2010 County Preview: Surrey

2009 in a nutshell

Surrey, seemingly drifting from one ignominious low to the next in recent seasons, managed to hit a new nadir. They won just one Championship game all season - and indeed over the last two campaigns. Mark Butcher’s sad mid-season retirement led to Stewart Walters, who had a first-class batting average of under 20, being awarded the captaincy, and he responded with two centuries. But the batting remained far too dependent upon Usman Afzaal and the imperious Mark Ramprakash, though Michael Brown and Chris Schofield averaged in the mid-30s in the Championship. The less said about the bowling, utterly toothless once Andre Nel was injured, the better. In limited-overs, Surrey were equally dire, winning just seven of their 26 games. As Chris Adams recognised, things had to change.

Standout stats

90.00 - Mark Ramprakash’s average in 2009

22.92 - The average cost of Chris Schofield’s 25 one-day wickets in 2009

1 - Number of times Surrey’s bowling attack has taken twenty wickets in a game in the last 31

Winter wonderland?

No county has been busier than Surrey as Chris Adams sought to rebuild his squad after the wreckage of the last campaign. Incredibly, he identified Rory Hamilton-Brown, 22 and with just experience of just eight first-class games, to be the new permanent skipper. Hamilton-Brown is a brilliantly clean striker of the ball and useful off-spinner who has spent the winter on tour with the England Lions, and impressed Adams sufficiently when both were at Sussex for him to label Hamilton-Brown a future England captain. He was joined from Sussex by Piyush Chawla, who will be the overseas player, providing the BCCI do not rescind their No Objection Certificate. Given the autocratic manner in which they are prone to behave, who knows?

Highly-regarded wicket-keeper Steven Davies replaced outgoing club stalwart Jon Batty, while namesake Gareth returned to Surrey, somewhat bafflingly. James Benning, after years of failing to live up to his biling as Ali Brown’s heir, departed to try and fulfill his promise at Leicestershire, one of nine players to depart in an overdue mass-clearout.

Perhaps the best signing was the most recent, Chris Tremlett, whose height and bounce are well-suited to The Oval. Like so many of his team-mates, he has a big point to prove.

Key man

Runs from Ramps are rather taken as a given, and the key to getting promoted will be to take twenty wickets. Much will therefore be expected of Indian all-rounder Piyush Chawla. Just 21, the leg-spinner has already taken 247 first-class wickets. When he was 17, he famously snared Sachin Tendulkar with his devilish googly - one which helped to account for 36 batsmen in just six games for Sussex last season. If Surrey get promoted, fans will have a lot to thank the Chawla googly for.

Rising star

The star may have been stalling more than rising last campaign, but Chris Jordan remains an immensely exciting prospect. Boasting a correct batting technique and hitting the high 80s with his bowling, the 21-year-old Jordan has all the attributes to play international cricket, if he can only find consistency.

Foreign legion

Chawla will occupy the overseas duties after he has finished playing for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, with Pakistan quick Rao Iftikhar Anjum looking to exploit the early-season pitches beforehand. As yet, no second overseas man has been signed for the Twenty20 Cup.

Captain and coach

Chris Adams’ official title is manager, rather than coach. His first season was disastrous, but he always said he needed time, so time he must be given. In local boy Hamilton-Brown, who returned to the county he left in 2007, Adams identified the man he believes will make Surrey the “team of the decade”. Hamilton-Brown faces extraordinary responsibility - not since the days of the amateur-player divide has a man with so little experience led the county. And he wasn’t even born when his best player, Ramprakash, made his first-class debut.

2010 prospects

Surrey undoubtedly begin this season in much better strength than they ended the last. In Ramprakash, Afzaal, Davies, Chawla, Tremlett and Nel, they have a series of proven performers who must feel they belong in the first division. A worry is the opening batting, where it is unclear who will partner Brown, but the real question marks concern the bowling attack.

If Chawla can reproduce the form he showed for Sussex and Nel and Tremlett remain fully fit, then promotion appears eminently attainable. With Davies a formidable limited-overs opener at county level, their performances in the short versions of the game should also see improvement, though real progress looks unlikely. Most fundamentally of all, Hamilton-Brown must justify the enormous faith shown in him by taking care of his own performances. If he does so, 2010 could mark the beginning of a Surrey resurgence.

Flintoff muddies the selectorial waters

It's universally acknowledged that Andrew Flintoff cannot be replaced without weakening either the bowling or the batting. It's less universally acknowledged that Flintoff cannot be replaced without strengthening either the bowling or the batting.

So should England really stick with him, especially as there must be severe doubts over his capacity to withstand back-to-back Test matches?

If Flintoff plays as one of five bowlers, he leaves the batting looking a little thin. Furthermore, to compensate for this, England are forced into playing other non-specialists. Stuart Broad, for all his promise, owes a large part of his continued selection down to his run-making ability. But is he really a more threatening option than either Graham Onions or Steve Harmison?

Without Flintoff, there is no need for any compromisng. England would be free to play their best six batsman, leave Matt Prior as an excellent, counter-attacking number seven and select their best four bowlers without worrying about the runs they offer (given that Graeme Swann is one of them).

Broad will surely have a fine England career but a Test bowling average of 40 is simply not good enough for an opening bowler. Without Flintoff, his selection would depend entirely on whether England considered him one of their top three quicks.

Given their apparent refusal to countenance batting changes (Ravi Bopara should be batting at six, not three) England's side for Lord's could look like this:

Strauss
Cook
Bopara
Pietersen
Collingwood
Bell
Prior
Swann
Anderson
Onions
Harmison

Ian Bell is a lucky man indeed - he failed twice against Australia for the Lions and his suppossed run-scoring rehabilitation this season amounts to nothing more than two centuries at Taunton.

It would never happen, of course, but England could do much worse than select a bona fida number 3 averaging 90 this season. If they selected Ramprakash (whose fielding still puts Cook's and Strauss's to shame) the batting order would acquire a much better balance. His experience would be welcome in the most important position in the batting order, where Bopara appears more than a little vulnerable. He could then move back to number six, a more suitable position for a man of his experience in an Ashes series.

More realistically, England could do a lot worse than select a third opener, the simplest answer to the number three conundrum. Stephen Moore endured a rough start to the season but two recent hundreds, including against Australia, suggest he could be the man. Moore could open with Strauss, creating a left-right opening partnership and allowing Cook to bat at three, a position he occupied with great success in 2006.

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

2008 Season Review: Surrey

Final placings:
Championship Division One - 9th;
FP Trophy - 4th, South-eastern Conference;
Twenty20 Cup – 6th, South Division;
Pro40 Division Two - 5th

Amidst the fallout following one of the worst seasons in Surrey’s history and all the psychobabble, the fairest summation of the club’s state came, perhaps surprisingly, from skipper Mark Butcher. He said simply “it is probably a year overdue for us”.

Surrey finished fourth last year – and, given that they were as good as anyone in the second half of the season, notions of a title challenge did not seem so fanciful. But of course they were. For their resurgent end to the 2007 season owed an extraordinary amount to the brilliance of Mark Ramprakash and Harbhajan Singh. Patently, gaping problems remained within the side. Just no one seemed willing to recognise them. Surrey had this awful season coming to them, with the lessons of last season and their ’05 relegation unlearnt. Essentially, the side who won eight trophies between 1996 and 2003 have just kept getting older, with young players lacking in ability, attitude, or both.

Taking 20 wickets: mission impossible
The most fundamental problem with this side was their hopelessly ineffective bowling attack. Failing to take twenty wickets in any of their 15 games is the most damning of statistics. New signing Pedro Collins was too inconsistent; Chris Jordan likewise as he suffered from second-season syndrome. James Ormond began the season leaner and with renewed nip. But the awarding of a new contract on the back of a few encouraging weeks is a further indictment of the whole Surrey set-up: what sort of message does it send that 13 first-class wickets at 43 are sufficient for a new deal?

Hopelessly bereft of penetration, Surrey succeeded in embarrassing themselves further with the disastrous locum recruit of Shoaib Akhtar. But they were doomed when he arrived. A bigger reason for their relegation was the utter ineffectuality of overseas bowler Matt Nicholson. Though he has retired from Australian state cricket, Surrey, in their desperation, signed him up. But 11 wickets at 57 from nine championship games is an appalling return for an ‘overseas star’, for all his admirable batting.

Star winter signing Saqlain Mushtaq began encouragingly; but, like so many of the ‘golden generation’, his best years have gone. In truth, he did better than expected to finish with 38 championship wickets (11 more than the next best) but failed to provide the late-season inspiration Harbhajan had delivered a year previously. Unfortunately, Chris Schofield’s season was decimated through injury, one mitigating circumstance in the atrocious Twenty20 Cup campaign. Once masters of the game, Surrey lacked regular six-hitters and canny bowlers alike. Their near-complete reliance on locum Abdul Razzaq for inspiration was embarrassing.

