coach Peter Moores against his old club.
At Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire batted first against Worcestershire, racking up 500, with Chris Read making a ton and Samit Patel and Adam Voges both getting into the 90s. Worcester missed avoiding the follow on by 2 runs as they made 354. Steve Davies matched Read’s hundred, but Stuart Broad’s five wickets did the damage. Second time round Worcester weren’t as successful, making just 146 to lose by an innings and 6 runs.
At the Riverside, Durham began the defence of their title against Yorkshire and were soon in trouble at 129 for 5, until Ian Blackwell and Phil Mustard both scored 90s to get the home side to 362. Yorkshire’s innings went to other way, collapsing from 247 for 4 to 272 all out with Steve Harmison taking four wickets. A century from Mike DiVenuto then helped to extend Durham’s lead to 393 as they declared on 303 for 5. The early loss of Jacques Rudolph meant that chasing the target was never a viable option and Yorkshire batted out for the draw, finishing on 193 for 7, Graham Onions taking five of the wickets.
Finally, Hampshire visited Warwickshire and were indebted to an unbeaten ton from Nic Pothas as they reached 379. At 120 for 4, the Bears were struggling. However, a stand of 335 between Jim Troughton (223) and Tim Ambrose (153), with Rikki Clarke then scoring a rapid 112 took Warwicks to 630 for 8. However, they were then not able to bowl Hants out for a second time, as the visitors finished on 301 for 6, Pothas making an unbeaten 65.
Division 2
Northamptonshire made 355 as they visited Kent, with Nicky Boje falling two runs short of his ton. Kent’s reply of 417 was based around tons for Geraint Jones and Martin van Jaarsveld. Steven Peters then made a ton for Northants as they reached 348 for 7 as the game petered out into a draw.
Ryan ten Doeschate took five wickets as Essex restricted Gloucestershire to 155. However, Essex were only good for a small first innings lead as they were bowled out for 177. Gloucester then did worse second time round, making 119, leaving Essex the task of scoring 99 to win, which they did for the loss of just three wickets.
Graham Wagg took six wickets as Surrey were skittled for just 131 away to Derbyshire. Pedro Collins then took 5-fer as Derby made 274 in reply, Greg Smith making an unbeaten 94. Scott Newman’s ton led Surrey to a more substantial total second time round, making 360 and leaving Derby needing 218 to win. They reached this for the loss of five wickets and are the early pacesetters in Division 2.
Finally this week to Lords where Marks Cosgrove and Wallace both hit tons as Glamorgan made 505. Australian opener Philip Hughes then hit a ton for Middlesex as the home side declared on 414 for 8. Jamie Dalrymple then hit an unbeaten 112 on his old home ground as Glamorgan declared on 278 for 8. However, despite an early wobble, the pitch was too good to force a result and Middlesex finished on 94 for 3 and the game was drawn
England Player Watch
From all accounts Michael Vaughan got a rough decision to end on 24 in his first innings and made a defensive 20 as Yorkshire batted out for a draw. Ian Bell’s stellar start to the season hit a stumble as he made 29. Rob Key made 2 for Kent.
On the wicketkeeping front there were tons for Steven Davies, Chris Read, Tim Ambrose, Geraint Jones, Mark Wallace and Nic Pothas, while Phil Mustard made 95. Matt Prior made just 4 in two innings but remains the man in possession. . That was four more than James Foster managed, who remains the man most likely to challenge Prior for the keeping spot.
Eleven wickets for James Anderson as Lancs beat Sussex, for whom Luke Wright took a 5-fer. Saj Mahmood went wicketless, though. Stuart Broad also took a 5-fer and seven wickets in the match to go with a quick-fire 60 while batting. Graeme Swann also picked up five wickets in the match. Steve Harmison took five of the Yorkshire wickets to fall, including that of Michael Vaughan (possibly fortuitously). His Durham colleague Graham Onions took a 5-fer as they pressed for victory, while Matthew Hoggard picked up six wickets, Adil Rashid four and Tim Bresnan 3 to go with his 60 runs in the match. Monty Panesar picked up a couple of wickets against Kent.
Player of the Week
Last week this was straight forward. It’s not this week. The award almost went to wicketkeepers in general, who seemed to dominate the scoring this week. Jim Troughton also deserves a mention for his double century as does Stuart Broad for his all round performance. However, this week’s Player of the Week is Broad’s new ball partner for England, with eleven wickets as Lancs beat Sussex, James Anderson
Division 1
Starting with my two tips for relegation as Lancashire hosted Sussex. The visitors were soon struggling, despite 90 for Ed Joyce as James Anderson took 6 wickets to restrict them to 289. Lancs then recovered somewhat from a poor start to their innings, with Mark Chilton, now in the middle order, getting 89, to reach 299; Luke Wright taking five wickets. Anderson and Gary Keedy then took five wickets a piece as Sussex crumbled to 167, leaving Lancs requiring 158 to win, which they made for the loss of two wickets, Ashwell Prince contributing an unbeaten 91. A winning start for new Lancs coach Peter Moores against his old club.
At Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire batted first against Worcestershire, racking up 500, with Chris Read making a ton and Samit Patel and Adam Voges both getting into the 90s. Worcester missed avoiding the follow on by 2 runs as they made 354. Steve Davies matched Read’s hundred, but Stuart Broad’s five wickets did the damage. Second time round Worcester weren’t as successful, making just 146 to lose by an innings and 6 runs.
At the Riverside, Durham began the defence of their title against Yorkshire and were soon in trouble at 129 for 5, until Ian Blackwell and Phil Mustard both scored 90s to get the home side to 362. Yorkshire’s innings went to other way, collapsing from 247 for 4 to 272 all out with Steve Harmison taking four wickets. A century from Mike DiVenuto then helped to extend Durham’s lead to 393 as they declared on 303 for 5. The early loss of Jacques Rudolph meant that chasing the target was never a viable option and Yorkshire batted out for the draw, finishing on 193 for 7, Graham Onions taking five of the wickets.
Finally, Hampshire visited Warwickshire and were indebted to an unbeaten ton from Nic Pothas as they reached 379. At 120 for 4, the Bears were struggling. However, a stand of 335 between Jim Troughton (223) and Tim Ambrose (153), with Rikki Clarke then scoring a rapid 112 took Warwicks to 630 for 8. However, they were then not able to bowl Hants out for a second time, as the visitors finished on 301 for 6, Pothas making an unbeaten 65.
Division 2
Northamptonshire made 355 as they visited Kent, with Nicky Boje falling two runs short of his ton. Kent’s reply of 417 was based around tons for Geraint Jones and Martin van Jaarsveld. Steven Peters then made a ton for Northants as they reached 348 for 7 as the game petered out into a draw.
Ryan ten Doeschate took five wickets as Essex restricted Gloucestershire to 155. However, Essex were only good for a small first innings lead as they were bowled out for 177. Gloucester then did worse second time round, making 119, leaving Essex the task of scoring 99 to win, which they did for the loss of just three wickets.
Graham Wagg took six wickets as Surrey were skittled for just 131 away to Derbyshire. Pedro Collins then took 5-fer as Derby made 274 in reply, Greg Smith making an unbeaten 94. Scott Newman’s ton led Surrey to a more substantial total second time round, making 360 and leaving Derby needing 218 to win. They reached this for the loss of five wickets and are the early pacesetters in Division 2.
Finally this week to Lords where Marks Cosgrove and Wallace both hit tons as Glamorgan made 505. Australian opener Philip Hughes then hit a ton for Middlesex as the home side declared on 414 for 8. Jamie Dalrymple then hit an unbeaten 112 on his old home ground as Glamorgan declared on 278 for 8. However, despite an early wobble, the pitch was too good to force a result and Middlesex finished on 94 for 3 and the game was drawn
England Player Watch
From all accounts Michael Vaughan got a rough decision to end on 24 in his first innings and made a defensive 20 as Yorkshire batted out for a draw. Ian Bell’s stellar start to the season hit a stumble as he made 29. Rob Key made 2 for Kent.
On the wicketkeeping front there were tons for Steven Davies, Chris Read, Tim Ambrose, Geraint Jones, Mark Wallace and Nic Pothas, while Phil Mustard made 95. Matt Prior made just 4 in two innings but remains the man in possession. . That was four more than James Foster managed, who remains the man most likely to challenge Prior for the keeping spot.
Eleven wickets for James Anderson as Lancs beat Sussex, for whom Luke Wright took a 5-fer. Saj Mahmood went wicketless, though. Stuart Broad also took a 5-fer and seven wickets in the match to go with a quick-fire 60 while batting. Graeme Swann also picked up five wickets in the match. Steve Harmison took five of the Yorkshire wickets to fall, including that of Michael Vaughan (possibly fortuitously). His Durham colleague Graham Onions took a 5-fer as they pressed for victory, while Matthew Hoggard picked up six wickets, Adil Rashid four and Tim Bresnan 3 to go with his 60 runs in the match. Monty Panesar picked up a couple of wickets against Kent.
