2006 in a Nutshell:
Surrey’s chief objective in 2006 was to return to Division One of the County Championship. In that, they succeeded magnificently. Led by the Butcher father-son coaching side, Surrey were a united side once more and, in Mark Ramprakash, had a fantastic batsman in the form of his life. Though Surrey’s first-class form was peerless, their one-day side showed few signs of improvement, subsiding meekly on Twenty20 finals day and doing little of note in the other two competitions. Overall, 2006 was a big step in the right direction.
See the Surrey 2006 Season Review
2007 Prospects
Batting:
Surrey have perhaps the finest first-class batting unit in county cricket; although the bowling in Division One will be more challenging this campaign, they should regularly post scores in excess of 400 in the first innings.
Scott Newman is a fine, burly left-handed stroke maker, but has rather trodden water in the last few campaigns. Last season, he hit 10 Championship scores of 50 but reached only one century. Opening alongside him will be the ever-dependable Jon Batty, mentioned in dispatches as the next England wicket keeper. Surrey’s real strength, though, is at numbers three and four; where former England batsmen Ramprakash and Mark Butcher hit 13 first-class hundreds last campaign. Ramprakash, with his unerring professionalism, exemplary technique and aesthetically pleasing stroke-play, remains the most sought-after wicket on the circuit.
Alistair Brown will continue to attack tiring bowling line-ups in his fearless style, while his heir apparent James Benning will seek to transfer his exhilarating one-day form into the Championship arena, though opportunities will be limited. Rikki Clarke is becoming a very fine batsman, particularly in the four-day game – he averaged 64 last season – while Azhar Mahmood can transform games from number seven. Also look out for the exciting young batting all-rounder Stewart Walters, particularly in the shorter versions of the game. Stolid opener Richard Clinton may feature in first-class cricket.
Bowling:
Spin emerged unexpectedly to the fore last campaign, with Surrey even fielding three spinners at times. Ian Salisbury and Nayan Doshi, bowling leg-spin and left-arm spin, both took at least 50 Championship wickets at 28, benefiting from the spin- conducive Oval rack. Chris Schofield was also awarded a late-season contract and, though his leg-spin remains inconsistent, he did enough to secure a new deal, aided by his useful, if idiosyncratic, batting.
However, seam bowling remains a huge worry, especially with the brilliant Martin Bicknell having retired. Much depends on the returning James Ormond, injured for almost all of last season. He is joined by the Australian Matt Nicholson, who has much experience but averaged only 32 for Northants last season. Surrey fans would have hoped for a more penetrating opening bowler. Pakistani duo Mohammad Akram and all-rounder Mahmood remain horribly unreliable, while Rikki Clarke’s bowling has potential – he can hit 85mph – but only accounted for 18 Championship wickets last campaign. Unless he can improve his bowling significantly, it is hard to envisage him returning to the England side; and, at 25, the time has come for performance to replace potential. With young quick Neil Saker also yet to convince, the fast bowling is patently a major Surrey weakness; if the spinners are unable to match their exploits of ’06, Surrey may have real difficulty collecting 20 wickets.
Probable Championship side:
Newman
Batty
Ramprakash
Butcher
Brown
Clarke
Mahmood
Nicholson
Salisbury
Ormond
Doshi
which leaves Clinton, Benning, Schofield and Akram - who may replace one of the spinners in seaming conditions - in reserve. Benning will replace Newman, or one of the senior batsmen, in the shorter versions of the game.
Overall the side looks good enough to achieve a comfortable Championship position. It perhaps lacks the necessary penetration to mount a genuine title push, unless Ormond, Nicholson and one of the spinners really catch fire, but the batting looks sufficiently strong and deep to allay relegation concerns.
Key Man:
Runs from Ramps are rather taken as a given so, with Surrey’s seam attack such a worry, the onus will fall on the returning Jimmy Ormond. Ormond has had near-constant injury worries of late but he is a tall swing bowler of proven class with over 400 first-class wickets, and two Test caps, to his name. At 29, he is far from over the hill; a reinvigorated Ormond would provide the fast bowling attack with much-needed penetration.
Rising Star:
Alistair Brown’s career is coming to an end but, in 23-year-old James Benning, Surrey have a ready-made replacement. As England’s one-day side stumbled from one humiliation to the next last summer, Benning, on the back of his exhilarating 189* in the C & G Trophy, was mentioned as a potential opener. In the shorter versions of the game, he is rapidly gaining in consistency and reputation. Despite an average of 37, however, he has yet to become a regular in the first-class game.