A lack of leadership
Butcher’s injury woes, coming just after a return to the opening position and a superlative run of form, evoked ‘Four More Weeks’, Ramprakash’s 2005 diary named after Butcher’s pronouncements whenever asked about the date of his comeback.

Surrey had made a reasonable enough start to the campaign, drawing their first five games, with their batting unit looking better than for several seasons. Butcher’s injury severely weakened that, while Ramprakash struggled as captain – immersed in his quest to reach his 100th century, and frustrated with such an impotent bowling attack. Alan Butcher has correctly been removed as coach; his son will probably lose his job likewise, provided that a satisfactory replacement can be found. Indicative of the lack of forward thinking at The Oval, any new skipper would have to be recruited externally.

Batting buckling under pressure
Surrey actually claimed more batting points than at least five sides in Division One – although this is a somewhat deceptive statistic, given their penchant for collapsing brainlessly under pressure. The most pathetic such instance was in the crucial game against Kent. Cruising at 53/0 in their second innings, with an overall lead of 177, they somehow conspired to lose their last ten wickets on a sunny day and a docile track for 80, with the very occasional spin of Martin van Jaarsveld claiming his first ever five-wicket haul.

There seems a collective failure to score runs under pressure, Ramprakash excepted. Scott Newman at least managed two hundreds, while Usman Afzaal’s average of 45 was hard to argue with, but Jon Batty had his worst season for several years and had to be moved down from opener. The collective efforts of the next generation – Stewart Walters, Chris Murtagh and James Benning – were woeful, though at least Matt Spriegel showed a certain amount of resilience.

Any signs of hope?
Surrey’s one-day exploits were slightly more encouraging than their County Championship and Twenty20 efforts, thanks largely to Jade Dernbach. A true wicket-taker, the seamer claimed 23 scalps in the eight Pro40 games thanks to movement and aggression. Add in a Championship six-wicket haul and he was the nearest to a ‘positive’ from the calamitous season.

It is axiomatic that Surrey are a club in need of big changes, with the appointment of Graham Thorpe as batting coach appearing a shrewd start. But years of muddled thinking and short-termism will not be easy to rectify, especially with so many serial under-performers still contracted.

Player of the season:
Ask a stupid question. The gap between his 99th and 100th first-class centuries – the result of age-old mental frailties, say his critics; a broken bat, says the man himself – may have been agonising, but either side Mark Ramprakash was as good as the ’06 and ’07 player who averaged 100. Six hundreds in Division One, in the weakest side, by far: tremendous by any criteria.

Most disappointing player:
Where to start? Shoaib Akhtar would be an obvious candidate, but it would be unfair to scapegoat a man who played only two games. While a plethora of ‘promising youngsters’ flattered to deceive, the experienced West Indian left-armer Pedro Collins singularly failed to impress. Too wayward, too often.

Highlight: Off-field finances have never been better; the story was rather less satisfactory on the pitch. The Butcher-Nicholson double-century stand against Yorkshire was perhaps as good as it got. Butcher’s stroke-play was spectacular, better than at any point since his England days – but he was injured almost immediately afterwards.

Lowlight: No shortage of options, clearly. But two consecutive home innings defeat constituted an aptly pathetic end to a season in which Surrey were perhaps the worst county in the country.

How can Surrey end their slump? Share your views by leaving a comment below.

If you're interested in writing a season review for your county (whether or not you contributed to our season prevuews), or writing on anything cricket-related please leave a comment or email it to cricketingworld@hotmail.com.

Championship - Week 16

New leaders again in Division 1, although not as convincingly as they would have liked. A good win for the leaders in Division 2 and now he’s got his 100th hundred, Ramprakash can’t stop scoring runs.

Division 1
Somerset went into their match with struggling Hampshire knowing that they would return to the top of the table with a draw and bonus points. However, they would have been hoping for much more and only Michael Lumb, scoring his first century of the season, held them up as Hants made 316. An Ian Blackwell century was the main contribution as Somerset secured maximum bonus points at 436. However, poor weather at the start of the game and an unbeaten stand of 170 between Lumb and Michael Carberry meant that Hants were able to finish on 196 for 1, which was enough to take them out of the bottom two, while Somerset’s cushion at the top isn’t as great as they’d have hoped.

Sussex have struggled this season and would have hoped to turn things around with their visit to local rivals Surrey. Surrey made 455, based around a stand of 232 between Mark Ramprakash (178) and Jon Batty (102). Sussex made 328 in reply, Robin Martin-Jenkins adding respectability to the total with an unbeaten 71 from number 9 in the order. Surrey then declared on 171 for 7, setting Sussex 299 to win in 62 overs. At 313 for 3, Surrey had a sniff of victory, but Carl Hopkinson and Chris Nash batted out for an unbeaten 123 partnership and a draw.

Geraint Jones was the star with a ton as Kent scored 283 against Lancashire. This was enough for a big first innings lead as Lancs succumbed to 125, Robert Joseph taking 5 for 34 and Martin Saggers 4 for 26. Joe Denly then scored a hundred as Kent declared on 317 for 4, setting Lancs an unlikely target of 476 to win. Despite a hundred from Paul Chliton, this never looked likely as they were bowled out for 283. Kent move above Lancashire, whose current form means they should be wary of the relegation battle.

Division 2
Northamptonshire went into their game with bottom club Gloucestershire looking to make up ground on the leaders. However, poor west country weather turned the match into a race for bonus points, with Northants finished one run short of their 4th point on 349, despite 148 from David Sales, Oliver Newby, on loan from Lancashire, taking 5-fer. Kadeer Ali then hit a career best 161 as Gloucester declared on 401 for 6, but with only three overs possible in the Northants second innings, the game was drawn. The bonus points were enough to lift Gloucester above Glamorgan at the bottom while Northants remain 3rd.

In a good week for the Ali cousins, Kabir took 6 wickets as Worcestershire reduced Essex to just 282, Ryan ten Doeschate making an unbeaten 94. This was enough for a first innings lead, though as Worcester made just 258. With a lead of 24, Essex declared their second inning on 322 for 8, with James Foster making an unbeaten 111. This left Worcester needing 347 to win, which they made for the loss of just 4 wickets, Daryl Mitchell scoring his first championship century of the season, with significant contributions from Ben Smith and Graeme Hick. Worcester move clear at the top of the table and look certainties for promotion.

A second wicket stand of 124 between Andrew Strauss (71) and Ed Joyce (101) set Middlesex up for a total of 367. However, this was dwarfed by the Leicestershire effort, who made 533, including a stand of 270 between HD Ackerman (194) and 18 year old Josh Cobb (148 not out). Middlesex lost early wickets in their second innings, being reduced to 73 for 4. However, they were able to bat out the 71 overs left in the game for a draw although both teams are now looking to next season.

England Player watch
Some useful runs for Andrew Strauss to keep him in touch while the rest of the England team is playing One Day cricket. With the Lions tours in mind, Joe Denly, Ed Joyce and James Foster have done themselves no harm, with Joyce being a possible captain for the tour. Likewise with the ball, Kabir Ali keeps taking wickets to keep the pressure on the English bowlers.

Player of the week
Mark Ramprakash keeps scoring runs as does HD Ackerman. However, it is from Ackerman’s county that we go to for this week’s winner. Leicestershire have been criticised for their Kolpak policy. However, they are also beginning to bring some young talent through and if the first sign of this came in this week’s matches, it could be very exciting. For an unbeaten 148 just days after his 18th birthday, this weeks Player of the Week is Josh Cobb.

Championship Review - Week 15

A Roses match normally means poor weather, and there was no change to that this week. The main winners were those who didn’t play and Mark Ramprakash, for whom the runs have started again.

Division 1
An eagerly awaited top of the table clash at Durham saw the hosts and Nottinghamshire sit in their respective dressing rooms for four days. No ground gained by either team, but a good result for the rest of the league.

At Old Trafford, the Roses battle started a day and a half late and Yorkshire made light of Lancashire’s decision bat first bowling them out for 231, with Adil Rashid continuing his excellent recent form taking five wickets. Yorkshire batted to ensure maximum batting points, with Andy Gale (136) and Antony McGrath (99) putting on 215 for the second wicket to set up a declaration at 400 for 6. This left 51 overs to try to force a win and having reduced Lancs to 29 for 3, there was a sniff of victory. However an obdurate 69 from Paul Horton led Lancs to safety, but Yorkshire’s points take them out of the relegation zone.

