Chris Rushworth in a Rush

Warwickshire must have travelled down to Hampshire anticipating a real scrap but came away celebrating an innings over the former league leaders. It seems plain wrong to write about Ed Barnard and Chris Rushworth as Warwickshire players but both played important roles in this success. James Vince easily top-scored in both Hampshire innings and he was a lone wolf watching the carnage at the other end as Rushworth took 7-38. 

There were other examples of extremely doughty day-four defence, this time preventing probable defeat. At Trent Bridge, Lancashire were heading for their first win of the summer, setting Nottinghamshire 295 in 67 overs and reducing them to 55-6, three of the wickets falling to George Balderson. In a match allowing England veterans James Anderson and Stuart Broad some competitive bowling practice, it was Balderson and Brett Hutton whole stole the bowling honours. However, it was Broad’s unbeaten three in just under an hour which ultimately denied Lancashire that much-needed victory, building upon Hutton’s 23 in 141 balls. Who needs Baz-ball to generate excitement? 

Leaders Surrey had to battle for a draw at Chelmsford, too, despite Gus Atkinson’s eight Essex wickets. With Sibley, Burns, Pope and Jacks back in then pavilion, and Simon Harmer twirling away, batsman Jamie Smith stonewalled superbly for more than 2 ½ hours, leaving Essex three wickets short. At the bottom, the order is unchanged as Somerset failed to hammer home a rare advantage over Northamptonshire at Taunton. Tom Kohler-Cadmore upped the tempo for the home side, smashing 130 at more than a run a ball but opposing skipper Sam Whiteman wisely opted for a more cautious approach, batting throughout the final day, also for 130, to prevent Somerset batting again.

Next week, Surrey welcome Middlesex across the Thames to The Oval and Warwickshire’s game against Essex promises to be a cracker.

 

In Division Two, all three fixtures were drawn. While Joe Root sits in an IPL dugout counting his cash, Jonny Bairstow had a rare outing for Yorkshire with bat and ‘keeper’s gloves watching Glamorgan’s Billy Root from behind. Glamorgan were generally on top, thanks to Michael Neser’s first-innings 7-32 and Marnus Labuschagne’s devastating170 not out to set Yorkshire an unlikely 492 target. The Aussie run machine even dared to catch Bairstow for a duck, but ex-England opener Adam Lyth showed it should be done crafting an excellent 174 from the front. However, defeat looked inevitable as the wickets tumbled but – hang on – Jordan Thompson was taking a leaf out of Bairstow’s book, punctuating defensive blocks with eleven fours and a six to end on 55, and the White Roses hanging on with the last pair at the crease. 

At Worcester, all eyes were in another Australian warm-up performer, as Steve Smith made his Sussex debut. He scored 30 but his captain Cheteshwar Pujara eased his way to another ton. A third-day washout meant that a result was virtually impossible, especially when another Asian veteran, Azhar Ali, ground out an unbeaten 103. For all these runs, it was an English seamer who produced the week’s outstanding bowling performance. Not Anderson, not Broad, nor Woakes, but Ollie Robinson. The Sussex quick took seven wickets in each innings, a career-best match aggregate of 14-117. 

He could well claim more victims in the next round, against Leicestershire, who struggled against Derbyshire in this week’s remaining game. Bowler Henry Brookes’ 6-20 was the most eye-catching turn. Derbyshire will be gunning for Gloucestershire next weekend while table-toppers Durham meet neighbours Yorkshire. 

Team of the Week:- Lyth (Yor), Balderson (Lan), Whiteman (Nor), Pujara (Sus), Vince (Ham), Labuschagne (Gla), Burgess (War +), Brookes (Der), Atkinson (Sur), Robinson (Sus), Rushworth (War)

Murtagh’s Middlesex Milestone

Tim Murtagh may be 41 now, transitioning from player to coach, but this weekend he was still giving opposition batsmen nightmares. With Ethan Bamber’s support, his ten-for was instrumental in Kent’s downfall at Lord’s, and included his 1,000^th wicket in any format in his 16-year Middlesex career. He would love to take another 66 to reach the modern rarity of 1,000 first-class victims and, fitness and ECB’s short-sighted short-format obsession notwithstanding, it certainly is not beyond the realms of reality. 

London neighbours Surrey returned to the top at Edgbaston by defeating Warwickshire by the same nine-wicket margin. In damp conditions, runs were again in short supply, only Jamie Smith (88) showing any mastery of an attack led by Dan Worrall and Kemar Roach, who reached a milestone of his own: 500 first-class wickets. 

In Division Two, Durham made their extra game count, claiming pole position with an innings defeat of Derbyshire at Chester-le-Street. Two half-centuries by Luis Reece and a frustrating 99 by Matthew Lamb reduced the embarrassment begun by home-side tons by Kent old-boy Ollie Robinson and Brendon Carse and completed by seamers Ben Raine and Matthew Potts. 

Last season, Leicestershire were tonked by Glamorgan, including Sam Northeast’s quadruple-hundred, but in 2023 they are racking up the runs themselves. Captain Lewis Hill and young opener Rishi Patel reaped centuries, as did Glammie 'keeper Chris Cooke, but a draw was inevitable on the final day. There was no decisive result either at Bristol, where Gloucestershire were made to follow on by Sussex skipper Cheteshwar Pujara made 151 out of a first innings total of 455-5 declared, then Nathan McAndrew’s 5-63 put the home side in severe trouble. At 41-4 second time around, They were heading for a heavy loss but a Graeme Van Buuren half-century and rain came to the rescue. 

Next week, Durham sit it out while either Sussex (against Worcestershire) or Leicestershire (v Derbyshire) could knock them off their perch. In the top tier, Hampshire host Warwickshire and Surrey travel to Essex while bottom two, Somerset and Northants will contest what already looks like being a relegation battle. 

Team of the Week:- Patel (Lei), Compton (Ken), Hill (Lei), Pujara (Sus), O Robinson (Dur), Cooke (Gla +), Carse (Dur), Potts (Dur), Roach (Sur), Worrall (Sur), Murtagh (Mid)

Essex and Leicestershire achieve landmark victories

Amidst all the Easter eggs and bunnies, the County Championship launched its 2023 season with some fascinating contests up and down the land. Anticipating a serious outbreak of Bazball, batting sides now have to score more heavily to secure bonus points and there is less incentive to settle for a draw. Is it working? 

Well, in Division One, not a single side secured the maximum batting points! Essex achieved a rare victory at Lord’s but it was a rollercoaster affair. Dan Lawrence’s hundred eased Essex to 199-3 before Toby Roland-Jones ripped through the lower order with 7-61. In reply, each of Middlesex’s top four were dismissed for ducks and 127 out of a total of 170 came solely from the Higgins/Simpson partnership. Jamie Porter and Sam Cook ensured the home team fell well short of their second-innings target. 

