Continuing our tournament reviews, here is an assessment of how South Africa did.
The cliché that South Africa always choke in World Cups was given new credence by their spectacular implosion against New Zealand. In topping their group ahead of India, South Africa showed they possessed a range of wicket-taking options they have not always possessed, with Imran Tahir exceptional. The batting, led by AB de Villiers, was also powerful. Yet they were ultimately exposed by a weak lower middle-order, with Johan Botha (ODI average of 19) never good enough to be a number seven.
Star man
It could have been de Villiers, Tahir or even Robin Petersen, but Dale Steyn showed his class again. His bowling against India, when he claimed five wickets, part of a total of 12, to trigger a collapse of 9/29, showed off the brilliance of his yorkers.
Disappointment
Outgoing captain Graeme Smith failed to score a half-century in the tournament, suggesting he may find it hard to continue to merit a place in the ODI side.
Prospects
They remain an excellent side in all three formats, but the c word will remain their biggest nemesis. Need some allrounders – Albie Morkel, perhaps? – to ensure they bat deeper. In search of a new coach too, Gary Kirsten would do very nicely.
Showing posts with label Imran Tahir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Imran Tahir. Show all posts
Monday, 4 April 2011
Thursday, 9 October 2008
2008 – County Team of the Season
So once again, congratulations to Durham, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, while Surrey and Kent look forward to life in a lower league (hang on – didn’t I say that would happen?). One last duty before the tremendous 2008 county season is put to bed. Following Tim’s review of the season, comes my Team of the Season. Same rules as last year: only those who win a player of the week are eligible, so Jacques Rudolph and Steve Harmison aren’t eligible for selection but Josh Cobb and Darren Pattinson are. The team also fits to county regulations with only one overseas player, although I must admit that was through merit rather than planning!
Openers - No specialist openers won a POTW this season, so the places have to go to two players who have filled in rather a lot.
1, Andrew Gale (Yorks) A breakthrough season for the young batsman, who scored a match winning century in week 2 and has been one of the reasons for Yorkshire scoring more batting points than anyone else in Division 1.
2, Vikram Solanki (Worcs) Outscored by Stephen Moore over the season, but scored big when it mattered, including 270 at quicker than a run a ball against Gloucestershire. Captained the team back to Division 1, averaged 47 and scored well over a thousand runs – a fine season.
Middle order – also available for selection were Josh Cobb, Sean Ervine, Tony Frost, Ian Blackwell and most unlucky of all, Martin van Jaarsveld
3, Ravi Bopara (Essex) Following a disappointing winter with England Bopara delivered very quickly for Essex, making POTW in week 1 and keeping that form going all season. He still looks unsure in an England shirt, being dropped for the more recent One Day matches and the forthcoming tour, but for Essex he has averaged nearly 65 and keeps Martin van Jaarsveld out of this team.
4, Mark Ramprakash (Surrey) In any other team he would be a star. In the current Surrey set up, he is so far ahead of the rest of his team mates, it is embarrassing. He couldn’t perform his heroics of single handedly keeping the team up again, but averaging over 60 and reaching his 100th hundred, he had a fine season.
5, Will Smith (Durham) The champion’s only representative shows how much of a team effort winning the title was. He started the season as Paul Collingwood’s stand in and ended up by outscoring the likes of Chanderpaul, di Venuto and Benkenstein.
Wicket-keeper – missing out were Chris Read and James Pipe
6, Matt Prior (Sussex) Like Bopara, Prior had a lot to prove after a difficult winter with England. Like Bopara, Prior answered his critics by scoring a lot of runs regularly, averaging over 50 for the season. At the start of the season, Prior was responsible for keeping the Sussex batting together as the rest of the team struggled. His keeping has reportedly improved immensely and he has been rewarded with an England recall.
All-Rounders – missing out are Jonathan Clare and Ian Blackwell (again)
7, Adil Rashid (Yorks) The final POTW, with his sole century of the season and a 7 wicket haul to kleep Yorkshire in Division 1. His bowling got better and better during the season, with 62 wickets despite the damp summer, while his batting went backwards until that last, vital innings. The England Lions tour beckons for the winter and it will be a surprise if he isn’t in the full England squad this time next year.
8, Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hants) With the loss of Shane Warne at the start of the season, Hampshire went to one of the title favourites to relegation candidates. However, a remarkable run at the end of the season, inspired by Mascarenhas, who averaged 30 with the bat and took 41 wickets at 23 with the ball, saw them as unlikely title candidates even one the last day of the season, finishing 3rd. A downside to the season was the loss of his England limited overs place, to the bemusement of everyone.
Spinner
9, Imran Tahir (Hants) Of course, Mascarenhas was helped in his turning around the Hampshire season by the introduction of a spinner who looked awful in his one performance for Yorkshire last season, but took 44 wickets at 16 in just 7 games at the back end of this season. Tahir gave the team the mystery factor that Warne’s absence had taken away. It will be interesting to see how he fairs over a full season next year.
Seamers – missing out are Yasir Arafat and Ryan McLaren
10, James Tomlinson (Hants) Hampshire’s third representative in the team, Tomlinson was the top wicket taker in Division 1 and was responsible for keeping Hants in touch with the rest of the division during the first half of the season, particularly inspiring a vital win over Yorkshire, which started the Hants revival.
11, Darren Pattinson (Notts) Michael Vaughan may not have heard of him, but he’s never been that interested in county cricket anyway. Pattinson, a Grimsby born Aussie bred roofer ended up being selected for England based on some excellent early season form, leading the Notts attack in the absence of Broad and Sidebottom
Openers - No specialist openers won a POTW this season, so the places have to go to two players who have filled in rather a lot.
1, Andrew Gale (Yorks) A breakthrough season for the young batsman, who scored a match winning century in week 2 and has been one of the reasons for Yorkshire scoring more batting points than anyone else in Division 1.
2, Vikram Solanki (Worcs) Outscored by Stephen Moore over the season, but scored big when it mattered, including 270 at quicker than a run a ball against Gloucestershire. Captained the team back to Division 1, averaged 47 and scored well over a thousand runs – a fine season.
Middle order – also available for selection were Josh Cobb, Sean Ervine, Tony Frost, Ian Blackwell and most unlucky of all, Martin van Jaarsveld
3, Ravi Bopara (Essex) Following a disappointing winter with England Bopara delivered very quickly for Essex, making POTW in week 1 and keeping that form going all season. He still looks unsure in an England shirt, being dropped for the more recent One Day matches and the forthcoming tour, but for Essex he has averaged nearly 65 and keeps Martin van Jaarsveld out of this team.
4, Mark Ramprakash (Surrey) In any other team he would be a star. In the current Surrey set up, he is so far ahead of the rest of his team mates, it is embarrassing. He couldn’t perform his heroics of single handedly keeping the team up again, but averaging over 60 and reaching his 100th hundred, he had a fine season.
5, Will Smith (Durham) The champion’s only representative shows how much of a team effort winning the title was. He started the season as Paul Collingwood’s stand in and ended up by outscoring the likes of Chanderpaul, di Venuto and Benkenstein.
Wicket-keeper – missing out were Chris Read and James Pipe
6, Matt Prior (Sussex) Like Bopara, Prior had a lot to prove after a difficult winter with England. Like Bopara, Prior answered his critics by scoring a lot of runs regularly, averaging over 50 for the season. At the start of the season, Prior was responsible for keeping the Sussex batting together as the rest of the team struggled. His keeping has reportedly improved immensely and he has been rewarded with an England recall.
All-Rounders – missing out are Jonathan Clare and Ian Blackwell (again)
7, Adil Rashid (Yorks) The final POTW, with his sole century of the season and a 7 wicket haul to kleep Yorkshire in Division 1. His bowling got better and better during the season, with 62 wickets despite the damp summer, while his batting went backwards until that last, vital innings. The England Lions tour beckons for the winter and it will be a surprise if he isn’t in the full England squad this time next year.
8, Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hants) With the loss of Shane Warne at the start of the season, Hampshire went to one of the title favourites to relegation candidates. However, a remarkable run at the end of the season, inspired by Mascarenhas, who averaged 30 with the bat and took 41 wickets at 23 with the ball, saw them as unlikely title candidates even one the last day of the season, finishing 3rd. A downside to the season was the loss of his England limited overs place, to the bemusement of everyone.