Somerset and Surrey played out effectively a two day match in a dash for bonus points. Somerset started off fast, with Marcus Trescothick and Zander de Bruyn both getting centuries in a stand of 223 as Somerset declared on 401 for 3 made in just 77 overs. Surrey’s progression was more sedate, but they reached 406 for 9 on the back of an unbeaten double century for Mark Ramprakash with another veteran Andrew Caddick taking five wickets.

Division 2
The best weather of the week seemed to be in Derby, where Middlesex were put in by Derbyshire and made 306, despite only Ed Joyce making a fifty. Greg Smith then made a century as Derby made 347. Charl Langeveldt was the star of Middlesex’s second innings, taking five for 40 as Middlesex made just 166 to set Derby 130 to win, which they managed for the loss of just 3 wickets. Derby’s promotion push continues while Middlesex’s season is drifting.

Little more than a day’s play was possible at Edgbaston where Warwickshire were skittled by Danesh Kaneria, who took 6 for 48 in the total of 154. In reply, Graham Napier showed some of his one day form with the bat, scoring 76 in just 62 balls as Essex made 216. Second time round, Warwicks finished on 68 for 2 when the game ran out of time.

Finally, the bottom two teams in the league met in Swansea. Gloucestershire had the better of the limited time that was available, declaring on 400 for 7 with William Porterfield and Chris Taylor both getting out in the 90s. Glamorgan finished up on 108 for 2 as Gloucester won the battle of the bonus points.

England Player Watch
With the test players being given time off and the ODIs coming up, only Adil Rashid’s 5-fer and Tim Bresnan’s 2 wickets and unbeaten 40 showed gave the selectors anything to think about.

Player of the Week
Another century for Andy Gale in an excellent breakthrough season, while at the other end of his career Marcus Trescothick also scored an important century. However, it was always likely that once he’d got his 100th hundred, more would follow quickly. And for his unbeaten double century, this week’s player of the week is Mark Ramprakash.

Ramps there at last

It's understandably been rather overshadowed by Michael Vaughan's resignation, but we should not overlook Mark Ramprakash's 100th first-class century. Given the increasing amounts of Twenty20 being played, it is far from inconceivable that he will be the 25th and last member to join the 100 hundeds club, even if the tortorous gap between his 99th and 100th centuries has, for many, been a snapshot of his performances in the pressure cauldron of international cricket.

We should celebrate his enduring excellence; his unremitting professionalism; and the technical proficiency and aesthetic value that characterised his game. An enigma, perhaps - but one whose phenomenal achievement deserves to be lauded.

(See my more extensive analysis of Ramprakash)

A long road back for Flintoff

Despite what the media would have you believe, there was more to the Surrey-Lancashire game than the state of Mr Flintoff.

The relentless talk of Andrew Flintoff's comeback is tedious in the extreme. It is a sad indictment of the media's lack of regard for county cricket that, even in a match in which he has been anonymous, taking one wicket and scoring 23, he has dominated the headlines. The story of the first day was not Lancashire twice missing Mark Ramprakash before he marched to his third consecutive championship hundred (all against Lancs). Of course it wasn't. Freddie bowled 10.3 overs on the opening day of his comeback. He took 1-26. Stop the press.

The man himself: Andrew Flintoff during his 28 overs.

The obsession with Flintoff can't be doing him or his side any good. With all the talk over this game as the first step on the road to an England return, a part of him can't help but regard it more about him than his county, no matter how wholehearted a cricketer he is. Lancs must also grow tired, much like the rest of us, that all questions lead to Fred. Neither he nor his team-mates will be enjoying the disproportionate attention he is receiving for what have been less-than-stellar deeds. Frankly, he needs at least six weeks of hard, competitive cricket for Lancashire before he can be considered seriously for England again; it would be a huge mistake to recall him on reputation alone. That doesn't mean surviving unscathed, it means making decisive contributions - scoring centuries and taking five-fors. There were tentative signs of encouragement, certainly, as he kept going admirably on a flat track, but nowhere near enough to justify the hype.

Inevitably he has totally overshadowed the noteworthy displays in the match: above all a trio of centuries from Surrey's powerful middle-order. Ramprakash was actually below his usual imperious best, but he has been so phenomenal over the past two years that, visibly, opponents are in awe of him. Bowlers often bowl worse to him than they do to other batsmen; fielders react over-eagerly to any opportunities, such is the value they put on his wicket. So, just as in the last game of last season, Lancs missed out on two chances - this time a catch and a run-out - before he had made even 20. Try telling them there is one - let alone six - batsmen in England who are better. Mark Butcher was also supremely attractive driving through the off-side in putting on a double century stand with Ramprakash.

Never mind the score...how's Freddie?

But the most noteworthy knock in the context of Surrey's season was surely Usman Afzaal's debut hundred. Butcher has spoken about providing an environment for this sometimes mercurial talent to flourish and, if this was any indicator, they have certainly done so. Pulling with authority and great power against Sajid Mahmood, Afzaal played Gary Keedy's left-arm spin exquisitely, using his feet and the aerial route. On the basis of this serene and aesthetically-pleasing knock, Afzaal will score many runs at The Oval this season. Thanks to Ali Brown's belligerent 74*, Surrey have already improved in one shocking statistic from last season, when they registered just a solitary score in excess of 70 from any player batting outside the top four, showing the extent of their reliance on Ramprakash.

Afzaal driving during his debut hundred

See, there was plenty to talk about: and that's before we even get started on Lancashire returning at the first opportunity to where they missed out on the championship at the end of last year's epic race. On this evidence they have much work to do if they are get that close again: their fielding was shoddy; their bowling lacked control, save for Flintoff, let alone any great threat; and their batting has been too loose, although the weather has been such that a draw was always the overwhelming favourite.

But the story was all about how Freddie was doing, with the score barely deemed relevant. Maybe those who are infuriated by a non-performance covering the first half of every match report are missing the point. Who needs runs or wickets for intrigue when we've got Freddie's ankle to worry about?

2008 Season Preview: Surrey

Continuing our county previews, here is an assesment of Surrey's chances in 2008.

2007 in a Nutshell:
Surrey initially looked out of their depth, losing four and winning none of their first seven Championship games - and it would have been even worse had Mark Butcher and Matt Nicholson not batted over 20 overs together to scrape a draw against Worcestershire. Their bowling attack was totally bereft of penetration, but the mid-term additions of Harbhajan Singh and Chris Jordan gave them the tools to bowl sides out. Mark Ramprakash was phenomenal yet again, culminating in twin hundreds as they secured a flattering fourth-placed finish on the final day. The limited-overs competitions were all deeply frustrating, as Surrey thrice crumbled when on the verge of advancing.
Full season review

2008 Prospects
Surrey were busier than most over the winter and much will depend on how their new recruits fare. They have totally revamped their bowling line-up and will almost certainly begin the season with a completely different attack to 12 months ago. Nayan Doshi left mid-way last season, joined by veteran Ian Salisbury. Rikki Clarke finally accepted he would not realise his potential at The Oval, and it will be intriguing to see how he fares as Derby skipper. Pakistani star Mohammad Asif was signed to spearhead their Championship push, but his deal has now been cancelled and Surrey will have to make do with steady Matt Nicholson instead. West Indian Pedro Collins should prove a shrewd recruit too, while club legend Saqlain Mushtaq faces the onerous task of replacing Harbhajan. With the mercurial Usman Afzaal signed to shore up the middle-order, and a series of promising youngsters, Surrey will begin the season with a better squad then they ended the last campaign given the limit on overseas players.

As such, they will expect to finish in mid-table, while making a renewed tilt at the limited-overs competitions. Promotion from the Pro40 is expected; progress beyond the quarter-finals of the Twenty20 and Friends Provident Trophy less so.

Batting:
Surrey's batting was top-heavy to say the least last campaign. There are few more startling statistics than the fact there was just a solitary score over 70 made by any member of the side outside the top four over the 15 games.

The peerless Mark Ramprakash broke history in averaging 100 for the second consecutive season, but his team-mates must do more in support of him and the dependable pair of Butcher and Jon Batty. It is a big season for Scott Newman, who disappointed in the Championship but broke through, belatedly and spectacularly, in the one-day game. Afzaal's flamboyant strokeplay will surely improve the middle-order, as well as the one-day side. But Ali Brown must prove he is not being retained out of mere sentiment after struggling even in Twenty20 last season; James Benning must bounce back from his poor campaign; and youngsters Stewart Walters (who is nearly 25) and Laurie Evans will be given opportunities to establish themselves.