It was another low-scoring affair at Canterbury, where Northamptonshire needed a Rob Keogh century to take the game into a fourth day and an outside chance of victory. It was not to be; Ben Compton’s 114 not out eased Kent to a seven-wicket triumph. Hampshire’s margin over Nottinghamshire was even greater (8 wickets) at Southampton, Mohammad Abbas claiming nine wickets. 

The other two fixtures were drawn. After a day one washout, Somerset struggled at home against Warwickshire, whose tons by Alex Davies and Sam Hain ensured a healthy lead. However, their attack failed to capture more than six wickets on the final day. Surrey also had the upper hand in Lancashire, led by batters Cameron Steel and Ben Foakes. Set a 444 target, Josh Bohannon’s 108 and a gritty 56 from Steven Croft frustrated the Surrey bowlers and even Ollie Pope was given an (expensive) over. 

After their last-gasp relegation in 2022, Yorkshire began their new campaign with defeat to Leicestershire. At least there were plenty of runs. Finlay Bean and Dawid Malan reached three figures to take their first innings total beyond 500 and the home county felt confident enough to set Leicester 389 to win in less than a day. They regretted it. Rishi Patel’s maiden ton (125), another strong performance by Peter Handscomb and a late flurry of Chris Wright boundaries saw Leicestershire to an historic win with just seven balls to spare. It was their first Championship success at Headigley since 1910! 

It was an even tighter affair at Hove, where Sussex eked out a two-wicket victory over Durham. Skipper Pujara’s first-innings 115 and Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s 4-27 ultimately proved the difference. Worcestershire were more decisive at Derby, winning by eight wickets, all-rounder Matthew Waite the star. At Cardiff, Timm van der Gugten’s 5-26 and centuries from Carlsen and Root put Glamorgan in a commanding position only for Marcus Harris (148) and Graeme van Buuren (110 not out) to turn the tables leaving a draw the only outcome, even if it only came with a five-point reward! 

Team of the Week:-  Harris (Glo), Libby (Wor), Pujara (Sus), Steel (Sur), B Root (Gla), Handscomb (Lei +), Waite (Wor), Roland-Jones (Mid), Z Chappell (Lei), Mohammad Abbas (Ham), Porter (Ess)

My County Team of 2022

At last, a full season of cricket, post-pandemic. Too full, to be honest. With four domestic formats plus internationals to squeeze into six months, I thought the schedule ‘blocks’ worked quite well but it would be so much better if the Hundred was removed to allow free rein to the fifty-over One Day Cup during the summer, but we’re lumbered with the pointless innovation for several years to come. 

The Strauss report advocates massive changes to county cricket supposedly to benefit England’s Test, ODI and T20 teams. So why are first-class and List A competitions being diminished while The Hundred continues despite the format not being part of international cricket at all? Crazy, or what? 

Anyway, England seemed to prosper nicely in the summer’s Tests under the current system, with new skipper Stokes, Bairstow, Anderson, Root et al coping admirably with the lack of bowling resources. But what about the county system which has nurtured these England stars? Here is my annual review of the best and most consistent players across the County Championship, Royal London Cup and Blast which also provided plenty of excitement and record-breaking performances during 2022. 

Openers 

Kent’s Ben Compton and Leicestershire’s Pakistan recruit Shan Masood were quick out of the blocks and the latter was also prolific in the Twenty20, one of the few bright spots in Leicester’s dismal summer, in which they failed to register a single Championship victory. Sussex didn’t fare much better but their top order was their strongest feature, particularly Ali Orr. Haseeb Hameed was scoring runs for promoted Nottinghamshire right up to the last game, while Yorkshire’s Adam Lyth maintained his transformation from blocker to blaster. However, it’s Keaton Jennings who was one of the few who starred in all three competitions, the top scorer in Division One and a key figure in Lancashire’s limited-overs campaigns.

 

Middle Order

 

Ben Duckett and 23 year-old Harry Brook played themselves into the notebooks of England’s management early on. The Yorkshire batter averaged an amazing 107 in the Championship during his limited appearances. Tom Alsop aggregated 1,644 runs for Sussex and, when he stepped into the shoes of Shan Masood, Wiaan Mulder was a revelation for Leicestershire at the crease. His 33 wickets also helped carry the county into the 50-over quarter-finals. James Vince was the highest T20 scorer as he led Hampshire to the title, and his former colleague, in his first season with Glamorgan, Sam Northeast shattered his county’s record by easing his way to 410 not out at Leicester. In that game, the home side amassed 584 in their first innings and still lost by an innings. Extraordinary! 

He may be nudging forty years of age, but Stephen Croft’s experience and 1,774 runs played a major role in Lancashire’s excellent season and another veteran, Derbyshire’s Wayne Madsen enjoyed one of his finest seasons in the Championship and was just one shy of 500 runs in the Blast. More surprising was the enduring India Test player Cheteshwar Pujara knocking the ball around so effectively for Sussex in the One-Day Cup. Only Steve Eskinazi outscored him. He also totted up over a thousand Championship runs in only eight outings. Remarkably, on each of the five occasions he reached fifty, Pujara went on to make three figures, including two double-centuries. Even more significantly, nobody achieved as many selections (five) as he did in my Teams of the Week. 

All Rounders 

2022 wasn’t a vintage year for genuine all-rounders. These days, Stevens Mullaney and Croft and Tom Abell bowl less than they used to, so for me it’s a toss-up between Rob Keogh and Ed Barnard. The Northants man added some solidity to the middle-order and contributed 34 Championship wickets with his off-spin. The Worcestershire all-rounder’s batting has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years and 2022 saw him average almost 60 and strike three tons in the four-day tournament. His 42 wickets total overall just elevates him above Keogh in my Eleven. 

Wicket-Keeper 

This was an extremely difficult dilemma, leaving me humming and haahing for ages. Glamorgan’s Chris Cooke claimed the most Championship victims behind the stumps but John Simpson eclipsed his run tally with Middlesex, passing a thousand. Derbyshire’s Manchester-born, Aussie-qualified Brooke Gest made his first impression on me with big and small gloves but in the end it was Gloucester’s James Bracey who clinched it, courtesy of his superior strokeplay in the one-dayers. An extremely marginal decision.

