England’s momentum-shifting victory in Mumbai, the sort that South Africa’s Hashim Amla has patented in recent months, means that both India and their visitors go to Kolkata hopeful of victory in the third of this levelled four match series.
If anything, England go into the third Test as slight favourites. Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann took 19 wickets between them in Mumbai, the most from an English spinning duo since Laker and Lock took 19 New Zealand wickets at Headingly in 1958.
Kevin Pietersen was named Man of the Match in Mumbai for his stunning 186 that destroyed India’s bowling attack. Ravchandrani Arshwin may have inspired some fear in England’s batsmen before this series started, but his wickets have gone for an average of nearly 60 runs apiece so far in the series, and that’s not good enough for any front line bowler.
Pietersen took the game away from India, a display of aggressive, game-changing batting that has mostly eluded this England team for much of 2012, but which will be required to complete a famous series victory in India this year
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni meanwhile seems determined to give Arshwin and Pragyan Ojha every chance of spinning England out, requesting (demanding?) a wicket that spins from ball one at Eden Gardens. India will serve up a pitch that has been used for a four day domestic Ranji match just two weeks ago for the Test starting on Wednesday, a step that resulted in pitch Curator Prabir Mukherjee requesting a letter of authorisation from the BCCI before delivering the pitch.
Dhoni’s desire to arm his spinners with a pitch that’s conducive to their skill sets may be counterproductive to his side however, as Swann and Panesar caused more problems and, bottom line, took more wickets than their Indian counterparts in the last test.
From England’s perspective, despite their astonishing ten wicket victory in Mumbai, changes are expected.
Ian Bell has re-joined the squad following the birth of his first child. His return to the side would mean Samit Patel or Jonny Bairstow miss out.
Given that England have abandoned their flawed plan to use Patel as a second spinner, and that Bairstow’s batting in the warm-up matches of this tour and the last test against South Africa at the Oval earlier this year have both yielded centuries, I would like to see the Yorkshire man given the nod ahead of Patel, who has struggled with bat and ball so far this series.
The biggest decision England face however is, should Stuart Broad retain his place?
The Nottinghamshire bowler, named vice captain for this tour, has been desperately short of pace and penetration in India despite taking 40 wickets in all Tests this year. England won comfortably last time out with Broad in the side, but the bowler was a passenger for most of the match. Panesar and Swann won’t take 19 wickets in every game and England need their seam attack to share the load in Kolkata.
Broad will feel aggrieved should he miss out, but Steve Finn was always meant to play in this series, only a thigh injury picked up on day one of this tour delayed his participation until now. Finn’s form on the ODI series in India 12 months ago was the highlight of a miserable 5-0 series whitewash here, taking 8 wickets at 31 runs apiece, and he has arguably been England’s stand out bowler this year across all formats as well.
Finn for Broad makes sense in the bowling department, but it does weaken the batting severely. In Finn, Panesar and Anderson, England have three rank tail-enders at the bottom of their batting line up.
Broad supporters might hope that England go with five bowlers, with Finn taking the place of either Patel or Bairstow with Prior moving up to six, but I cannot see England risking that. Whether England choose four bowlers of five (they won’t choose five), more runs are required from the batting order. Pietersen, Cook and Prior can’t score them all.
My England XI for Kolkata would be; Cook ©, Compton, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Bairstow, Prior (+), Swann, Anderson, Finn, Panesar
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Sunday, 2 December 2012
The Day I Met Punter
 |
| Second highest run scorer in Test Cricket history, Ponting retired from Internation cricket on 3rd December 2012 |
2nd May 2007. Australia had just won the ODI World Cup in Barbados and they were on their way home via London Heathrow.
How do I know this? Because I saw them there!
Back then, I was a 27 year old buck taking the young lady I now call my wife, Maria, on a trip of a lifetime to Thailand. As we stood in security control, waiting to have our bags checked, I had an “if Carlsberg did airport check-ins,” moment…
I looked to my left and there was a man. An absolute hulk in fact that made me – a modestly sized man – look like a cat in a pack of lions. It was Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, barely able to fit through the body x-ray machines, his shoulders as wide as I was tall.
Four days earlier, Symonds had contributed 23 runs and a wicket to the Australian 53 run drubbing of Sri Lanka, helping Ponting’s men to a third ODI World Cup in a row.
2007 was slap-bang in the middle of a golden era for Australian cricket of course. As well as their ODI crowns, the Aussies were in the process of going 16 Test matches unbeaten, a run spanning from December 2005 to January 2008, during which they managed a sketchy 5-0 series win over England I believe?
Anyway, as we continued through security, my excitement during what is normally one of the most tedious tasks known to modern man was elevated to ridiculously high proportions due to the presence of the entire Australian ODI squad. Nathan Bracken with his blond, Stuart Broad-esque locks glided past me, as did a young Michael Clarke and a not-so-young Glenn McGrath - surreal.
There I was stood in front of the entire Australian cricket squad, the best cricket side in the world. It would make sense for me, a massive cricket fan, to take photos, ask for autographs, talk to these legends, these champions. But no. I stuttered. I dawdled. I failed.
As we left passport control, the moment was over. The Aussies had buggered off into the Business Class area away from the riff-raff, my wife-to-be and I included.
But hang on a second, because there in front of me, large as life, was Ricky Ponting. Well, when I say large, he was no Andrew Symonds. Punter was my height, perhaps slightly taller, and resplendent in Australia’s green blazer. Without a baggy green adorning his head he was almost unrecognisable away from the cricket pitch.
“That’s Ricky Ponting,” I gasped to Maria.
My lady was - and still is - no cricket fan, so I had to elaborate. “He is the captain of Australia,” I exclaimed. “He has just lifted the cricket World Cup in the West Indies. He will go on to play an astonishing 168 Test matches, scoring 13,366 runs – the second highest run scorer in Test history behind only Sachin Tendulkar,” I concluded…ish.
“Go and get his autograph,” Maria urged. But what’s the point in an autograph? Years earlier I had asked boxer Nigel Benn to sign a one pound note when I met him in Jersey, but ended up having to spend it weeks later having fallen on tough times. As a result I don’t have a huge fondness for autographs, and so decided against getting Punter’s pawmark.
“Well, shall I take a photo of you with him?”, Maria continued. But that just felt too needy.
“Fuck it,” I said. “I’m going to shake his hand!”
Punter looked at me. I looked at him. I probably looked like a crazed, testosterone-fuelled teenager gawping at a girl he fancies but clearly stands no chance with. I walked towards him. He went to walk around me. I changed course and walked towards him. Like the teenager closing in on the girl, would Punter leave me hanging?
No. Like a gent he put out his hand. We shook. “Congratulations on the World Cup, Ricky,” I said. A mightily impressive achievement I thought, considering my social ineptitude.
“Ah, cheers mate," Punter replied in his thick, Tasmanian drool. Cool, calm and - let’s face it - completely uninterested as he was.
And with that, he headed off into Business Class, whilst Maria and I went off to find our cheap seats for Thailand.
Maria said yes to my eventual marriage proposal. But even better than that, some might say, was that she got me a handshake with one of my heroes, and I’ll always be thankful to her for that. Oh, and for having my two children, obviously.
Ricky Ponting is one of the finest Test batsmen I’ve ever seen. Tendulkar may have scored more runs than him but Punter’s fight sets him apart in my opinion. Ashes battles won’t be the same without him.
Go well in retirement, Punter.
Friday, 23 November 2012
Stuart's Beef As England Look At Changes
This is the understatement of
the year, but England desperately need a performance in the second Test in
Mumbai.
Defeat would end England’s
chances of winning the series with just two tests played. It would also result
in England’s worst run of Test results in a calendar year, a defeat in Mumbai would
be their eighth of 2012.
England’s insipid bowling display
in Ahmedabad leaves them with a dichotomy to solve ahead of day one of the
second Test: Do they go with five specialist bowlers, or do they maintain the
four man attack that so badly faltered last time out?
Whichever option England decide
to go for, there will surely be changes to the personnel involved. Tim Bresnan
- whose pace has undoubtedly dropped since surgery on an injured elbow last
year – now sadly lacks the zip required to trouble batsmen at this level, and
his disappointing return of 19 overs, no wickets for 73 runs in India’s first
innings at Ahmedabad will surely result in him missing out here.
Bresnan will almost certainly be
replaced by Monty Panesar, with the wicket expected to turn and an
acknowledgement from Coach Andy Flower this week that he should have played in
Ahmedabad, Monty will provide the support to Graeme Swann that Samit Patel’s
part time spin could never do and in truth, was never supposed to.
Vice-captain Stuart Broad missed
nets on Thursday. This was said to be a precautionary measure, but it’s possible
that his absence could result in Stuart Meaker making a surprise Test debut on
Friday.
Meaker, who was drafted into the
touring party as cover for the injured Steven Finn, presents England with an
interesting conundrum because Broad, like Bresnan, struggled to make an
impression with the ball in Ahmedabad, and with Meaker’s pace and skiddy action
presenting different challenges to the Indian batsmen, it might be a move that
even a fit and well Broad may have succumbed to.
That said it would be huge
decision to draft in a young bowler on test debut for a game England cannot
afford to lose. My hunch is Broad will play, although had Steven Finn been fit
again he would surely have lined up alongside Anderson, Swann and Monty in England’s
bowling quartet, with Patel providing back-up should it be required (it will be
required).
England need their batting line
up to fire as well though, and they would do well to take a leaf out of Australian
captain Michael Clarke’s book, who scored his fourth double hundred of 2012
against South Africa in Adelaide on Thursday.
Pup’s average this year is breath-taking
141 and whilst Alastair Cook will hope his appointment as captain will yield
similar returns as it has done for his Australian counterpart, he also knows
and has stated this week that the rest of England’s batting line up need to deliver
now too.
One man who won’t be scoring runs
in Mumbai is new dad Ian Bell, who has returned to England following the birth
of his son. Jonny Bairstow looks most likely to replace Bell at five following scores
of 95 and 54 against South Africa in his last test, not to mention a century
against Mumbai A in England’s final warm-up match before this series started.
If Patel remains at six, England
could potentially have three changes to the side that lost by nine wickets last
week. It’s hardly the start of a new era, but if Bairstow and Meaker come in
and score runs and take wickets, it is hard to see how either Bell or Broad
would get back into the side, on this tour at least.
England are in desperate need of
finding a winning formula in India. Broad won’t want to be dropped, and as part
of the ECB establishment I am sure his employers won’t want to drop him either,
but England have to pose more of a threat with the ball in Mumbai than they did
last week, so Broad might well have to miss out.
Friday, 16 November 2012
Monty Got A Raw Deal
It's amazing how a players stock can rise when they're not even involved in a game of cricket. It's like the value of gold rising when equity markets are in crisis.
The trouble with using Monty Panesar as the golden boy in our investment analogy here is that he's far from being the perfectly safe investment England should revert to when their normal game plan defaults.
With England toiling as India reached 521 for 8 on Friday, long before their catastrophic capitulation with the bat to 41/3 at stumps on day two, the age old debate of England sub-continent tours of old has already re-surfaced: where is Monty?
A run a ball 117 from Virendra Sehwag as well as a spritely 74 from Yuvraj, returning to test cricket after his battle with cancer, helped India into a position of power during their first innings. But it was the stand out performance of India’s new number three, Che Pujara, whose 206 was full of classical shots his predecessor Rahul Dravid would have been proud of, that really drove home India’s advantage.
A lot of the talk in England before this series focussed on the retirements of Dravid and the sublime VVS Laxman, not to mention the fading force of Sachin Tendulkar. But with Pujara delivering in Ahmedabad and the emergence of Virat Kohli as a genuine test cricketer over the past 12 months, India are re-generating their batting line-up. And mighty impressive it looks too.
England’s decision to maintain a three man seam attack resulted in Monty missing out in the first Test, with Samit Patel’s ability to bat well against spin giving him the nod over Jonny Bairstow.
What England must now be realising however is that Patel’s left arm spin is defensive at best, and cannot be considered frontline or threatening, particularly against this accomplished Indian batting line up.
Graeme Swann bowled more than an entire ODI innings, 51 overs in the first innings alone. He took five wickets and in the process surpassed Jim Laker as England’s most successful off-spinner. He bowled a good line and genuinely challenged the Indian batsmen throughout, something of a surprise given the difficult time he had against Amla and co last summer.
The fact that Kevin Pietersen had a couple of spells as well, taking the wicket of Ravi Ashwin late on day two, suggests England desperately need additional spin options, but I still wouldn’t count on Monty playing the next match
Monty has a fine slow left arm, with a good record for England, taking 142 wickets in 42 matches to date. But whilst his forward defensive can be obdurate at times (Cardiff; Ashes; you know the rest), his work in the field is still slightly reminiscent of a newly born foal, barely able to control the movement of its own legs as they stumble their way around a field
Further, England have enjoyed a huge amount of success in Test cricket over the past few years with this formula of three seamers and a spinner. To change that would be a bold statement, and if such a change were to fail, criticism would duly follow.
But do England need three seamers in India, where the pitches are bereft of life, bounce and therefore offer little, if any, assistance to fast bowlers? Bresnan, who replaced the injured Steven Finn here, would have been selected because of his ability to reverse swing the ball as he did in last week’s final warm up match at Ahmedabad’s B stadium, but he has not been able to replicate that in the first two days of this Test.
