County Team of the Week of the Decade!

2023 marked the tenth year of my weekly county cricket blogs. During the domestic season, I select a balanced team of the week, from opening batters to fast bowlers, incorporating the best performers in red or white-ball formats as appropriate. A decade on, I thought it might be interesting to see which players have appeared most often in this period. 

The central contract system, designed to protect the national squad’s interests above all else, inevitably means that many of the top England stars exclude themselves from the majority of fixtures. Therefore, the list is dominated by players who have either worked their way up to international recognition or those whose cricketing ambitions are relatively modest or whose Test or ODI careers are largely behind them.  It goes without saying that The Hundred franchise competition does not count. 

68 have appeared in a Team of the Week on at least ten occasions and six have done so twenty times or more. Keeping with the tradition of selecting a genuine XI, I was surprised how the Decade Team almost picks itself. Here goes…. 

Keaton Jennings’ inability to impress the England selectors has benefitted first Durham, then Lancashire. 2016 was his breakthrough season but, at the age of 31, he will surely get Lancashire (or whoever) off to many more solid starts in the Championship or One-Day Cup. Daryl Mitchell was another unflashy opener. His team, Worcestershire, have been a yo-yo county in the Championship for years, and the local man’s form has been equally erratic. However, before he retired in 2021, he produced numerous big innings that frequently won games. 

Prior to his reinvention as a Test match Bazball exponent, Ben Duckett was a compact hard-hitter for Northants, later shifting to the richer Nottinghamshire. He was one of the highest scorers in the Covid-affected summer of 2020 and no specialist batsman has bettered his twenty Team of the Week appearances. Hampshire’s redoubtable James Vince is another evergreen master of all formats, but especially in the Twenty20 Blast where he has been top-scorer for the past two years. Sam Northeast, Joe Denly and Gary Ballance have featured frequently but my third middle-order man is Wayne Madsen. Derbyshire may be short on success but the Durban-born batsman has been an absolute rock for so long, also briefly but economically contributing to the T20 cause as an opening spinner.

 

There were several contenders for the wicketkeeper berth, including Foakes and Steven Davies, but Chris Cooke’s often match-defining heroics for Glamorgan have earned him an impressive seventeen Team of the Week slots. Batting down the order, he is always hard to remove, and takes plenty of vital catches behind the stumps to the likes of Hogan and Neser.

 

All-rounders have figured very strongly in my selections. The ability to strike a few fifties and take a five-for is a surefire way to merit a place in my weekly Eleven. Samit Patel, Liam Dawson, Rikki Clarke, Ben Raine and Ryan Higgins have been regulars, kept out of the England set-up by virtue of not being Ben Stokes. However, Somerset’s Lewis Gregory has been a below-the-radar star for a decade, but much-loved by the Tanton faithful, and me. Also deserving of twenty Teams of The Week appearances is Darren Stevens. His pace and eye may have slowed but even in his twilight years, past the age of forty, he was still capable of opening the bowling for Kent in the four-dayers, taking more than fifty wickets a season at under twenty runs apiece. Stevens was more than a mere journeyman. 

Michael Hogan and Chris Rushworth have also thrived well into their thirties but my next two bowlers have been instrumental in Essex’s success in recent years, notably in the County Championship. It is crazy that James Porter cannot find a way into the senior England set-up and, now 30, probably never will. He has been picked for 18 Teams of the Week, primarily for his red-ball exploits but his SA-born colleague Simon Harmer has gone three better. The off-spinner has dominated the Championship for a decade or so, and has more than nine hundred first-class wickets to his name, a sizeable chunk in the whites of Essex. Aged 34, he will surely reach a thousand, a rarity in this T20 era. 

Last but not least, the leading Team of the Week-er of the past decade is Craig Overton. Like Porter, his supreme county performances have not been enough to forge an enduring career for England, whose strategy no longer requires a McGrath-esque talent for nagging seam line and length. 2023 apart, the Somerset twin has been brilliant, particularly in those early months of the Championship. Like Harmer, his tendency to strike a brisk late-order half-century also does no harm. 