Player of the Week
Last week this was straight forward. It’s not this week. The award almost went to wicketkeepers in general, who seemed to dominate the scoring this week. Jim Troughton also deserves a mention for his double century as does Stuart Broad for his all round performance. However, this week’s Player of the Week is Broad’s new ball partner for England, with eleven wickets as Lancs beat Sussex, James Anderson
Saturday, 25 April 2009
Rain Falls on the Pitch
The second IPL tournament has begin in South Africa amid much fanfare but thus far the cricket hasn’t delivered. A major issue has been the weather. Many of the matches have been affected by weather which has contributed to a stop-start feel. Much of the impact of the IPL and its attractiveness is going to be reduced if rain continues to interfere to the degree which it has to date.
Each side plays 14 games so it is still early days. It appears as though some teams are suffering from the lack of key personnel. Last year the Kings XI Punjab made it all the way to the semi-finals largely on the bat of Shaun Marsh. Currently Marsh is with the Australian team and the Kings have dropped their first two games.
On the other hand, the Mumbai Indians have started brightly with win in their opening two matches.
Matthew Hayden is playing for Chennai and has also started well. He has scored 109 runs in his first two innings. Will the Australians regret turning their back on him when it comes to the Ashes 2009. When it comes to Ashes cricket you need big-time performers and there is no bigger performer than Hayden.
The South African conditions don’t appear to be conducive to batting and the scores are lower than what was witnessed last year in India. There are significantly less boundaries and sixes being scored. This is a good thing for bowlers who have been rendered to be nothing more than bowling machines in the Twenty20 game. Then again it could be that bowlers have adapted and worked out how to bowl more tightly in Twenty20 cricket. Captains have worked out better field settings for their bowlers and this is making it a far more even contest between bat and ball.
Spin has been doing well with Daniel Vettori and Muttiah Muralitharan winning man of the match award for outstanding bowling performances.
As was the case last year, it will be interesting to see how the teams fare as players exit and enter the tournament due to their international commitments happening or coming to an end.
David Wiseman is a sports journalist, who writes about cricket and tennis for Betfair Australia. He is particularly looking forward to the Ashes, and is keeping himself occupied with horse racing form until it begins.
Each side plays 14 games so it is still early days. It appears as though some teams are suffering from the lack of key personnel. Last year the Kings XI Punjab made it all the way to the semi-finals largely on the bat of Shaun Marsh. Currently Marsh is with the Australian team and the Kings have dropped their first two games.
On the other hand, the Mumbai Indians have started brightly with win in their opening two matches.
Matthew Hayden is playing for Chennai and has also started well. He has scored 109 runs in his first two innings. Will the Australians regret turning their back on him when it comes to the Ashes 2009. When it comes to Ashes cricket you need big-time performers and there is no bigger performer than Hayden.
The South African conditions don’t appear to be conducive to batting and the scores are lower than what was witnessed last year in India. There are significantly less boundaries and sixes being scored. This is a good thing for bowlers who have been rendered to be nothing more than bowling machines in the Twenty20 game. Then again it could be that bowlers have adapted and worked out how to bowl more tightly in Twenty20 cricket. Captains have worked out better field settings for their bowlers and this is making it a far more even contest between bat and ball.
Spin has been doing well with Daniel Vettori and Muttiah Muralitharan winning man of the match award for outstanding bowling performances.
As was the case last year, it will be interesting to see how the teams fare as players exit and enter the tournament due to their international commitments happening or coming to an end.
David Wiseman is a sports journalist, who writes about cricket and tennis for Betfair Australia. He is particularly looking forward to the Ashes, and is keeping himself occupied with horse racing form until it begins.
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
2009 County preview - Essex
Essex have gained a reputation as the country’s One Day specialists. This is due as much to their under-achievement in the County Championship as their expertise in coloured clothing, and one suspects the New Writtle Street hierarchy would like to see promotion to Division one just as much as they would more limited overs silverware.
The 2008 Friends Provident and Pro 40 Division Two winners, who also reached the Twenty20 Cup semi finals, are adopting well-used tactics in their bid to return to the top flight for the first time since 2003.
Essex like to blend experienced batsmen (Jason Gallian and Matt Walker) with youth (Varun Chopra, Jaik Mickleburgh and Tom Westley) and this could finally be the year that this formula pays dividends, as Chopra will finally make his breakthrough this season. Skipper Mark Pettini, keeper James Foster and talisman Ryan ten Doeschate can be relied upon for middle order runs.
The bowling department lacks penetration in four day cricket and doubts remain as to whether there is enough support for the miserly David Masters and Danish Kaneria, who is perhaps the most dangerous bowler in the second tier. His prospective availability for the whole campaign could be crucial.