Bowlers 

Craig Overton and Durham’ young Matt Potts made some headlines back in the spring, the latter earning a deserved call-up to the Test team with his ace and Stokes-like passion and pace. Seamers Abbott, Barker and Mohammad Abbas hogged the Hampshire wicket list in the first-class format while Snater and Sam Cook seamed away to great effect for Essex. Like Hampshire’s, Nottinghamshire’s attack shared most of the honours but Dane Paterson was he pick of the bunch, taking 75 wickets in total. Oliver Hannon-Dalby carried Warwickshire’s seam threat in the Championship, and Tom Bailey was always dangerous for Lancashire but Toby Roland-Jones’ promotion-winning haul of 67 at 18.8 topped the lot. As for the spinners… Well, surprise, surprise, that man Simon Harmer makes my end-of season team for the fourth year running. When he wasn’t representing South Africa, the Essex spinner was accumulating another 76 wickets and being one of the most economical men in the T20 Blast. That’s what I call consistency. 

Strangely, my County Eleven of 2022 features no members of Surrey’s Championship victors but stands as follows:- 

Jennings (Lan), Shan Masood (Lei), Pujara (Sus), Northeast (Gla), Madsen (Der), Mulder (Lei), Bracey (Glo +), Barnard (Wor), Roland-Jones (Mid), Harmer (Ess), Paterson (Not). 12^th man: Croft (Lan)

Orr-some Sussex Rack up the Runs

In the week when Bazball lost some of its shine at Lord’s, thanks to some old-fashioned quality pace bowling by South Africa’s Rabada and Nortje, there were plenty of examples of effective 50-over batting in the Royal London One-Day Cup.

In the final fixtures of Group B, Hampshire didn’t exactly tear up any trees but they cruised straight into the semi-finals, three points ahead of the rest, thanks to a 72-run success against Yorkshire at Scarborough. However, their 100% record was spoilt by Glamorgan in Neath, where young opener Tom Bevan bounced back from his duck against Lancashire to smash an excellent 134. A month after he ripped up the Welsh County Championship record books, Sam Northeast was at it again, tonking the Warwickshire attack for an unbeaten 177 in 148 deliveries, Glamorgan’s highest individual score in List A cricket. His stand of 245 with Billy Root was also the county’s best fourth wicket partnership in one-day cricket.

With Wells, Jennings and 21 year-old George Balderson’s maiden century propelling Lancashire into the knockouts, it was a very tight race for the third qualifying spot. Kent eclipsed Glamorgan by beating Lancashire in the last match by two wickets with only a ball to spare. Worcestershire finished bottom but did at least notch their first two victories of the campaign.

In Group A, Somerset also broke their miserable duck, a 14-run win at Edgbaston proving scant consolation in a wretched run through the competition they won in 2019. Durham finished below them after losing all three contests this week. Their batting never truly fired on all cylinders but a special mention goes to 18 year-old spinner Stanley McAlindon, and not just for his name which conjures an image of a bewhiskered Scottish bank clerk in the Victorian era. Against Leicestershire, he registered not only a first 50 of his fledgling career but also a very useful 4-29, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a two-wicket defeat.

The week saw plenty of centuries scattered around the country, while all-rounders Wiaan Mulder and James Taylor continued their consistent summer form. Nottinghamshire’s Brett Hutton claimed a remarkable 7-25 against local rivals Leicester during a game which also featured 6-35 from veteran seamer Chris Wright.

However, if it’s runs you want, then simply follow the Sussex team bus. Cheteshwar Pujara took his tournament tally to 614, bettered only by Steve Eskinazi, with a 90-ball 132 containing only a couple of sixes. Tom Alsop hit an unbeaten 189 in a total of 400-4, the first ‘quadruple’ in the county’s List A history. They plundered 249 from the last twenty overs which would have been fantastic in a T20 fixture let alone a 50-over affair. Just a few days earlier, they’d fallen a mere three runs short of the 400 against Somerset, in which Ali Orr cracked eleven sixes in a double-hundred blitz, four of them off poor teenage medium-pacer Alfie Ogborne. Whoever meets Sussex in next Tuesday’s semi-final at Hove will need to steal their bats.

Team of the Week: Alsop (Sus), Orr (Sus), Jennings (Lan), Northeast (Gla), Pujara (Sus), Mulder (Lei), J Taylor (Glo), McManus (Nor +), Waite (Yor), Wright (Ham), Hutton (Not)

Princely Albert steers Hampshire to 100% record

This week, I’ll start with news that we may have seen the last of two great stalwarts of the county game. James Hildreth is one of the most prolific batsmen in Somerset’s history, and hugely popular in and around Taunton. In both 2005 and 2019 he struck the winning runs in the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup, respectively but in the past few seasons has struggled. Last week, he announced his retirement at the end of the summer but another injury, after a score of 12 versus Durham, has forced him to bring it forward. He never played for England, and neither did Darren Stevens who, at 45, will be released by Kent. He has enjoyed some of his best seasons in the Championship since passing 40 but has been used sparingly in 2022. Unlike Hildy, he wants to keep going, but who would take a punt on someone of his age? I think it’s best to retire gracefully and stay in the game as a coach, and be remembered as a brutal batsman and consistently nagging medium-pacer par excellence.

In this week’s RL 50-over fixtures, Somerset slumped to another three defeats, as did Glamorgan in Group B. At least the former pushed Middlesex almost all the way at Taunton, the last pair getting the Group A leaders across the line with four balls remaining. Middlesex skipper Steve Eskinazi made it three consecutive centuries, including 182 in 136 deliveries in the London derby. Surrey also took a pasting at Hove, where Sussex crushed them by 216 runs. Captain Cheteshwar Pujara plundered twenty fours and five sixes in his 174, one of two tons this week. Who’d have thought the dour Test batsman could be such a wonderful one-day strokeplayer?

Another captain, Essex’s Tom Westley, also made it two sets of three figures during the last seven days, including 109 against Kent, and seventeen year-old leg-spinner Luc Benkenstein, son of the former Durham all-rounder Dale, claimed 6-42 in the win over Glamorgan.

However, it’s Hampshire who lead Group B with an unblemished record so far. It wasn’t a smooth run. They squeezed past Derbyshire and close rivals Lancashire by just two wickets, and have 21 year-old bowler John Turner  and the even younger batsman Toby Albert to thank. The latter steered them home each time with well-judged unbeaten half-centuries. Definitely two to watch in a week when two veterans seemed at the end of their careers.

Team of the Week: Eskinazi (Mid), Patel (Sur), Westley (Ess), Pujara (Sus), Kimber (Lei), Bracey (Glo +), Albert (Ham), Trevaskis (Dur), Karvelas (Sus), Benkenstein (Ess), Turner (Ham)

Two Sams Stoke County Heatwave

At the start of the week, the UK’s temperature records were tumbling all over the shop. County cricket then took up the reins and several of the sport’s long-standing peaks were also consigned to history.