Finn’s sheer pace and height would surely have presented more problems than the conservative Bresnan has managed so far, and he would get in most people’s first XI ahead of Monty, and if he is fit for the second test he will surely play, so again – where would Monty fit in? Should England drop Patel and replace him with a more effective left arm spinner?
The other option available to the selectors, which has been mentioned by a few fellows on Twitter in recent months, is dropping Stuart Broad. His bowling has been relatively ineffective in recent times and was England’s most expensive bowler in the first innings here, going at over four an over
But then, it would be a pretty brave decision to drop the newly appointed vice captain before he's even demanded the third umpire review a turned-down lbw decision or two, (there’s no DRS in this series either remember!)
Monty fans will say he got a raw deal by not getting a game in the first Test. Many people will say that England’s fans in general have been given a raw deal as not playing him has potentially reduced England’s chances of winning the first Test.
But getting him into the side is going to require England to abandon their favoured six batsmen four bowlers ratio, or drop one of their three tried and tested seamers.
It’s a big call for Cook, in only his second Test as captain, but after just two days of this tour, England’s stock is already starting to slide.
The trouble with using Monty Panesar as the golden boy in our investment analogy here is that he's far from being the perfectly safe investment England should revert to when their normal game plan defaults.
With England toiling as India reached 521 for 8 on Friday, long before their catastrophic capitulation with the bat to 41/3 at stumps on day two, the age old debate of England sub-continent tours of old has already re-surfaced: where is Monty?
A run a ball 117 from Virendra Sehwag as well as a spritely 74 from Yuvraj, returning to test cricket after his battle with cancer, helped India into a position of power during their first innings. But it was the stand out performance of India’s new number three, Che Pujara, whose 206 was full of classical shots his predecessor Rahul Dravid would have been proud of, that really drove home India’s advantage.
A lot of the talk in England before this series focussed on the retirements of Dravid and the sublime VVS Laxman, not to mention the fading force of Sachin Tendulkar. But with Pujara delivering in Ahmedabad and the emergence of Virat Kohli as a genuine test cricketer over the past 12 months, India are re-generating their batting line-up. And mighty impressive it looks too.
England’s decision to maintain a three man seam attack resulted in Monty missing out in the first Test, with Samit Patel’s ability to bat well against spin giving him the nod over Jonny Bairstow.
What England must now be realising however is that Patel’s left arm spin is defensive at best, and cannot be considered frontline or threatening, particularly against this accomplished Indian batting line up.
Graeme Swann bowled more than an entire ODI innings, 51 overs in the first innings alone. He took five wickets and in the process surpassed Jim Laker as England’s most successful off-spinner. He bowled a good line and genuinely challenged the Indian batsmen throughout, something of a surprise given the difficult time he had against Amla and co last summer.
The fact that Kevin Pietersen had a couple of spells as well, taking the wicket of Ravi Ashwin late on day two, suggests England desperately need additional spin options, but I still wouldn’t count on Monty playing the next match
Monty has a fine slow left arm, with a good record for England, taking 142 wickets in 42 matches to date. But whilst his forward defensive can be obdurate at times (Cardiff; Ashes; you know the rest), his work in the field is still slightly reminiscent of a newly born foal, barely able to control the movement of its own legs as they stumble their way around a field
Further, England have enjoyed a huge amount of success in Test cricket over the past few years with this formula of three seamers and a spinner. To change that would be a bold statement, and if such a change were to fail, criticism would duly follow.
But do England need three seamers in India, where the pitches are bereft of life, bounce and therefore offer little, if any, assistance to fast bowlers? Bresnan, who replaced the injured Steven Finn here, would have been selected because of his ability to reverse swing the ball as he did in last week’s final warm up match at Ahmedabad’s B stadium, but he has not been able to replicate that in the first two days of this Test.
Finn’s sheer pace and height would surely have presented more problems than the conservative Bresnan has managed so far, and he would get in most people’s first XI ahead of Monty, and if he is fit for the second test he will surely play, so again – where would Monty fit in? Should England drop Patel and replace him with a more effective left arm spinner?
The other option available to the selectors, which has been mentioned by a few fellows on Twitter in recent months, is dropping Stuart Broad. His bowling has been relatively ineffective in recent times and was England’s most expensive bowler in the first innings here, going at over four an over
But then, it would be a pretty brave decision to drop the newly appointed vice captain before he's even demanded the third umpire review a turned-down lbw decision or two, (there’s no DRS in this series either remember!)
Monty fans will say he got a raw deal by not getting a game in the first Test. Many people will say that England’s fans in general have been given a raw deal as not playing him has potentially reduced England’s chances of winning the first Test.
But getting him into the side is going to require England to abandon their favoured six batsmen four bowlers ratio, or drop one of their three tried and tested seamers.
It’s a big call for Cook, in only his second Test as captain, but after just two days of this tour, England’s stock is already starting to slide.
Friday, 19 October 2012
ECB Announce 2014 County Cricket Schedule
2014 might seem a long way off to start planning your summer holidays, but the ECB have shown county cricket fans the shape of summers to come with the publication of the 2014 domestic cricket schedule on Thursday.
The format of the LV= County Championship will remain as is; two divisions of nine with two teams promoted and relegated each season. The scheduling of first class matches will change however, with games running from Sunday to Wednesday for the first 14 matches of the 2014 season.
The t20 tournament will become a regular weekly fixture occupying Friday nights and Sunday afternoons, in line with the “strong desire from Counties and spectators," to have an "appointment to view," t20 schedule.
Finally, the Clydesdale Bank 40 tournament will become a 50 overs a side to mirror One Day International cricket, with 8 teams progressing from two groups of nine into quarter-finals, a change from the present setup where three group winners and the best runner-up progressed into the semi-final stage.
Changes to the domestic schedule have been the subject of much debate throughout this season, ever since the proposals of the Morgan report were published earlier in 2012. David Morgan, the former ECB chairman was asked by his former employers to compile a report into the “business of domestic cricket and its interfaces with the international game.”
And it’s fair to say that some of Morgan’s findings, such as wanting to reduce the number of first class matches from 16 to 14, were opposed by players, counties and spectators alike.
An online survey was launched by the ECB - “the largest piece of market research ever conducted on county cricket,” according to ECB Chief Executive David Collier - to ascertain what fans wanted from the domestic game.
Even the Professional Cricketers Association put forth their views on the report, with 91% of players who participated affirming their view, that first class cricket should be prioritised above all else.
What should be clear by now is there are a lot of views and opinions, a lot of people to keep happy and, lest we forget, a hell of a lot of cricket to cram into a short and (as we saw with this year’s weather) relatively unpredictable summer period.
To address each format, the retention of a sixteen game county championship is a good thing. It means no fundamental change to the make-up of the two divisions, something players and counties were keen to ensure.
Sunday starts for championship matches from 2014 is a big change, leaving a lot of fans unhappy as it means less first class cricket on weekends. Whilst I sympathise with people on this, the inconsistent nature of the championship cricket schedule last season meant more structure was required.
What are the alternatives to a Sunday start though? Last season at the Ageas Bowl in Hampshire, the turnstiles were lucky if they rolled over more than a couple of hundred times, even on a Saturday. The staff employed for a days cricket almost outnumbered the spectators.
I am a huge fan of Championship cricket but with all things considered (supporters, finances, other cricket formats), the fact that Championship cricket is accessible at the weekend, in part at least, is a good thing.
T20 cricket is a tough one. Cricket fans may wonder why England cannot create a competition akin to the IPL or Australia's Big Bash. The poor climate and protracted nature of the tournament are two major factors, as is the money required to sign overseas players, money which English counties don’t have.
Chris Gayle was due to line up for Somerset last season. The fact he decided to rescind his deal to make himself available for international selection tells us a lot about international cricketers’ opinion of the competition. With that in mind, perhaps it's not the worst idea to keep t20 as a purely domestic competition. In spanning the whole season it gives England players more opportunity to participate, rotation permitting, and for the punters it is the best night of the week – after a week at work yet before family time starts on Saturday morning.
I attended a Hampshire v Sussex t20 match this summer. It was a Friday night fixture and the place was heaving. You can't blame the counties for wanting to cash in on these nights, most of them living on a knife-edge financially.
Finally, the CB40. List A is a tired looking format, and last season’s campaign, although blessed with a nail biting finale at Lord's in September, was largely forgettable. That said the ECB needs it to facilitate England's One Day side.
Now, you could argue that in ten years’ time, One Day cricket will be a thing of the past, so why have it taking up so much of the domestic window? Whilst this may be true, we do know that the ECB are committed to challenging for the ODI World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2015. It would therefore be foolish to kill off the game domestically if they still want to be successful in the international format.
The suggestion that the competition could become a straight knock out affair with teams eliminated after just one match, just doesn’t support the England campaign. Potential one day England players could be knocked out in the first round, damaging theirs and their country's future aspirations.
And this is a really key point. Not only are we trying to keep a lot of Counties in business here, we are also trying to facilitate a successful domestic game which will ultimately benefit Team England.
This is a strong statement from the ECB, and I think that, on balance, they have the structure about right. Championship fixtures have a regular slot, t20 will potentially generate more revenue, while List A cricket now replicates the international version.
It was nigh on impossible for the ECB to please everyone, but personally, I think the summer of 2014 looks about right.
The format of the LV= County Championship will remain as is; two divisions of nine with two teams promoted and relegated each season. The scheduling of first class matches will change however, with games running from Sunday to Wednesday for the first 14 matches of the 2014 season.
The t20 tournament will become a regular weekly fixture occupying Friday nights and Sunday afternoons, in line with the “strong desire from Counties and spectators," to have an "appointment to view," t20 schedule.
Finally, the Clydesdale Bank 40 tournament will become a 50 overs a side to mirror One Day International cricket, with 8 teams progressing from two groups of nine into quarter-finals, a change from the present setup where three group winners and the best runner-up progressed into the semi-final stage.
Changes to the domestic schedule have been the subject of much debate throughout this season, ever since the proposals of the Morgan report were published earlier in 2012. David Morgan, the former ECB chairman was asked by his former employers to compile a report into the “business of domestic cricket and its interfaces with the international game.”
And it’s fair to say that some of Morgan’s findings, such as wanting to reduce the number of first class matches from 16 to 14, were opposed by players, counties and spectators alike.
An online survey was launched by the ECB - “the largest piece of market research ever conducted on county cricket,” according to ECB Chief Executive David Collier - to ascertain what fans wanted from the domestic game.
Even the Professional Cricketers Association put forth their views on the report, with 91% of players who participated affirming their view, that first class cricket should be prioritised above all else.
What should be clear by now is there are a lot of views and opinions, a lot of people to keep happy and, lest we forget, a hell of a lot of cricket to cram into a short and (as we saw with this year’s weather) relatively unpredictable summer period.
To address each format, the retention of a sixteen game county championship is a good thing. It means no fundamental change to the make-up of the two divisions, something players and counties were keen to ensure.
Sunday starts for championship matches from 2014 is a big change, leaving a lot of fans unhappy as it means less first class cricket on weekends. Whilst I sympathise with people on this, the inconsistent nature of the championship cricket schedule last season meant more structure was required.
What are the alternatives to a Sunday start though? Last season at the Ageas Bowl in Hampshire, the turnstiles were lucky if they rolled over more than a couple of hundred times, even on a Saturday. The staff employed for a days cricket almost outnumbered the spectators.
I am a huge fan of Championship cricket but with all things considered (supporters, finances, other cricket formats), the fact that Championship cricket is accessible at the weekend, in part at least, is a good thing.
T20 cricket is a tough one. Cricket fans may wonder why England cannot create a competition akin to the IPL or Australia's Big Bash. The poor climate and protracted nature of the tournament are two major factors, as is the money required to sign overseas players, money which English counties don’t have.
Chris Gayle was due to line up for Somerset last season. The fact he decided to rescind his deal to make himself available for international selection tells us a lot about international cricketers’ opinion of the competition. With that in mind, perhaps it's not the worst idea to keep t20 as a purely domestic competition. In spanning the whole season it gives England players more opportunity to participate, rotation permitting, and for the punters it is the best night of the week – after a week at work yet before family time starts on Saturday morning.
I attended a Hampshire v Sussex t20 match this summer. It was a Friday night fixture and the place was heaving. You can't blame the counties for wanting to cash in on these nights, most of them living on a knife-edge financially.
Finally, the CB40. List A is a tired looking format, and last season’s campaign, although blessed with a nail biting finale at Lord's in September, was largely forgettable. That said the ECB needs it to facilitate England's One Day side.
Now, you could argue that in ten years’ time, One Day cricket will be a thing of the past, so why have it taking up so much of the domestic window? Whilst this may be true, we do know that the ECB are committed to challenging for the ODI World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2015. It would therefore be foolish to kill off the game domestically if they still want to be successful in the international format.
The suggestion that the competition could become a straight knock out affair with teams eliminated after just one match, just doesn’t support the England campaign. Potential one day England players could be knocked out in the first round, damaging theirs and their country's future aspirations.
And this is a really key point. Not only are we trying to keep a lot of Counties in business here, we are also trying to facilitate a successful domestic game which will ultimately benefit Team England.