Captain and Coach:
Having moved away from the disastrous Steve Rixon era, Surrey entrusted their fortunes in the Butchers. They have succeeded in lifting spirits at The Oval, establishing an atmosphere more conducive to success. Thoughts now turn to Championship consolidation, a renewed tilt at the Twenty20 and some sort of improvement in their one-day fortunes.
2007 county previews home
Showing posts with label Nayan Doshi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nayan Doshi. Show all posts
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
Wednesday, 21 February 2007
Signs of a Surrey resurgence
2006 Season Review: Surrey
Last season, Surrey subsided pathetically in the County Championship, and suffered the embarrassing fate of relegation. The 2006 season, therefore, was fundamentally about being one of the two sides promoted from Division Two. In that task, Surrey succeeded magnificently.
The chief reason for this, clearly, was Mark Ramprakash. The 37-year-old enjoyed the season of his career; his textbook technique and ever eye-catching fluency earned 2278 runs at a superlative average of 103. Eight hundreds were amassed with ever-increasing inevitability. Despite falling eight runs short of a maiden triple century against Gloucestershire, Ramprakash soon ended his wait with 301* against Northants. The only shame was that his phenomenal season was not rewarded with a place on the Ashes tour.
Though Ramprakash’s sensational run of scores rightly stole the media attention, the father-son pair of Alan and Mark Butcher were crucial in righting the wrongs of the Steve Rixon era and setting the county back onto the right path. Butcher senior was a calm and supportive presence in the dressing room; Mark averaged almost 60 while skippering the side shrewdly.
Surrey’s fantastic batting talent was always likely to overwhelm Division Two bowling attacks. Rikki Clarke had by far his best campaign with the bat, averaging 64; but his bowling continues to infuriate and his meagre haul of 18 wickets in 11 games showed he is not even a genuine fourth seamer.
Alistair Brown was dropped early on in the season but, happily, turned his fortunes around to finish with five first-class centuries; Scott Newman was extremely consistent opening the batting. James Benning, meanwhile, enjoyed a highly encouraging season. His rampaging 189* in a C & G Trophy game even had pundits considering him a viable candidate to open the batting for England in one-day cricket. And the ever-reliable John Batty had another fine season.
Surrey’s batting was expected to prove decisive in their hunt for promotion; their band of spinners was certainly not. Nayan Doshi and Ian Salisbury took 113 wickets at 28 between them; the rehabilitation of Salisbury, seemingly in irreversible decline, was particularly gratifying. Anil Kumble came for only three games, but his 8-100 on a docile Oval pitch against Northants virtually secured promotion. The trio formed Surrey’s first spin triumvirate for nearly 50 years; they were such a success that, when Kumble left, Chris Schofield was recruited on a short-term deal. Though his control is in need of much work, the former England bowler deserved his new contract, especially given his innings of 95 in a thrilling draw at Bristol.
However, pace bowling remains a cause of much concern at the county. Evergreen Martin Bicknell played in just four games before retiring through injury; his 1000+ wickets at 23 make him one of Surrey’s finest ever players. Replacing him will certainly prove problematic, however. With Jimmy Ormond, the club’s best seamer, also hampered by injury, the pace-bowling attack was carried by Mohammad Akram and enigmatic all-rounder Azhar Mahmood.
Even more than usual, the County Championship was the key for Surrey in 2006. Predictably, results in the game’s shorter formats were disappointing. Their C & G campaign seemed doomed from the outset; an inexcusable batting collapse at Taunton cost them promotion in the Pro40 competition. Things were a little better in the Twenty20 Cup, but a woeful performance on Finals’ Day cost them the chance of claiming a second trophy. Surrey seem to lack a cohesive strategy in the shorter formats of the game; they are also let down by a lack of mobility in the field.
Despite their one-day disappointments, Surrey’s 2006 season hinted at a resurgence for the club; if they can sign a potent seamer, they certainly have a good chance of regaining the County Championship. With the Butchers at the helm, Surrey are a happier county and a stronger side.
Player of the season: Mark Ramprakash
Majestic strokeplay, unerring professionalism and new-found perspective saw Ramprakash become only the fifth man to complete a First Class English season averaging 100 or more. Throughout July and August he scored 150 runs or more in five consecutive Championship games – a unique achievement.
High
Successfully chasing 356, the highest score of the game, in the fourth innings at Somerset, despite being 129-4. A blistering 189-run stand between Clarke and Brown helped Surrey triumph in just the 72nd over.