Amongst them was the number of catches in a Championship fixture. Kent’s wicketkeeper-captain Sam Billings pouched no fewer than twelve against Warwickshire. Joe Denly’s century and Matt Milne’s clinching 4-11 may have stood out in Kent’s push for victory at Edgbaston but when the batters edged, Billings pounced – again and again.

In Division Two, winless Leicestershire had reason to be cheerful having notched an impressive 584 in their first outing. Two days later that total was in the record books for the wrong reasons – as the highest first innings total anywhere in the world achieved by a team losing by an innings! Glamorgan’s reply began horribly as the openers were gone with the score at just 9. Enter Sam Northeast. The 32 year-old has been in fine form lately but who could have predicted his side would declare at lunch on the fourth day with him unbeaten on 410? He shared a triple-century stand with Colin Ingram and 461 for the sixth wicket with Chris Cooke, a Championship record. His personal score is the highest in the competition in my lifetime, and the team total of 795-5 obliterated Glamorgan’s all-time best. With only two sessions remaining, I assumed skipper David Lloyd would let the pair continue and allow Northeast a shot at Lara’s 501 but, in a decision of astonishing foresight and faith in Michaels Neser and Hogan, he made Leicester bat again, and they slumped to 183 all out. Maybe it was a bowler’s track after all….

There was another 400+ partnership at Derby, where Nottinghamshire’s Hameed and Duckett put the home team’s bowlers to the sword. Despite Brooke Guest’s 109, Derbyshire were forced to follow on but ground out a final day draw. Middlesex and Sussex also failed to find a winner at Lord’s. Runs flowed merrily for the first three days, leaving no time to force a result. Sussex skipper Cheteshwar Pujara struck his third double-century of the season but John Simpson was one of numerous ‘keepers to reach three figures this week, and Tom Helm represented the bowlers’ union admirably.

In Division One, the leading counties all won to maintain the status quo. A blistering 150 not out by Will Jacks and eleven wickets from Dan Worrall handed the advantage to Surrey at home to Essex, while Hampshire remain hot on their heels thanks to a six-wicket triumph at Cheltenham. Gloucestershire’s Miles Hammond produced a brilliant 169 at second time of asking but the old Barker-Abbott double-act cleaned up all ten wickets, leaving the batters just enough overs to earn the sixteen extra points.

At Northampton on Wednesday, a seven-nation army couldn’t have held Jack White back. He took 5-11 but Lancashire turned the tables with fine bowling by Tom Bailey and Kiwi Will Williams, then a Josh Bohannon ton. Warwickshire may be county champions but Kent kept them in a worrying eighth place with the aforementioned result, while Rain prevented Somerset from pressing home their advantage over Yorkshire and escaping the relegation zone.

Next week’s fixtures, the last before proper cricket takes a long summer break, sees Surrey probably adding to Warwickshire’s pressure, but Gloucestershire have a decent opportunity to end their season’s duck against Northants in front of the Cheltenham Festival crowds. It’s festival time, too, at Scarborough, where Yorkshire host title-chasing Hampshire. In the second tier, Glamorgan have six weeks in which to bask in the afterglow of all those records while Gloucestershire have the unenviable trip to Trent Bridge. Middlesex will go second by defeating Durham.

Team of the Week: Hameed (Not), Duckett (Not), Pujara (Sus), Northeast (Gla), Mulder (Lei), Cooke (Gla), Billings (Ken +), Milnes (Ken), Worrall (Sur), Williams (Lan), J White (Nor)

County Week: Stokes Six Blitz but Surrey storm ahead

There were no double-centuries this week but Ben Stokes marked his first Durham appearance in the Championship for ten months with an innings to match the new England captain’s larger-than-life personality. His first-innings knock had a typically charmed start but once he started swinging his bat, the records began to fall. He smashed 17 sixes from 88 balls, the highest ever in the competition, before another leg-side hoik was snaffled in the deep when on 161. Pity poor teenage spinner Josh Baker. He was clubbed for five successive sixes, and it could have been a full set had Stokes’ next club over mid-wicket bounced a few metres short of the boundary. 

In the match context, Stokes wasn’t even the top scorer. That accolade went to the opener Sean Dickson who struck two centuries, including a declaration-chasing 73-ball 105. Thanks to Jack Haynes’ maiden ton, Worcestershire easily avoided defeat on the final day. Stokes as bowled but ended wicketless from thirty overs. Will he play for the county again before England’s Test series begins? Who knows? 

Also in Division Two, Chetneshwar Pujara also outscored the Durham all-rounder, thanks to a second-innings 170 not out for Sussex at Hove. Middlesex were challenged to reach 370 in under three sessions and, anchored by Sam Robson’s 149 and accelerated by Max Holden and Martin Andersson, they succeeded. 

Middlesex now to the table, and Glamorgan also leapfrogged Nottinghamshire into second by defeating Leicestershire in Cardiff. Most players contributed, including ‘keeper Chris Cooke, Sam Northeast and the Aussie pacemen Neser and Hogan. 

In the top tier, there were centuries from four former England openers. Warwickshire’s Dom Sibley and Lancashire’s Keaton Jennings, in his first game in 2022, were the batting stars although the game limped to a draw. At Chelmsford, Alastair Cook emulated Sean Dickson by reaching three figures twice, surprisingly something he’d ever achieved before. However, the second innings of 102 not out was played out with little pressure as the match petered out into batting practice for Cook and opening partner Nick Browne. Special mention, too, for Yorkshire’s Harry Brook. His 123 was his sixth score of 50+ in six innings. That’s what you call consistent cracking form. 

Surrey notched a third win of the season, this time against Northamptonshire. Rory Burns’ 107 led the way to a total of 401, which was beyond Northants in two attempts. Colin de Grandhomme and Dan Worrall took ten wickets between them, and ‘keeper Ben Foakes claimed seven catches. 

Hampshire also enjoyed a home victory, clinching an 87-run margin over Gloucestershire. The latter’s Mohammad Amir was in ominous form but his Pakistan ex-colleague Mohammad Abbas had the edge, thanks to a first-innings 6-45. 

Hampshire sit it out this coming week, so Surrey can open up a sizeable lead by beating table-proppers Kent in the Beckenham derby. Talking of derbies, Yorkshire and Lancashire provide the year’s first Roses battle and neighbours Somerset and Gloucestershire also face off in Bristol. In Division Two, Nottinghamshire travel to Lord’s for the chance to reclaim the summit, although a draw could let in Glamorgan who head north to Durham and hope to avoid another Stokes special.  

