After all the excitement of Dakar, Colombo, Bangalore and Mumbai, there's hardly been time to draw breath before my cricket focus returns to the likes of Chelmsford, Bristol and Liverpool. Yes, the 2011 County Championship starts this week. OK, I know the IPL also begins its rumbustuous glitzy round of razzmatazz but that's just an entertaining sideshow to real cricket. Having said that, I bet most of those wearing three sweaters at Grace Road or the Rose Bowl will wish they were earning fortunes in the heat of India! Never mind. This is where people learn to play proper cricket and is where the future stars of English cricket will be born.
Despite the English domestic season opening so early in April, we're actually quite fortunate with the weather forecast. The opening fixtures will be played in unusually warm dry weather but who will be feeling the warm glow of success come September?
Last year, Nottinghamshire just about clung on to win the Championship in a very exciting climax, while poor Somerset were resigned to finishing second, as they did in every other tournament in which they competed. Can Notts retain the title? The previous two winning counties both went on to do just that, but so much depends on how many games the big overseas signings and England internationals get to play. in 2010, I think the brief but extremely effective contributions made by Stuart Broad and Hashim Amla got their season off to a good start, then David Hussey's late summer arrival provided the impetus to push on to the title. Hussey and fellow Aussie Adam Voges will again appear for the county and their runs will again ensure Notts are there or thereabouts. Andre Adams was last year's top wicket-taker in Division One but will he, Darren Pattinson, Luke Fletcher and Samit Patel scare opposition batsmen?
Somerset should also be strong. They may miss Zander de Bruyn's all-round efforts in all formats, but the signing of Steve Kirby and Gemaal Hussain from Gloucestershire will boost the attack. Post-IPL, Murali Kartik will hope to repeat his excellent displays at Taunton and elsewhere while skipper Marcus Trescothick, James Hildreth, Craig Kieswetter and young Jos Buttler were full of runs last season. Hildreth also enjoyed a successful Caribbean tour with the England Lions.
If Durham have Onions and Harmison relishing the challenge, they could improve in 2011. The latter has been moaning about too much cricket yet was also happy to extol the virtues of lots of warm-up games as a prelude to domestic success. Actually, I agree there is too much cricket for many players, but that is down to greed for one-day and T20 revenues, forcing such an early start to the four-day competition.
Sussex have Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Wayne Parnell bowling for them this summer but sadly for them not in tandem. They also need Mike Yardy to put his winter depression behind him, because he is such an effective all-rounder in all competitions. Yorkshire made a solid challenge for the title last season, thanks in part to the runs from young Adam Lyth, supported by the ever-reliable Jacques Rudolph. However, the South African has quit England, and Yorkshire could struggle for runs. On the plus side, they have taken Ryan Sidebottom from Notts and if he stays fit he could take a lot of wickets. Hampshire should finish in the top half, but Imran Tahir's thumb injury will hurt their chances of early success. Teen spinner Danny Briggs had a great 2010 and needs to replicate that success in first-class cricket as well as T20. They have some potentially high-scoring batsmen in Lumb, Carberry and Adams, while Dominic Cork will make an experienced and enthusiastic skipper as he approaches his 40th birthday in August.
Lancashire could struggle in 2011. Runs were in short supply last year but Gary Keedy's return from injury revived their fortunes a bit. He can spin them to victory on helpful pitches. Farveez Maharoof is their overseas player. The Sri Lankan could prove a masterstroke or a disaster! Yo-yo clubs Worcestershire and Warwickshire could face relegation again. The former have little money for top players after the mini-exodus in 2009, but Saeed Ajmal could be a good signing. Shakib al Hasan will return but only for T20. The Bears relied heavily on their bowlers Chris Woakes and Neil Carter last summer. Without Trott or Bell, they hardly ever reached 200 last year and were woefully short of batting bonus points, and new skipper Jim Troughton also needs to be a more consistent run-getter.
Some of the biggest names in cricket are in Division Two. I still can't fathom why rich clubs Surrey and Middlesex endured another dismal summer in 2010 but this time I reckon Surrey will convert talent into success on the pitch. I'm not talking Kevin Pietersen, who will presumably turn up only for the occasional swing of the bat when England and his whim dictate. They could lose Chris Tremlett for much of the season, but Yasir Arafat usually performs well in England, and they have nicked de Bruyn from Somerset. Their London neighbours may welcome back Steve Finn to the attack after England wrecked his 2010 summer. He will have the prolific Corey Collymore alongside him, and Aussie Chris Rogers will bolster the top-order batting. Middlesex's gain will be Derbyshire's loss - and what a loss! Without Robin Petersen, so good in the World Cup, and Graham Wagg, they will do well not to finish bottom. If they manage to see the best of new Aussie sensation Usman Khawaja, I suppose they may avoid a second successive 'wooden spoon'!
Relegated Kent and Essex will be leading contenders to bounce back. Owais Shah, helped by Ravi Bopara, will boost Essex's weak middle-order and Alastair Cook may be fresh for the opening skirmishes before England take him back for the Sri Lanka and India games. With his recent appeals to return to the ODI fold, Essex could be the losers. They seem certain to be without Danish Kaneria, too. Kent have relied a great deal on Rob Key and Martin van Jaarsveld for runs but have a reasonable all-round side.
I can't see Leicestershire pushing for promotion, and Glamorgan and Gloucestershire must be all over the place. The price for the excellent performances of Gloucester bowlers Ireland, Kirby and Hussein has been their transfer elsewhere. With New Zealander James Franklin also not returning, the county could really suffer in 2011. The Welsh county have lost their captain, head coach and all sorts of other key figures over the winter, not to mention the services of Mark Cosgrove, so they will find it hard to compete, despite the arrival of new skipper Alviro Petersen. In recent years, Northants have placed a lot of reliance on a host of Kopak players like outgoing captain Nicky Boje. Last time out, Stephen Peters finally rediscovered the form he once showed as an Essex teenager and he will be joined by the even more experienced Chaminda Vaas. One of my favourite world players of the past 15 years, a fit Vaas could prove devastating on English pitches.
So my reckless tips for the 2011 County Championship?
Div 1 Champions: Notts; Runners-up: Somerset or Hampshire
Relegation: Worcestershire and Lancashire
Div 2 Promotion: Kent and Surrey
Bottom: Derbyshire or Gloucestershire