This is a strong statement from the ECB, and I think that, on balance, they have the structure about right. Championship fixtures have a regular slot, t20 will potentially generate more revenue, while List A cricket now replicates the international version.
It was nigh on impossible for the ECB to please everyone, but personally, I think the summer of 2014 looks about right.
Friday, 28 September 2012
England Still Looking For The Kies To The World
It’s common knowledge that a good, strong start to an innings is paramount to scoring a competitive total in t20 cricket.
That said, attempting an expansive pull shot off the second ball of an innings is a trifle risky even in this format.
Craig Kieswetter attempted just that in Pellekele yesterday, and succeeded only in top-edging Ravi Rampaul straight down Kieron Pollard’s throat at third man. England crashed to 80 all out in their last group match against India last Sunday, and their kamikaze shot selection seems to have remained intact – sadly.
With England 0 for 1 after two balls, Luke Wright came to the crease and managed to fend Rampaul's next delivery straight to Chris Gayle at first slip. Catching practice this was not, but it might as well have been. England have been accused of not playing spin particularly well again on this tour, but when a team loses two wickets in the first three balls of an innings, the subsequent batsmen will struggle against any bowling.
England’s match with the West Indies had been delayed by the over-running preceding match between tournament hosts Sri Lanka and New Zealand, which had gone into a super over, the scores tied after 40 overs. England and West Indies players took to the pitch at the end of the regulation overs to warm up, before being ushered off for the tie-breaker which Sri Lanka won. It had the making of a slightly off-piste evening thereafter, a point personified by Rapaul’s double wicket maiden first up.
The fact that Eoin Morgan produced an innings of real quality, scoring an unbeaten 71 off 36 balls and taking England to within 15 runs of what always seemed an unlikely victory, was sadly lost as concern around the rest of the batting line-up took centre stage.
Morgan, batting at five, had to wait his turn as Jonny Bairstow toiled to 18 off 29 balls. England look to Morgan to see the team home in the later overs and whilst Bairstow is not usually one to get stuck at the crease, but his slow strike rate meant Morgan and England ran out of time in their chase of West Indies total of 179.
One of England’s biggest problems in Sri Lanka is that apart from Morgan, they lack proven world-class batsmen. Hales, Bairstow are Buttler are all still learning their trade and whilst they have the potential to produce match-winning performances, cannot yet be relied upon to do so.
An Ian Bell or Matthew Prior up top might just have given the batting line-up that little bit of experience they need. And looking at the squad that travelled to Sri Lanka, there aren’t too many batting alternatives, other than the much discussed Ravi Bopara of course, so perhaps England’s only option is to change the order rather than the personnel, if indeed the selectors decide changes are required at all?
With games against New Zealand and Sri Lanka still to come for England, a turn-around in fortunes is required immediately if they are to hold any hope of progressing to the World t20 knock-out stages.
The bowling, save for captain Stuart Broad, was expensive yesterday. Again Bopara could help out there, but other than Bresnan, few others have tournament experience in this squad. I had high hopes that Danny Briggs would make a mark on this tournament. England had the chance to get him involved in the group stages; he could have played against Afghanistan or India, getting himself used to conditions and tournament cricket at the highest level.
The fact he wasn’t used then means that it would be a tall-order for him and a massive gamble for the selectors for him to come in now.
That said Briggs, who took 3 for 15 against Pakistan in a pre-tournament warm up match earlier this month, would provide a threat with the ball, and with victory against New Zealand in their next super 8’s match tomorrow now imperative, England could take the view that Briggs’ inclusion is a risk worth taking.
That said, attempting an expansive pull shot off the second ball of an innings is a trifle risky even in this format.
Craig Kieswetter attempted just that in Pellekele yesterday, and succeeded only in top-edging Ravi Rampaul straight down Kieron Pollard’s throat at third man. England crashed to 80 all out in their last group match against India last Sunday, and their kamikaze shot selection seems to have remained intact – sadly.
With England 0 for 1 after two balls, Luke Wright came to the crease and managed to fend Rampaul's next delivery straight to Chris Gayle at first slip. Catching practice this was not, but it might as well have been. England have been accused of not playing spin particularly well again on this tour, but when a team loses two wickets in the first three balls of an innings, the subsequent batsmen will struggle against any bowling.
England’s match with the West Indies had been delayed by the over-running preceding match between tournament hosts Sri Lanka and New Zealand, which had gone into a super over, the scores tied after 40 overs. England and West Indies players took to the pitch at the end of the regulation overs to warm up, before being ushered off for the tie-breaker which Sri Lanka won. It had the making of a slightly off-piste evening thereafter, a point personified by Rapaul’s double wicket maiden first up.
The fact that Eoin Morgan produced an innings of real quality, scoring an unbeaten 71 off 36 balls and taking England to within 15 runs of what always seemed an unlikely victory, was sadly lost as concern around the rest of the batting line-up took centre stage.
Morgan, batting at five, had to wait his turn as Jonny Bairstow toiled to 18 off 29 balls. England look to Morgan to see the team home in the later overs and whilst Bairstow is not usually one to get stuck at the crease, but his slow strike rate meant Morgan and England ran out of time in their chase of West Indies total of 179.
One of England’s biggest problems in Sri Lanka is that apart from Morgan, they lack proven world-class batsmen. Hales, Bairstow are Buttler are all still learning their trade and whilst they have the potential to produce match-winning performances, cannot yet be relied upon to do so.
An Ian Bell or Matthew Prior up top might just have given the batting line-up that little bit of experience they need. And looking at the squad that travelled to Sri Lanka, there aren’t too many batting alternatives, other than the much discussed Ravi Bopara of course, so perhaps England’s only option is to change the order rather than the personnel, if indeed the selectors decide changes are required at all?
With games against New Zealand and Sri Lanka still to come for England, a turn-around in fortunes is required immediately if they are to hold any hope of progressing to the World t20 knock-out stages.
The bowling, save for captain Stuart Broad, was expensive yesterday. Again Bopara could help out there, but other than Bresnan, few others have tournament experience in this squad. I had high hopes that Danny Briggs would make a mark on this tournament. England had the chance to get him involved in the group stages; he could have played against Afghanistan or India, getting himself used to conditions and tournament cricket at the highest level.
The fact he wasn’t used then means that it would be a tall-order for him and a massive gamble for the selectors for him to come in now.
That said Briggs, who took 3 for 15 against Pakistan in a pre-tournament warm up match earlier this month, would provide a threat with the ball, and with victory against New Zealand in their next super 8’s match tomorrow now imperative, England could take the view that Briggs’ inclusion is a risk worth taking.
Saturday, 1 September 2012
Hampshire Royals Talented Five
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| Courtesy of LMI Photography (@lmiphotography on Twitter) |
Last week in Cardiff, Hampshire won their second Friends Life T20 title in three years.
In a season that was supposed to be transitional as they recovered from relegation to Division Two of the LV= county championship, and looked to replace senior figures such as Nic Pothas, Imran Tahir, Dominic Cork and Neil McKenzie, the Royals have excelled with a host of youngsters stepping up and winning the first silverware up for grabs in the domestic calendar.
Michael Bates, Danny Briggs, Liam Dawson, James Vince and Chris Wood all played their part last week at the SWALEC, but then they've been doing that all season.
Hampshire coach Giles White deserves enormous credit for the squad he hasassembled at the Ageas Bowl this year, a blend of young cricketers with cleartalent and potential, carefully fused with experienced pros, giving the side balance and as it turns out, a recipe for success.
At Hampshire's pre-season media day back in April there was an acknowledgmentfrom White and club captain Jimmy Adams that this decision to invest in youthcould be a risky one, that it could take a few years to produce a competitive side, thatpromotion back to the top tier of first class cricket may take some time.
"We want to put something in place that’s got more longevity than justthis season. 3,4,5 years down the line we want to be challenging forhonours," Adams told me that day. Perhaps the young charges have exceededhis and White's expectations already this season?
Later today Hampshire take on Sussex in the Clydesdale Bank Pro-40 semi-final for a place in the Lords showpiece later this month, whilst promotion back to Division One in the championship remains a possibility for 4th placed Hants with their last two matches of the season against second placed Yorkshire and leaders Derbyshire sure to affect the final league placings.
Dawson, Vince, Wood, Bates and Briggs have all excelled in their differentdisciplines in 2012, with 5 wicket hauls, maiden first class hundreds and England call ups all coming the way of the talented quintet this season. Sure the experienced guys have provided the backbone, and the likes of Adams, Michael Carberry, Kabir Ali and former Australian test batsman Simon Katich have all contributed to the Royals successes in 2012.
But this team is built around youth, so below is a short summary on five of Hampshire's brightest prospects, and what they have achieved so far in their short careers.
Michael Bates (21) – Frimley, Surrey
Michael Bates formally took over Hampshire's wicket-keeping duties from the departedNic Pothas at the start of this season. Coach Giles White scoured the countrylooking for an experienced man to replace Pothas before entrusting Bates withthe gloves on a permanent basis. And the 21 year old hasn’t disappointed, taking 42 catches in 14 Division two matches this season, whilst his ploy of standing up to seamers such as Chris Wood in limited overs cricket has helped to put pressure on opposing batsmen all season
Bates is as good a wicket-keeper as you’ll see in county cricket, asafe and reliable pair of hands who puts few chances down, but his batting is an area that still requires work, despite reaching his maiden first class hundred earlier this season agaist Yorkshire
Danny Briggs (21) – Isle of Wight, Hampshire
Briggs was the second youngest Englishman to reach 100 first classwickets behind Derek Underwood last year, form that has lead to him being called up toEngland's 15 man squad for the World T20 championships in Sri Lanka starting later this month. Bowling a consistently tight line with variations of pace rather than big spin his main weapon, Briggs has proven to be particularly effective in limited overs cricket and refers to Daniel Vettori as his role-model
He was Hampshire's leadingwicket taker in T20 cricket as the Royals won their last title back in 2010.This term he has struggled somewhat, and with the resurgence of Liam Dawson asa genuine spin option, was actually omitted from the championship squad earlieron in the campaign. His figures this season may not look as impressive asin previous years, but with 17 scalps at 22 runs apiece in CB40 this summer,the Royals leading wicket taker in the format, he's still doing enough toexcite England selectors and the Hampshire faithful alike
Liam Dawson (22) – Swindon, Wiltshire
Like Bates and Briggs, Dawson has represented his country at under 19 level, captaining on a tour of South Africa in 2008. He began his career as a spin bowler but as his batting improved, Dawson became more of a specialist batsman, and actually opened the batting with captain Jimmy Adams at the start of this season for a while, before being replaced at the top of the order by Michael Carberry.Liam Dawson (22) – Swindon, Wiltshire
A meeting between Hampshire's bowlers around this time howevergave Dawson renewed confidence in his bowling aspirations. As they took turnsto critique each other the general consensus was that Dawson should think ofhimself as a frontline bowler again, rather than a batsman who could bowl a bit.5 wickets for 29 against Leicestershire soon followed and it wasn’t long beforeDawson had actually replaced Briggs as the sides spinner, such was the threat he was posing in what was seam-friendly conditions on early season wickets
2012has seen Dawson develop into a genuine all-round option for Hampshire, apivotal member of the team in all three formats, and with a more settled placein the batting line up, Dawson should go from strength to strength in thefuture
James Vince (21) – Cuckfield, Sussex
Having been compared to Michael Vaughan by Duncan Fletcher during his time coaching at Hampshire, James Vince has thetechnique to go far. Vince was the second youngest batsman to reach 1,000 runsin Hampshire’s history and his runs this summer, particularly in limited overscricket, have contributed to the Royal’s success.
Vince was the Royal’s leading run scorer in their victorious T20campaign this summer, scoring 254 runs at an average of 31.75, ahead of thebig-hitting Australian Glenn Maxwell who made such an impact at the Ageas Bowl earlierthis season. He is also Hampshire’s second highest run-scorer in Pro-40 cricketbehind the Michael Carberry, with 479 runs at 59.87 per innings. At just 21 hehas many years ahead of him to develop his game yet further, and with Englandunder 19 experiences also under his belt, not to mention former England coaches singing hispraises, Vince could appear at the top level of the game in the future
Chris Wood (22) – Basingstoke, HampshireChris Wood is another Hampshire cricketer who has shown promise from an early age. Theleft-arm seamer from Basingstoke has been in and out of the Championship sidethis season as senior bowlers Kabir Ali and James Tomlinson returned to fullfitness, but Wood has done well when called upon, taking 18 wickets from his 8matches at 35 runs apiece. His batting isn’t too shabby either, scoring 105 notout against Leicestershire as recently as last week, a career best score andmaiden first class hundred.
It is in limited overs cricket that Wood is particularlystrong however and his 5/22 against Glamorgan in Pro-40 match in August helpedto set Hampshire on their way to a semi-final clash against Sussex later today. He played a major role in securing both the Royals T20 titles as hefinished second leading wicket taker behind Briggs in 2010 whilst taking 3wickets in the final over of the T20 final against Yorkshire this year
Hampshire hoped to challenge for honours at thestart of this season, but I’m not sure if anyone at the Ageas Bowl trulybelieved they would prevail quite yet. With a young side and against some strong opposition, theRoyals were up against it. But going into the final few weeks of the 2012 season,the Royals are in the mix on all fronts and what’s more, the strength of the young guns means they'll be challenging for many years to come
Thursday, 9 August 2012
KP Debate A Wake Up Call For The ECB
"I'm not waiting for Andrew Strauss!" declared Pietersen arriving at the post match press conference at Headingly on Monday evening. The press pack must have been licking their lips. This could get messy.