Team of the Week: Sibley (War), Cook (Ess), Dickson (Dur), Pujara (Sus), Holden (Mid), Cooke (Gla +), Stokes (Dur), De Grandhomme (Sur), Mohammad Abbas (Ham), Mohammad Amir (Glo), Potts (Dur)

Somerset bounce back amidst Nationwide Runfest

At long last, a more familiar line-up ensured Somerset ended their dismal run with a surprisingly decisive victory over champions Warwickshire. Most of the side chipped in, including Matt Renshaw’s century and typical tight bowling plus splendid catching from Craig Overton.  That they wound things up inside three days proved fortuitous because Sunday’s rain prevented positive results in six of the nine fixtures. 

However, there may not have been a winner at Bristol had Gloucestershire and Surrey batted on all week! From 37-3, Surrey ran rampant to pass 600, led by Jamie Smith’s 237 not out. The home county’s openers Marcus Harris and Chris Dent quickly showed this was a batsman’s paradise, sharing a stand of 296. A draw was agreed with only 12 wickets having fallen. None of them fell to Gloucestershire’s Mohammad Amir, returning to first-class cricket for more than two years. 

There was another huge partnership at Headingley, where Dawid Malan and Harry Brook put on 259 in a total of 571. Ollie Robinson and Grant Stewart ensured Kent avoided an innings defeat. Ben Compton and Daniel Bell-Drummond also continued good recent form but England’s Zak Crawley failed twice. At Southampton, Nick Gubbins struck a century in each innings for Hampshire but James Anderson was in an old-fashioned mean mood at the head of a solid Lancashire attack. 

At Chelmsford, a Luke Procter century and Ben Sanderson’s 4-32 left Essex following on against Northants, only for a steadfast middle-order performance to see them safely to a draw. Later this week, leaders Surrey and Hampshire face winless Northants and Gloucestershire, respectively. 

In Division Two, Nottinghamshire consolidated their position at the top by defeating Worcestershire. Dane Paterson’s first-innings 8-52 was easily the best bowling statistic of the county week but all-rounder Ed Barnard’s unbeaten 163 forced Notts to bat a second time. It merely delayed the inevitable, with Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke picking up half-centuries to win by five wickets. 

Middlesex had an easier task in overcoming bottom side Leicestershire at Lord’s. Opener Mark Stoneman’s hundred was the highlight, although his seam colleagues were unrelenting with the ball, Ben Mike’s brave 99 not out nothwithstanding. 

Derbyshire and Glamorgan provided the week’s closest and most entertaining contest. After an evenly-matched first two days, Derby’s Wayne Madsen and ‘keeper Brooke Guest’s second ton of the match set the visitors a challenging target of 331. Marnus Labuschagne and Sam Northeast got the Welsh off to a great start but after Chris Cooke and Kiran Carlsen lost their wickets, both sides could eye a possible triumph. In the end, time ran out with Glamorgan 21 runs and Derbyshire two wickets short. 

The towering scores in Division One were also in evidence at Hove. Cheteshwar Pujara struck a double-hundred for Sussex, but even this was eclipsed by a triple-century opening stand by Alex Lees and Sean Dickson, which was curtailed just short of a Durham record. Sussex ‘keeper Mohammad Rizwan, one of the finest T20 batsmen in the world, had an interesting game. He scored 79, took three wickets behind the stumps and, during a two-over stint as medium-pace bowler with a draw inevitable, a wonderful over-the-shoulder catch at first slip! 

This week, Notts and Derbyshire aren’t in action, so Middlesex can take over at the pinnacle by defeating Sussex but Glamorgan could do the same with a home conquest of Leicestershire. 

Team of the Week: Dent (Glo), Dickson (Dur), Gubbins (Ham), Madsen (Der), Pujara (Sus), J Smith (Sur), Guest (Der +), Barnard (Wor), C Overton (Som), Paterson (Not), Anderson (Lan)

Hampshire’s 100% start in One Day Cup

The first week’s fixtures in the Royal London One-Day Cup have generated the expected variety of trouncings and nail-biters, predictable and surprises. Hampshire are the only side to have won all three matches they’ve played, while in the North division, Worcestershire’s 100% record comes from only two yet is enough to top the table.

On the South coast, it’s been Riley Rossouw rather than Hashim Amla who has provided South African runs for Hampshire while Worcestershire’s best performances have come from the lower order. Somerset got off to a cracking start, thumping Surrey in double-quick time with Craig Overton’s 4-29 outstanding. An amazing 159 from the in-form James Hildreth helped defeat Glamorgan but his subsequent 87 couldn’t prevent a loss to Sussex for whom Luke Wright reached three figures. The county’s medium-pacer Ollie Robinson has also been one of the most consistent wicket-takers so far.

Poor Glamorgan. Despite the arrival of Colin Ingram for the white-ball season, they’ve yet to register a victory, falling an agonising two runs short against Middlesex. However, Kent sit below them in the South table despite two solid starts by Daniel Bell-Drummond. Gloucestershire are faring somewhat better, beating the Welsh as well as Essex along the way. Their H men, Hankins, Howell and Higgins have been especially useful with the bat.

Further north, another H man, Sam Hain, struck two centuries for Warwickshire while Paul Horton also struck 103 in Leicestershire’s opener at Northampton. However, for consistent run-making, you had to look at the Roses counties. Horton’s replacement at Lancashire, Keaton Jennings, racked up 278, while Tom Kohler-Cadmore accumulated 292, including 164 in Yorkshire’s 142-run win over Durham. His colleague Cheteshwar Pujara has also found form at last. Normally considered a red-ball specialist, the Indian star produced an impressive run of 82, 73 and 101 so it is perhaps surprising that Yorkshire have only one victory to their name.

It hasn’t been a great week for bowlers. Robinson’s team-mate Chris Liddle, Harry Gurney (Notts) and Lancashire’s young leg-spinner Matt Parkinson head the wicket table with nine apiece but the May sunshine has been kinder to the willow-wielders.

Nottinghamshire’s formidable squad looks tailor-made for retaining their title and they amassed an impressive 409-7 against Leicestershire. Samit Patel celebrated his new contract with a 63-ball century and a couple of wickets. However, they lost easily to Northamptonshire whose poor start in the Championship has been set aside to allow new confidence in 50-over cricket to take over. With Division One strugglers Worcestershire also riding high, it’s encouraging that there are no dominant counties across all formats. Long may it continue.

Team of the Week:

Jennings (Lan), Davies (Lan, +), Kohler-Cadmore (Yor), Pujara (Yor), Hildreth (Som), Hain (War), Bopara (Ess), Ingram (Gla), Berg (Ham), Parkinson (Lan), Robinson (Sus)

India Still Top of the World

Congratulations, India! Not only have they consolidated their number one status in Test cricket with a 2-1 series win over second-ranked Australia but they managed it having been comprehensively crushed in the first game at Pune. In fact it’s only the fourth time in India’s history they have come from behind to clinch a series.