Pacemen Maurice Chambers and Mervyn Westfield have been on the scene for a while and need to step-up their progression this term.
The Chelmsford outfit, again bolstered by the presence of experienced specialist Grant Flower, will surely again be in the shake-up for limited overs honours, although Ravi Bopara, Graham Napier and perhaps Foster could, like Alastair Cook, be absent for long periods due to IPL and England commitments.
Cricket Predictions:
County Championship Div Two: 3rd
Friends Provident Trophy: Semi finalists
Pro 40 Div One: Winners
Twenty20 Cup: Quarter finalists
The 2008 Friends Provident and Pro 40 Division Two winners, who also reached the Twenty20 Cup semi finals, are adopting well-used tactics in their bid to return to the top flight for the first time since 2003.
Essex like to blend experienced batsmen (Jason Gallian and Matt Walker) with youth (Varun Chopra, Jaik Mickleburgh and Tom Westley) and this could finally be the year that this formula pays dividends, as Chopra will finally make his breakthrough this season. Skipper Mark Pettini, keeper James Foster and talisman Ryan ten Doeschate can be relied upon for middle order runs.
The bowling department lacks penetration in four day cricket and doubts remain as to whether there is enough support for the miserly David Masters and Danish Kaneria, who is perhaps the most dangerous bowler in the second tier. His prospective availability for the whole campaign could be crucial.
Pacemen Maurice Chambers and Mervyn Westfield have been on the scene for a while and need to step-up their progression this term.
The Chelmsford outfit, again bolstered by the presence of experienced specialist Grant Flower, will surely again be in the shake-up for limited overs honours, although Ravi Bopara, Graham Napier and perhaps Foster could, like Alastair Cook, be absent for long periods due to IPL and England commitments.
Cricket Predictions:
County Championship Div Two: 3rd
Friends Provident Trophy: Semi finalists
Pro 40 Div One: Winners
Twenty20 Cup: Quarter finalists
Monday, 20 April 2009
Championship Review - Week 1
Here we go again then. The Predictions have been made and even though there’s barely a dent in the Easter Egg pile, the County season is off and running again. All the usual features, including the weather making a mess of everything.
Division 1
Starting at the Rose Bowl where Hampshire entertained newly promoted Worcestershire, who surprisingly decided to bat first. This back fired as they made just 132 in damp conditions, with new boy Dominic Cork taking 4 wickets. Hants needed 66 from Liam Dawson to establish a first innings lead, totalling 216. Worcester managed 189 second time round, Vikram Solanki top scoring with 73. This left Hants needing 107 to win, which they managed for the loss of 3 wickets to put them top of the table.
The other promoted team, Warwickshire, batted first on a typical Taunton wicket, making 500, with Ian Bell getting the first Championship century of the season. This was then dwarfed by Somerset making 672 for 4 declared, with James Hildreth scoring an unbeaten 303, Craig Kieswetter making an unbeaten 150 as the pair made an unbroken stand of 218. Warwicks reached safety with 108 for 1 as the game drew to a close. In a microcosm, this could be the problem this season for both teams as the batting so dominates the bowling.
Division 2
My tips for promotion, Essex, put Derbyshire into bat at Chelmsford and restricted the visitors to 329, with only the promising Dan Redfern making fifty. However, this was enough for a comfortable first innings lead as Essex managed just 194, Ian Hunter taking a 5-fer. Derby then declared on 179 for 6 as they tried to force a result despite the damp weather. However, Essex batted the game out making 120 for 3.
Leicestershire also regretted their decision to put the opposition in as Northamptonshire made 387, with Andrew Hall making an unbeaten 124. Leicester’s 184 left them needing to follow-on and at 104 for 4, they were struggling. However, Boata Dippenaar and Paul Nixon saw Leicester to safety in another rain affected match.
Rain was also a problem at the Oval where Gloucestershire’s 333 was a disappointment, given that they were 247 for 2 at one stage. However, it was plenty for a first innings lead as Surrey made just 160. Following on, the home team were 120 for 2 as the game finished, with nearly two days lost to bad weather.
England Player Watch
A section based on who I think is or should be in contention for England. If you think I’ve missed someone, let me know!
Ian Bell was sent back to county cricket to make runs and although it was at Taunton, his 173 will keep him at the forefront of the number 3 debate. James Hildreth may also have played himself into England Lions contention. James Foster top scored for Essex with 40, as well as taking 8 catches in the match to apply pressure to Matt Prior.
Kabir Ali is looking to restart his international career but was expensive in the low scoring game with Hants, despite his three wickets. Chris Tremlett also took three wickets, but Dom Cork took the headlines on the bowling front for Hants. Monty Panesar bowled tidily but was wicketless in seamer friendly conditions.