Spinner
9, Imran Tahir (Hants) Of course, Mascarenhas was helped in his turning around the Hampshire season by the introduction of a spinner who looked awful in his one performance for Yorkshire last season, but took 44 wickets at 16 in just 7 games at the back end of this season. Tahir gave the team the mystery factor that Warne’s absence had taken away. It will be interesting to see how he fairs over a full season next year.
Seamers – missing out are Yasir Arafat and Ryan McLaren
10, James Tomlinson (Hants) Hampshire’s third representative in the team, Tomlinson was the top wicket taker in Division 1 and was responsible for keeping Hants in touch with the rest of the division during the first half of the season, particularly inspiring a vital win over Yorkshire, which started the Hants revival.
11, Darren Pattinson (Notts) Michael Vaughan may not have heard of him, but he’s never been that interested in county cricket anyway. Pattinson, a Grimsby born Aussie bred roofer ended up being selected for England based on some excellent early season form, leading the Notts attack in the absence of Broad and Sidebottom
Monday, 29 September 2008
2008 Season Review: Hampshire
Final Placings:
County Championship Division One – 3rd;
FP Trophy - 4th, South-Eastern Conference;
Twenty20 Cup – 4th, South Division;
Pro40 Division One – 2nd.
Hampshire enjoyed a respectable season in 2008 and the final results look quite promising for the future. Indeed it was a season of two halves and it could have been a whole lot worse! In the initial few weeks of the season things looked grim. Dimitri Mascarenhas was away in India or with England more often than not and Chris Tremlett was enduring a frustrating time with injuries yet again, a trend which continued throughout the year. Greg Lamb looked woefully short of being a threatening four day spin bowler, much less a replacement for Shane Warne (8 wickets at 71.37), and he has in fact now been released by the county. The batting was experiencing it’s usual woes, with even the normally reliable John Crawley and Nic Pothas both out of form. Then, Shane Bond (19 at 19.21) got injured and Hampshire were without an overseas player and were missing their entire bowling attack from the previous season, James Bruce and Warne having of course retired, whilst Shaun Udal had switched allegiances.
The Friends Provident Trophy campaign never really got going and Hampshire soon found themselves bottom of the County Championship. Paul Terry parted company with the county and the search for a replacement is ongoing, with Chris Adams high on the list of wanted candidates. The Twenty20 Cup campaign, the finals day of which was held at the Rose Bowl, was less disappointing than usual, with the county only one victory from making the knockout stage. Shane Watson’s failure to show up was a blow, although Ian Harvey did a good job in his absence, with both Michael Lumb and Michael Carberry continuing to show that they are excellent limited overs performers. Nante Hayward was briefly impressive before succumbing to injury and it will be interesting to see if Hawks fans see any more of the South African Kolpak signing next season. In a competition as strong as the South Division though, it was always going to be hard to emerge from the group which contained three of the four semi-finalists and furthermore, the two finalists.
Into the backend of the season and Hampshire were occupying one of the two relegation places in the Championship and it was questionable as to how they could turn it around. Imran Tahir’s arrival as overseas player marked the beginning of the recovery, as did the emergence of spinning allrounder Liam Dawson, who scored his maiden century in the final day victory over Nottinghamshire. The two spinners dominated opposition batting line-ups in the Pro40 competition, sweeping Hampshire to second, Dawson finishing with 11 at 13.72 and Tahir with 12 at 20.33, whilst Billy Taylor also chipped in with an impressive 13 at 15.38. In fact, were it not for the rain, Hampshire would in all likelihood have won the competition, with Sean Ervine finding some late form. Meanwhile, in the four day game, Tahir especially was proving to be a real trump card, as opposition batsmen the land over were bamboozled by his vast array of mysterious deliveries. The Pakistani A leg spinner was definitely key to the revival in Hampshire’s fortunes. Meanwhile, sides continued to struggle with the impressive James Tomlinson, the young left arm seamer, who was consistent throughout the entire season and ended as the divisions top wicket taker, most impressive.