So there we have it. Who will be there in another ten years? The speed at which cricket is evolving, including its short-form entry into the Olympic arena, makes predictions impossible, and then there’s the uncertain future of the county game itself. Whatever happens, Simon Harmer will probably still be at the forefront! 

Team of the Week of the Decade: 

Jennings, Mitchell, Duckett, Vince, Madsen, Cooke (w), Gregory, Stevens, Harmer, C Overton, Porter. 12^th man: Denly

Somerset clean sweep, Glamorgan make hay

Can’t believe I am saying this but Somerset are actually getting me quite excited about the Blast. Three more wins this week extended their 100% record to six. Of course, it could all still go horribly wrong and even if we make the knockouts, a quarter-final defeat by then wickets is a strong possibility. The batters didn’t see much action, and it was the bowling which inflicted the greatest damage upon Kent, Middlesex and Essex. In particular, the 25-year-old Devonian seamer, Ben Green, mopped up ten wickets, including 4-20 against Middlesex who have been as abject as Somerset have been supreme. 

Surrey stand second in the South table, but it took a last-ball single from Jamie Smith to clinch the points in Canterbury on Sunday. Glamorgan supporters enjoyed plenty of runs this week, twice passing 200. It was the old double-act of Colin Ingram and Chris Cooke who were in superb form, especially in harness. Each of them amassed 200 runs from the three fixtures, Cooke’s unbeaten 113 off just 51 balls against Middlesex the highlight. In that game, the pair plundered 187 in a 79-ball partnership, with Helm and Higgins consistently conceding boundaries. 

Hampshire picked up two resounding victories, against Essex and Sussex. In the latter, opposing skipper Ravi Bopara arrived at the Ageas Bowl too late to play but unfortunately home captain James Vince was present, correct and able to extend his week’s run tally beyond 260. He now has more than 20,000 runs for his county, a record he shares with Derbyshire’s Wayne Madsen, whose dismissal for ‘only’ 44 against Yorkshire was the first time he had failed to make 50 in this year’s competition.

In the North division, Worcestershire’s perfect start to the Blast was ruined by Northamptonshire, who pipped them at New Road by six wickets with only two balls remaining. That result notwithstanding, Brett D’Oliveira and Pat Brown were in good form this week. Whilst mediocre in the Championship, Yorkshire claimed three successive T20 wins, Dawid Malan exceeding 80 on each occasion. He top-scored in the Roses clash with Lancashire at Headingley, despite the arrival from India of Jos Buttler. The England star, one of many in the Lancs line-up, failed to arrest a decline in fortunes. 

Another former T20 icon, Alex Hales, achieved just one half-century for Nottinghamshire, easily outscored by fellow opener Joe Clarke and Colin Munro. The latter pair were instrumental in the crucial triumph over former leaders the Birmingham Bears, firing fifteen sixes between them. 

In the next few days, Worcestershire travel to both Yorkshire and Lancashire while Somerset’s winning streak will be sorely tested at Hampshire and local rivals Gloucestershire. 

Team of the Week:- Clarke (Not), Vince (Ham), D Malan (Yor), Madsen (Der), Ingram (Gla), Cooke (Gla), Dawson (Ham), Narine (Sur), Payne (Glo), Sama (Ess), Green (Som) 

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)

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)

Warwickshire County Champions in last-day drama

So, after a Hundred-hampered, two-phase season, the destination of the County Championship fluctuated several times during the final four days before settling on Warwickshire in dramatic style. It was like a typical thriller. Red herrings, plot twists and in the climactic episode it was a peripheral character who dunit.