Player of the Week
Not many games this week, and one outstanding candidate. For an unbeaten triple century, the first Player of the Week is James Hildreth.
Division 1
Starting at the Rose Bowl where Hampshire entertained newly promoted Worcestershire, who surprisingly decided to bat first. This back fired as they made just 132 in damp conditions, with new boy Dominic Cork taking 4 wickets. Hants needed 66 from Liam Dawson to establish a first innings lead, totalling 216. Worcester managed 189 second time round, Vikram Solanki top scoring with 73. This left Hants needing 107 to win, which they managed for the loss of 3 wickets to put them top of the table.
The other promoted team, Warwickshire, batted first on a typical Taunton wicket, making 500, with Ian Bell getting the first Championship century of the season. This was then dwarfed by Somerset making 672 for 4 declared, with James Hildreth scoring an unbeaten 303, Craig Kieswetter making an unbeaten 150 as the pair made an unbroken stand of 218. Warwicks reached safety with 108 for 1 as the game drew to a close. In a microcosm, this could be the problem this season for both teams as the batting so dominates the bowling.
Division 2
My tips for promotion, Essex, put Derbyshire into bat at Chelmsford and restricted the visitors to 329, with only the promising Dan Redfern making fifty. However, this was enough for a comfortable first innings lead as Essex managed just 194, Ian Hunter taking a 5-fer. Derby then declared on 179 for 6 as they tried to force a result despite the damp weather. However, Essex batted the game out making 120 for 3.
Leicestershire also regretted their decision to put the opposition in as Northamptonshire made 387, with Andrew Hall making an unbeaten 124. Leicester’s 184 left them needing to follow-on and at 104 for 4, they were struggling. However, Boata Dippenaar and Paul Nixon saw Leicester to safety in another rain affected match.
Rain was also a problem at the Oval where Gloucestershire’s 333 was a disappointment, given that they were 247 for 2 at one stage. However, it was plenty for a first innings lead as Surrey made just 160. Following on, the home team were 120 for 2 as the game finished, with nearly two days lost to bad weather.
England Player Watch
A section based on who I think is or should be in contention for England. If you think I’ve missed someone, let me know!
Ian Bell was sent back to county cricket to make runs and although it was at Taunton, his 173 will keep him at the forefront of the number 3 debate. James Hildreth may also have played himself into England Lions contention. James Foster top scored for Essex with 40, as well as taking 8 catches in the match to apply pressure to Matt Prior.
Kabir Ali is looking to restart his international career but was expensive in the low scoring game with Hants, despite his three wickets. Chris Tremlett also took three wickets, but Dom Cork took the headlines on the bowling front for Hants. Monty Panesar bowled tidily but was wicketless in seamer friendly conditions.
Player of the Week
Not many games this week, and one outstanding candidate. For an unbeaten triple century, the first Player of the Week is James Hildreth.
Saturday, 18 April 2009
2009 Season Preview: Middlesex
by Benjamin Fyffe
2008 in a nutshell
A solid if not spectacular season in the Championship for Middlesex, with the county finishing third in the second division, just outside the two promotion spots. One day cricket went less well as the county was relegated from division one of the Pro40, not that anyone seems to really care about that anymore. The really fantastic thing about last season for Middlesex was indeed their triumph in the Twenty20 cup and, despite the Stanford Super Series battering that followed, it certainly gave the players of the county a considerable financial boost.
2008 top performers
Eoin Morgan performed magnificently with the bat last season to finish with a first class average of over 50, higher than team mate Owais Shah. Tim Murtagh was also outstanding throughout the summer of 2008, finishing with 104 wickets in all competitions, why did Surrey let him go?
2009 prospects
As ever Middlesex are difficult to judge but promotion in both the Championship and Pro40 is not journeying too far into the realms of fantasy. A one day trophy would also be nice, possibly even holding onto their Twenty20 crown. The real worry is that the squad lacks experience and, with Owais Shah likely to be away on England duty for at least the first part of the summer, the batting line-up looks very fresh faced. The club will also be damaged by the losses of Ed Joyce and Ed Smith over the winter. Captain Smith retired due to injury and will be sorely missed, as his captaincy nous is severely underrated, while Joyce decided to move to the South Coast so that he could commute in the opposite direction to everybody else in the mornings. Young Australian starlet will need to provide an energy boost at the start of the season until Murali Kartik can return from the IPL.