Normally, post-match press conferences are attended by the man of the match and his skipper together - Pietersen was in no mood to wait, and now we know why.
Pietersen went on to tell the press how tough it was to be him, how angry he was that details of his contract renewal discussions with the ECB had been leaked and how there was more to these discussions than simply his desire to play in the IPL, one of which being issues he faces in the England dressing room.
Quite what he means by issues in the dressing room only he and those close to the team will know, but things are supposedly so bad that at one stage, KP suspected one of his team mates was behind a spoof Twitter account that has been set up to poke fun at the superstar batsman.
KP is at loggerheads with the ECB over their scheduling England matches, and the lack of flexibility in allowing England players - most notably him - to participate in domestic cricket events such as the IPL.
Pietersen is the best T20 batsman in the world and it stands to reason he would be highly sought after by IPL franchises. He appeared for the Dehli Daredevils in this year’s IPL campaign but returned to the UK before the end of the competition to prepare for England's test series against the West Indies
It's an honour to play for your country and people’s expectation is that players should prioritise this above all else. But cricket - like other major sports - is driven by money, and the IPL has bucket loads of it, giving it huge leverage to attract the best players in the world whether international cricket boards like it or not.
Currently, most international cricket boards including the ECB refuse to factor in the IPL to their schedules when planning their tours around the world. The argument is that international cricket is more important and players should therefore make themselves available or face being left out by their country.
The ECB have taken a firm stance on this up until now, and whilst England have played so well over the past few years, most of the senior test players have been happy to reject the lures of the IPL to ensure they stay part of a winning team.
Times were always going to change though, and with England showing slight signs of faltering in recent months, not to mention the prospect of some serious pay-days in India as he nears the autumn of his playing career, it's not completely unreasonable for KP to want to look towards India.
The question is, are the ECB right to completely rule their players out of appearing in the domestic Indian competition?
Personally I think it's a big mistake to ignore the IPL at all costs. Sport, like everything else in life evolves and cricket, despite the desires of the traditionalists, is no different
Test cricket is still the pinnacle of the sport, but T20 is a superb format in its own right. The IPL has brought cricket into the modern age, where bite-size sporting events packed with drama and excitement can fit much better around spectators increasingly busy lives.
The danger I see occurring is that the best cricketers end up bypassing international cricket and head straight for T20 franchises. So far we have seen players at the end of their careers heading there for final pay days, but what if the younger generations brought up on T20 cricket go straight for the cash-cow? International cricket will be the worse for it - you need the best players playing in the best format, which in my mind is still test cricket.
Look at football. International tournaments may still carry prestige for some nations, but for others like England the Premiership and Champions League is considered more important to the fans, whilst the economic benefits on offer make it more attractive to the players, sponsors and administrators alike.
Cricket is a completely different sport of course, but with T20 franchises continuing to pop up all over the world, it’s not impossible to envisage the globalisation of the T20 franchise business, with teams competing against each other from different countries, putting even more strain on international cricket going forwards.
The problem is, and this is typified by Kevin Pietersen and his stance with the ECB, cricketers want something different to what the boards want and whilst this disconnect exists, there are always going to be problems. Look at the West Indies tour of England earlier this summer. So many of the West Indies best players missed the test series because they were in India appearing in the IPL.
The West Indies face massive challenges in keeping their players onside with the lure of the IPL even greater to them given their poor renumeration at international level, but they are not the only board struggling with this. New Zealand are another, and their squad that faces England next March will also be decimated, again due to the IPL.
You can’t just say players should honour their country. Money talks, for all of us.
I would like to see a football type schedule imposed into world cricket. Governed by the ICC, there should be periods in the year that are set aside specifically for domestic competitions like the IPL, Australia's Big Bash and the ECB's Friends Life T20 , leaving the rest of the year for international, first class and list A cricket. Sure there will be overlaps, there’s no getting around that, but we should promote the best and most popular forms of cricket – it is one sport at the end of the day
And far be it from just pandering to the IPL, this would also allow England's FLT20 tournament to grow in stature. This season has not sparkled as in previous years, with a lack of genuine world-class talent on show. A break in the schedule would allow international players to participate whilst freeing up England players for a shorter - maybe three week – campaign as well.
It's food for thought at least. Despite my cynicism at the start of this piece, I am a big fan of KP, and I actually think he has a point, even though he's made them in an unfortunate way. The cricket schedule is ridiculous and for me, it's not on to just say, "forget about the IPL."
It's not just about the money, it's about growing the game of cricket we all know and love. T20 will be a massive part of cricket’s future and for me, if international boards don't embrace that, they could be left behind.
Normally, post-match press conferences are attended by the man of the match and his skipper together - Pietersen was in no mood to wait, and now we know why.
Pietersen went on to tell the press how tough it was to be him, how angry he was that details of his contract renewal discussions with the ECB had been leaked and how there was more to these discussions than simply his desire to play in the IPL, one of which being issues he faces in the England dressing room.
Quite what he means by issues in the dressing room only he and those close to the team will know, but things are supposedly so bad that at one stage, KP suspected one of his team mates was behind a spoof Twitter account that has been set up to poke fun at the superstar batsman.
KP is at loggerheads with the ECB over their scheduling England matches, and the lack of flexibility in allowing England players - most notably him - to participate in domestic cricket events such as the IPL.
Pietersen is the best T20 batsman in the world and it stands to reason he would be highly sought after by IPL franchises. He appeared for the Dehli Daredevils in this year’s IPL campaign but returned to the UK before the end of the competition to prepare for England's test series against the West Indies
It's an honour to play for your country and people’s expectation is that players should prioritise this above all else. But cricket - like other major sports - is driven by money, and the IPL has bucket loads of it, giving it huge leverage to attract the best players in the world whether international cricket boards like it or not.
Currently, most international cricket boards including the ECB refuse to factor in the IPL to their schedules when planning their tours around the world. The argument is that international cricket is more important and players should therefore make themselves available or face being left out by their country.
The ECB have taken a firm stance on this up until now, and whilst England have played so well over the past few years, most of the senior test players have been happy to reject the lures of the IPL to ensure they stay part of a winning team.
Times were always going to change though, and with England showing slight signs of faltering in recent months, not to mention the prospect of some serious pay-days in India as he nears the autumn of his playing career, it's not completely unreasonable for KP to want to look towards India.
The question is, are the ECB right to completely rule their players out of appearing in the domestic Indian competition?
Personally I think it's a big mistake to ignore the IPL at all costs. Sport, like everything else in life evolves and cricket, despite the desires of the traditionalists, is no different
Test cricket is still the pinnacle of the sport, but T20 is a superb format in its own right. The IPL has brought cricket into the modern age, where bite-size sporting events packed with drama and excitement can fit much better around spectators increasingly busy lives.
The danger I see occurring is that the best cricketers end up bypassing international cricket and head straight for T20 franchises. So far we have seen players at the end of their careers heading there for final pay days, but what if the younger generations brought up on T20 cricket go straight for the cash-cow? International cricket will be the worse for it - you need the best players playing in the best format, which in my mind is still test cricket.
Look at football. International tournaments may still carry prestige for some nations, but for others like England the Premiership and Champions League is considered more important to the fans, whilst the economic benefits on offer make it more attractive to the players, sponsors and administrators alike.
Cricket is a completely different sport of course, but with T20 franchises continuing to pop up all over the world, it’s not impossible to envisage the globalisation of the T20 franchise business, with teams competing against each other from different countries, putting even more strain on international cricket going forwards.
The problem is, and this is typified by Kevin Pietersen and his stance with the ECB, cricketers want something different to what the boards want and whilst this disconnect exists, there are always going to be problems. Look at the West Indies tour of England earlier this summer. So many of the West Indies best players missed the test series because they were in India appearing in the IPL.
The West Indies face massive challenges in keeping their players onside with the lure of the IPL even greater to them given their poor renumeration at international level, but they are not the only board struggling with this. New Zealand are another, and their squad that faces England next March will also be decimated, again due to the IPL.
You can’t just say players should honour their country. Money talks, for all of us.
I would like to see a football type schedule imposed into world cricket. Governed by the ICC, there should be periods in the year that are set aside specifically for domestic competitions like the IPL, Australia's Big Bash and the ECB's Friends Life T20 , leaving the rest of the year for international, first class and list A cricket. Sure there will be overlaps, there’s no getting around that, but we should promote the best and most popular forms of cricket – it is one sport at the end of the day
And far be it from just pandering to the IPL, this would also allow England's FLT20 tournament to grow in stature. This season has not sparkled as in previous years, with a lack of genuine world-class talent on show. A break in the schedule would allow international players to participate whilst freeing up England players for a shorter - maybe three week – campaign as well.
It's food for thought at least. Despite my cynicism at the start of this piece, I am a big fan of KP, and I actually think he has a point, even though he's made them in an unfortunate way. The cricket schedule is ridiculous and for me, it's not on to just say, "forget about the IPL."
It's not just about the money, it's about growing the game of cricket we all know and love. T20 will be a massive part of cricket’s future and for me, if international boards don't embrace that, they could be left behind.
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Wait! Let's Give Ravi a Chance
"People try to put us down," rock band The Who used to wail in their 60's anthem, My Generation. Ravi Bopara must know what they meant, having surrendered his second innings wicket cheaply on day five at the Kia Oval, leading to more questions as to why he had been given another chance in England's middle order for this summers box office test series against South Africa.
Day five at the Kia Oval this time around was a dismal place for England, despite previous high points, and what England required in order to save a game they had been thoroughly outplayed in was caution and restraint from their premier batsmen, particularly following the loss of their top four batsmen late on day four.
That Bopara chopped a wide delivery from the imperious Dale Steyn onto his own stumps was cavalier in the extreme given the context of the game, and is a mistake that Bopara will have to live with as he returned to Essex for T20 action this week. He scored only one for them by the way - bad week.
But Bopara wasn't the only England player bamboozled or simply battered by the Proteas in the first of this three match series. Plenty struggled, with not enough batsmen protecting their wicket against a formidable South African bowling attack, whilst the bowlers toiled but looked completely bereft of the cutting edge required to penetrate this solid South African batting line up. The fact that AB De Villiers wasn't even required to bat says it all. Smith, Amla and Kallis were all in scintillating form and whilst this was a messy defeat for England, most cricket fans could only stand and applaud the achievements of all three men.
From day one South Africa bossed England in every department, scoring a mammoth 637 runs for the loss of just two wickets either side of knocking England over for what turned out to be below par scores in both innings on a slow, dry Kia Oval wicket.
Still, when play resumed on the fifth morning there was a glimmer, however small or diminishing, that England might somehow rescue a match that for all intents and purposes seemed dead a long time earlier, from England's perspective at least. and Graeme Smith deserves recognition here. His declaration was perfectly timed, offering chances for all results whilst maintaining his sides overwhelming advantage.
When Bell and Bopara took their guard on Monday, 11:00am, England had 6 wickets in hand. Caution was required to have any hope of survival and so when Bopara waved a bat at a wide one, the Oval gasped as the ball deflected viciously onto the middle timber, pressing it back and calling time of Bopara's brief 30 minute resistance.
Many will say it was a ridiculous shot, that Bopara should have left it, that it demonstrates he doesn't have the temperament for test cricket, that his chances in this side must surely have all expired now.
True it was an unnecessary shot, but we have to look at what came before. Steyn was in the middle of another lethal spell of fast bowling. The over before, Bopara had left one that had swung in late and missed his off stump by millimetres. When the ball is coming down the track as fast as Steyn propels it, shot selection needs to be made in split seconds. Get the decision wrong and the outcome can be messy, as Ravi found out to England's cost.
But Bopara has made plenty of good decisions during the rest of this summer, so can't we forgive him for a couple of blunders here? I mean, he wasn't alone in the poor shot selection category, where other nominees were Kevin Pietersen, who was clean bowled when the ball seemed destined to be blocked by his notorious walking forward-defensive stroke, whilst Strauss and Prior both embarked on that age-old English tradition (no, not streaking) of sweeping at inopportune and ill-advised periods of the game, both giving their wickets away to the leg-breaking Imran Tahir
Whether Bopara is the perennial twelfth man figure of this current generation of English supremacy, or part of a new group of players that includes Jonny Bairstow and Steven Finn who will undoubtedly be England's future, is currently still undecided. What is for sure is that Bopara is not the only one who needs to shape up for the second test.
England are at a curious stage in their development at present. Some might say that the current side reached the peak of their powers some time ago, beating Australia 3-1 away before humiliating India in a 4-0 whitewash at home in 2011, taking over at the top of the ICC's rankings as the best test side in the world from their beaten visitors.
Since then, England have toiled on the sub-continent before completing formalities against the West Indies here earlier this summer. South Africa provided the next big test for the best test side around and, if this first test is anything to go by, England might not be number one for much longer.
To be honest, I don't share this view. England still have a lot of very, very good players and are a well organised, functioning team led by Andy Flower, who has been superb, and captained by the equally impressive Andrew Strauss.