At the start of the week, Hampshire were in pole position to win the title for the first time since, incredibly, 1973. Beat Lancashire at Liverpool and they’d succeed. However, when they were bowled out for 143 and still ended up with a first-innings lead, it looked like being a lottery. Second time around Tom Bailey (7-37) was in devastating form and only an 80-run stand from James Vince and Liam Dawson prevented an embarrassment. Nonetheless, Lancashire’s target was, in the context of the game, a challenging one. They made a solid start and, with captain Dane Vilas at the crease, were cruising to victory. Suddenly Mason Crane grabbed wickets only for the cool-headed skipper, with one partner left, to strike the winning boundary. Hampshire’s chance had gone. 

Long-time leaders Nottinghamshire were hosting Yorkshire and had been in with a shout themselves. Joe Clarke’s 109 and Joey Evison’s 4-13 gave them hope on day two and, despite Adam Lyth’s robust 153, Ben Slater’s unbeaten 79 ensured Notts won by five wickets. However, Lancashire’s win left them an agonising half a point behind. 

Over to Edgbaston where bowlers were finding life more difficult. Warwickshire were piling on the runs until the returning Craig Overton, unplayable earlier in the summer, put on the brakes with five wickets. Given Somerset’s abysmal record this September, it was therefore amazing that they somehow notched a marginal first-innings lead and on the final morning a draw looked the most likely outcome. The home side promptly went for broke, led by Rob Yates and Will Rhodes, declaring 272 ahead. Could Somerset avoid yet another defeat? Nah. Chris Woakes claimed another three victims, as did Craig Miles so, on the very final afternoon, the Championship belonged to Warwickshire! 

In Division Two, wickets tumbled like the Government’s Brexit restrictions on foreign HGV drivers. Twenty-four fell on day one at Chelmsford and Essex had beaten Northamptonshire by an innings early the next morning. At barely 96 overs in total, it was the shortest ‘four-day’ match in Championship history! Sam Cook’s 10-41 were the most significant stats but I wonder if a points deduction will be imposed, just as it was against Somerset in their decider versus Essex last year. 

Gloucestershire also defeated Durham inside two days. Spinner Zafar Gohar took eleven wickets while all-rounder Graeme van Buuren rounded off a fine season. Nobody won more first-class matches in 2021 than Gloucester but  Essex still finished above them. What a contrast with proceedings at The Oval. Only ten wickets fell in the entire match! Chris Cooke’s 205 not out helped Glamorgan to a mighty 672-6 declared but Surrey’s top order also enjoyed two days of batting practice. Jamie Smith and Hashim Amla helped themselves to hundreds but Ollie Pope went even further. He improved his Oval record by reaching 274 before part-time spinner Hamish Rutherford ripped out his middle stump. At one stage, ‘keeper Cooke swapped places with seamer Michael Hogan to amuse themselves but it couldn’t have been much fun for spectators. In his very last innings, Rikki Clarke was given a guard of honour by the opposition and ended unbeaten on twelve. What a servant to county cricket he has been. 

Talking of brilliant veterans, Darren Stevens took 4-21 and 1-18 in Kent’s two-wicket victory over Middlesex. Very much a game of two halves, the batsmen took charge on the last two days. Mark Stoneman struck 109 for the visitors, then Ollie Robinson (109) and young Zimbabwean refugee Tuwanda Muyeye (89) seemed to be steering the match in Kent’s favour until Murtagh and Roland-Jones intervened. On the fourth morning, with just three men left, Matt Milnes and Grant Stewart saw them home for a fourth successive win. 

Worcestershire advanced to third place with a ten-wicket demolition of Leicestershire. Jake Libby top-scored with 77 and Joe Leach claimed six wickets to triumph with a day to spare. After the remaining fixture at Hove involving the bottom clubs, the wooden spoon was the unwanted property of Sussex who handed Derbyshire their first win of the season. Wayne Madsen struck 111 in the first innings but Ben Brown achieved a valiant 157. On its own this isn’t especially momentous, but no fewer than six team-mates were dismissed for ducks! Matt Critchley mopped up the tail, forcing Sussex to follow on. This time it was Brown who failed to score, but only Rawlins passed 30. An innings defeat was averted but a ten-wicket margin was still pretty decisive. 