Strongest XI
Championship
PJ Hughes (DM Housego)
BA Godleman (AJ Strauss)
EJG Morgan
NJ Dexter (NRD Compton)
DJ Malan (OA Shah)
BJM Scott+ (DC Nash+)
SD Udal*
TJ Murtagh (T Henderson)
M Kartik (GK Berg)
A Richardson (CEW Silverwood)
ST Finn (D Evans)
Limited Overs
PJ Hughes (BA Godleman)
NJ Dexter (AJ Strauss)
EJG Morgan (SD Robson)
DJ Malan (OA Shah)
GK Berg (NRD Compton)
T Henderson
BJM Scott+ (DC Nash+)
SD Udal*
TJ Murtagh (CEW Silverwood)
M Kartik
ST Finn (D Evans)
Openers
Philip Hughes will open the innings in both Championship and One Day cricket until his stint as overseas player is concluded. 20 year old Billy Godleman will be looking to forget his dip in form last season to lead from the top of the order throughout the season while Dan Housego is also likely to play a decent amount of cricket this season. Neil Dexter may step up to open in one day cricket. All this is under the assumption that England do not try and commit Ashes suicide and send Andrew Strauss back to his county side and appoint Stuart Broad as captain.
Middle Order
Owais Shah, providing he can get his first Test century against the West Indies next month, should be on England duty throughout the summer. Therefore Eoin Morgan will be relied on more than ever before in his fledgling career to lead the Middlesex middle order. He is certainly capable but experience could be his downfall. Support will come from Neil Dexter, Dawid Malan and Nick Compton, all of whom are closer to spring chickens than seasoned pros. All-rounder Gareth Berg should play the odd Championship game as well as the majority of limited overs games and Tyrone Henderson will undoubtedly be sent in high up the order in Twenty20 and Pro40 to try and bludgeon a few big hits.
Wicket Keeper
Ben Scott seems to have made this position his own now, but he still has competition from David Nash. Both are fine keepers and decent batsmen. Providing they're not both injured Middlesex have no real worries in this area of the team.
Fast Bowlers
Expect Tim Murtagh to lead the line again with support from Steven Finn, for whom this is a big season, and Danny Evans. Chris Silverwood and Alan Richardson are also still around to provide experienced fastish medium deliveries. Tyrone Henderson and Gareth Berg will also be helping out in the one day competitions.
Spinners
Murali Kartik is away in the IPL for the start of the season but when he returns he'll be hoping to spin Middlesex to victory as often as possible with the support of captain Shaun Udal, who won't be expecting an England recall. If Udal is injured before Murali's arrival this is a weak area of the squad with no real back-up.
Rising Star
Dawid Malan showed great promise last season, and is now in the England performance squad, and if he can progress this season he could end up being a key player for the county this summer.
Key Man
Eoin Morgan has to lead the batting well from the start this season, otherwise the quest for Championship promotion could be over come June.
Captain and Coach
Shaun Udal will draw on all his experience to try and galvanise the troops this season as well as trying to groom a potential successor for next season. Tony Radford is head coach and will be looking to boost his credentials and get the county back where they so strongly feel they belong, at the top. He will have support from Angus Fraser, who believes promotion is 'very realistic' for the county this season.
2008 in a nutshell
A solid if not spectacular season in the Championship for Middlesex, with the county finishing third in the second division, just outside the two promotion spots. One day cricket went less well as the county was relegated from division one of the Pro40, not that anyone seems to really care about that anymore. The really fantastic thing about last season for Middlesex was indeed their triumph in the Twenty20 cup and, despite the Stanford Super Series battering that followed, it certainly gave the players of the county a considerable financial boost.
2008 top performers
Eoin Morgan performed magnificently with the bat last season to finish with a first class average of over 50, higher than team mate Owais Shah. Tim Murtagh was also outstanding throughout the summer of 2008, finishing with 104 wickets in all competitions, why did Surrey let him go?
2009 prospects
As ever Middlesex are difficult to judge but promotion in both the Championship and Pro40 is not journeying too far into the realms of fantasy. A one day trophy would also be nice, possibly even holding onto their Twenty20 crown. The real worry is that the squad lacks experience and, with Owais Shah likely to be away on England duty for at least the first part of the summer, the batting line-up looks very fresh faced. The club will also be damaged by the losses of Ed Joyce and Ed Smith over the winter. Captain Smith retired due to injury and will be sorely missed, as his captaincy nous is severely underrated, while Joyce decided to move to the South Coast so that he could commute in the opposite direction to everybody else in the mornings. Young Australian starlet will need to provide an energy boost at the start of the season until Murali Kartik can return from the IPL.