But certain players are under threat now, and that is no bad thing. Tim Bresnan is the obvious one, his pace or lack thereof is a concern whilst his ability to bat may be the main reason for his continued selection. Steven Finn is ready and waiting and will surely get his chance before long.
Whilst Bopara deserves his chance in the current set up in my view, if England were to change to five bowlers instead of their customary four it would enable Bresnan to remain in the side batting at seven, with Prior moving up to six and Finn replacing Bopara as a more penetrating bowler with some genuine pace, something England currently lack. It would be hard on Bopara but England have to win the next game, and given the fact only two wickets were taken at the Oval, England might go for broke.
I personally think Finn for Bresnan is more likely but given the next test is at Headingly, the selectors may actually stick with the side that lost at the Oval, giving the players the chance to redeem themselves.
And it's important to remember that this is virtually the same side that has given England so much success over the past 18 months. Surely they deserve the chance to appease the errors of last week - everyone has off days?
It's sets us up for a fascinating second test in Leeds and I for one can't wait for it to start! Hopefully the sun sticks around for a bit now too!
Day five at the Kia Oval this time around was a dismal place for England, despite previous high points, and what England required in order to save a game they had been thoroughly outplayed in was caution and restraint from their premier batsmen, particularly following the loss of their top four batsmen late on day four.
That Bopara chopped a wide delivery from the imperious Dale Steyn onto his own stumps was cavalier in the extreme given the context of the game, and is a mistake that Bopara will have to live with as he returned to Essex for T20 action this week. He scored only one for them by the way - bad week.
But Bopara wasn't the only England player bamboozled or simply battered by the Proteas in the first of this three match series. Plenty struggled, with not enough batsmen protecting their wicket against a formidable South African bowling attack, whilst the bowlers toiled but looked completely bereft of the cutting edge required to penetrate this solid South African batting line up. The fact that AB De Villiers wasn't even required to bat says it all. Smith, Amla and Kallis were all in scintillating form and whilst this was a messy defeat for England, most cricket fans could only stand and applaud the achievements of all three men.
From day one South Africa bossed England in every department, scoring a mammoth 637 runs for the loss of just two wickets either side of knocking England over for what turned out to be below par scores in both innings on a slow, dry Kia Oval wicket.
Still, when play resumed on the fifth morning there was a glimmer, however small or diminishing, that England might somehow rescue a match that for all intents and purposes seemed dead a long time earlier, from England's perspective at least. and Graeme Smith deserves recognition here. His declaration was perfectly timed, offering chances for all results whilst maintaining his sides overwhelming advantage.
When Bell and Bopara took their guard on Monday, 11:00am, England had 6 wickets in hand. Caution was required to have any hope of survival and so when Bopara waved a bat at a wide one, the Oval gasped as the ball deflected viciously onto the middle timber, pressing it back and calling time of Bopara's brief 30 minute resistance.
Many will say it was a ridiculous shot, that Bopara should have left it, that it demonstrates he doesn't have the temperament for test cricket, that his chances in this side must surely have all expired now.
True it was an unnecessary shot, but we have to look at what came before. Steyn was in the middle of another lethal spell of fast bowling. The over before, Bopara had left one that had swung in late and missed his off stump by millimetres. When the ball is coming down the track as fast as Steyn propels it, shot selection needs to be made in split seconds. Get the decision wrong and the outcome can be messy, as Ravi found out to England's cost.
But Bopara has made plenty of good decisions during the rest of this summer, so can't we forgive him for a couple of blunders here? I mean, he wasn't alone in the poor shot selection category, where other nominees were Kevin Pietersen, who was clean bowled when the ball seemed destined to be blocked by his notorious walking forward-defensive stroke, whilst Strauss and Prior both embarked on that age-old English tradition (no, not streaking) of sweeping at inopportune and ill-advised periods of the game, both giving their wickets away to the leg-breaking Imran Tahir
Whether Bopara is the perennial twelfth man figure of this current generation of English supremacy, or part of a new group of players that includes Jonny Bairstow and Steven Finn who will undoubtedly be England's future, is currently still undecided. What is for sure is that Bopara is not the only one who needs to shape up for the second test.
England are at a curious stage in their development at present. Some might say that the current side reached the peak of their powers some time ago, beating Australia 3-1 away before humiliating India in a 4-0 whitewash at home in 2011, taking over at the top of the ICC's rankings as the best test side in the world from their beaten visitors.
Since then, England have toiled on the sub-continent before completing formalities against the West Indies here earlier this summer. South Africa provided the next big test for the best test side around and, if this first test is anything to go by, England might not be number one for much longer.
To be honest, I don't share this view. England still have a lot of very, very good players and are a well organised, functioning team led by Andy Flower, who has been superb, and captained by the equally impressive Andrew Strauss.
But certain players are under threat now, and that is no bad thing. Tim Bresnan is the obvious one, his pace or lack thereof is a concern whilst his ability to bat may be the main reason for his continued selection. Steven Finn is ready and waiting and will surely get his chance before long.
Whilst Bopara deserves his chance in the current set up in my view, if England were to change to five bowlers instead of their customary four it would enable Bresnan to remain in the side batting at seven, with Prior moving up to six and Finn replacing Bopara as a more penetrating bowler with some genuine pace, something England currently lack. It would be hard on Bopara but England have to win the next game, and given the fact only two wickets were taken at the Oval, England might go for broke.
I personally think Finn for Bresnan is more likely but given the next test is at Headingly, the selectors may actually stick with the side that lost at the Oval, giving the players the chance to redeem themselves.
And it's important to remember that this is virtually the same side that has given England so much success over the past 18 months. Surely they deserve the chance to appease the errors of last week - everyone has off days?
It's sets us up for a fascinating second test in Leeds and I for one can't wait for it to start! Hopefully the sun sticks around for a bit now too!
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
England vs South Africa - The Batsmen To Watch
The series between England and South Africa that starts at the Kia Oval on Thursday, is the most eagerly awaited, non-Ashes series I can remember for quite a spell. And well it might be, for it pits the world’s best test team, England lest we forget, against the team ranked third. Further, it brings forth a battle between what are widely considered the best two bowling attacks in world cricket. The juices are flowing alright!
England take on South Africa in this three match series having made light work of their summer warm-up act, the West Indies, beating them 2-0 in a three match series. The final match at Edgbaston was all but rained off, otherwise it would almost certainly have been a clean sweep.
Having also beaten Australia 4-0 in an ODI series this summer, England will be in buoyant mood right now, although South Africa will provide a much stiffer challenge than either of those two managed.
With a bowling attack led by the imperious Dale Steyn, the world's best bowler, who is backed up superbly by the improved Morne Morkell, Vernon Philander, who performed so well for Somerset earlier this season and not forgetting the leg breaks of Hampshire old boy, Imran Tahir, South Africa have an attack that will give England's batting order a rigorous examination.
Meanwhile England's well oiled bowling machine, which barring injury will almost certainly be, as usual, Anderson, Broad, Bresnan and Swann, will also be up for the challenge that South Africa's batsmen will bring.
But what of the batsmen? Who are the men to watch with willow in hand? Who have the most to prove going into this mouth-watering series, the winners of which will claim the number one spot in the rankings?
Graeme Smith, the great warrior, will fight to the end, and as usual in series between these two sides will be the main man that England's bowlers look to target. Smith has endured a tough twelve months since South Africa's poor displays in the 2011 World Cup led to the Proteas captain to consider his position in the side. Smith is back to his best now, scoring well against New Zealand in the spring, but in Anderson and Swann, Smith will be up against two of the best bowlers to left handers in the game today.
Jacques Kallis, a rare specimen of all-round excellence with a test batting average of 56 including a phenomenal 42 centuries, will surely be a massive scalp if and when his wicket falls during the series. Bizarrely though, Kallis has a poor record in the UK averaging just 28 in test matches here. England might just fancy their chances against him then, in what may be his last tour on these shores perhaps?
AB de Villiers will be another South African batsman to watch, and I am particularly excited to see him in full flow. Capable of free-flowing, swash-buckling scoring in the mould of England's Kevin Pietersen, it will be interesting to see how AB copes with the additional responsibility that keeping wicket will bring, following the unfortunate eye injury to Mark Boucher ruled the veteran wicketkeeper out of the rest of the series and bought about his premature retirement. De Villiers is one of the Protea's best players, and the team will hope that the additional pressure of keeping wicket doesn't affect his batting.
Whilst De Villiers takes over the gloves from Boucher, for the first match of the series at least, JP Duminy will take Boucher's place in the batting line up. Duminy's test average of 34 is decent if unspectacular, but the 28 year old batsman from Cape Town is beginning to show his pedigree in this format. A century in his last test in March against the Black Caps was his second ton in 13 matches for his country and against England, he will be hoping to enhance his reputation further.
England have batting sub- plots of their own of course, and as usual most of them centre around their charismatic batsman, Kevin Pietersen.
Following his retirement from limited overs international cricket last month, KP has since intimated that perhaps he didn't mean it after all. Whatever KP's current stance on the matter, or that of his employers for that matter, this series is set up intriguingly for him. He's up against the country of his birth which always adds spice to these encounters, and on top of that, KP will be out to prove to the ECB and all his doubters that he's still the best batsman England have got, and that could ensure there are fireworks every time KP takes to the crease.
Slightly away from the limelight, but nevertheless still a splendid batsman waiting to fulfil his potential, Ravi Bopara returns to England's test squad having impressed against Australia in the ODI's. Injury earlier in the summer lead to Jonny Bairstow deputise for Bopara against the West Indies, and whilst the experience for Bairstow was a good one, even if his own form perhaps faltered as he struggled in particular with the short ball, Bopara was always the intended number six this summer.
Bopara has long been earmarked as the successor to Paul Collingwood for England, but has failed to capitalise on an impressive start to his international career. He scored three hundreds on the tour of the West Indies in 2009, but has struggled since, leading to the likes of Eoin Morgan and Bairstow being auditioned for the role instead. In 2012 he has shown that he can bat at international level, can he now transfer that promise and ability to the test arena?
England captain Andrew Strauss is another batsman who will be keen to show everyone that he's still got it. The Middlesex man went into this summer under pressure after a tough winter on tour in the sub-continent (he wasn't alone). Sure, a classy ton at Lords against the West Indies got the monkey off his back, but Strauss will be keen to continue with contributions against the classy South African attack.
His successor in waiting, Alastair Cook, has continued to impress leading the One Day side, who have won their last 10 matches under his guidance now, so Strauss knows that he needs to deliver, or the doubters will circle over him once more.
The final batsman to look out for in this series isn't actually a 'batsman' at all, but it is his batting that might just keep him in the team. Tim Bresnan's batting prowess means he is favoured in the side over the likes of Steven Finn. Batting at eight, he lengthens England's middle order whilst providing solid support with the ball.
Let's be fair, Bressie lad is more than just a stop-gap bowler who can bat a bit, clearly. But with Finn in such fine form in the ODI side, and with Bopara and his medium pacers seemingly in the side for the first test, perhaps Bresnan will be sacrificed for the faster and more explosive bowling of Finn?
It would be a gamble for the selectors to take this approach, and one that is unnecessary before a ball is bowled in this series in my view, but if England lose at the Oval and need to chase the series a little, perhaps Bresnan will be sacrificed?
It's set up to be a really remarkable series, the winner taking the top test side in the world title; it's like a heavyweight boxing unification fight. May the best team win - we're in for a cracker!
England take on South Africa in this three match series having made light work of their summer warm-up act, the West Indies, beating them 2-0 in a three match series. The final match at Edgbaston was all but rained off, otherwise it would almost certainly have been a clean sweep.
Having also beaten Australia 4-0 in an ODI series this summer, England will be in buoyant mood right now, although South Africa will provide a much stiffer challenge than either of those two managed.
With a bowling attack led by the imperious Dale Steyn, the world's best bowler, who is backed up superbly by the improved Morne Morkell, Vernon Philander, who performed so well for Somerset earlier this season and not forgetting the leg breaks of Hampshire old boy, Imran Tahir, South Africa have an attack that will give England's batting order a rigorous examination.
Meanwhile England's well oiled bowling machine, which barring injury will almost certainly be, as usual, Anderson, Broad, Bresnan and Swann, will also be up for the challenge that South Africa's batsmen will bring.
But what of the batsmen? Who are the men to watch with willow in hand? Who have the most to prove going into this mouth-watering series, the winners of which will claim the number one spot in the rankings?
Graeme Smith, the great warrior, will fight to the end, and as usual in series between these two sides will be the main man that England's bowlers look to target. Smith has endured a tough twelve months since South Africa's poor displays in the 2011 World Cup led to the Proteas captain to consider his position in the side. Smith is back to his best now, scoring well against New Zealand in the spring, but in Anderson and Swann, Smith will be up against two of the best bowlers to left handers in the game today.
Jacques Kallis, a rare specimen of all-round excellence with a test batting average of 56 including a phenomenal 42 centuries, will surely be a massive scalp if and when his wicket falls during the series. Bizarrely though, Kallis has a poor record in the UK averaging just 28 in test matches here. England might just fancy their chances against him then, in what may be his last tour on these shores perhaps?