Bowling:
With no star overseas bowler, it will require a real team effort to collect 20 wickets. Expect the admirable Nicholson to perform similarly to last campaign when he snared 44 wickets at 29. Collins is a canny left-arm swing bowler and could prove surprisingly effective, while much - possibly too much - is expected of the exciting Jordan in his first full campaign. Keeping the unfit and injury-prone James Ormond may well prove a flagrant waste of club funds, while Jade Dernbach will look to build on a fine end to last season and Neil Saker admirably rejected offers to go out on loan. Both the main spinners are something of an unknown quantity, having played very little first-class cricket in the last few years; there is also Pakistani off-spinner Murtaza Hussain, who has an outstanding first-class record and did well at the end of last season. Only one member of the potential first-choice attack - Nicholson - has played more than ten championship games in the past three campaigns, indicative of how difficult the attack's strength is to gauge.

Probable side:
Championship
Newman
Batty
Ramprakash
Butcher
Afzaal
Benning (Brown/Walters)
Nicholson
Schofield (Ormond/Dernbach/Murtaza)
Jordan
Saqlain
Collins

Aside from whether Ramps can average 100 yet again, the big questions lie in the bowling. Can Chris Schofield maintain his one-day form while building on match figures of 8/139 in his last Championship game? And can Saqlain Mushtaq rediscover his brilliance of the turn of the century? If both answers are resoundingly positive, Surrey could find themselves with one of the most varied and exciting attacks in the division, possessing a left-arm swinger (Collins), a tall 'hit-the-deck' bowler (Nicholson), a young and quick rising star (Jordan), a leg-spinner (Schofield) and an off-spinner (Saqlain). Otherwise getting 20 wickets consistently will prove beyond them.

One-day and Twenty20
Benning
Newman
Ramprakash/Butcher
Afzaal
Brown
Batty
Schofield
Nicholson
Jordan
Saqlain
Collins

Expect Surrey to continue with their policy of rotating Ramprakash and Butcher in limited-overs games. If they are truly serious about the Twenty20 then Butcher, who averaged only 8 in the competition last season, should not play in it. Dernbach, after claiming 5/43 in a Pro40 game, will get plenty of one-day chances.

Key Man:
The astonishing Mark Ramprakash is obviously essential, but Surrey need to pose more of a wicket-taking threat to avoid last season's relegation worries: without Harbhajan's intervention, even Ramps's runs would not have saved them. On the spin-friendly Oval track, another off-spinner, Saqlain Mushtaq, will not match the exploits of '99 and 2000, when he took a total of 125 wickets at less than 14. But, rejuvenated by a year with Mustaq Ahmed, during which he took 18 wickets at under 20, he needs to win Surrey some matches to ensure they do not slip into the bottom two. Amazingly, he is just 31 and, with the doosra heading his box of tricks, a Mushie-esque resurrection is not beyond the realms of possibility.

Rising Star:
The choice will win no prizes for originality, but the then 18-year-old Chris Jordan made a spectacular impact in helping revive Surrey's fortunes. With 20 Championship wickets at 24 and 13 Pro40 wickets at 20, it was hard not to be impressed by his pace, accuracy, cricketing maturity and raw enthusiasm. Though he did not always show it, he can bat too. The second season is notoriously difficult for bright young things, however, and it is crucial Jordan is well-managed.

Captain and Coach:
The two Butchers did not always convince last season, and there is a feeling that certain senior players - Ormond and possibly Brown - are very fortunate to remain at the club for the 2008 season. Butcher junior, aided by vice-skipper Ramprakash, is undoubtedly tactically astute. But fundamental questions remain, especially over why youngsters often shine briefly only to falter. Surrey need Chris Jordan to end this trend and help them towards a season of upwardly mobile consolidation.

The England Diagnosis: Batting

In many ways, whether England manage to save the 3rd Test is irrelevant. If they are able to do so, it will be in large part due to the rain that has engulfed Galle, and will not in any way disguise their patent faults. Though they fought on more-or-less equal terms with Sri Lanka for large parts of the first two Tests, ultimately no one can deny they have been out-batted, out-fielded and out-bowled by Sri Lanka (even discounting Murali). They are now ranked fifth in the world. After two series wins out of eight, England must now accept they have regressed alarmingly since their golden run on 2004/05. What can they do to improve, or is it simply a case that the best England have are not good enough?

Batting
Excuse me for harping back to my perennial cause celebre, but when Mark Ramprakash was ignored for this tour I wrote that "England are a mid-table Test side; are they really in a position when they can afford to refrain from picking their best XI in the hope of building for some mythical date in the future?" Peter Moores has shown a worrying tendency to support promising 'kids' who have not proved up to the task - Luke Wright during the World Twenty20; and Ravi Bopara here, whose much-hyped 'x-factor' constituted a penchant for being dismissed for a duck.

As Australia constantly prove, the only game you need worry about is the next one, and England's inability to score hundreds is crying out for someone possessing the depths of concentration and capacity for longevity of Ramprakash at the crease. To date, England have scored 10 fifties but no centuries in this series. Even if they go some way to rectifying that, the stat illustrates England have a lot of perfectly competent Test batsmen, but cannot make the big scores that Messrs Sangakkara and Jayawardene batted England out the series with. Curiously for a side in the midst of such a slumber, there is probably only one man - Bopara - for whom the axe is around the corner.

Ian Bell often looks in supreme form at the crease, as he did in the first Test, while failing to really capitalise. As such, he has not yet making the runs to justify batting at three. But with Kevin Pietersen being unfortunate with umpiring decision and snorters alike, and with Vaughan's innings consistently ended by impetuosity, there has been no one to grind the Sri Lankan attack into the dust. Calls for a recall for Andrew Strauss should be laughed off given his form in the past 15 months. That would leave Ramprakash, in an ideal world, to replace Bopara and move up to number three, with Pietersen four, Bell five and Collingwood at six and Owais Shah, once again, next cab-off-the-rank. Most likely, that top six would score big against a Kiwi attack top-heavy with medium-pacers. Whether they could consistently make first innings scores of 400 against the sterner Tests that await, however, would have to be doubtful - but do England have anyone else?

Right on Strauss; Wrong on Ramprakash

England's squad for the series in Sri Lanka contains neither Andrew Strauss nor Mark Ramprakash. In his past six series, Strauss has only averaged over 40 once. Signs point to opposing sides having worked out his minimalist game. They are, increasingly, denying him the opportunity to cut and pull, and so reducing his scoring possibilities dramatically. Moreover, he seems mentally fatigued, having gone from one failure to the next. Even a month playing in both second divisions for Middlesex did not see an upturn in form - although, because his slump has gone on for so long, it looks more than just a temporary dip. The puzzle is not why he is omitted; it is why England saw fit to award him a lucrative central contract.

Ramprakash, conversely, did everything that could have been possibly required to show he is physically and mentally ripe for a return to Test match cricket. In the last three seasons, he has averaged 75, 103 and 101. Yet, astonishingly, he is being omitted, showing that past failings (more than five years ago) and age count for more than current form. David Graveney mentioned the dexterity of Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara against spin; but Ramprakash, with his perfect balance and the concentration to amass huge innings, including 266* against Mushtaq Ahmed at Hove, would simply be likely to score more runs than either in Sri Lanka. England are a mid-table Test side; are they really in a position when they can afford to refrain from picking their best XI in the hope of building for some mythical date in the future?

Of course, Shah is a worthy selection. Bopara, though, is lucky in the extreme. He has tremendous promise, and did well in the World Cup, but he only averages 30 to date in ODIs for England (with a strike-rate of just 70), and did not cover himself in glory in the recent series. Maybe he's being picked for the extra bowling he offers - but a man who averages 48 with the ball at county level is hardly likely to pick up anything more than an occasional wicket at Tests.

The bowling selections are totally predictable but, with the possible exception of Chris Tremlett, no bowlers can feel unfortunate not to have been selected. It is wise that Steve Harmison will have to prove his fitness playing two first-class games in South Africa; he should not waltz straight back into the side. Unless England play both Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad as part of a four-man attack - which is unlikely - their tail will have an unwelcome fragility to it, making it essential Matt Prior proves the doubters wrong at number seven.

Michael Vaughan will return to opening, which is surely the correct decision. Ian Bell, despite having a poor series against India in the Tests and struggling alarmingly (at three) in Sri Lanka, is rather fortunate to be promoted to number three. It would have been more prudent, surely, to use a truly specialist number three who is batting even better than Graham Gooch did at the same age. Either way, this is looks like a series England would be happy to draw.

Ramps poised for England recall?

Regular readers of this site will be well aware of my great admiration of Mark Ramprakash, and my calls for him to return to the Test side. Happily, the calls are growing ever louder, with Mike Selvey suggesting today he may well be selected for the Sri Lanka tour.