Strongest XI
Championship
PJ Hughes (DM Housego)
BA Godleman (AJ Strauss)
EJG Morgan
NJ Dexter (NRD Compton)
DJ Malan (OA Shah)
BJM Scott+ (DC Nash+)
SD Udal*
TJ Murtagh (T Henderson)
M Kartik (GK Berg)
A Richardson (CEW Silverwood)
ST Finn (D Evans)
Limited Overs
PJ Hughes (BA Godleman)
NJ Dexter (AJ Strauss)
EJG Morgan (SD Robson)
DJ Malan (OA Shah)
GK Berg (NRD Compton)
T Henderson
BJM Scott+ (DC Nash+)
SD Udal*
TJ Murtagh (CEW Silverwood)
M Kartik
ST Finn (D Evans)
Openers
Philip Hughes will open the innings in both Championship and One Day cricket until his stint as overseas player is concluded. 20 year old Billy Godleman will be looking to forget his dip in form last season to lead from the top of the order throughout the season while Dan Housego is also likely to play a decent amount of cricket this season. Neil Dexter may step up to open in one day cricket. All this is under the assumption that England do not try and commit Ashes suicide and send Andrew Strauss back to his county side and appoint Stuart Broad as captain.
Middle Order
Owais Shah, providing he can get his first Test century against the West Indies next month, should be on England duty throughout the summer. Therefore Eoin Morgan will be relied on more than ever before in his fledgling career to lead the Middlesex middle order. He is certainly capable but experience could be his downfall. Support will come from Neil Dexter, Dawid Malan and Nick Compton, all of whom are closer to spring chickens than seasoned pros. All-rounder Gareth Berg should play the odd Championship game as well as the majority of limited overs games and Tyrone Henderson will undoubtedly be sent in high up the order in Twenty20 and Pro40 to try and bludgeon a few big hits.
Wicket Keeper
Ben Scott seems to have made this position his own now, but he still has competition from David Nash. Both are fine keepers and decent batsmen. Providing they're not both injured Middlesex have no real worries in this area of the team.
Fast Bowlers
Expect Tim Murtagh to lead the line again with support from Steven Finn, for whom this is a big season, and Danny Evans. Chris Silverwood and Alan Richardson are also still around to provide experienced fastish medium deliveries. Tyrone Henderson and Gareth Berg will also be helping out in the one day competitions.
Spinners
Murali Kartik is away in the IPL for the start of the season but when he returns he'll be hoping to spin Middlesex to victory as often as possible with the support of captain Shaun Udal, who won't be expecting an England recall. If Udal is injured before Murali's arrival this is a weak area of the squad with no real back-up.
Rising Star
Dawid Malan showed great promise last season, and is now in the England performance squad, and if he can progress this season he could end up being a key player for the county this summer.
Key Man
Eoin Morgan has to lead the batting well from the start this season, otherwise the quest for Championship promotion could be over come June.
Captain and Coach
Shaun Udal will draw on all his experience to try and galvanise the troops this season as well as trying to groom a potential successor for next season. Tony Radford is head coach and will be looking to boost his credentials and get the county back where they so strongly feel they belong, at the top. He will have support from Angus Fraser, who believes promotion is 'very realistic' for the county this season.
Friday, 17 April 2009
2009 County Preview: Yorkshire - A Good Year for the Roses?
It has been an unusually quiet off-season at Headingley. If the off field stability transfers onto the pitch, it could be a season to remember.
2008 in a Nutshell
Yorkshire scored more batting points than anyone else, despite playing most of the season with only four specialist batsmen. However, an inability to take the first innings form into the second innings was Yorkshire’s basic problem. The season wasn’t helped by a never ending stream of injured pace bowlers or the weather which curtailed some promising situations while also partially negating the effect of Adil Rashid.
Top of the table at the 20:Twenty break, and still in with a shout of honours with three games to go, Yorkshire went into the last match in the relegation places, although a winning draw made sure of their continuing Division 1 status.
On the limited overs front, the 20:Twenty debacle was the lowlight of the season. Promotion to Division 1 of the Pro 40 was one of the highlights. Getting to the semi-final of the FP Trophy was a bonus and Essex were by far and away the better team on the day.
2009 Prospects
I hate myself for saying this, but I think Yorkshire are the team to beat in the Championship this season. The batting line up looks longer than last season, with Michael Vaughan having plenty to prove to the England selectors, while Andrew Gale and Adam Lyth will be looking to play themselves onto a tour next winter. Joe Sayers seems to have regained some form over the winter and will be challenging the other batsmen for a place. With Tim Bresnan likely to come in at 8, runs should not be a problem. The position of 4th seamer is up for grabs with Amjal Shahzad and Steve Patterson battling it out. David Wainwright will come into the team when spin becomes a weapon, and he scored a Championship century from number 10 last season.