The Championship is over for another year but top two counties Lancashire and Warwickshire will meet to decide the Bob Willis Trophy next week. Forecast showers could affect the result but if the pitch is as bowler-friendly as Liverpool or Chelmsford, it could be done and dusted by Wednesday….. 

Team of the Week: Lyth (Yor), Stoneman (Mid), Yates (War), Pope (Sur), Cooke (Gla), Robinson (Ken +), Van Buuren (Glo), Stevens (Ken), Bailey (Lan), Zafar Gohar (Glo), S Cook (Ess)

Hampshire thwarted by final pair

The Group 2 leaders Hampshire and Gloucestershire met at Southampton and, bolstered by tons from Holland and Alsop, it was the home side who looked set for a resounding victory on the final afternoon. However, with one-day specialist Iain Cockbain showing the necessary grit, final pair Josh Shaw and Exeter undergraduate Dominic Goodman then held on for eighteen overs, withstanding everything Abbott, Abbas, Crane et al could throw at them. 

They still occupy the top two positions despite Somerset buncing back to defeat Leicestershire. Craig Overton starred with the ball, his 5-25 ensuring Abell and Lammonby had a relatively straightforward run chase. In the other fixture, Middlesex clinched London bragging rights, sweeping aside Surrey’s stars by ten wickets at Lord’s. Old hands Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland Jones did most of the damage with the ball. 

In Group 1, Warwickshire have clear water at the top, handing Essex a rare Championship defeat at Edgbaston. After three even days, you’d be forgiven for expecting Jamie Porter and Simon Harmer to rip through the home team on day four but you’d be wrong. 21 year-old Robert Yates ended on 120 not out, supported by Hain and Vihari confounding expectations. 

Worcestershire were in the driving seat for most of their game against Nottinghamshire, thanks to century partnerships for the first and eighth wickets. After following on, Notts openers Ben Slater and Haseeb Hameed dug throughout the last day to ensure a draw. The openers duly achieved stands of more than a hundred in each innings and Hameed’s two innings spanned well over thirteen hours and a record 635 balls. Nice to see him find form after three fallow years. 

Batsmen were dominant, too, at Chester-le-Street. Durham were given a cracking start by South African right-hander David Bedingham whose 257 not out inflated their first innings total to 475 and his first-class average to more than 50. Durham declined to enforce the follow-on and Wayne Madsen’s batsmen avoided mishap to avoid defeat quite easily. 

The Roses bloomed in Group 3. At Canterbury, Lancashire trounced Kent by an innings. An eighth wicket stand of 187 by Wood and Lamb boosted the first innings total to 525 and despite a second innings 114 by Daniel Bell-Drummond, Lancashire pressed home their advantage. Matt Parkinson spun his way to 7-126 so the visitors didn’t need to bat again. Yorkshire also won, but in a much closer contest against Sussex. Dom Bess recorded his maiden five-for wearing the white rose to finish things off. 

Glamorgan must have been gutted over losing at Northampton. Kiran Carlsen followed his pair of hundreds last week with two fifties, while skipper Chris Cooke stroked a first–innings 136. With James Harris back at his old county on loan, the Welsh had Northants on the ropes on 76-5 only for the lower order to launch a major recovery. They also declared to give themselves two and a half sessions to bowl the home team out only for Ricardo Vasconcelos and Rob Keogh to share a 239-run partnership, not only staving off defeat but also to help surpass the unlikely target of 355. 

The next round of fixtures should see Hampshire and Gloucestershire widening the gap on the rest in Group 2 by beating Surrey and Leicestershire, respectively. West Midland rivals Warwickshire and Worcestershire go head to head at Edgbaston while in Group 3, Lancashire look to tighten their grip with victory over Sussex. 