AB de Villiers will be another South African batsman to watch, and I am particularly excited to see him in full flow. Capable of free-flowing, swash-buckling scoring in the mould of England's Kevin Pietersen, it will be interesting to see how AB copes with the additional responsibility that keeping wicket will bring, following the unfortunate eye injury to Mark Boucher ruled the veteran wicketkeeper out of the rest of the series and bought about his premature retirement. De Villiers is one of the Protea's best players, and the team will hope that the additional pressure of keeping wicket doesn't affect his batting.
Whilst De Villiers takes over the gloves from Boucher, for the first match of the series at least, JP Duminy will take Boucher's place in the batting line up. Duminy's test average of 34 is decent if unspectacular, but the 28 year old batsman from Cape Town is beginning to show his pedigree in this format. A century in his last test in March against the Black Caps was his second ton in 13 matches for his country and against England, he will be hoping to enhance his reputation further.
England have batting sub- plots of their own of course, and as usual most of them centre around their charismatic batsman, Kevin Pietersen.
Following his retirement from limited overs international cricket last month, KP has since intimated that perhaps he didn't mean it after all. Whatever KP's current stance on the matter, or that of his employers for that matter, this series is set up intriguingly for him. He's up against the country of his birth which always adds spice to these encounters, and on top of that, KP will be out to prove to the ECB and all his doubters that he's still the best batsman England have got, and that could ensure there are fireworks every time KP takes to the crease.
Slightly away from the limelight, but nevertheless still a splendid batsman waiting to fulfil his potential, Ravi Bopara returns to England's test squad having impressed against Australia in the ODI's. Injury earlier in the summer lead to Jonny Bairstow deputise for Bopara against the West Indies, and whilst the experience for Bairstow was a good one, even if his own form perhaps faltered as he struggled in particular with the short ball, Bopara was always the intended number six this summer.
Bopara has long been earmarked as the successor to Paul Collingwood for England, but has failed to capitalise on an impressive start to his international career. He scored three hundreds on the tour of the West Indies in 2009, but has struggled since, leading to the likes of Eoin Morgan and Bairstow being auditioned for the role instead. In 2012 he has shown that he can bat at international level, can he now transfer that promise and ability to the test arena?
England captain Andrew Strauss is another batsman who will be keen to show everyone that he's still got it. The Middlesex man went into this summer under pressure after a tough winter on tour in the sub-continent (he wasn't alone). Sure, a classy ton at Lords against the West Indies got the monkey off his back, but Strauss will be keen to continue with contributions against the classy South African attack.
His successor in waiting, Alastair Cook, has continued to impress leading the One Day side, who have won their last 10 matches under his guidance now, so Strauss knows that he needs to deliver, or the doubters will circle over him once more.
The final batsman to look out for in this series isn't actually a 'batsman' at all, but it is his batting that might just keep him in the team. Tim Bresnan's batting prowess means he is favoured in the side over the likes of Steven Finn. Batting at eight, he lengthens England's middle order whilst providing solid support with the ball.
Let's be fair, Bressie lad is more than just a stop-gap bowler who can bat a bit, clearly. But with Finn in such fine form in the ODI side, and with Bopara and his medium pacers seemingly in the side for the first test, perhaps Bresnan will be sacrificed for the faster and more explosive bowling of Finn?
It would be a gamble for the selectors to take this approach, and one that is unnecessary before a ball is bowled in this series in my view, but if England lose at the Oval and need to chase the series a little, perhaps Bresnan will be sacrificed?
It's set up to be a really remarkable series, the winner taking the top test side in the world title; it's like a heavyweight boxing unification fight. May the best team win - we're in for a cracker!
Thursday, 21 June 2012
Rotation; Why Not?
When I was a lad, plying my trade in the Jersey Under 15's football league, I was a reliable left back for my home Parish, Grouville. In the spring of 1995, we went on a cup run that took us to a prestigious final at Jersey's answer to Wembley; Springfield Stadium.
I was as excited as an England fast bowler, marking out his run up against a West Indies middle order batsman, but my cup final dream was to turn into a nightmare. Martin Roberts, a nippy left winger, nippier than me anyway, had forced his way into the reckoning and Robbo, our coach, looking for more attacking flare in the final, delivered the news I dreaded just an hour before kick-off:
"Marty' starts, sorry Tom!"
This of course was before terms like "rotation" and "managing your resources" we're part of sporting vernacular, this was simply a question of who was the best player, and I lost out. Boo Hoo!
Obviously it's much, much different these days. Nowadays the best players are not always the ones that are selected to represent their side.
In football, squad rotation has been in place for over a decade now. England managers have used friendly matches to audition future potential in the senior side. You could say this has played its part in devaluing playing for your country, or you could say it is this policy that has given the likes of Danny Welbeck the chance to shine in Euro 2012 that is on-going currently.
Cricket is going through a transformation of similar sorts now, with England apparently leading the way in squad rotation.
Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad were both rested from the final test match of the series against the West Indies last month, to rest them up for the busy summer that lay ahead. The series already won, it gave the selectors the chance to look at Steven Finn and Graham Onions, both fine bowlers, both in good county cricket form, both deserving of a chance then, surely?
With the third and final One Day International between the same two sides scheduled for this Friday at Headingly, and with the home side again taking an unassailable 2-0 lead into the match, England's selectors have decided to shuffle their pack once more. Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad and Graham Swann are all “rested” from the squad and in their place come Stuart Meaker, Jade Dernbach and James Tredwell. Chris Woakes is already in the squad and you might see all four on appearing on Friday.
This news has not been universally welcomed, with the likes of BBC TMS commentator Jonathan Agnew voicing concern for the punters, who pay top dollar for these tickets only to see a second string England bowling attack appearing before them. How can England expect to sell out future series against lesser sides if punters know rotation will be employed as soon as the series is in the bag?
It's a difficult problem for the ECB, and for cricket globally to thrash out. Schedules are ridiculously full at present; England have a One Day series against Australia up next this summer (why, exactly is the subject for further debate, surely), before South Africa's tour across all formats. Following that it's the T20 World Cup and then England's tour of India. I'm tired just thinking about all that.
And this is without considering the IPL, which is still shunned by international cricketing bodies, and England's own T20 tournament which is struggling for crowds both because of the weather and perhaps because of the lack of top England players appearing in the format because they're all preparing for or resting from England duty.
Until cricket schedules are considered on a global scale, rotation you suspect will be omnipresent in international cricket.
Schedules aside though, is rotation really that bad for the players, and for punters? Steven Finn has been magnificent in One Day cricket over the last 12 months and is a joy to watch. Chris Woakes is a genuine all-rounder in prospect and Jade Dernbach has been an England One Day regular over the past year as well, so we're hardly talking Bearded Bob and Jimmy Knuckles from the village green, are we?
These guys deserve a chance and from the ECB's perspective, as long as they are putting out a competitive side - and I believe tomorrows will be - then I don't have too many issues with them getting opportunities.
Plus England have to look to the future. Look at the post-ashes 2005 period, when ready-made replacements for the likes of injured Michael Vaughan, Simon Jones and Freddie Flintoff were in short supply. This gives England a pool of players to choose from as and when required, and that has to be to the benefit of the overall setup?
Punters heading to Headingly on Friday may be disappointed that they won't see Broad, Bresnan or Swann, but in my view we will still see a very competitive England side and in all probability, given the ineptitude of the West Indies middle order, will still win.
Supporting England has to be about supporting the team –it might be a shame not to see certain individuals, but the coach and captain have to plan for the future, as well as ensure they win every game, and in my view they will be adhering to both for the match up in Leeds.
For your information, I made it on for the second half at Springfield and more than played my part in Grouville securing the trophy – or so I have told myself for the past 17 years, anyway.
I was as excited as an England fast bowler, marking out his run up against a West Indies middle order batsman, but my cup final dream was to turn into a nightmare. Martin Roberts, a nippy left winger, nippier than me anyway, had forced his way into the reckoning and Robbo, our coach, looking for more attacking flare in the final, delivered the news I dreaded just an hour before kick-off:
"Marty' starts, sorry Tom!"
This of course was before terms like "rotation" and "managing your resources" we're part of sporting vernacular, this was simply a question of who was the best player, and I lost out. Boo Hoo!
Obviously it's much, much different these days. Nowadays the best players are not always the ones that are selected to represent their side.
In football, squad rotation has been in place for over a decade now. England managers have used friendly matches to audition future potential in the senior side. You could say this has played its part in devaluing playing for your country, or you could say it is this policy that has given the likes of Danny Welbeck the chance to shine in Euro 2012 that is on-going currently.
Cricket is going through a transformation of similar sorts now, with England apparently leading the way in squad rotation.
Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad were both rested from the final test match of the series against the West Indies last month, to rest them up for the busy summer that lay ahead. The series already won, it gave the selectors the chance to look at Steven Finn and Graham Onions, both fine bowlers, both in good county cricket form, both deserving of a chance then, surely?
With the third and final One Day International between the same two sides scheduled for this Friday at Headingly, and with the home side again taking an unassailable 2-0 lead into the match, England's selectors have decided to shuffle their pack once more. Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad and Graham Swann are all “rested” from the squad and in their place come Stuart Meaker, Jade Dernbach and James Tredwell. Chris Woakes is already in the squad and you might see all four on appearing on Friday.
This news has not been universally welcomed, with the likes of BBC TMS commentator Jonathan Agnew voicing concern for the punters, who pay top dollar for these tickets only to see a second string England bowling attack appearing before them. How can England expect to sell out future series against lesser sides if punters know rotation will be employed as soon as the series is in the bag?
It's a difficult problem for the ECB, and for cricket globally to thrash out. Schedules are ridiculously full at present; England have a One Day series against Australia up next this summer (why, exactly is the subject for further debate, surely), before South Africa's tour across all formats. Following that it's the T20 World Cup and then England's tour of India. I'm tired just thinking about all that.
And this is without considering the IPL, which is still shunned by international cricketing bodies, and England's own T20 tournament which is struggling for crowds both because of the weather and perhaps because of the lack of top England players appearing in the format because they're all preparing for or resting from England duty.
Until cricket schedules are considered on a global scale, rotation you suspect will be omnipresent in international cricket.
Schedules aside though, is rotation really that bad for the players, and for punters? Steven Finn has been magnificent in One Day cricket over the last 12 months and is a joy to watch. Chris Woakes is a genuine all-rounder in prospect and Jade Dernbach has been an England One Day regular over the past year as well, so we're hardly talking Bearded Bob and Jimmy Knuckles from the village green, are we?
These guys deserve a chance and from the ECB's perspective, as long as they are putting out a competitive side - and I believe tomorrows will be - then I don't have too many issues with them getting opportunities.
Plus England have to look to the future. Look at the post-ashes 2005 period, when ready-made replacements for the likes of injured Michael Vaughan, Simon Jones and Freddie Flintoff were in short supply. This gives England a pool of players to choose from as and when required, and that has to be to the benefit of the overall setup?
Punters heading to Headingly on Friday may be disappointed that they won't see Broad, Bresnan or Swann, but in my view we will still see a very competitive England side and in all probability, given the ineptitude of the West Indies middle order, will still win.
Supporting England has to be about supporting the team –it might be a shame not to see certain individuals, but the coach and captain have to plan for the future, as well as ensure they win every game, and in my view they will be adhering to both for the match up in Leeds.
For your information, I made it on for the second half at Springfield and more than played my part in Grouville securing the trophy – or so I have told myself for the past 17 years, anyway.
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Who can replace KP?
Kevin Pietersen announced his retirement from limited overs cricket on Thursday and inevitably England fans and observers alike went into meltdown, with a divide between those who felt KP had been mugged off by the ECB for failing to accommodate his wishes to remain in the T20 setup on one side, others claiming he was in breach of his contract sitting on the other. KP always did divide opinion, didn’t he?
KP has been an artist with the bat as much as anything else over the years – an innovator, making strokes such as the Switch Hit and the Flamingo shot his own, not to mention scoring with a strike rate that had opposing bowlers quaking in his boots before a ball was even bowled. KP will be missed, whether you love him or despise him to your very core.
Pietersen, the best T20 batsman in the world, will now miss the World Cup later this year. England selectors and captain Stuart Broad therefore have the unenviable task of having to replace their match winner with only months to go before the tournament begins.
To help the ECB on their way, we’ve devised our own little scouting list, see if you agree with who we’ve got and who we’ve not:
Michael (Hampshire)
Carberry has been in and around the England set up for years, making his test debut in Bangladesh in 2010 before illness put his career on ice for over a year. Carberry has began 2012 strongly and played in the England Lions side that took on the West Indies in May. And with 290 runs in just four CB40 matches this season, Carberry is the leading run scorer in domestic One Day cricket so far this summer. At 32 however, England’s selectors may feel he’s too old as they look to build for the future.
Verdict: Look out for the slow left armer!
Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire)
Yorkshireman Bairstow made his debut for England's one day side last September, impressing in the home series against India. He also played in the UAE against Pakistan, and made his debut at test level in May against the West Indies. Capable of explosive innings in the mould of KP, such as his superb 41 from 29 balls on debut against India in an ODI at Cardiff last summer, Bairstow, 23, is most certainly an England star in the making.
Verdict: Switch-hit for SIX!
James Taylor (Notts)
You couldn’t write the script, could you? On the day Pietersen retired from limited overs cricket two of his former counties, Hampshire and Nottinghamshire went head to head in a one day game at the Ageas Bowl. In that match, Notts James Taylor scored a fantastic 115 from just 89 runs, showing the sort of explosive strike rate and array of strokes that has made Pietersen such a hit with the punters over the years. At 22 Taylor also fits the ECB demographic to invest in youth, and with a maiden One Day International cap already attained against Ireland last July, Taylor will surely make the step up a regular one in the near future.