Likely Championship team
Michael Vaughan
Andrew Gale
McGrath
Rudolph
Lyth
Brophy
Rashid
Bresnan
Naved
Hoggard
Shahzad/ Wainwright
The team looks to be on an upward curve with limited overs cricket too, although Division 1 of the Pro 40 will be much tougher than Division 2 last season. However, the knock out stages of the FP Trophy and the 20:Twenty should be the target.
Key Man
Probably the same as last year in that Adil Rashid is most likely to bowl teams out. He had a slow start to the season last year, but still ended up with 62 wickets. He will also need to improve with the bat as he averaged just 23, despite a century in the last match of the season. The emergence of Graeme Swann as an International spinner means that Rashid should not be required by England this summer. However, his time is coming and Yorkshire will be hoping for as much as possible from him.
Rising Star
I was tempted to go with last year’s choice again, as Adam Lyth made his breakthrough last season and aged just 21 has a bright future ahead of him. However, of those looking to make a breakthrough this season, my choice is Jonathan Bairstow. With Simon Guy recovering from brain surgery and Greg Wood being released, Bairstow (son of David) is the second choice wicketkeeper and a very talented batsman, winning the Wisden school cricketer of the year award last year. Expect to see him feature in some limited over cricket and if Gerard Brophy doesn’t recapture his form of a couple of years ago, this could be his year.
Coach and Captain
Antony McGrath officially takes the reins this season, although as Darren Gough only managed to play half of last season, the transformation has been gradual. Martyn Moxen is the reason that Mags stayed at Yorkshire and the two of them have a close bond.
2008 in a Nutshell
Yorkshire scored more batting points than anyone else, despite playing most of the season with only four specialist batsmen. However, an inability to take the first innings form into the second innings was Yorkshire’s basic problem. The season wasn’t helped by a never ending stream of injured pace bowlers or the weather which curtailed some promising situations while also partially negating the effect of Adil Rashid.
Top of the table at the 20:Twenty break, and still in with a shout of honours with three games to go, Yorkshire went into the last match in the relegation places, although a winning draw made sure of their continuing Division 1 status.
On the limited overs front, the 20:Twenty debacle was the lowlight of the season. Promotion to Division 1 of the Pro 40 was one of the highlights. Getting to the semi-final of the FP Trophy was a bonus and Essex were by far and away the better team on the day.
2009 Prospects
I hate myself for saying this, but I think Yorkshire are the team to beat in the Championship this season. The batting line up looks longer than last season, with Michael Vaughan having plenty to prove to the England selectors, while Andrew Gale and Adam Lyth will be looking to play themselves onto a tour next winter. Joe Sayers seems to have regained some form over the winter and will be challenging the other batsmen for a place. With Tim Bresnan likely to come in at 8, runs should not be a problem. The position of 4th seamer is up for grabs with Amjal Shahzad and Steve Patterson battling it out. David Wainwright will come into the team when spin becomes a weapon, and he scored a Championship century from number 10 last season.
Likely Championship team
Michael Vaughan
Andrew Gale
McGrath
Rudolph
Lyth
Brophy
Rashid
Bresnan
Naved
Hoggard
Shahzad/ Wainwright
The team looks to be on an upward curve with limited overs cricket too, although Division 1 of the Pro 40 will be much tougher than Division 2 last season. However, the knock out stages of the FP Trophy and the 20:Twenty should be the target.
Key Man
Probably the same as last year in that Adil Rashid is most likely to bowl teams out. He had a slow start to the season last year, but still ended up with 62 wickets. He will also need to improve with the bat as he averaged just 23, despite a century in the last match of the season. The emergence of Graeme Swann as an International spinner means that Rashid should not be required by England this summer. However, his time is coming and Yorkshire will be hoping for as much as possible from him.
Rising Star
I was tempted to go with last year’s choice again, as Adam Lyth made his breakthrough last season and aged just 21 has a bright future ahead of him. However, of those looking to make a breakthrough this season, my choice is Jonathan Bairstow. With Simon Guy recovering from brain surgery and Greg Wood being released, Bairstow (son of David) is the second choice wicketkeeper and a very talented batsman, winning the Wisden school cricketer of the year award last year. Expect to see him feature in some limited over cricket and if Gerard Brophy doesn’t recapture his form of a couple of years ago, this could be his year.
Coach and Captain
Antony McGrath officially takes the reins this season, although as Darren Gough only managed to play half of last season, the transformation has been gradual. Martyn Moxen is the reason that Mags stayed at Yorkshire and the two of them have a close bond.
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