The eight-wicket margin at Dharamsala looks impressive but, not for the first time, the match was won in the second innings when India’s attack was simply too much for the Aussie batsmen. For much of 2016-17, India’s dominance has largely been the result of Ashwin’s bowling and Kohli’s batting. However, both have been uncharacteristically quiet in the battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The home side’s captain aggregated a paltry 46 runs in five innings, while Ashwin was overshadowed by team-mate Ravi Jadeja and even, on occasions, Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keeffe. Umesh Yadav picked up five wickets in the final Test and 22 year-old Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the first innings bowlers, marking his debut with 4-68. Yet Ashwin, with Jadeja, could still teach the Aussie slowies a thing or two about bowling on the fourth and fifth days.

Kohli’s lack of form and Fourth Test absence was compensated for by the excellence of Pujara and Rahul. This week, the latter made it six half-centuries out of seven, a display of remarkable consistency not achieved by an Indian since 1982-3. As the bowlers, especially the spinners, were so on top, there were only six hundreds scored across the whole series. What really stands out is that half of them flowed from the bat of Aussie skipper Steve Smith.

While the ‘brain fade’ incident left a sour taste in the mouth, Smithy was brilliant at the crease. He accumulated 499 runs at 71, remarkable on largely bowler-friendly pitches and seems to be in a golden patch right now. He has the rare gift of converting half his 50s into 100s and also boasts 40+ averages in every country in which he has played. Leading his country has not hurt him one jot either. As captain, his Test average is an amazing 73.27, and his strike rate is a none-too-shabby 57 per 100 balls.

He said he feels pride despite the latest defeat in Asia, and that’s fair enough. It was a great series and I hope there will be many more in the coming year. I particularly look forward to seeing how Kohli and co fare in their next away Test series.

Smith, Shakib, Jadeja and Pujara at the top of their game

With apologies to South Africa, who took an unassailable series lead against New Zealand, this has been a week when cricket’s focus has been on events at Colombo and Ranchi.

First of all, congratulations to Bangladesh for recording only their fourth away Test victory in their 100th match. Beating Sri Lanka by four wickets was arguably their best performance on foreign soil, and coming fewer than 6 months after giving Alastair Cook’s England a momentous hiding. To some extent the result in Colombo this week is an indication of Sri Lanka’s regression as much as Bangladesh’s progression, but let’s not take anything away from Mushfiqur Rahim’s side.

Whilst not being one of the three centurions in the game, Tamim Iqbal was named Player of the Match. Whilst never really fulfilling his early potential on the global stage, Tamim remains an important part of the Bangladeshi line-up. And yet the world’s undisputed number one all-rounder Shakib al Hasan still had a major role to play in this latest triumph. He has participated in almost half of his nation’s Tests, accumulating almost 3,500 runs at over 40 and 176 wickets at barely 34 apiece. That’s pretty good going, especially as most of his performances have come in a losing cause.

India’s spin kings Ravi Jadeja and R Ashwin are hot on his heels, and both stand on top of the ICC bowling rankings. The former has emerged from the shadow of his team-mate over the winter, and added a further nine wickets and a rapid half-century in the latest contest with Australia. After the surprise thumping in the series opener, Kohli’s men seem to have regained the upper hand. It’s been an impressive period for Cheteshwar Pujara, too. Amidst all the headline-catching six-hitters and tight slowies, the 29 year-old right-hander has grown in my estimation. It’s brilliant to see a five-day specialist adding a third double-century to his tally, boosting his average to almost 52.

The opposition skipper Steve Smith may be heading for a series defeat but his personal stock as ace batsman continues to rise. His imperious first innings 178 not out did, in hindsight, probably saved his side in the 3rd Test although it was the resilience of Shaun Marsh and Handscomb which kept the Indian attack at bay on the final day.

In 98 Test innings, Smith has already amassed 19 hundreds and 20 fifties, boasting an incredible average of a shade below 61. His ICC ranking score of 941 is also up here with the best batsmen not only of his generation but any era. Not bad for a much maligned converted leg-spinner! Not bad, either, for someone burdened with captaincy of the green baggies, forever in the media spotlight. Few can outshine Virat Kohli but, at least in the five-day format, Smith is doing just that.

The Smith-Kohli battle in the remaining two fixtures will be almost as fascinating as that of the two teams, and I’d love the overall result to rest on the final match. Five-Test series outside the Ashes are rare but this one thoroughly deserves it.

India Take the Upper Hand

No sooner had I re-asserted my prediction of a drawn series that India re-assert their dominance over the rest of the Test cricket world by winning the second fixture in Visakhapatnam. The toss was always going to be crucial as neither side wanted to be batting come the fifth day. Alastair Cook lost on the coin, and so the mountain climb began.

Virat Kohli had no hesitation in batting first, yet when India lost both openers to Anderson and Broad inside five overs, he may have felt a slight twinge of regret. However, by the third session, the pitch was behaving itself and he and Pujara were making hay, putting on 226 for the third wicket. The restored James Anderson had both Pujara and Rahane caught behind before stumps.

England may well have been pleased to dismiss India for under 500 on day two, but they struggled at the crease. Apart from Root, Stokes and Bairstow, the batting looked poor, leaving Ravi Ashwin to claim another five-for and India to establish a 200-run lead.

To their credit, Stuart Broad (4-33) and Adil Rashid (4-82) bowled well second time around, and Kohli’s 81 was by far the highest score. Nevertheless, a target of 405 in four sessions was almost impossible to achieve. Based on the experience of Rajkot, if any pair looked capable of knuckling down and preserving their wickets, Cook and Hameed did. The first wicket didn’t fall until the 51st over. OK, s they had a mere 75 on the board , but that didn’t matter. It was all about survival.

On the final day, the crucial wicket was Joe Root’s, brilliantly set up and despatched by Shami. The spinners did the rest, and England did their impression of a cheap caravan in the teeth of Storm Angus. Eight wickets tumbled in 30-odd overs. The 246-run margin looks enormous, but battling for 97 overs was a creditable performance by the losing side.

However, the weakness of England’s batting was once more exposed. Hameed has shown he has the right stuff alongside Cook, Root, Bairstow and possibly Stokes. Moeen Ali and Ben Duckett accumulated a pathetic six runs between them. While Moeen will surely keep his place for Mohali, new boy Duckett has already been dropped (“withdrawn”).

