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
Showing posts with label Liam Dawson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liam Dawson. Show all posts
Monday, 29 September 2008
Friday, 4 April 2008
The Young Pretenders 2008
We continue our brief look at the top eleven up and coming talented youngsters who will be on display in county cricket over the English summer. The qualifiers are all under the age of 23 and are looking to establish themselves in their respective county sides this season.
Liam Dawson (18) – Hampshire – Slow Left Arm Spin Bowler
Now Hampshire’s premier spin bowler following the departures of veterans Shane Warne and Shaun Udal, Dawson has some big boots to fill. It will be interesting to see if the Rose Bowl pitches will favour spin bowling quite as much now that Warne has gone. Only Greg Lamb provides real competition to Dawson, although he is more of an allrounder, rather than a specialist bowler. Dawson hasn’t taken a wicket for the Hawks yet, but that is sure to change this year. An able batsman, capable of batting reliably at number eight, or possibly higher, he is also a decent fielder, who has been well capped at U19 level.
Mark Stoneman (20) – Durham – Left Hand Opening Batsman
Stoneman made his breakthrough into the Durham first team last year, scoring one hundred and a fifty in the eight first class matches which he figured in. He is a gritty batsman, slightly in the Boycott mould. Stoneman will need to draw on that grit as he faces a tough fight to force his way into a Durham top order which will boast both Neil McKenzie and Michael Di Venuto during the first part of the season. Thereafter, McKenzie will be replaced by Shivnarine Chanderpaul, which should free an opening slot for Stoneman, who will be eager to take it.
Chris Jordan (19) – Surrey – Right Arm Fast-Medium Bowler
Jordan has the potential to make the biggest impact of all these young guns this season. He was swept into the Surrey first team at the back end of last season and helped them to safety with some simply stunning performances for a player of his years. Jordan was first spotted playing at home in Barbados and was instantly recognised as a player of great promise. He already bowls in the late 80’s and he is yet another young bowler who can bat. In fact, he has enough talent with the bat to become a genuine allrounder in the not too distant future, though his bowling alone would get him into most sides. He is qualified for England, but it is believed that he favours his native Windies. Either way, this young quick is on the way up and Surrey will certainly benefit this year, but how many more years will this young wonderkid be around for? If he keeps up his current average of 24.50 and strike rate of 41.70, not long!
Liam Dawson (18) – Hampshire – Slow Left Arm Spin Bowler
Now Hampshire’s premier spin bowler following the departures of veterans Shane Warne and Shaun Udal, Dawson has some big boots to fill. It will be interesting to see if the Rose Bowl pitches will favour spin bowling quite as much now that Warne has gone. Only Greg Lamb provides real competition to Dawson, although he is more of an allrounder, rather than a specialist bowler. Dawson hasn’t taken a wicket for the Hawks yet, but that is sure to change this year. An able batsman, capable of batting reliably at number eight, or possibly higher, he is also a decent fielder, who has been well capped at U19 level.
Mark Stoneman (20) – Durham – Left Hand Opening Batsman
Stoneman made his breakthrough into the Durham first team last year, scoring one hundred and a fifty in the eight first class matches which he figured in. He is a gritty batsman, slightly in the Boycott mould. Stoneman will need to draw on that grit as he faces a tough fight to force his way into a Durham top order which will boast both Neil McKenzie and Michael Di Venuto during the first part of the season. Thereafter, McKenzie will be replaced by Shivnarine Chanderpaul, which should free an opening slot for Stoneman, who will be eager to take it.
Chris Jordan (19) – Surrey – Right Arm Fast-Medium Bowler
Jordan has the potential to make the biggest impact of all these young guns this season. He was swept into the Surrey first team at the back end of last season and helped them to safety with some simply stunning performances for a player of his years. Jordan was first spotted playing at home in Barbados and was instantly recognised as a player of great promise. He already bowls in the late 80’s and he is yet another young bowler who can bat. In fact, he has enough talent with the bat to become a genuine allrounder in the not too distant future, though his bowling alone would get him into most sides. He is qualified for England, but it is believed that he favours his native Windies. Either way, this young quick is on the way up and Surrey will certainly benefit this year, but how many more years will this young wonderkid be around for? If he keeps up his current average of 24.50 and strike rate of 41.70, not long!
