It's weird how things change from week to week. Sometimes you can't find a single opening batsman performance worth considering, while this week there were three consistent run-makers in the IPL alone. David Warner blitzed a 45-ball 90 and a rapid 59 for Hyderabad, Robin Uthappa maintained his incredible run of 40+ scores for KKR and Lendl Simmons just reached three figures for Mumbai. In England, Chris Rogers compiled another hundred but Marcus Trescothick's brilliant match-winning 133 for Somerset against Durham earns him one of my opener slots. Simmons narrowly pips his fellow T20 blasters to the other position.
James Vince failed to reach 100 but three more half-centuries for Hampshire across both domestic formats makes him my number three. Last time, Neil Dexter produced a six-for for Middlesex but last week his unbeaten 163 against Northamptonshire was the highest score in the Championship. Hamish Marshall aggregated almost 200 runs for the seven days, including a 118 in Gloucestershire's second innings which ensured a rare first-class win against Kent.
Super-fast 50s in the IPL are part and parcel of the tournament but when Yusuf Pathan thumps five fours and seven sixes in a mere 22 balls, even my antenna twitches. His record-breaking 72 catapulted the KKR man into my team of the week ahead of other serious contenders like Shakib and Hampshire's Matt Coles. MS Dhoni delivered two more finishing flourishes but my 'keeper of the week is Durban-born Gareth Roderick, whose contribution to Gloucester's triumph included 59, 85 and five catches before he had to hand the gloves to teenage sub Cameron Herring.
All-rounder of the week is Toby Roland-Jones. The Middlesex seamer followed an impressive 6-55 with an even better 6-50 to finish off Northants. Not only that but he contributed a career-best 60 in just 30 balls to set up the declaration which led to that result. He has burst from the shadow of Finn, Murtagh and Harris to become a really useful four-day bowler. If only he was born in South Africa or Barbados, he'd have more chance of breaking into the England squad!
Chris Jordan has already done that and he repaid the selectors by turning in a superb 13-ball 38 and 3-25 to clinch a ODI success against Sri Lanka. He is well behind TRJ in first-class stats but is the real thing in one-dayers. My last two bowlers pick themselves. Playing against each other at Chelmsford, Monty Panesar took 2-57 and 5-23 for Essex but his Pakistani opponent Saeed Ajmal was even more unplayable. The off-spinner's 6-75 and career-best 7-19 ensured Worcestershire remain favourites to return to Division One next season.
In summary:- Trescothick (Som *), Simmons (Mum), Vince (Hants), Dexter (Mid), Marshall (Glouc), Yusuf Pathan (KKR), Roderick (Glouc +), Roland-Jones (Mid), Jordan (Eng), Saeed Ajmal (Worc), Panesar (Ess)