As per usual the main problem with Hampshire was the batting, although at the start of the season the bowling had looked to be the more pressing concern. In the Championship only Nic Pothas (53.5) and Michael Brown (40.86) managed to finish with respectable averages, whilst Michaels’ Lumb (32.72) and Carberry (28.60) continue to fail to transfer their fine limited overs returns into the Championship. John Crawley meanwhile appears to have seen his best days (27.73 from only 9 matches). Only Pothas (3) scored more than one hundred and he also registered the best score (137). Hampshire’s deep batting was once again their saving grace and it is clear where the Hawks need to improve in the future, especially as they mustered only 33 batting points (7th in the division), yet managed 47 bowling points (1st in the division).
The bowling figures do look a lot better for Hampshire, with Tahir (44 at 16.68), Tomlinson (67 at 24.76) and Mascarenhas (41 at 23.82) the stand out performers, though it is worth noting that Tremlett had a disappointing year (27 at 37.0), due to both injury and knock backs from Team England. Between them, Tahir (44) and Bond (19), compensated well for the absence of former captain Shane Warne, whilst Mascarenhas tried to continue the Warne tradition of attacking and playing to win. He was however overly cautious until the end of the season, the game against Lancashire at Old Trafford a prime example of how a crisis of confidence and a mentality of safety first had set in at the club after the poor first half of the season.
Player of the season:
It would be easy to point to Imran Tahir, as his arrival had such a massive impact, but without the ever dependable Nic Pothas, the county’s highest run scorer, and the consistent wicket taking ability of James Tomlinson, Hampshire would probably have been sunk before his arrival. Those two rightly share the award from this commentator.
Most disappointing player:
Greg Lamb. 8 wickets at 71.37 is awful for a spinner, a batting average of 20.92 is a poor average for an allrounder and it is no surprise that the club finally released him early, after he managed just 1 wicket at 102, from 17 overs, in the Pro40 and a 0 from his one innings. He was never going to be a replacement for Warne or Udal as a specialist bowler, but he can not even be called an allrounder unfortunately after this season.
Highlight: The dramatic low scoring victory over Durham which proved to be a key moment in the season following the victory over Yorkshire, with Sean Ervine crucially hitting 94 not out, as Hampshire recovered from being bowled out for 96 in the first innings and from having slumped to 77 for 5 in their second, to score a winning total of 240-8, beating eventual Championship winners Durham in the process by two wickets. Nail biting stuff.
Lowlight: Having to wait until mid-June for the first County Championship win, interestingly enough, it was also against Durham. It was probably the result of a loss of leadership, with Warne throwing in the towel just weeks before the start of the season and Mascarenhas gallivanting off to India to join him for a few weeks.
IX of the Season:
Carberry
Brown
Lumb
Benham
Ervine
Pothas (wk)
Dawson
Mascarenhas (c)
Tremlett
Tahir
Tomlinson
County Championship Division One – 3rd;
FP Trophy - 4th, South-Eastern Conference;
Twenty20 Cup – 4th, South Division;
Pro40 Division One – 2nd.
Hampshire enjoyed a respectable season in 2008 and the final results look quite promising for the future. Indeed it was a season of two halves and it could have been a whole lot worse! In the initial few weeks of the season things looked grim. Dimitri Mascarenhas was away in India or with England more often than not and Chris Tremlett was enduring a frustrating time with injuries yet again, a trend which continued throughout the year. Greg Lamb looked woefully short of being a threatening four day spin bowler, much less a replacement for Shane Warne (8 wickets at 71.37), and he has in fact now been released by the county. The batting was experiencing it’s usual woes, with even the normally reliable John Crawley and Nic Pothas both out of form. Then, Shane Bond (19 at 19.21) got injured and Hampshire were without an overseas player and were missing their entire bowling attack from the previous season, James Bruce and Warne having of course retired, whilst Shaun Udal had switched allegiances.