We know he's failed in Tests before. And we know he's 38. But, would Australia obsess over his age and past failings (an irrelevance to winning cricket matches)? Or would they pick the best possible side to win in Sri Lanka?

A number of Aussies - including Damien Martyn, Matthew Hayden and even Steve Waugh - have done superbly after being recalled. Their selectors seem unconcerned by age - for how long have they been labelled 'Dad's Army'? - and just get on with the business of winning. And that is what England now need to do, ending their ridiculous obsession with a) youth and b) the Ashes. Besides, come 2009 Ramps would actually be younger than both Graham Gooch and Alec Stewart were when they ended their careers.

In averaging 100 over consecutive seasons, an unprecedented achievement, especially with England's Test batting far from convincing, his case is irrefutable. And, as well as being more mellow, the crucial fact is that he is actually a better player, technically, than when he last played for England in 2002, having improved his trigger movements to give himself near-perfect balance. His dexterity against spin, as he showed in scoring centuries off Mushtaq Ahmed and Shane Warne, would be invaluable in Sri Lanka.

It is risible to suggest there are six better batsmen in the country. That is all that should matter.

Ramps and Harbhajan secure safety

2007 Season Review: Surrey
Final placings:
Championship Division One - 4th;
FP Trophy - 5th, Southern Conference;
Twenty20Cup - 3rd, South Division;
Pro40 Division Two - 4th

Halfway through the season, Surrey were undeniably in crisis. They had lost four, and won none, of their first seven Championship games, while subsiding after promising starts in the Friends Provident Trophy and Twenty20Cup. Yet their resurgence in the second half of the season was so impressive they ultimately finished fourth in Division One of the Championship – a truly stunning transformation. Win or lose, however, the peerless batting of Mark Ramprakash was a constant.

As the Championship season restarted after the Twenty20 break, Surrey were clear of bottom spot only by virtue of an astonishing display of resilience from skipper Mark Butcher and Matt Nicholson at the pre-flood-stricken New Road; they batted 21.3 overs together to salvage a draw. Yet, though that partnership was vital, there should be no doubting the most important moment in Surrey’s escape from relegation.

With Surrey totally lacking penetration before the Championship break – failing to take 20 wickets in a game up until that point – the Butchers took a brave decision by effectively sacking Azhar Mahmood, the erratic all-rounder, and replacing him with Harbhajan Singh. Singh, with much to prove after being dropped by India, was the catalyst for their spectacular mid-season change of fortunes, claiming 37 wickets in just six games, the highlight being match figures of 11-91 in the crucial two-day win at Kent. If he signs for next season, Surrey will believe they have the resources to reach the top three.

The other overseas bowler, Australian Matt Nicholson, was nothing if not wholehearted. He bowled valiantly in the Championship, claming 44 wickets at 29, bowling back-of-a-length and with great consistency. However, his impact extended far beyond his bowling; Nicholson’s batting application was excellent, encapsulated best in that partnership with Butcher, while he was also an invaluable member of the dressing-room. Chris Jordan, no doubt, would have learned much from him. The 18-year-old emerged almost from nowhere; but, with the excellent speeds he can generate, his relish for competition and more-than-promising batting, he already appears an England prospect. Of the other young quicks, Jade Dernbach recovered strongly late on to claim his maiden professional five-wicket haul.

The batting star, yet again, was Ramprakash – if there is a more technically proficient and aesthetically pleasing batsman around, he must be some player. He was outstanding throughout, averaging over 100 for the second consecutive year – something that will take many years to appreciate – including four centuries in Surrey's last three Championship games. Yet the supporting cast were undeniably disappointing.

Scott Newman’s Championship form floundered after an opening-game hundred, although he finally got fully to grips with the one-day game; his 92* to take Surrey to 160 at Kent was exceptional. Jon Batty, meanwhile, was terrific once more. Combining the twin roles of wicket-keeper and opener, he averaged 44. The captain was solid without approaching his free-flowing best; and, along with dad, did a pretty good job managing the side.

Ali Brown endured a woeful first-class season and, save for 176 in the FP Trophy was little better in limited-overs so, sadly, may now be on his way. Meanwhile, the trio of Stuart Walters, James Benning and Rikki Clarke (see below) struggled. Statistics do not come much more revealing than this: in 15 games, a Surrey batsman outside the top four only once passed 70, so it was important they moved quickly to sign Usman Afzaal.

In the limited-overs games, Surrey showed some signs of improvement, but their penchant for being edged out in crunch clashes meant they did not progress in any of the competitions. The highlight was the world-record 496/4 racked up against Gloucestershire in April, though Chris Schofield’s stunning Twenty20 form, including 4/12 at Hove, was a joy to behold. With Nayan Doshi buying out his contract and Ian Salisbury edging painfully into retirement, he must now improve his four-day form.

After their tremendous late-season surge to safety it would be worth sounding a note of caution. Surrey were indebted enormously to two players, Ramprakash and Singh. Batty, Butcher and Nicholson played their parts too. But overall contributions were worryingly lop-sided in favour of the experienced men, something that must be addressed next season.

Player of the season: Mark Ramprakash
Quite simply masterful. In 100 first-class games for Surrey he now averages a scarcely believable 77, with 44 hundreds, including supreme unbeaten tons off Warne and Mushtaq Ahmed amongst his 10 this season. There was also a pair of brilliantly-paced one-day centuries, and an 85* against Middlesex in a memorable Twenty20 win which illustrated his new-found freedom. To quote CMJ, never one for hyperbole, "It no longer makes any sense to leave the peerless Ramprakash out of the Test team." Would Australia obsess over his age (an irrelevance to winning cricket matches)? Or would they pick the best possible side to win in Sri Lanka?

Most disappointing player: Rikki Clarke
His superb, counter-attacking 68* against Durham helped to kick-start Surrey's season, but that should not disguise a miserable campaign for a man whose attitude falls miles short of Ramprakash's. His talent is undeniable, but first-class averages of 23 and 42 (the wrong way round) may be his last contributions for Surrey. He is not 'young' but on the verge of his 26th birthday, an age when he should be relishing responsibility.

Highlight:
Matt Nicholson's controversial dismissal of Nic Pothas, ending his 280-minute rearguard when it appeared Hampshire might salvage a draw. Chris Schofield promptly took the final wicket, giving him match figures of 8/139 and putting Surrey on the verge of safety.

Lowlight:
Subsiding to an innings and 79 run defeat to relegation rivals Kent while taking just five wickets. With four defeats from six games, they appeared unable to adjust to the higher standards in Division One.


Can Surrey now challenge for the Championship? Share your views by leaving a comment below.

If you're interested in writing a season review for your county (we already have Glamorgan and Yorkshire ones in the pipeline), or writing on anything cricket-related please email it cricketingworld@hotmail.com.

Championship Team of the Season

As regular readers will be aware, I have been awarding a Player of the Week during my Championship reviews during the season. With the exception of the wicket-keeper, these are the only players to be considered for my squad for the Team of the Season. Five batsmen, an all-rounder, my wicketkeeper of the year, three pace bowlers and a spinner make up the team.

Marcus Trescothick
Englands’ loss was Somerset’s gain. The only double winner of the Player of the Week, he scored 1300 runs at over 60 with four centuries, albeit on a helpful Taunton wicket. He also took an incredible 33 catches. If he’s still on duty for Somerset next season, then they will be in the mix for honours.

Mike Carberry
A thousand runs, 5 tons and the reason that Hampshire put in a late run to challenge for the title. Particularly in the second half of the season he ran into a rich vein of form which he’ll be looking to continue in to next season.

Mark Ramprakash
2000 runs, averaging over 100. The difference between Surrey finishing 4th and being relegated. No other Surrey player managed 1000 runs or averaged over 50. Another awesome season and many people’s player of the year

Younus Khan
Got very close to being a double winner as his leg spin bowling backed up his batting prowess. Indeed his bowling average was less than his batting average of nearly 50. A good club man for Yorkshire, he was missed at the end of the season as he went back to Pakistan.

David Hussey
Edges out his club captain Stephen Fleming for the number 5 spot, with 1200 runs and an average of over 90.

The other batsmen to miss out on the final selection were Ben Smith, Mark Stoneman, Travis Birt and Ronnie Irani.

Adil Rashid
The first player of the week, he scored nearly 800 runs at an average of 46, scoring his maiden ton in the process. With the ball, despite the unhelpful weather this summer, he took 40 wickets (with three 5-fers) at less than 40 to confirm his immense promise as a cricketer. It’s a measure of his ability that some still see this as a disappointing return. The England Lions tour (hopefully) beckons and full recognition won’t be far away.