The choice of his replacement was a horrible one: a hopelessly out-of-form Gary Ballance or a man who hasn’t played a first-class match in a year, Jos Buttler. The latter got the nod. Of course, if you can strike the ball well in T20s, you can strike the ball in Tests. Being aggressive to the spinners may work for a while. But Jos needs to remember that Ashwin et al know how to bowl tight, playing the waiting game. As Curtly Ambrose used to say, they should let the batsman get himself out. Ansari must surely be left out, too, presumably for Chris Woakes, unless Broad’s foot injury is too serious.

Even in the flush of success, India are also strengthening their squad. But not with Dhawan, deemed not to have proved his fitness in the Ranji Trophy this week. On the other hand, Bhuvi Kumar has, and he will surely beef up the seam and swing attack.

India will be favourites but even if England lose again, they can console themselves with one thought: they aren’t as bad as Australia!

India and England serve up a tasty appetiser

The First Test result may say ‘Drawn’ but I reckon England will claim the upper hand in readiness for the Second. Before the start I stuck my neck out for a 2-2 series score and I see nothing to make me change my mind.

When Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes strode back to the pavilion after day one at 311-4, all those fears of a ‘brownwash’ evaporated completely. I was shocked to read that no visiting Test batsman had reached three figures for three years. By the time England were eventually bowled out for 537, no fewer than three men had made hundreds!

Joe Root, Ali and Stokes knuckled down to compile big scores, although an embarrassment of dropped catches definitely helped. In the second innings, Alastair Cook made it four centuries but it was the man who fell 18 short who made most headlines.

Haseeb Hameed came close to becoming the youngest England centurion for donkeys’ years and suddenly he’s being touted as the opening partner for Cook we’ve been waiting for. Let’s not get too carried away just yet! I was apprehensive about the 19 year-old Lancastrian’s chances. Yes, he enjoyed a reasonably successful summer. However, after picking up a couple of hundreds in the August Roses encounter, his performances tailed off somewhat. Nevertheless, he has few serious competitors and selectors saw a fine technique against spin. Hats off to him; he took his chance well.

As usual, England raided the Oval dressing room, picking a Surrey opener, too. However, they played Zafar Ansari at ten, just ahead of Stuart Broad in his 100th Test match. Yet it was Adil Rashid who proved the most successful bowler, despite Chris Woakes’ typically tight spells and Moeen’s unusual economy.

In the end, they needed just four more wickets to turn a certain draw into an unlikely victory. However, India played their part in an excellent game of cricket. Vijay and Pujara, himself in a rich vein of form this autumn, also struck decent hundreds in the first innings to keep the deficit below 50. Who knows what might have happened had Virat Kohli not misjudged his back foot position while executing a pull, and hit his own wicket?

There was no obvious danger from the Indian bowlers, Yadav in particular, but Ashwin, Mishra and Jadeja will shine again before the year is out. Yes, both sides went for a triple-spin option and that’s probably how India will continue. I suspect the same won’t be true of England once Jimmy Anderson returns from injury, probably at Mohali.

Anyway, things are nicely set up for Visakhapatnam over on the east coast. If England’s batsmen demonstrate the same application and patience, they will not be bowled out twice, so India have a real job on their hands to get back to their winning ways.

2013 Cricketers of the Year

Following my selection of Test and ODI teams of the Year, it's now time to pick out the players who proved to be the best and most consistent performers across 2013 in all forms of cricket. It's not just about the internationals; there have been some notable achievements by those knocking on the door of national selectors as well as those for whom that door is probably closed for good.

That was the situation thought to be facing Chris Rogers at the start of the year. A one-Test wonder for Australia but a solid run-scorer in first-class cricket, he had been made Middlesex captain for the summer. However, David Warner's attitude and form, together with the sudden change of coach during the tour of England, led to his reinstatement as opener at the ripe old age of 36. While he didn't exactly set the world alight, he restored some reliability to the top order and rounded off the year perfectly with an Ashes century at the MCG. In all, he made more than 2,500 first-class runs during 2013, a marvellous achievement.

Kaushal Silva was elevated to Sri Lanka's team for the last Test match of 2013 and his domestic record explains why. IN only sixteen previous first-class matches, he scored 1,753 runs at an average of almost 80, and nobody claimed more than his nine centuries all year. He is a wicket-keeper, too, so has been sidelined by the combination of Sangakkara and Prasanna Jayawardene. Maybe not for too much longer.

IN addition to Rogers, two other 30-something Aussies batsmen made their presence felt in the county game this summer. Michael Klinger was the main bright spot for Gloucestershire and, taken together with his efforts for South Australia, he scored well over 1,000 runs in each of the first-class and List A formats. Michael Hogan also sprinkled some fairy dust onto Glamorgan wih his long-striding, high action seam bowling. This was followed by more success with Western Australia in the Shield, making him the only man to take more than 100 first-class wickets in 2013.

Graeme Onions once more out-bowled just about everyone else in county cricket yet was left out of the Ashes party presumably because he wasn't tall enough. Apparently, England like their drinks waiters to be at least six feet six, like Finn and Rankin, or ginger, like Bairstow, so the big Durham man was left to watch and laugh/cry as his elders and betters failed so miserably Down Under.

The West Indies are not best known for spinners, but while Sunil Narine continues to shine in T20, Shane Shillingford blitzed all and sundry for much of the year in first-class cricket. He claimed 88 wickets in all, at more than seven a match and an average of 16.37. That's phenomenal. Like most bowlers, he had to toil against India's talented array of batsmen and then in mid-December, not for the first time, his bowling action was adjudged to be illegal and requiring further remodelling. Time will tell whether he will be the same bowler again. Caribbean cricket can ill lose any reasonably talented cricketer these days.

Mohammad Hafeez is also past the age of 30 and has also had his critics. An opening batsman who can't score runs quickly enough and a spinner who can't take wickets. Yet somehow he was one of the most consistent all-rounders in limited-over cricket in 2013. IN 30 ODIs he accumulated 1,300 runs at a strike rate comparable with Amla and Dilshan and also contributed more than 600 T20 runs in all competitions. His spin option brought him 22 T20 wickets, too, at an excellent economy rate of 6.46 an over.

In addition to the players above, of course the top international stars of the year have already been mentioned in my previous blogs but they deserve a repeat mention in my review of the overall players of 2013. AB De Villiers is caurrently unrivalled as a batsman in all forms of cricket. Not only does he score shedloads of runs but he does so at a rate which puts most contemporaries to shame. His SR of 154 in all T20 games out-guns even Gayle, Pollard, Warner and Ten Doeschate. Add in his wicket-keeping and one-day captaincy duties and AB must be the outstanding all-round cricketer in the world game.