The Friends Provident Trophy campaign never really got going and Hampshire soon found themselves bottom of the County Championship. Paul Terry parted company with the county and the search for a replacement is ongoing, with Chris Adams high on the list of wanted candidates. The Twenty20 Cup campaign, the finals day of which was held at the Rose Bowl, was less disappointing than usual, with the county only one victory from making the knockout stage. Shane Watson’s failure to show up was a blow, although Ian Harvey did a good job in his absence, with both Michael Lumb and Michael Carberry continuing to show that they are excellent limited overs performers. Nante Hayward was briefly impressive before succumbing to injury and it will be interesting to see if Hawks fans see any more of the South African Kolpak signing next season. In a competition as strong as the South Division though, it was always going to be hard to emerge from the group which contained three of the four semi-finalists and furthermore, the two finalists.
Into the backend of the season and Hampshire were occupying one of the two relegation places in the Championship and it was questionable as to how they could turn it around. Imran Tahir’s arrival as overseas player marked the beginning of the recovery, as did the emergence of spinning allrounder Liam Dawson, who scored his maiden century in the final day victory over Nottinghamshire. The two spinners dominated opposition batting line-ups in the Pro40 competition, sweeping Hampshire to second, Dawson finishing with 11 at 13.72 and Tahir with 12 at 20.33, whilst Billy Taylor also chipped in with an impressive 13 at 15.38. In fact, were it not for the rain, Hampshire would in all likelihood have won the competition, with Sean Ervine finding some late form. Meanwhile, in the four day game, Tahir especially was proving to be a real trump card, as opposition batsmen the land over were bamboozled by his vast array of mysterious deliveries. The Pakistani A leg spinner was definitely key to the revival in Hampshire’s fortunes. Meanwhile, sides continued to struggle with the impressive James Tomlinson, the young left arm seamer, who was consistent throughout the entire season and ended as the divisions top wicket taker, most impressive.
As per usual the main problem with Hampshire was the batting, although at the start of the season the bowling had looked to be the more pressing concern. In the Championship only Nic Pothas (53.5) and Michael Brown (40.86) managed to finish with respectable averages, whilst Michaels’ Lumb (32.72) and Carberry (28.60) continue to fail to transfer their fine limited overs returns into the Championship. John Crawley meanwhile appears to have seen his best days (27.73 from only 9 matches). Only Pothas (3) scored more than one hundred and he also registered the best score (137). Hampshire’s deep batting was once again their saving grace and it is clear where the Hawks need to improve in the future, especially as they mustered only 33 batting points (7th in the division), yet managed 47 bowling points (1st in the division).
The bowling figures do look a lot better for Hampshire, with Tahir (44 at 16.68), Tomlinson (67 at 24.76) and Mascarenhas (41 at 23.82) the stand out performers, though it is worth noting that Tremlett had a disappointing year (27 at 37.0), due to both injury and knock backs from Team England. Between them, Tahir (44) and Bond (19), compensated well for the absence of former captain Shane Warne, whilst Mascarenhas tried to continue the Warne tradition of attacking and playing to win. He was however overly cautious until the end of the season, the game against Lancashire at Old Trafford a prime example of how a crisis of confidence and a mentality of safety first had set in at the club after the poor first half of the season.
Player of the season:
It would be easy to point to Imran Tahir, as his arrival had such a massive impact, but without the ever dependable Nic Pothas, the county’s highest run scorer, and the consistent wicket taking ability of James Tomlinson, Hampshire would probably have been sunk before his arrival. Those two rightly share the award from this commentator.
Most disappointing player:
Greg Lamb. 8 wickets at 71.37 is awful for a spinner, a batting average of 20.92 is a poor average for an allrounder and it is no surprise that the club finally released him early, after he managed just 1 wicket at 102, from 17 overs, in the Pro40 and a 0 from his one innings. He was never going to be a replacement for Warne or Udal as a specialist bowler, but he can not even be called an allrounder unfortunately after this season.
Highlight: The dramatic low scoring victory over Durham which proved to be a key moment in the season following the victory over Yorkshire, with Sean Ervine crucially hitting 94 not out, as Hampshire recovered from being bowled out for 96 in the first innings and from having slumped to 77 for 5 in their second, to score a winning total of 240-8, beating eventual Championship winners Durham in the process by two wickets. Nail biting stuff.