Rashid beats Alex Gidman to the selection

Chris Read
The only wicketkeeper to average above 50 in either division, he is also the best gloveman in the country. He hit his maiden double hundred this season and was a major factor in Notts promotion this season. He beats off the challenges of Nic Pothas, Tim Ambrose and Paul Nixon.

Stuart Broad
Although he spent most of the season carrying the drinks for England, he took his frist 5-fer in county cricket and smashed an unbeaten 91 in the same match, taking him to the top of Leicester’s batting averages. As he showed for England, he’s a potential all-rounder with bags of promise and first division cricket with Notts next season should see him progress further.

Ottis Gibson
The only real competition for Mark Ramprakash as player of the season. Cricket365 use his success as a reason that the Championship is a weak competition. To me it shows how much younger bowlers are able to learn from experienced campaigners and the progress of Liam Plunkett and Graeme Onions at Durham will be interesting to see. 80 wickets at just 20 for the season including all ten in an innings, he also chipped in with over 500 runs.

Andrew Caddick
He probably still feels hard done by every time the England team is selected without him, but he is another reaon why Somerset will be a welcome addition to Div 1 next season. 70 wickets at 24 playing half of his matches at Taunton is a great return.

The pace bowlers to miss out were James Harris, Yasir Arafat and Mark Davies

Mushtaq Ahmed
The final winner of the award, he edges out the evergreen Robert Croft by spinning Sussex to the title again. Not as dominant this year as last, he still took 90 wickets at 25

Championship – Week 21 and Final week

The fat lady has sung and the most exciting run in for years has gone the way of…. Well read on and you’ll see.

Div 1
As we entered the final week, anyone of five teams could still win the title. The two least likely met at Headingley as Yorkshire entertained Hampshire. Yorkshire’s chances went up in smoke as they were dismissed for just 195, James Bruce taking 5-fer. Mike Carberry then scored a ton as Hants reached 244 for 4. Then it rained for two days and both teams finish in the middle of the table.

Starting the week in third place, Durham were playing a Kent team who had secured their safety the week before and were a little too relaxed as they were bowled out for 212 in their first innings. Dale Benkenstein then scored a ton as Durham reached 321 before Kent were bowled out for 160 second time round. Durham knocked off the 52 to win for the loss of two wickets and went to the top of the table with their early finish.

However, it would have been the weather that most interested Durham as by that time, Sussex were well on top against relegated Worcestershire. Batting first Sussex scored 532, with Robin Martin Jenkins continuing his fine batting form with a quick-fire 99. Mushtaq then took 6 wickets as Worcester managed just 213 in their first innings. Both Mushtaq (with 7 wickets) and Worcester did better second time round, but the total of 305 wasn’t enough to make Sussex bat again. Sussex overtook Durham at the top and all eyes turned to the Oval.

Lancashire started the week in pole position, but 196 from Mark Ramprakash allowed Surrey to declare on 427 for 9, which was enough for a healthy lead as Lancs made just 234. Surrey didn’t enforce the follow on and another Ramps century set up a declaration on 295 for 5, setting Lancs a target of 488 to win the Championship. A run a ball century from VS Laxman set up the chase but despite contributions from everyone, they finished 24 runs short and the title went to Sussex with Durham second. The win also lifted Surrey to fourth, ahead of Hants and Yorks as just 27 points separated the top 6 teams.


Div 2
The top two met at Taunton with Nottinghamshire needing only a point to secure promotion. However they didn’t manage this when batting first, scoring only 158. Relief came with the wicket of James Hildreth as Somerset were reduced to 54 for 3. However, tons for Marcus Trescothick, Ian Blackwell and Peter Trego led Somerset to 469 and with Michael Munday taking a career best 8 for 55 in Notts second innings as they were dismissed for just 190, Somerset ran out comfortable winners and worthy champions.

Middlesex needed a maximum points win to have any chance of catching Notts. Their young bowling attack of Rob Williams and Steve Finn (combined age – 38) bowled Essex out for 365, Grant Flower getting a ton and James Foster unbeaten on 96. However, as they were then bowled out for just 171 themselves, any chance of promotion disappeared. Following on they scored 246 and Essex scored the 53 to win without losing a wicket. Middlesex finish 3rd with Essex 4th .

In the other two games, Northants and Derbyshire played out a draw while rain ruined the Gloucestershire - Glamorgan match, although Hamish Marshall had enough time to score a ton.

England player watch
Another bad week for Andrew Strauss with just 11 and 7 runs. Michael Vaughan did little better in his innings scoring 26. On the bowling front, Matthew Hoggard took a couple of wickets and Ryan Sidebottom went wicketless, but bowled 22 overs to prove his fitness with the tour parties to be announced soon.

Player of the Week
Two standout performances this week determined the destination of the title. Mark Ramprakash finished another brilliant season by denying Lancs the win they needed, but spinning Sussex to their second successive title, this week’s Player of the Week is Mushtaq Ahmed.

2007 County Awards

As an epic Championship race comes to an end, it's time to review the 2007 county season with Third Umpire's end-of-season awards.

Best player: His side didn't even come close to the honours, but it simply has to be Mark Ramprakash. Averaging 100 in consecutive seasons simply defies belief; an unprecedented achievement for the consummate professional and master technician. And finally, the first man to hit 10 first-class hundreds in a season since, well, himself.

Best batsman: Same again.

Best bowler:A toss up between two 38-year-olds (Andy Caddick and Otis Gibson) and the irrepressible Mushtaq Ahmed. Gibson's superhuman deeds in Divison One, and match-winning Friends Provident display, shade it.

Best performance: Otis Gibson's 10-47 against Hampshire was simply extraordinary.

Best hat-trick: Ryan McLaren's memorable effort in Kent's Twenty20Cup Final win.

Best match: Though ultimately it proved not to be close, for sheer quality and intensity Sussex's crucial victory over Lancashire at Liverpool.

Most valiant run chase: Lancashire's 464 on the final day against Surrey, just beating Surrey's very own 467 against Hampshire which, not coincidentally, were both at the Oval. Now, if only Lancs had showed similar application in the aforementioned Sussex clash.

Most ridiculous rant: Bob Willis, take a bow. His claim that former internationals like Hick, Crawley and Ramprakash were "clogging up" the system was totally nonsensical. On the contrary, they raise the standard - and are invaluable for youngsters to learn from.

Best decision (1): Chris Adams' 11th-hour u-turn when Yorkshire came calling. He was vindicated as, under his astute captaincy, Sussex won the Championship once more.

Best decision (2): Surrey effectively sacking Azhar Mahmood, seldom a first-class match-winner, and signing Harbhajan Singh in his place. Singh, with much to prove after being dropped by India, was the catalyst for their spectacular mid-season change of fortunes, claiming 37 wickets in just six games and providing the penetration his side had so lacked previously.

Worst decision (1): The ECB re-jigging the recruitment rules and banning the second overseas player from next season. They have helped immeasurably in improving the quality of cricket. Better, surely, to introduce serious preventive measures to ensure counties always field at least eight players eligible for England at that time.

Worst decision (2): The London-based dentist who paid for Jimmy Maher to be Glamorgan's overseas player. Maher suffered a sad crisis-in-confidence, averaging a paltry 17 in eight first-class games in a Glamorgan season that went from one nadir to the next. Meanwhile his early season stand-in, Matthew Elliot, was excellent.

Saddest tale: Staying with Glamorgan, Simon Jones' depressing transformation from reverse-swing king to a stuttering run-up - and one first-class wicket for 290. A move may just reinvigorate him but, though he is just 28, you would get long odds on him playing for England again.

Best emerging player: A rare bright spot for Glammy, 17-year-old James Harris took 12 wickets against Gloucestershire, and continued to impress therafter, finishing with 33 wickets at just 23. And, as shown by an 88*, he can bat too.

Biggest red-herring: Sussex suffering innings defeats in games two and three, only to bounce back to record consecutive Championship titles.

Most predictable match-winner: The irrepressible Mushtaq Ahmed was at it again, claiming 90 first-class wickets including 13 in their final Championship win. Whether he is Sussex's finest ever player is certainly up for debate; but he is, surely, their biggest ever match-winner.

Most hyped-up player: Adil Rashid was always in the spotlight after his heroics last season. His batting develop tremendously (average 46) but his leg-spin still lacks control, and he found things mighty tough towards the end. Still, well worth an A tour and near-certain to play for England one day.