Verdict: Switch Hit for SIX!
Alex Hales (Notts)
Hales, also from Notts, is another young cricketer with England experience. He has appeared in 4 T20 games already including a debut against India last September and he also travelled to India a month later, appearing in both T20’s over there. And as if to emphasise his T20 pedigree still further, he was Notts’ leading run scorer in the format last season, scoring 544 runs.
Verdict: Switch Hit for SIX!
Nick Compton (Somerset)
To give you an idea of Compton’s form with the bat this year, he finishes May with 950 first class runs – 50 short of the prestigious 1,000 run mark which has been reached by the end of May only 9 times in 117 years. Impressive. With a One Day average of 40 over 88 games Compton has experience and form on his side. At 28 he’s still at the peak of his powers and having appeared for the Lions earlier this summer too, he is certainly on the ECB’s radar.
Verdict: Look out for the slow left armer!
Jos Buttler (Somerset)
21 year old wicketkeeper batsman Buttler has already began the transition into England regular having appeared in seven T20 matches and a single One Dayer, against Pakistan earlier this year. Buttler has yet to find his feet however, with a top score of just 13 across the 8 innings. He has time on his side however and the additional bonus of being a decent wicketkeeper, so his future is bright, although perhaps not as a direct replacement for KP
Verdict: Switch-hit for SIX!
Ben Stokes (Durham)
Stokes is another young batsman looking to establish himself in England's limited overs sides now. Stokes had to miss the Lions match against the West Indies in May due to a back injury, and is perhaps not the golden boy he was a year ago having been leapfrogged by Mr Bairstow, but Stokes time will undoubtedly come for England, having performed well for England at Under 19 level in the past and his continued successes at Durham.
Verdict: Switch Hit for SIX!
Ok so we will miss KP and I for one will treasure the memories he’s given us. England’s T20 World Cup aspirations may lay in tatters on the floor of England HQ but the talent of batsmen available is high enough for us to be optimistic for the future, even without KP.
KP has been an artist with the bat as much as anything else over the years – an innovator, making strokes such as the Switch Hit and the Flamingo shot his own, not to mention scoring with a strike rate that had opposing bowlers quaking in his boots before a ball was even bowled. KP will be missed, whether you love him or despise him to your very core.
Pietersen, the best T20 batsman in the world, will now miss the World Cup later this year. England selectors and captain Stuart Broad therefore have the unenviable task of having to replace their match winner with only months to go before the tournament begins.
To help the ECB on their way, we’ve devised our own little scouting list, see if you agree with who we’ve got and who we’ve not:
Michael (Hampshire)
Carberry has been in and around the England set up for years, making his test debut in Bangladesh in 2010 before illness put his career on ice for over a year. Carberry has began 2012 strongly and played in the England Lions side that took on the West Indies in May. And with 290 runs in just four CB40 matches this season, Carberry is the leading run scorer in domestic One Day cricket so far this summer. At 32 however, England’s selectors may feel he’s too old as they look to build for the future.
Verdict: Look out for the slow left armer!
Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire)
Yorkshireman Bairstow made his debut for England's one day side last September, impressing in the home series against India. He also played in the UAE against Pakistan, and made his debut at test level in May against the West Indies. Capable of explosive innings in the mould of KP, such as his superb 41 from 29 balls on debut against India in an ODI at Cardiff last summer, Bairstow, 23, is most certainly an England star in the making.
Verdict: Switch-hit for SIX!
James Taylor (Notts)
You couldn’t write the script, could you? On the day Pietersen retired from limited overs cricket two of his former counties, Hampshire and Nottinghamshire went head to head in a one day game at the Ageas Bowl. In that match, Notts James Taylor scored a fantastic 115 from just 89 runs, showing the sort of explosive strike rate and array of strokes that has made Pietersen such a hit with the punters over the years. At 22 Taylor also fits the ECB demographic to invest in youth, and with a maiden One Day International cap already attained against Ireland last July, Taylor will surely make the step up a regular one in the near future.
Verdict: Switch Hit for SIX!
Alex Hales (Notts)
Hales, also from Notts, is another young cricketer with England experience. He has appeared in 4 T20 games already including a debut against India last September and he also travelled to India a month later, appearing in both T20’s over there. And as if to emphasise his T20 pedigree still further, he was Notts’ leading run scorer in the format last season, scoring 544 runs.
Verdict: Switch Hit for SIX!
Nick Compton (Somerset)
To give you an idea of Compton’s form with the bat this year, he finishes May with 950 first class runs – 50 short of the prestigious 1,000 run mark which has been reached by the end of May only 9 times in 117 years. Impressive. With a One Day average of 40 over 88 games Compton has experience and form on his side. At 28 he’s still at the peak of his powers and having appeared for the Lions earlier this summer too, he is certainly on the ECB’s radar.
Verdict: Look out for the slow left armer!
Jos Buttler (Somerset)
21 year old wicketkeeper batsman Buttler has already began the transition into England regular having appeared in seven T20 matches and a single One Dayer, against Pakistan earlier this year. Buttler has yet to find his feet however, with a top score of just 13 across the 8 innings. He has time on his side however and the additional bonus of being a decent wicketkeeper, so his future is bright, although perhaps not as a direct replacement for KP
Verdict: Switch-hit for SIX!
Ben Stokes (Durham)
Stokes is another young batsman looking to establish himself in England's limited overs sides now. Stokes had to miss the Lions match against the West Indies in May due to a back injury, and is perhaps not the golden boy he was a year ago having been leapfrogged by Mr Bairstow, but Stokes time will undoubtedly come for England, having performed well for England at Under 19 level in the past and his continued successes at Durham.
Verdict: Switch Hit for SIX!
Ok so we will miss KP and I for one will treasure the memories he’s given us. England’s T20 World Cup aspirations may lay in tatters on the floor of England HQ but the talent of batsmen available is high enough for us to be optimistic for the future, even without KP.
Friday, 1 June 2012
Busy Old Week
Well its been a busy old week or so.
Last week I popped down to the Ageas Bowl and caught the end of day one against Glamorgan. Hants recovered well to post 316 with Slug scoring a superb century. Superb all the more because of the wicket it was scored on. It was green - in fact you could hardly decipher the surrounding square from the wicket itself.
I managed to grab a word with Hants keeper Michael Bates at the close of play, which was much appreciated after a hard days yakka (him, not me). He was in good form having scored 41 earlier that day, acting as the catalyst to ignite Hampshire's innings after a slow start.
He talked about his form this season, which has been good, as well as Hampshire's, which he felt had also been good in challenging conditions. He's also keen on playing for England one day, obviously, but knows there's a lot of work ahead of him before he gets there. He's got the right attitude though, and is a brilliant wicket keeper. If his batting continues to improve he can be the real deal, thats for sure.
I made a faux pas by sitting in the seat right next to him as we sat down outside the players room. Awkward. He laughed it off though which was essential to the modicum of self respect I managed to maintain from the situation.
He also told me Chris Wood was the live wire of the group - seconds later Wood ran down the stairs from the changing room in his boxer shorts. Case in point.
I also had a quick chat with Jimmy Adams who told me Hamza Riazuddin had to bus it back from Scotland the week before because he'd forgotten his passport! You couldn't make this stuff off.
Hampshire lost their first CB40 game of the season last night to Notts. what an innings from James Taylor. As Jimmy Adams said after the game, sometimes you've got to just hold your hands up and say you were beaten by the better team, or man in this case. Taylor will be one of the biggest benefactors from former Hants batsman Kevin Pietersen's retirement from limited overs international cricket - he looks a proper player and will certainly feature for England in the future.
Anyway, Surrey Lions next up for Hants on Sunday. Another tough challenge but Hants will want to get their CB40 campaign back on track.
Last week I popped down to the Ageas Bowl and caught the end of day one against Glamorgan. Hants recovered well to post 316 with Slug scoring a superb century. Superb all the more because of the wicket it was scored on. It was green - in fact you could hardly decipher the surrounding square from the wicket itself.
I managed to grab a word with Hants keeper Michael Bates at the close of play, which was much appreciated after a hard days yakka (him, not me). He was in good form having scored 41 earlier that day, acting as the catalyst to ignite Hampshire's innings after a slow start.
He talked about his form this season, which has been good, as well as Hampshire's, which he felt had also been good in challenging conditions. He's also keen on playing for England one day, obviously, but knows there's a lot of work ahead of him before he gets there. He's got the right attitude though, and is a brilliant wicket keeper. If his batting continues to improve he can be the real deal, thats for sure.
I made a faux pas by sitting in the seat right next to him as we sat down outside the players room. Awkward. He laughed it off though which was essential to the modicum of self respect I managed to maintain from the situation.
He also told me Chris Wood was the live wire of the group - seconds later Wood ran down the stairs from the changing room in his boxer shorts. Case in point.
I also had a quick chat with Jimmy Adams who told me Hamza Riazuddin had to bus it back from Scotland the week before because he'd forgotten his passport! You couldn't make this stuff off.
Hampshire lost their first CB40 game of the season last night to Notts. what an innings from James Taylor. As Jimmy Adams said after the game, sometimes you've got to just hold your hands up and say you were beaten by the better team, or man in this case. Taylor will be one of the biggest benefactors from former Hants batsman Kevin Pietersen's retirement from limited overs international cricket - he looks a proper player and will certainly feature for England in the future.
Anyway, Surrey Lions next up for Hants on Sunday. Another tough challenge but Hants will want to get their CB40 campaign back on track.
Monday, 21 May 2012
Hampshire Comment: Batsmen Shine for the Royals
Looking at Twitter in the build-up to Hampshire's trip to Yorkshire last week, I noticed some comments questioning the Hants batting order. Sure, it's been difficult at times at the start of this season, but it’s not time for wholesale changes yet, is it?
Hampshire won the toss at Headingly last Wednesday and took the positive decision to bat first, and with the batting conundrum in mind one hoped that they'd get off to a good start, for their own sakes if nothing else!
They didn't of course, as Yorkshire reduced them to 83 for 4 with Adams, Dawson, Carberry and Vince all out cheaply. And it was the failings of Liam Dawson and James Vince that brought about most debate, having both struggled with the bat this season.
In Liam Dawson's case though, there's more to consider than just his batting. Daws has been quite superb fielding at slip this summer, having taken 15 catches so far including a Hampshire equalling record of 7 in one match, against Northants at Wantage Road at the start of May. His left arm spin has also been a massive plus for the side, taking 3 more wickets in his 19 overs against Yorkshire at only 3.2 runs an over, a bowling prowess that has forced England hopeful Danny Briggs out of the side in recent weeks.
If Daws is struggling opening up the batting, would it pay to move him down the order a bit, with perhaps Michael Carberry opening with Jimmy Adams instead? To me, Dawson is the most in-form all rounder Hampshire have, and he will surely stay in the side.
For James Vince it's slightly different. Other than a dogged 46 against Northants three weeks ago, and then 83 in the CB40 success over the Welsh Dragons in the same weekend, Vince has also struggled for runs this season. However, other than a couple of token overs against Northants and Leicestershire, Vince isn’t really an option with the ball. Added to that, Bilal Shafayat is waiting in the wings after a hugely promising 93 against Derby on debut last week, all of which means Vince in particular needs a score to consolidate his place in the side, and quickly.
And he could take a leaf out of Australian Simon Katich if he likes, with the Kat finding his rhythm in Yorkshire, scoring a glorious 196 in the first innings at Headlingly, followed by an undefeated 61 in the second. Many predicted Katich would be LV Division Two leading run scorer this season and with a few more performances like that, he won't be far off.
Katich, ably assisted by first Sean Ervine (44) and then wicket keeper batsman Michael Bates, who scored the first century of his career in this match, lead the Royals to a respectable first innings total of 427 all out. Bates who scored 103, is starting fulfil the potential many hoped he would at the start of the season, stepping into the departed Nic Pothas’ shoes not only with the gloves, with which he has been outstanding thus far, and with knocks of 87 against Gloucestershire and now 103 against Yorkshire, his batting is on point too.
Just a note on the Yorkshire batting while we're at it. Having been reduced to 32 for 3 in their first innings, the home side rallied, with Phil Jaques (93) and Gary Ballance (76) scoring a 149 run 4th wicket stand, before Anthony McGrath scored a wonderful 106, guiding his side to 399 for 9 declared. McGrath, a loyal Yorkshire pro batted wonderfully showing a great deal of resolve in his 251 ball innings.
Liam Dawson was the leading wicket taker for Hampshire with 3 wickets but Kabir Ali, taking another two for the Royals at Headingly, is beginning to find his rhythm having recently returned from an ankle injury sustained on Hampshire’s pre-season tour of Barbados. If Kabs can stay free of injury for the rest of this season and bowl to his potential, he could be a massive asset to Hampshire’s bowling attack.
Hampshire scored 191 for two in the second innings with Michael Carberry (61) amongst the runs with Katich. It was enough to secure a draw against undefeated Yorkshire, earning the Royal’s 10 championship points to take them to fifth in the Table. With Ali, Balcombe and Dawson standing out as the pick of Hampshire’s bowlers so far this season, a consistent batting line up would make Hampshire’s push for promotion all the more realistic.