Lowlight: Having to wait until mid-June for the first County Championship win, interestingly enough, it was also against Durham. It was probably the result of a loss of leadership, with Warne throwing in the towel just weeks before the start of the season and Mascarenhas gallivanting off to India to join him for a few weeks.
IX of the Season:
Carberry
Brown
Lumb
Benham
Ervine
Pothas (wk)
Dawson
Mascarenhas (c)
Tremlett
Tahir
Tomlinson
Monday, 28 July 2008
Championship Review - Week 12
In all of the 20Twenty excitement, it’s all change at the top of both divisions of the County Championship as Notts and Worcester take their chances, while Lancashire are frustrated/ hang on (delete according to viewpoint) against Hampshire.
Division 1
Only two games in the top division, and with Durham not playing Nottinghamshire had the chance to return to the top – as did Yorkshire, mathematically. Notts decision to bat first looked to have backfired as they were bowled out for 213. However, this was enough for a decent first innings lead, as Yorkshire, missing Antony McGrath who was injured in the warm up, made just 161 with Charlie Shrek taking five wickets. Batting got easier second time round, particularly as Rana Naved picked up an injury which restricted his bowling and Notts made 350, leaving Yorkshire needing 403. Despite an outstanding 132 (his maiden first class century) from Adam Lyth, it was a player at the other end of his career that took the plaudits as Mark Ealham finished up with seven wickets in the total of 290 and Notts ran out comfortable winners to top the table. Yorkshire are beginning to look over their shoulders.
Lancashire could have gone top with a win over Hampshire and started well with 357 in their first innings, Imran Tahir taking five wickets on debut for Hants. A stand of 145 between Michael Brown and Chris Benham rescued Hants from 35 for 3, but their total of 288 still gave Lancs a decent lead. However, Tahir went two better second time round, taking 7 wickets as Lancs struggled to 155, leaving Hants needing 225 for victory in 71 overs. A poor start meant that the chase was more about survival. However, at the close of play they had reached 215 for 7, only 10 runs short of an unlikely victory. They stay in the bottom two, while Lancs move up to 2nd.
Division 2
With Warwickshire having a week off, Worcestershire had the chance to go top against a Middlesex team who’s mind was on the 20Twenty finals. Indeed Middlesex were indebted to a fine 91 from Shaun Udal to get them to 300, Kabir Ali taking 5 wickets. Worcester went 61 runs better, with Ben Smith getting out in the 90s again. In the second innings, it was only a century partnership between Dawid Malan and Ben Scott that got Middlesex to 164, with Gareth Batty taking 5 wickets. Worcester knocked off the 105 needed for victory without losing a wicket to go top while Middlesex’s challenge is faltering.
Also keeping up the pressure at the top are Essex, who restricted Gloucestershire to 275 in their first innings, despite Marcus North getting 98. However, at 109 for 6 Essex were struggling and only a lower order rally, centred around James Foster took them to a four run first innings lead, Steve Kirby taking five wickets. Danesh Kaneria took five wickets second time round as Gloucester struggled to 184. Essex were quickly 7 for 2, but then reached the 181 needed for vitory without losing another wicket, Ravi Bopara getting a hundred with support from Neil Dexter. Essex are 4th, but with a game in hand over Worcester and Northants, who are also still in the hunt.
Northamptonshire stayed in contention with a Kolpakshire derby win against Leicestershire. Northants made 373 first time round with David Sales contributing 151. this was enough for a lead of 200 as Leicestershire struggled to 173. Following on they had reached 92 for 6 before Paul Nixon’s 73 at least meant that Northants had to bat again, ending on 226. Northants lost 2 wickets in their chase of 27, but still ran out comfortable winners to move 3rd in the table.
England Player Watch
Another century for Ravi Bopara who is having an excellent season for Essex. In contrast Owais Shah made just 7 runs in his two innings.
On the bowling front, Adil Rashid is back in the wickets, taking 6, while Matthew Hoggard took five wickets. Charlie Shrek took a 5-fer and given the selector’s current love of Notts bowlers, he time may come soon!