Team of the Week: Slater (Not), Hameed (Not), Vasconcelos (Nor), Bedingham (Dur), Keogh (Nor), Cooke (Gla +), Higgins (Glo), Roland-Jones (Mid), Bess (Yor), C Overton (Som) M Parkinson (Lan)

2020 County Cricket Team of the Year

What a weird summer it’s been. Covid has left thousands dead, many more struggling to get over the disease and its impact on society. Sporting arenas remain empty, and rightly so, given the importance of social distancing to keeping us all safe. I must admit I feared for domestic cricket but credit to the ECB, clubs and broadcasters for squeezing in so many meaningful matches in only a few months. 

Of course, England played their part, along with their opposition who had to sacrifice so much in order to get the show on the road in the safe bubbles of Southampton and Manchester. Buttler, Broad, Stokes and Woakes did their thang, but this is about the county game. 

A full Championship was out of the question but the makeshift Bob Willis Trophy, complete with a five-day final, turned out to be a success with clubs and online fans alike. As last year, Essex and Somerset were a class apart but the experience of the former ultimately held sway at Lord’s, but it was close. The abbreviated T20 Blast was harder to call but it was the superior all-round quality of Surrey and Nottinghamshire which produced the finalists last week, and the insanely enthusiastic skipper Dan Christian carried the Outlaws to victory. So who makes my county team of the year?

Openers:

The previous years’ stars Burns and Sibley seemed to establish themselves at international level, allowing others to shine for their counties. Kent’s Daniel Bell-Drummond was the T20 top scorer and another ex-England player Adam Lyth scored consistently in both formats. Sir Alastair Cook proved that class is permanent by scoring the century which clinched another red-ball title for Essex but another of Somerset’s recent rash of talented Toms, Tom Lammonby, announced himself with almost 600 runs in total. 

However, it’s another pair of ‘L’s who make my XI. Alex Lees didn’t quite fulfil his potential at Yorkshire but he enjoyed a very successful 2020 at Durham, accumulating more than 350 runs in each competition for a struggling team. Then there’s another 27 year-old, Jake Libby, who scored runs for fun in August for Worcestershire. Nobody scored more than the Devonian across the whole season. 

Middle-order:

A number of young players seized their opportunities created by the absence of overseas recruits, especially in the Blast. Zak Crawley’s season will be remembered for his mighty Test 267 for England against Pakistan but he proved a highly effective weapon in T20 for Kent, too. Joe Root was apparently a bit miffed at being omitted from England’s T20 squad but he responded in style, reinventing himself in Yorkshire towards the end of the season as a solid off-spinning all-rounder. However, I’ve picked Leicestershire’s one-man middle-order, Colin Ackermann for my team of the year. Once more he has combined first-class batting with white-ball bowling to keep his county’s had above the water. 

My other two are the Nottinghamshire pair, Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke. The former appeared in a record four Teams of the Week this year, producing big innings when it mattered, including the Blast Final against Surrey. Clarke was quick off the blocks when cricket got the go-ahead in August, the highlight being a 44-ball ton against Durham in T20. 

All-Rounders:

2020 wasn’t a vintage year for genuine all-rounders in the county game. Ed Barnard (Worcestershire), Graeme van Buuren (Gloucestershire) and Jamie Overton (Somerset/Surrey) were in the mix but my first choice was also in my 2019 Eleven, Ryan Higgins. The Gloucester man doesn’t rip up any trees with either bat or ball but is a huge asset in all formats, playing a major role in his county’s march to Finals Day. Amidst all Surrey’s international stars, Will Jacks could easily be missed but his hard-hitting and economic T20 bowling were probably more influential than Amla, Roy, Pope, Foakes, Plunkett et al. Given a good run in next year’s Championship the homegrown 21 year-old could join the county’s list of England caps. 