Saturday, 19 May 2012
Shiv the Selfish, Really?
The weather has been decidedly moist in England over the past few weeks but remarkably it stayed dry for whole of the first day at Lords, and a packed house was treated to some fine cricket.
Jimmy Anderson, proclaimed the ECB player of the year earlier this week dominated early on with the ball, teeing Kieron Powell up with a textbook out-swing, in-swing combination, before some nice stroke play from Barath and the hyperbole-drenched Darren Bravo - who was relentlessly compared to one Brian Charles Lara all day on Twitter - steadied the ship before lunch.
It was in the afternoon session however that another of the world's best took to the field and caused a bit of consternation amongst the cricket establishment. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, statistically the world's finest batsman and lynchpin to this inexperienced West Indies batting line up, took to the field and scored in the context of the game a very valuable 87 out of the West Iindies overnight total of 243 for 9.
So, Shiv the West Indies hero once again, one shouldn't wonder? Well maybe not. Chanderpaul stuck to the task of carrying the Windies middle and lower order through to close, but a couple of wickets fell that commentators felt the "Tiger" was more than a little responsible for.
Firstly, when partnering Lara's cousin Darren Bravo, Chanderpaul refused a straight forward run that Bravo had called him through for from the non-strikers end. It was probably Bravo's call, the ball going slightly behind square, but you could argue Bravo could have been more observant - Shiv never moved for the run.
Secondly, in the last over of the day Chanderpaul called Kemar Roach through for a single, exposing the tail-ender to the last balls of the day. Roach perished, leaving the West Indies 243 for 9 overnight.
Of course you could say Chanderpaul was protecting himself so that he could bat for another hour on day two. He didn't, with debutant Gabriel out first ball on day two, but had Chanderpaul batted through the first hour say on Friday morning, it might have been a different story.
Test cricket is about spending time in the middle too don't forget. Had Chanderpaul not scored those runs and the West Indies had been rolled over before close yesterday, England would already be piling on the runs by now. As it was England's bowlers knew they had to come back in the morning and finish a job. It makes a difference.
One criticism of Shiv is that he bats at five in the order and sure, he could and maybe should bat higher up the order. But he is the anchor of the West Indies side; those around him know he'll stick around. If the top 4 score a few, great - Chanderpaul comes in and can be more aggressive. Should they fail, as is the more likely (sadly), then at least Shiv can stick around with the tail, getting something resembling a competitive score on the board.
West Indies captain Darren Sammy has said that if it benefits the team, he will move Shiv up the order. You have to trust the skipper here too - you'd hope it's his choice that Chanderpaul is batting at five and not not the choice of his most senior player, but only those in the dressing really know the answer to that.
All in all England will feel confident of posting a big innings here at lords. The wicket doesn't have a great deal of pace in it and you wonder how au fait the West Indies bowling attack will be with these chilly, seaming conditions but for me, without Shiv's knock, they'd be buried in this match already.
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Jimmy Anderson Raring to go Against West Indies
Very nearly 9 years ago to the day, a young Lancastrian with a wild mane that made KP's "badger mullet" look like a short back n' sides burst onto the international scene. His name was James Michael Anderson and his objective was to become the finest fast bowler his country would see for a generation.
Anderson was an instant England success taking a five wicket haul on debut against Zimbabwe at Lords in 2003. He was an archetypal England county cricketer, bowling with swing at a decent lick of pace, taking a shed load of wickets in the process.
Things obviously progressed apace for the Burnley Express until England's coaches decided to meddle with his unconventional bowling action. Duncan Fletcher and then bowling coach Troy Cooley believed his action could cause injury later in his career, but a drastic re-engineering of his technique brought about, ironically, an injury in the shape of a stress fracture to the back.
Anderson suffered a four month injury layoff but with time, reverting back to his old technique and the help of subsequent bowling coach Ottis Gibson, now West Windies coach ironically (Alanis Morrisette would love this story...) Anderson re-discovered the swing that had brought him so much success in the past.
Talking about his injury to BBC chief sports writer Tom Fordyce, Anderson said, "It's difficult enough bowling when you're not thinking about your action, but when you're thinking about where your arms and legs are going, it's impossible"
Once he had his groove back on of course Anderson was in business, and since that period he's never looked back, having taken 258 wickets for his country in his career to date.
On the doomed 2006 tour of Australia Anderson struggled, conceding 81 runs for every wicket he took. He was unplayable in British conditions, swinging balls around corners at times, but without that movement and assistance on foreign soil the Lancastrian struggled for consistency and found it harder to take wickets.
As a result, Anderson went away and mastered the art of reverse swing, learnt how to bowl with a scrambled seam and worked on bowling a disciplined, probing line outside off stump so that at the very least he could be tight and consistent when away from Blighty.
The first tour for the remodelled James Anderson was Australia 2010 and as we all know now, Anderson and Co blew the opposition away, bowling as a unit and building pressure on their hosts to almost unbearable levels. The Aussies expected more inconsistency from a bowler they expected to struggle once more, what they got was a bowler who could move the ball both ways off the seam and off the pitch. He was now the finished article as world class fast bowlers go, a level he has remained at ever since.
The West Indies are next up for England with the first test beginning at Lords on Thursday. Anderson goes into game not only the spearhead of the best fast bowling unit in world cricket but also as the ECB's Cricketer of the Year having picked up the award at Lords earlier this week - richly deserved as I'm sure you will all agree.
Anderson will lead the line as he has done with aplomb for the past 2 years now, ably assisted by Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan or perhaps Steven Finn at the home of cricket. They will hunt as a pack and push the West Indies batsmen to the limits of concentration.
Plus the ball will seam, and Jimmy will love that of course.
Monday, 14 May 2012
Hampshire comment: Stalemate against Falcons
The end of the football season showed us cricket lovers a few things. One is the delight we can all share in the fact that a Joey Barton equivalent doesn't exist in the sport. The other is that, in its purest form, the exhilaration of success and devastation of failure are what makes sport what it is; the greatest entertainment on earth.
And it was with the Premier League's Mancunian dichotomy in mind that I chose to reflect on the bore draw between Hampshire and Derbyshire this weekend - probably not my smartest moves.
And sure, losing two full days of cricket to rain as we did at the Ageas Bowl last week was never going to be conducive to achieving a result in this match, and so it came to pass with the game petering out into a tepid draw on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
During the deluge of rain on day 1, Hampshire announced the signing of former Nottinghamshire batsman Bilal Shafayat on a short-term, pay-as-you-play type arrangement. The response on Twitter was immediate, with pundits acknowledging that the former England under-19 batsman had the talent to succeed at the highest level if he could apply himself. A 164 run partnership on day three with skipper Jimmy Adams would certainly have endeared him to his new employers, although he's been scoring bucket loads of runs in Hampshire's Second XI in recent weeks, so perhaps they weren't entirely surprised?
If Shafayat's performance was pleasing to manager Giles White then he must have been absolutely delighted when Captain Jimmy Adams scored 122 on the same day. Adams' highest score before this match this season was 13 and the opener showed guile as well as a classic display of driving en route to three figures. Critics had been rounding on the skipper before this match, making the timing of this innings – coming on the back of a two- match absence – all the sweeter.
It spurred his side on to 352-8 on Friday, a decent total although concerns over the way the middle order folded were present again, despite packing the line up with seven specialist batsmen, Sean Terry batting at seven. His form (he managed just 3) will be of concern and with Michael Carberry returning to the side this week against Yorkshire and with Shafayat excelling, Terry will almost certainly make way.
Hants declared overnight having first tried to negotiate a run chase with Derbyshire captain Wayne Madsen for day four. A double second innings forfeiture was discussed by the captains, as was smaller, aggregated total. Neither could be agreed upon and thus a batting procession ensued with Derbyshire on the hunt for batting bonus points. You can hardly blame them. Sitting top of the table and with their closest challengers, Yorkshire, chasing an unlikely 400 for victory in their game with Gloucestershire, Derby didn't need to take any risks. Yorkshire won though, and one would imagine that if Derby miss out on promotion this season, this might be the result that cost them. We shall see.
In any event, Hampshire played Kabir Ali and James Tomlinson for the first time this season and both took 3 Derbyshire wickets as the home side tried desperately to take wickets, but with only 3 front line bowlers played - Hamza Riazuddin, James Griffith and Chris Wood all missed out here - bowling the visitors out was always going to be a near on impossible ask.
And quite what Hants first choice bowling attack is now is anyone's guess, with Balcombe demoted to first change as Ali and Tommo opened.
So for Hants, some good batting practice and another shake up in the bowling department which leaves us, well I don't know where. You would imagine Wood will return this week for Yorkshire, whilst the on-going early season conditions may mean Danny Briggs has to sit on the side-lines for a bit longer.
But all in all it was a rather sub-optimal end to this game. There's an acceptance that four day cricket is traditional and many people are content with that, but on days where a result is impossible, frankly, what's the point?
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Hampshire Comment: Finding a Balance
One of the biggest challenges for any county cricket club is having a squad that can be competitive in all three disciplines of the game. Counties at least can recruit high-profile overseas players for the Friends Life T20 tournament, ensuring exciting cricket for packed houses and TV audiences alike.
The other two disciplines need to be considered as well though, with the LV County Championship still the cornerstone of the English domestic game ad Clydesdale Bank 40 overs cricket offering participants another chance of silverware.
For Hampshire, their 4-day game has come up short in recent years whilst failure in the CB40 format has really only left the Friends Life T20 tournament as a possible avenue to success, one they took in 2010 of course.
It was perhaps refreshing then that the Royals hit the ground running in the aforementioned 40 over competition, beating Glamorgan by 48 runs via Duckworth-Lewis in their first match of the campaign on Monday.
Michael Carberry (60) and James Vince (83) drove Hampshire home at the Ageas Bowl with a 142 run opening partnership which had the watching faithful asking, why can't they do that in LV Division Two matches?
Of course the disciplines are different, of course they are. The white ball comes onto the bat harder, the use of power plays, the field restrictions are all factors, but when these two batted on Monday with skill and class it highlighted the talent Hampshire possess in the batting department - if only it could be demonstrated more consistently in championship matches.
Well, maybe this will be Hampshire's week against Derbyshire in their LV Division Two match starting at the Ageas Bowl today, but they will have to do without the in-form Carberry as he is in the England Lions squad for the match against the West Indies starting at Wantage Road tomorrow - a richly deserved recall for the man who hasn't played for his country since suffering a blood clot returning from England's tour of Bangladesh in 2009.
Wantage Road of course was the venue for Hampshire's latest LV Division Two defeat as they were bowled out 117 runs short of their target by the Steelbacks. Loose bowling on day three and a lack of batting partnerships cost the Royals and left them languishing in sixth place in the league.
David Balcombe, in such fine form with the ball so far in 2012, spoke earlier this year about what he was doing differently to last season to make him such a prolific bowler this time out. "I'm just trying to be disciplined and try and do the right things. I haven't been thinking about taking wickets this year, I've just been trying to bowl dots and bowl maidens."
Hampshire's whole attack need to remember this going into the match with Derbyshire, undefeated this season and scoring lots of runs to boot.
It's a challenge, but no one ever expected it to be anything but, did they?
The other two disciplines need to be considered as well though, with the LV County Championship still the cornerstone of the English domestic game ad Clydesdale Bank 40 overs cricket offering participants another chance of silverware.
For Hampshire, their 4-day game has come up short in recent years whilst failure in the CB40 format has really only left the Friends Life T20 tournament as a possible avenue to success, one they took in 2010 of course.
It was perhaps refreshing then that the Royals hit the ground running in the aforementioned 40 over competition, beating Glamorgan by 48 runs via Duckworth-Lewis in their first match of the campaign on Monday.
Michael Carberry (60) and James Vince (83) drove Hampshire home at the Ageas Bowl with a 142 run opening partnership which had the watching faithful asking, why can't they do that in LV Division Two matches?
Of course the disciplines are different, of course they are. The white ball comes onto the bat harder, the use of power plays, the field restrictions are all factors, but when these two batted on Monday with skill and class it highlighted the talent Hampshire possess in the batting department - if only it could be demonstrated more consistently in championship matches.
Well, maybe this will be Hampshire's week against Derbyshire in their LV Division Two match starting at the Ageas Bowl today, but they will have to do without the in-form Carberry as he is in the England Lions squad for the match against the West Indies starting at Wantage Road tomorrow - a richly deserved recall for the man who hasn't played for his country since suffering a blood clot returning from England's tour of Bangladesh in 2009.
Wantage Road of course was the venue for Hampshire's latest LV Division Two defeat as they were bowled out 117 runs short of their target by the Steelbacks. Loose bowling on day three and a lack of batting partnerships cost the Royals and left them languishing in sixth place in the league.
David Balcombe, in such fine form with the ball so far in 2012, spoke earlier this year about what he was doing differently to last season to make him such a prolific bowler this time out. "I'm just trying to be disciplined and try and do the right things. I haven't been thinking about taking wickets this year, I've just been trying to bowl dots and bowl maidens."
Hampshire's whole attack need to remember this going into the match with Derbyshire, undefeated this season and scoring lots of runs to boot.
It's a challenge, but no one ever expected it to be anything but, did they?
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