Monday, 24 March 2008
2008 Season Preview: Hampshire
2007 in a nutshell:
Disappointment on all fronts pretty much. Hampshire failed to significantly challenge in either the County Championship, the Pro 40 League or the Twenty20 Cup (again). The highlight was of course reaching the final of the Friends Provident Trophy, although the ultimate defeat to Durham was representative of a sub-standard season for the Hawks. Michael Carberry continued his rise towards full England honours, following in the direction where Dimi Mascarenhas and Chris Tremlett had gone for a large part of the season.
2008 prospects:
Well, it may get worse. Leaderless for in excess of two thirds of the season Hampshire may well also find themselves without an overseas player for the opening part of the season, courtesy of Shane Bond’s involvement in the rogue ICL. The arrival of Shane Watson for the Twenty20 Cup should signal the beginning of a Hampshire challenge for the crown for the first time since the formats’ inception though. In the County Championship it is hard to see Hampshire finishing above midway again. The bowling will be worryingly thin in the absence of Warne, replacement Bond and James Bruce, who had been developing into a very dangerous opening bowler over the last two years. Furthermore, it is hard to see how Chris Tremlett, between injury and international duty, will be available for more than half the season. Factor in Dimi Mascarenhas’ absence with England for a substantial part of the season and the Hawks will be relying on the youth of David Griffiths, James Tomlinson and Liam Dawson, who will be the prime spinner in Warne’s absence. Greg Lamb could also find himself involved a lot more this year in both formats for a change. Don’t expect any silverware this year Hawks fans.
Batting:
Carberry averaged in excess of fifty in the county championship last season and Hampshire will need more of the same this time around. Evergreens John Crawley and Nic Pothas will once again be the rocks around whom the others bat. Michael Lumb will look to improve on a solid first season, whilst James Adams, Michael Brown, Sean Ervine, Chris Benham, Greg Lamb and possibly Kevin Latouf will be vying for the remaining spots. Latouf and young wicket keeper Tom Burrows should both see some more action this year in a side whose batting is too often frail. With the absence of runs from the tail of Mascarenhas, Warne and Udal the top order will have to take responsibility, but it is a real doubt as to whether they will be up to it or not. Watson will carry the Hawk’s hopes in the Twenty20 Cup when he arrives.
Bowling:
As already touched on above, Hampshire are thin on the ground in the bowling department this year. What used to be the county’s strength is now perhaps its biggest weakness. How ironic that Shaun Udal chose to join Middlesex during the one season he could have captained his side for the majority of. Youth will be the order of the day and they may well be up to the task. Griffiths impressed last year when involved, as did James Tomlinson. David Balcombe is also lurking on the periphery and Billy Taylor will be hoping for more than one day cameos. Sean Ervine and Greg Lamb may well also be charged with more responsibility with the ball in the allrounder’s role when Mascarenhas is on England duty. Liam Dawson will be the premier spinner and after his promising performances at England U19 level it will be fascinating to see if he can make the step up.
Probable side:
Championship
Carberry
Brown/Adams
Crawley
Lumb
Benham (Watson upon arrival)
Pothas (wk)
Ervine
Mascarenhas (c) (Tomlinson/Griffiths/Lamb in his absence)
Dawson
Tremlett
Bond (Griffiths/Tomlinson when he leaves)
List A / Twenty20
Carberry
Lumb
Ervine
Watson (Benham/Crawley when unavailable)
Benham/Crawley
Pothas (wk)
Mascarenhas (c)
Lamb
Dawson
Tremlett
Tomlinson/Griffiths (Bond early season)
Hampshire will likely play a very different side in limited overs cricket to that in four day cricket. There should be plenty of opportunities for the likes of Benham, Latouf, Griffiths, Tomlinson and Dawson, whilst young wicket keeper Tom Burrows should gradually gain more exposure to first team cricket in the place of elder statesman Nic Pothas. Brown and Adams will be fighting it out for the second opening birth and along with Crawley will be limited more often than not to four day cricket. The focus this year will be the Twenty20 Cup I feel and Watson will be core to this aim. Along with Carberry, Ervine, Lumb, Pothas, Benham and Mascarenhas Hampshire should have the batting power to mount a serious challenge, but they may well fall short in the bowling department, with Dawson and Lamb the only spinning options.