Biggest proof of the quality of the county game: The plethora of superb spinners on the circuit, although this was fall next season. Shane Warne, Mushtaq, Muralitharan, Harbhajan, Danish Kaneria, Murali Kartik and Monty Panesar bring immense spinning quality to the game. Hopefully Adil Rashid, whose bowling stuttered somewhat after a fine start, and Mike Munday, who recorded match figures of 10-60 in the season's final game, can learn a thing or two.

Best captain: For a pair of promotions and stamping his authority over a talented but hitherto underachieving side, it has to be Justin Langer, who scored copious runs to boot. Elsewhere, Rob key was excellent in leading Kent's Twenty20 triumph, while Adams was as combative as ever.

Most heart-warming story: Worcestershire overcoming floods and Championship thrashings to win the Pro40 league was a tremendous show of character.

Easiest scapegoat: The Pro40. Derided primarily for being 40 overs (how much difference does the loss of 10 middle overs really make?) it provided some enthralling action during the summer holidays. As Worcestershire illustrated, a competition starting in mid-season can reinvigorate a county. With only eight games, it is short and sweet; and, above all, it proved a lot of fun.

Dream Championship XI (both divisions, based on first-class form only):
Justin Langer (captain)
Michael Di Venuto
Mark Ramprakash
Stuart Law
David Hussey
Cameron White
Tim Ambrose (wicket-keeper)
Andy Bichel
Otis Gibson
Mushtaq Ahmed
Andy Caddick

(With Murali replacing Bichel on turning tracks)

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If you're interested in writing a season review for your county, please email it cricketingworld@hotmail.com. If possible please follow the template of last season's Surrey review.

Ramprakash The Magnificent

Like the man with whom he made his Test debut, Graeme Hick, Mark Ramprakash is forever destined to be a cricketing enigma. His technique is near faultless; he is the consummate professional; and he has scored with such unerring consistency in county cricket that he is closing in, inexorably, on 100 first-class hundreds. And yet, for all his palpable class, his Test average is a meagre, inadequate 27.

Initially, it might be tempting to simply label him a man incapable of making the step up to Tests; a cricketing yo-yo too good for county attacks but never able to cope with the higher level. It is tempting, certainly, but the argument falls down under any serious scrutiny. If Ramprakash was such a player, how to explain his excellent average – 42 – against Australia, the best side of his era?

It is nigh on impossible to spot any rational patterns in his record. His only two Test centuries were scored against the 2001 Australians and away to the West Indies of Walsh and Ambrose. And it was because of his failures against New Zealand, the side who bear most resemblance to the county attacks he plundered so relentlessly, that Ramprakash was twice dropped.

What is clear, however, is, like Hick, Ramprakash was a victim of selectorial upheaval, an easy scapegoat when England were struggling. Over his 52 Tests, he was dropped on ten occasions. Ten. During his longest run in the side, from his brilliant breakthrough century against the West Indies in 1998 to the end of the New Zealand series in 1999, Ramprakash established himself as a fine batsman and an integral member of the side. Though he did not quite resemble the angst-free first-class animal, Ramps offered England middle-order solidity; in these 18 Tests, he averaged 41 against some extremely testing attacks.

And then, indicative of the bizarre selections of the day, he was dropped, after one modest series against the Kiwis, despite the fact only three batsmen had fared better. It is astonishing, even now, that a man finally finding his feet in the Test arena could be dropped for Chris Adams and Darren Maddy – good county players, but never destined to be anything more.

No doubt compounded by his perennial fear of being made scapegoat, Ramprakash was seldom able to truly relax in the international arena. As he admits, he was often guilty of being too intense, and of caring too much, as exemplified by his infamous tantrums in his earlier years. In his autobiography, Nasser Hussain compared Ramprakash’s meticulous preparation to that of Alec Stewart – but, Hussain believes, Ramprakash suffered for his “theories, nervousness, bat handle obsession and stuff like that”. Moreover, Mike Atherton said of him “he seemed to look for the negative aspects of each challenge”; for Mark Ramprakash, international batting was never simple.

The game at Johannesburg in 1995 served to epitomise his problems at Test level. In the first innings, he took an excruciating 35 balls to score 4; in the second, he took an ungamely swipe at his second ball and was bowled. His vastly contrasting approaches to two innings in which he entered with South Africa in the ascendancy were, to Atherton, “a sure indication of his confused mental state”.

But, above all, he was a failure of man-management. It is surely indicative that only the ebullient David Lloyd (sacked prior to the ’99 New Zealand series) got the best of Ramps, a man who needed both reassurance of his worth and a coach to help him calm down.

A glance at his Test average may suggest Ramprakash was lucky to play as much as he did; but his run-scoring feats in the county game were continually so extraordinary that the selectors had little choice. At times, it seemed they could neither live with nor without him. They failed to hand him the extended run that would give him the best chance to maximise his potential, but could not dispense completely with Hick’s sole rival at the top of the first-class averages. The end result, alas, was an international career that continually frustrated; and the rare talent who emerged when winning the Man of the Match award in a Natwest Final aged just 18 was, internationally, unfulfilled.

Ramprakash’s single-minded determination to succeed in the international arena was highlighted by his highly controversial decision to cross the Thames in 2001 – in search of the Division One cricket he believed would aid his chances of an international recall. He was soon vindicated and, in scoring 133 at The Oval against Australia, looked to be a beneficiary of the new Duncan Fletcher era – a time when players would only be dropped after being given a fair chance to prove their worth, unlike for so much of Ramprakash’s career.

The winter of 2001/02, however, stands as perhaps the biggest disappointment of his career. At last, he had a coach who valued selectorial consistency; and, in India and especially New Zealand would surely cement his place. Yet, bewilderingly, he averaged just 23 in six Tests – a victim, this time, not of playing within himself but of playing too aggressively, too early. In his desperation to impose himself on the opposition, Ramprakash compromised his outstanding technique and Fletcher decided his time was up. The general lack of coherency in his batting approach was encapsulated by Wisden’s description of an “aberrant swipe” as England fell to defeat in the last Test.

Yet, amidst all the troubles of his international career, Ramprakash’s incredible run-scoring capacity at county level never diminished; and, in the years since his last England game, his performance has reached new heights as he has become more relaxed. He hit 2000 runs in 2006 – at an average of over 100 – though people sneered at these being scored in Division Two. It was testament to his extraordinary aptitude for runs, then, that he repeated the feat in Division One this campaign, scoring centuries of the likes of Shane Warne and Mushtaq Ahmed, while continuing to excel in the limited-overs formats too. No one in the history of the English game can boast two seasons of such stunning personal achievement; it is truly astonishing.

There can be no doubting he could and should have fared better in Test matches; but, even as he passes 38, Mark Ramprakash remains amongst the most technically proficient and aesthetically pleasing players in the country. For all his failures, watching him bat has been a delight.

Can England still progress?

It’s a new format, perhaps, but England’s performance at this World Cup is much the same as their efforts in the recent 50-over ones. Above all, they struggled – just as they did in the Caribbean – with maximising the fielding restrictions.

Their policy to use Twenty20 specialists has been much discussed. I was in favour of it, but expressed reservations about the selection of Luke Wright. Wright is a potentially exciting talent but lacks the technique and experience to open against international bowlers, and it was rather perverse to promote him after a pair of failures at number three. Mark Ramprakash, in stunning form, inventive and highly effective in Twenty20, and with technical prowess, should surely have gone; with hindsight so should Ian Bell, although, when the squad was selected, he in no way merited selection. Of course, the man who could have made a real difference, and is a true match for Hayden, Gayle and Gibbs, is Marcus Trescothick.

Either way, England are stuck with Wright, Matt Prior, Vikram Solanki and Darren Maddy. Prior, as he proved yet again today, is not an international opening batsmen; his trademark is run-a-ball 20s which, in Twenty20, is simply not fast enough. By process of elimination as much as anything else, I would advocate opening with Solanki and Maddy. They have enjoyed success in this form of the game over its five seasons, and also possess huge experience. Certainly, however, Kevin Pietersen should be at number three.

With the ball, England have been a little better. Had Paul Collingwood caught Albie Morkel, Chris Schofield would not have been clobbered for three sixes and would have returned excellent figures, so it would be unfair to criticise him. On the positive side, Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Andrew Flintoff were very good against South Africa, only to be let down by some abysmal catching that cost England the game.

So England find themselves in a familiar position in World Cups: they are on the verge of an early exit unless they can get their act together and win consecutive games. Ultimately, England probably lack the big-hitting skills necessary to win the tournament, but they were not helped by the truly inexplicable decision to bat Snape ahead of Mascarenhas. As per usual in shorter cricket, England are tremendously reliant on Kevin Pietersen. But if they are to progress, their opening pair must contribute far more.