Player of the Week
Not many matches, but some outstanding performances. Adam Lyth deserves credit for his maiden century as does David Sales for his 151. Mark Ealham turned back the years with his 7-fer, however it was another 7-fer that almost took Hampshire to an unlikely victory that wins the award. Last season he played one game for Yorkshire and looked out of his depth. This season he’s started his Hants career with 12 wickets in a match and the Player of the Week is Imran Tahir.
Division 1
Only two games in the top division, and with Durham not playing Nottinghamshire had the chance to return to the top – as did Yorkshire, mathematically. Notts decision to bat first looked to have backfired as they were bowled out for 213. However, this was enough for a decent first innings lead, as Yorkshire, missing Antony McGrath who was injured in the warm up, made just 161 with Charlie Shrek taking five wickets. Batting got easier second time round, particularly as Rana Naved picked up an injury which restricted his bowling and Notts made 350, leaving Yorkshire needing 403. Despite an outstanding 132 (his maiden first class century) from Adam Lyth, it was a player at the other end of his career that took the plaudits as Mark Ealham finished up with seven wickets in the total of 290 and Notts ran out comfortable winners to top the table. Yorkshire are beginning to look over their shoulders.
Lancashire could have gone top with a win over Hampshire and started well with 357 in their first innings, Imran Tahir taking five wickets on debut for Hants. A stand of 145 between Michael Brown and Chris Benham rescued Hants from 35 for 3, but their total of 288 still gave Lancs a decent lead. However, Tahir went two better second time round, taking 7 wickets as Lancs struggled to 155, leaving Hants needing 225 for victory in 71 overs. A poor start meant that the chase was more about survival. However, at the close of play they had reached 215 for 7, only 10 runs short of an unlikely victory. They stay in the bottom two, while Lancs move up to 2nd.
Division 2
With Warwickshire having a week off, Worcestershire had the chance to go top against a Middlesex team who’s mind was on the 20Twenty finals. Indeed Middlesex were indebted to a fine 91 from Shaun Udal to get them to 300, Kabir Ali taking 5 wickets. Worcester went 61 runs better, with Ben Smith getting out in the 90s again. In the second innings, it was only a century partnership between Dawid Malan and Ben Scott that got Middlesex to 164, with Gareth Batty taking 5 wickets. Worcester knocked off the 105 needed for victory without losing a wicket to go top while Middlesex’s challenge is faltering.
Also keeping up the pressure at the top are Essex, who restricted Gloucestershire to 275 in their first innings, despite Marcus North getting 98. However, at 109 for 6 Essex were struggling and only a lower order rally, centred around James Foster took them to a four run first innings lead, Steve Kirby taking five wickets. Danesh Kaneria took five wickets second time round as Gloucester struggled to 184. Essex were quickly 7 for 2, but then reached the 181 needed for vitory without losing another wicket, Ravi Bopara getting a hundred with support from Neil Dexter. Essex are 4th, but with a game in hand over Worcester and Northants, who are also still in the hunt.
Northamptonshire stayed in contention with a Kolpakshire derby win against Leicestershire. Northants made 373 first time round with David Sales contributing 151. this was enough for a lead of 200 as Leicestershire struggled to 173. Following on they had reached 92 for 6 before Paul Nixon’s 73 at least meant that Northants had to bat again, ending on 226. Northants lost 2 wickets in their chase of 27, but still ran out comfortable winners to move 3rd in the table.
England Player Watch
Another century for Ravi Bopara who is having an excellent season for Essex. In contrast Owais Shah made just 7 runs in his two innings.
On the bowling front, Adil Rashid is back in the wickets, taking 6, while Matthew Hoggard took five wickets. Charlie Shrek took a 5-fer and given the selector’s current love of Notts bowlers, he time may come soon!
Player of the Week
Not many matches, but some outstanding performances. Adam Lyth deserves credit for his maiden century as does David Sales for his 151. Mark Ealham turned back the years with his 7-fer, however it was another 7-fer that almost took Hampshire to an unlikely victory that wins the award. Last season he played one game for Yorkshire and looked out of his depth. This season he’s started his Hants career with 12 wickets in a match and the Player of the Week is Imran Tahir.
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