His South Africa team-mate, Dale Steyn, likewise must be the top bowler for his wickets, strike and economy rates spanning the formats in 2013. Final credits go to the 25 year-old Indian batting duo of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara. The former has been one of the foremost one-day batsmen and fielders of recent years and, if his exploits in the recent first Test in South Africa are anything to go by, he seems to be adding patience and sensible decision-making to his repertoire. Pujara was the only man apart from Rogers to score more than 2000 first-class runs, and did so without county cricket. Unencumbered by T20 fripperies, his record since the start of October includes a triple, double and three other hundreds in only twelve innings. His FC average for the year is just shy of 100. I hope he goes on to consolidate his position as India's Test number three in 2014.

A happy New Year to them and all readers, too!

2013 Test Cricket Players of the Year

For many, 2013 was about two all-time greats: Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis. Both took their bows from Test cricket, albeit in very different circumstances. The Little Master's departure was choreographed along the lines of a British royal wedding while, typically, the South African all-rounder signed off with much less fuss, a sedate century, his 200th catch and plaudits of cricket fans worldwide. But because neither really took the eye on the pitch, neither make my Test XI of the year. Indeed, it's not necessarily the best eleven players, either, and doesn't follow the ICC rankings. After all, Sri Lanka played virtually no Test matches at all. But for me the team are those who produced the most consistent run-scoring, wicket-taking, etc at the top level during 2013.

It wasn't a great year for openers. David Warner and Alastair Cook probably scored more runs than anybody else in this position but both had very mixed years. I have therefore plumped for two men currently in opposition and who played relatively few matches. Graeme Smith continues to be a successful skipper and run maker for the world's number one ranked team, South Africa, while Murali Vijay has made some decent scores against boh Australia and South Africa. He can also bowl a few overs to keep the attack leaders fresh.

Candidates for the middle-order are much thicker on the ground. Dhawan and Rutherford made sensational debuts last winter, Ian Bell had a superb home Ashes series, Virat Kohli finally demonstrated the maturity to excel at the most demanding form of cricket and Hashim Amla also averaged more than 50. However, none manage to squeeze into my team of the year. Instead, I have included India's number three, Cheteshwar Pujara. Besides amassing huge innings in domestic cricket, he contributed more than 800 runs and, at the time of writing, three hundreds for the national cause. First defeated, then victorious Ashes captain Michael Clarke was one of only two batsmen to compile more than 1000 Test runs in the calendar year (Bell being the other) whilst coping with the considerable mental pressures of leading his side in the most gruelling of series. New Zealand's Ross Taylor marked his return to the fold with centuries in three successive Tests against the West Indies. Then there's the incomparable AB De Villiers. Officially the best Test and ODI batsman in the world, AB has delivered almost a thousand runs at an average of 90+, whilst taking the gloves. He's hardly ever off the field of play!

Nevertheless, I want a specialist wicketkeeper in my team and Brad Haddin's combination of glovework and vital lower-order runs throughout the year, at the age of 36, fit the bill superbly.

The retirement of Kallis hits home the dearth of international all-rounders in the modern game. I can think of nobody in Tests capable of delivering match-winnng batting and bowling on any consistent scale. Vernon Philander may have the potential and Ravi Ashwin hit 124 against the Windies at Kolkata a few months ago. However, Ashwin earns his place for his spin demolition of Australia and the Windies. Will he be able to reproduce such form on away pitches, I wonder?

Watching him and his hapless team-mates struggling in Australia in the past few weeks, it is har to remember the impact Stuart Broad made earlier in 2013. He has by far the most Test wickets in the year (62), including five five-fors, and all atr an average of 25.80. When he's poor, he looks very average but when the modd and fancy takes him, he is almost unplayable. Even Jimmy Anderson was knocked from his pedestal as England's best bowler. The contrast with Mitchell Johnson is stark. His career having hit the doldrums after previous Ashes horrors, he stormed back with a vengeance to destroy English hopes and batting with a twirl of a new moustache and a renewed line in aggression. He claimed 34 wickets in only six Tests at under 18 apiece. His colleague Ryan Harris would have joined him but for a certain Mr Dale Steyn. He may have been displaced at the top of the ICC tree by Philander but he continued to exude skill and venom on the friendliest of batting pitches, amassing 48 wickets (with a day to go). Like Johnson, his average sits below 18 and his economy rate of 2.49 is one of the best around of the major wicket-takers.

If my Team of the Year has to play on a pitch requiring five front-line bowlers, then I'd drop Haddin for New Zealand's left-arm seamer Trent Boult, who took 46 wickets at 25 against a range of opposition, home and away. No Pakistanis make the XI but I hope their dominance of my ODI side of the year is adequate compensation!

To summarise, here is the Test Team of 2013: Smith (SA), Vijay (Ind), Pujara (Ind), Clarke (* Aus), Taylor (NZ), De Villiers (SA), Haddin (+ Aus), Ashwin (Ind), Broad (Eng), Johnson (Aus), Steyn (SA).

My overall players of the year, taking in all senior cricket, will be revealed shortly....

Prolific Pujara

When Cheteshwar Pujara first walked onto the pitch as a Test batsman, it was to replace Murali Vijay after a triple-century stand with Sachin Tendulkar. He made just four, while SRT proceeded to rack up 214. That was the first innings in the 2nd Test against Australia at Bangalore 17 months ago, a game which India won by seven wickets.

Since then, the young man from Rajkot has enjoyed an incredible run of success not only in domestic cricket but also in the five-day format against some of the top sides in the world. This week, he made a double century of his own, this time alongside Vijay, and insodoing reached the 1000-run milestone in only his eleventh Test match. Also in a 2nd Test against the same opposition. Not many batsmen have achieved that in the modern era. Not Tendulkar, not Ponting, not Dravid. In fact, only Sunil Gavaskar equalled the achievement but, following his sensational debut series, he merely limped to the thousand mark. Pujara, on the other hand, has punctuated his short career with big scores, culminating with that 204. Since that debut, every time Pujara passes 50 he progresses to three figures, topping 150 three times in four.

He smashed centuries in successive games against England last autumn then he warmed up for the Aussies by thumping 203 not out and 352 for Saurashtra on his home ground in the Ranji Trophy. That triple is no big deal for Pujara either. He scored 300+ twice in an under-22 tournament then again as a 21 year-old in first-class cricket. Surely, it can't be long before he does it in a Test, too.

Classical in style, he looks born to bat on the world stage, and now claims a career Test average of more than 67 and in 77 first-class games of just over 60. Pujara's one-day record is nearly as impressive but, perhaps unfortunately for an Indian in this IPL-obsessed era, he has yet to shine in T20. However, I've always said that a class player will succeed in any form of the sport. Sometimes it takes time, and I hope India is prepared to wait. I suspect opposition bowlers no longer fear Tendulkar and Sehwag; Pujara is the man to get out.