How can England progress to the semi-finals? Is this the best side: Maddy, Solanki, Pietersen, Collingwood, Shah, Flintoff, Mascarenhas, Prior, Schofield, Broad, Anderson

Championship – Week 18

In Division 1, all three games affect top and bottom: Surrey win big and look to be safe, Worcestershire don’t and are relegated while Durham are right back in contention at the top. In Division 2, Somerset are promoted, Notts thwart Middlesex’s chance, but Essex keep themselves in the hunt.

Div 1
Surrey went to Hampshire still in the relegation places. However, a first inning score of 556, with tons from Mark Ramprakash (obviously) and Mark Butcher. Hants could only make 221 in reply despite a ton from James Adams. Chris Schofield took 5-fer – his first 5 wicket haul of the season, and amazingly only the 6th of his career. Hants did a little better second time round with 298 but Surrey were finally able to take the final wicket (which survived 43 overs) for an innings victory and they are now in the relative comfort of 6th, above Kent and Warwickshire. Hampshire’s title challenge is hanging by a thread.

Kent were on top for most of their match against Lancashire, scoring 327 thanks to a Matt Walker ton. Lancs lost the services of Muttiah Muralitharan while bowling, which will see him out of action until at least after the 20:20 World Championship. Lancs replied with 317, Mark Saggers taking 5-fer and Glen Chapple hitting a rapid 88. Rob Key (182) and Walker (157) then put on a stand of nearly 300 in Kent’s second innings as they declared on 419 for 6. Lancs never looked like chasing the runs down and batted out losing just three wickets for 208 and a draw which doesn’t really help either team. Kent slip into the relegation places while Lance, now without Murali for the rest of the season, miss the chance to make up ground at the top of the table.

Worcestershire batted first at Durham and Ottis Gibson carried on his sparkling form of the year taking seven wickets to reduce the Pears to 182. The Durham innings was the epitome of the old cricketing cliché “One brings Two” as two wickets fell at 14, 86 and 171, Gareth Batty being the main thorn in Durham’s side with 6-fer. In the end Durham ended up with a lead of 115, scoring 297. Worcester scored 390 second time round, Gibson getting another 4 wickets, but Durham scored the 279 required for the loss of 5 wickets and move to second in the table. Worcestershire go back to Division 2 for next season.

Div 2
Somerset went on to their game against Glamorgan knowing that a win should see their promotion confirmed. However, they were grateful to a stand of 130 between Craig Kieswetter and Andy Caddick to see them over the 400 mark, all out for 402. Caddick then went back to what he does best as he Charl Willoughby and Stefan Jones took three wickets each to bowl Glamorgan out for 233. Somerset declared on 329 second time round, Robert Croft taking 5-fer setting Glamorgan an unlikely 498 for victory. They managed just 199 and Somerset clinched a well deserved promotion.

Second played third at Lords and Nottinghamshire batted first in the knowledge that a draw would be a good result for them. Chaminda Vaas took 5 wickets but Notts scored 473 with Stephen Fleming scoring a ton. In reply Middlesex managed one run less, with Ed Smith getting a ton. Tellingly, though, they took twenty overs more to get the runs, despite being the team most in need of victory. In their second innings Notts finished on 456 for 7 as the game ran out of time on a good Lords wicket, Samit Patel scoring a ton and ten Middlesex players having a bowl.

Essex took the chance to make up ground on the two teams directly above them on a tricky pitch at Derby. Essex scored 272 in their first inning, which was put into perspective as they then skittled Derbyshire for 139 in less than 30 overs, Andy Bichel taking 7 wickets. Second time round, Essex recovered from 28 for 4 to post 268, Ryan ten Doeschate scoring a ton and Bichel 74. This was more than enough as Derby could only muster 174 – 6 wickets for Danesh Kaneria, 4 more for Bichel and Essex move above Middlesex into third, still a fair distance behind Notts though.

Struggling Leicestshire were thankful to Claude Henderson and Paul Nixon for getting them up to 229 having been struggling at 77 for 6, Carl Greenidge doing most of the damage with 6 wickets. However, this was dwarfed by Gloucestershire’s 650 for 8, with tons for Hamish Marshall, Craig Spearman and Kadeer Ali and Steve Adshead falling one run short of being a fourth centurian. Nixon again assured some respectability in Leicester’s second innings, but they fell well short of making Gloucester bat again, scoring 270 and losing by an innings and 151.


England player watch
Andrew Strauss managed just 16 on a very good Lords wicket. However, he did bowl six overs and would have enjoyed taking the wicket of Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming.


Player of the Week
A tricky one this week. Matt Walker scored centuries in both innings of Kent’s draw with Lancashire while the Andys Caddick and Bichel both put in good all round performances in Somerset and Essex’s victories. However, for his 7th century of the season, setting up the win which should now keep Surrey up, the Player of the Week is Mark Ramprakash.

Should England make changes for the Oval?

England are in an unusual position: only once since 1996 have they gone into the final Test of the summer needing to win to square the series. That was in 2003, when they made three changes for the last Test at South Africa, and inevitably there have been calls for new blood after today's defeat by India. So what are the main areas of consideration ahead of next week's Oval Test?

Opening batsmen

Until the tour to Australia last winter, Andrew Strauss had a phenomenal record of 10 hundreds in just 31 Tests, averaging 46; in his last 11 Tests, he has failed to score a century while averaging just 28. He may have ground out half-centuries in his last three Tests, but there are still worries about his static feet - and he was dismissed through an aberrant swipe at Trent Bridge, perhaps betraying his mental state. His opening partner Alastair Cook has been dismissed LBW four times this series, playing across the line on each occasion, but has shown such promise that his place is not under any threat.

If England decide to dispense with Strauss, which remains unlikely, they have two options; they can either pick a specialist opener, or move Michael Vaughan up to open (a job he has done just once since the West Indies tour of 2003-04) and rejig the batting order. If they opt for the former, the most likely candidate is Kent's Joe Denly, who, at 21, already averages 54 in first-class cricket. He has played two innings of particular note this campaign: an outstanding 115 not out (out of only 199) against a Hampshire side featuring Shane Warne, Stuart Clark and Chris Tremlett; and an exhilarating, 90-ball 83 against the Indians for England Lions.

Middle order batsmen

With some impressive performances since his recall against Pakistan last year, Ian Bell looked to be establishing himself as one of England's untouchables. However he has failed four times this series, while England's selectors may also note that he averages just 19 after five Tests against India, and murmurings about his inability to perform under pressure remain. The words that dare not speak their name - flat-track bully - are becoming increasingly voluble - Paul Collingwood's tenacious 63 in the last Test, meanwhile, will ensure he remains in the side for the Oval.

Owais Shah played in the first Test of the summer and, especially after his fine one-day showings, is probably the next cab on the middle-order rank. Memories of his superb 88 on Test debut in Mumbai remain; and, at 28, Shah's time should be now. Of the other candidates, Ravi Bopara is averaging 65 in the championship, and his wristy batting and steely temperament caught the eye in the World Cup. It may seem fanciful but, with this being a must-win Test that exists in isolation, it would be wrong to discount the technically proficient Mark Ramprakash, who is once more leading the first-class averages and, nearing 38, is a more mellow character than during his Test career.

Wicket-keeper

Matt Prior is sure to keep his place for the final Test but, considering his decidedly iffy wicket-keeping and the fact his runs have only come against West Indies - whose bowling attack would be amongst the worst in Division Two - his long-term position is by no means secure. As shown by his selection for England Lions, Tim Ambrose, a markedly better keeper than Prior and outstanding with the bat this season, leads the chasing pack, although he has not reached fifty in his past five first-class knocks. There are a multitude of other potential candidates, led by the unlucky James Foster, who, at 27, should be entering his prime.

Pace bowling

Chris Tremlett, who has taken 10 wickets in two Tests, is surely assured of a place. Ryan Sidebottom has bowled well in both matches against India; and Jimmy Anderson was excellent at Lord's, but disappointingly wayward at Trent Bridge. However, with Monty Panesar completing the bowling quartet, the England selectors will no doubt be aware of the need to extract more runs from the tail.

This could aid the case of Stuart Broad, omitted at the last for the first Test. He has scored half-centuries in consecutive seasons against the tourists to give evidence he could be an England No8, while he also claimed five wickets against India for England Lions. Though almost as tall as Tremlett, he generates less bounce, but has good pace, gets movement off the seam, offers aggression and has a temperament well suited to the international game. The recovery of Matthew Hoggard is still in its infancy - he is not yet back at Yorkshire - and it would smack of desperation were he to be selected, especially as he averages 40 at the Oval. The same, of course, could be said of a recall for Andy Caddick, although he has 56 first-class wickets this season and an excellent record at the Oval.