Low
Bizarrely conspiring to lose four wickets in the first four overs of the Twenty20 semi-final, when Surrey had been odds-on to win.
In the build-up to the 2007 county season, we will feature county reviews for last season, previews for this and other features. Do email cricketingworld@hotmail.com if you would like to pen a piece on your county (or anything else).
Last season, Surrey subsided pathetically in the County Championship, and suffered the embarrassing fate of relegation. The 2006 season, therefore, was fundamentally about being one of the two sides promoted from Division Two. In that task, Surrey succeeded magnificently.
The chief reason for this, clearly, was Mark Ramprakash. The 37-year-old enjoyed the season of his career; his textbook technique and ever eye-catching fluency earned 2278 runs at a superlative average of 103. Eight hundreds were amassed with ever-increasing inevitability. Despite falling eight runs short of a maiden triple century against Gloucestershire, Ramprakash soon ended his wait with 301* against Northants. The only shame was that his phenomenal season was not rewarded with a place on the Ashes tour.
Though Ramprakash’s sensational run of scores rightly stole the media attention, the father-son pair of Alan and Mark Butcher were crucial in righting the wrongs of the Steve Rixon era and setting the county back onto the right path. Butcher senior was a calm and supportive presence in the dressing room; Mark averaged almost 60 while skippering the side shrewdly.
Surrey’s fantastic batting talent was always likely to overwhelm Division Two bowling attacks. Rikki Clarke had by far his best campaign with the bat, averaging 64; but his bowling continues to infuriate and his meagre haul of 18 wickets in 11 games showed he is not even a genuine fourth seamer.
Alistair Brown was dropped early on in the season but, happily, turned his fortunes around to finish with five first-class centuries; Scott Newman was extremely consistent opening the batting. James Benning, meanwhile, enjoyed a highly encouraging season. His rampaging 189* in a C & G Trophy game even had pundits considering him a viable candidate to open the batting for England in one-day cricket. And the ever-reliable John Batty had another fine season.
Surrey’s batting was expected to prove decisive in their hunt for promotion; their band of spinners was certainly not. Nayan Doshi and Ian Salisbury took 113 wickets at 28 between them; the rehabilitation of Salisbury, seemingly in irreversible decline, was particularly gratifying. Anil Kumble came for only three games, but his 8-100 on a docile Oval pitch against Northants virtually secured promotion. The trio formed Surrey’s first spin triumvirate for nearly 50 years; they were such a success that, when Kumble left, Chris Schofield was recruited on a short-term deal. Though his control is in need of much work, the former England bowler deserved his new contract, especially given his innings of 95 in a thrilling draw at Bristol.
However, pace bowling remains a cause of much concern at the county. Evergreen Martin Bicknell played in just four games before retiring through injury; his 1000+ wickets at 23 make him one of Surrey’s finest ever players. Replacing him will certainly prove problematic, however. With Jimmy Ormond, the club’s best seamer, also hampered by injury, the pace-bowling attack was carried by Mohammad Akram and enigmatic all-rounder Azhar Mahmood.
Even more than usual, the County Championship was the key for Surrey in 2006. Predictably, results in the game’s shorter formats were disappointing. Their C & G campaign seemed doomed from the outset; an inexcusable batting collapse at Taunton cost them promotion in the Pro40 competition. Things were a little better in the Twenty20 Cup, but a woeful performance on Finals’ Day cost them the chance of claiming a second trophy. Surrey seem to lack a cohesive strategy in the shorter formats of the game; they are also let down by a lack of mobility in the field.
Despite their one-day disappointments, Surrey’s 2006 season hinted at a resurgence for the club; if they can sign a potent seamer, they certainly have a good chance of regaining the County Championship. With the Butchers at the helm, Surrey are a happier county and a stronger side.
Player of the season: Mark Ramprakash
Majestic strokeplay, unerring professionalism and new-found perspective saw Ramprakash become only the fifth man to complete a First Class English season averaging 100 or more. Throughout July and August he scored 150 runs or more in five consecutive Championship games – a unique achievement.
High
Successfully chasing 356, the highest score of the game, in the fourth innings at Somerset, despite being 129-4. A blistering 189-run stand between Clarke and Brown helped Surrey triumph in just the 72nd over.
Low
Bizarrely conspiring to lose four wickets in the first four overs of the Twenty20 semi-final, when Surrey had been odds-on to win.
In the build-up to the 2007 county season, we will feature county reviews for last season, previews for this and other features. Do email cricketingworld@hotmail.com if you would like to pen a piece on your county (or anything else).
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