Key Man:
It will not be Warney for once! With three overseas players split across the season it is likely to be a domestic player. Whilst I believe that Shane Watson will play a key role in the sides push for the Twenty20 Cup my key man for the season is Michael Carberry. He will be looking to break into the England squad for limited overs cricket, although Andrew Strauss’ mini revival may have delayed his entrance into the Test squad.
Rising Star:
Liam Dawson is the man I am going for. Many a young bowler will turn out for Hampshire this season, but none will be as important as Dawson, the leading spin bowler in the side for years to come we hope. His slow left arm bowling has been effective at England U19 level and he showed some glimpses of his talent at the end of last season. In Warne’s absence, both now and in the future, the club will need Dawson to step into the breach and I believe he will do so and with able aplomb. He can also bat to a reasonable level and will be a decent number eight.
Captain and Coach:
Well I don’t know quite how good Warney is at poker so it is hard to pass comment! John Crawley is the most obvious candidate to take the role on, although Nic Pothas volunteered last season on more than one occasion with varying degrees of success. Chris Benham has been touted by Warne himself as the long term candidate. As for Paul Terry, he is desperate for the County Championship but better Hampshire sides than this one have fallen short. His best hope and focus I believe will be in limited overs cricket, starting with the Twenty20 Cup for a change.
Edit: Dimitri Mascarenhas has been appointed captain to replace Shane Warne. Mascarenhas captained the club during the Twenty20 campaign last year, however, he will miss the start of the season because of commitments in the IPL and will undoubtedly go on to make more appearances for England over the summer. He inherits a young and fairly inexperienced side, especially in the bowling department and it will be interesting to see how his attacking instincts translate over into his captaincy style.
Disappointment on all fronts pretty much. Hampshire failed to significantly challenge in either the County Championship, the Pro 40 League or the Twenty20 Cup (again). The highlight was of course reaching the final of the Friends Provident Trophy, although the ultimate defeat to Durham was representative of a sub-standard season for the Hawks. Michael Carberry continued his rise towards full England honours, following in the direction where Dimi Mascarenhas and Chris Tremlett had gone for a large part of the season.
2008 prospects:
Well, it may get worse. Leaderless for in excess of two thirds of the season Hampshire may well also find themselves without an overseas player for the opening part of the season, courtesy of Shane Bond’s involvement in the rogue ICL. The arrival of Shane Watson for the Twenty20 Cup should signal the beginning of a Hampshire challenge for the crown for the first time since the formats’ inception though. In the County Championship it is hard to see Hampshire finishing above midway again. The bowling will be worryingly thin in the absence of Warne, replacement Bond and James Bruce, who had been developing into a very dangerous opening bowler over the last two years. Furthermore, it is hard to see how Chris Tremlett, between injury and international duty, will be available for more than half the season. Factor in Dimi Mascarenhas’ absence with England for a substantial part of the season and the Hawks will be relying on the youth of David Griffiths, James Tomlinson and Liam Dawson, who will be the prime spinner in Warne’s absence. Greg Lamb could also find himself involved a lot more this year in both formats for a change. Don’t expect any silverware this year Hawks fans.
Batting:
Carberry averaged in excess of fifty in the county championship last season and Hampshire will need more of the same this time around. Evergreens John Crawley and Nic Pothas will once again be the rocks around whom the others bat. Michael Lumb will look to improve on a solid first season, whilst James Adams, Michael Brown, Sean Ervine, Chris Benham, Greg Lamb and possibly Kevin Latouf will be vying for the remaining spots. Latouf and young wicket keeper Tom Burrows should both see some more action this year in a side whose batting is too often frail. With the absence of runs from the tail of Mascarenhas, Warne and Udal the top order will have to take responsibility, but it is a real doubt as to whether they will be up to it or not. Watson will carry the Hawk’s hopes in the Twenty20 Cup when he arrives.
