Top scorer of the week was Kevin Pietersen, the only man to beat 200 in an innings, while the First Test also brought plenty of runs for Matt Prior and Rahul Dravid. However, in the domestic game, apart from Marcus Trescothick and Tim Maynard, it was the bowlers who caught the eye.
The ever-reliable Middlesex seamer Tim Murtagh grabbed ten wickets against Surrey while Kiwi spinner Jeetan Patel did the same for a resurgent Warwickshire in their defeat of Sussex, adding some useful late-order runs, too. Nevertheless, my Player of the Week - and I never thought I'd ever write this! - is his namesake, Samit Patel.
The Leicester-born all-rounder has been having a productive summer,apparently putting his old fitness problems if not completely behind him then at least tucked behind his rather ample back! OK, so he'll never hare across the outfield or leap like a gazelle, but Patel has scored almost 600 runs and taken 31 wickets in the Championship alone so far. He earned a recall to England's ODI line-up earlier this month and, despite making little impact, he has returned to the county fray with vigour, taking 11 for 111 in Notts' triumph over Hampshire. Forget the so-called 'unfit' Rose Bowl pitch; he spun the ball well and deserved his wickets. Then there is his very impressive strike rate with the bat in T20, and more tan 250 runs to date in the 40-over competition, although he hasn't bowled consistently well in short-form cricket.
Samit's first-class average of more than 40 suggests he is more of a batsman than bowler, especially in the four-day game. However, with England in Test ascendancy, there are no vacancies in that particular squad. Instead, he could shave off a few pounds and stake a consistent claim to one of the all-rounder berths in ODIs. He is still only 26 and could give the likes of Bopara and Wright a run for their money. As long as he doesn't take it too literally...