Bowling:
As already touched on above, Hampshire are thin on the ground in the bowling department this year. What used to be the county’s strength is now perhaps its biggest weakness. How ironic that Shaun Udal chose to join Middlesex during the one season he could have captained his side for the majority of. Youth will be the order of the day and they may well be up to the task. Griffiths impressed last year when involved, as did James Tomlinson. David Balcombe is also lurking on the periphery and Billy Taylor will be hoping for more than one day cameos. Sean Ervine and Greg Lamb may well also be charged with more responsibility with the ball in the allrounder’s role when Mascarenhas is on England duty. Liam Dawson will be the premier spinner and after his promising performances at England U19 level it will be fascinating to see if he can make the step up.
Probable side:
Championship
Carberry
Brown/Adams
Crawley
Lumb
Benham (Watson upon arrival)
Pothas (wk)
Ervine
Mascarenhas (c) (Tomlinson/Griffiths/Lamb in his absence)
Dawson
Tremlett
Bond (Griffiths/Tomlinson when he leaves)
List A / Twenty20
Carberry
Lumb
Ervine
Watson (Benham/Crawley when unavailable)
Benham/Crawley
Pothas (wk)
Mascarenhas (c)
Lamb
Dawson
Tremlett
Tomlinson/Griffiths (Bond early season)
Hampshire will likely play a very different side in limited overs cricket to that in four day cricket. There should be plenty of opportunities for the likes of Benham, Latouf, Griffiths, Tomlinson and Dawson, whilst young wicket keeper Tom Burrows should gradually gain more exposure to first team cricket in the place of elder statesman Nic Pothas. Brown and Adams will be fighting it out for the second opening birth and along with Crawley will be limited more often than not to four day cricket. The focus this year will be the Twenty20 Cup I feel and Watson will be core to this aim. Along with Carberry, Ervine, Lumb, Pothas, Benham and Mascarenhas Hampshire should have the batting power to mount a serious challenge, but they may well fall short in the bowling department, with Dawson and Lamb the only spinning options.
Key Man:
It will not be Warney for once! With three overseas players split across the season it is likely to be a domestic player. Whilst I believe that Shane Watson will play a key role in the sides push for the Twenty20 Cup my key man for the season is Michael Carberry. He will be looking to break into the England squad for limited overs cricket, although Andrew Strauss’ mini revival may have delayed his entrance into the Test squad.
Rising Star:
Liam Dawson is the man I am going for. Many a young bowler will turn out for Hampshire this season, but none will be as important as Dawson, the leading spin bowler in the side for years to come we hope. His slow left arm bowling has been effective at England U19 level and he showed some glimpses of his talent at the end of last season. In Warne’s absence, both now and in the future, the club will need Dawson to step into the breach and I believe he will do so and with able aplomb. He can also bat to a reasonable level and will be a decent number eight.
Captain and Coach:
Well I don’t know quite how good Warney is at poker so it is hard to pass comment! John Crawley is the most obvious candidate to take the role on, although Nic Pothas volunteered last season on more than one occasion with varying degrees of success. Chris Benham has been touted by Warne himself as the long term candidate. As for Paul Terry, he is desperate for the County Championship but better Hampshire sides than this one have fallen short. His best hope and focus I believe will be in limited overs cricket, starting with the Twenty20 Cup for a change.
Edit: Dimitri Mascarenhas has been appointed captain to replace Shane Warne. Mascarenhas captained the club during the Twenty20 campaign last year, however, he will miss the start of the season because of commitments in the IPL and will undoubtedly go on to make more appearances for England over the summer. He inherits a young and fairly inexperienced side, especially in the bowling department and it will be interesting to see how his attacking instincts translate over into his captaincy style.
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