Wicket-keeper:

Worcestershire’s Ben Cox claimed more dismissals than anyone else in the Bob Willis Trophy while Middlesex’s John Simpson and Nottinghamshire’s Tom Moores also combined runs with decent performances behind the stumps. Had Alex Davies been a regular ‘keeper for Lancashire he may have taken a slot but instead I’ve plumped for Glamorgan’s Chris Cooke. The Johannesburg-born 34 year-old rarely reaches three figures but in a side frequently short at the top of the order the skipper has shorn up the innings, made vital catches and as captain brought on some of the county’s young prospects. 

Bowlers:- 

Let’s get the no-brainer out of the way. Simon Harmer goes straight into the side for a third successive year. He took 38 red-ball wickets at under 16, along with ten in the Blast, pushing Essex towards another title. Team-mate Jamie Porter was also in the wickets, as were fellow seamers, David Payne (Gloucestershire), George Garton (Sussex), Jake Ball (Notts) and the incredible 44 year-old Darren Stevens (Kent). However, I have opted for another veteran paceman, Tim Murtagh of Middlesex, whose 25 four-day wickets came at just 12.72 and seven Blast victims at an economy rate of 6.61. When Jamie Overton switched mid-season to Surrey, Josh Davey stepped up admirably but it’s the other twin, Craig Overton who was even more instrumental in blowing away the opposition in August. It was only in the final that Somerset conceded a single batting bonus point and Craig was the man who led that formidable seam attack. One to watch is definitely Surrey’s 21 year-old left-arm spinner, Dan Moriarty. If he works on his batting, he could well be a future star. 

And so, based on stats and my Teams of the Week, my County Eleven of 2020 is as follows:-

Libby (Wor), Lees Dur), Duckett (Not), Clarke (Not), Ackermann (Lei), Jacks (Sur), Cooke (Gla +), Higgins (Glo), C Overton (Sur), Harmer (Ess), Murtagh (Mid). 12^th man: Lyth (Yor)

Northants having a Blast

The past ten days or so have seen the Vitality T20 Blast take centre stage in the domestic season. With international travel restricted and cricket’s schedules so fluid and last-minute, there are few overseas stars on show this year so it’s been a chance for more home-grown players, excluding those on England duty, to strut their stuff. 

With all counties having played five games, we’re at the halfway stage of the group stage and already the holders Essex are struggling. In 2019 they were nigh-on unbeatable but in 2020 they have yet to record a single victory. In the South division, it’s Kent who lead the way, but the margins have been narrow. They tied at Lord’s and sneaked a one-run win at Hove but consistent opening partnerships between Test hero Zak Crawley and the big-hitting skipper Daniel Bell-Drummond have helped set strong targets. 

Stevie Eskinazi is the competition’s top-scorer, the Middlesex man thumping three half-centuries, while his opening partner Max Holden registered his maiden T20 ton against Essex, even though rain prevented a result. One-time England star Steve Finn has been bowling well, too. 

In the Central group, Northamptonshire won four and lost none, the most impressive record of any county so far. Paul Stirling got them off to a cracking start, and Ben Sanderson has been the pick of the attack. Somerset promised to finished second (as usual) only to slip up against the Bears on D/L. Poor Ian Bell was out for a duck, perhaps hastening his decision to retire next month. Instead, it’s Gloucestershire pushing hard Ian Cockbain’s explosive 35-ball 84 and Ben Smith’s 5-16 against the Bears at Edgbaston being the highlights. Their only defeat came at home to Glamorgan, for whom Chris Cooke continued to keep the county’s weak batting afloat. 

In the North section, Nottinghamshire and Lancashire have dominated proceedings. Unfortunately their meeting at Liverpool was abandoned, a common refrain in this group. Indeed, three of Leicestershire’s five fixtures were No Results.  For Notts, Jake Ball was in good form with the ball while Joe Clarke finished with a four and six to reach a century and beat Durham . Lancashire opening pair Keaton Jennings and Alex Davies were both on song, the former’s 108 proving decisive against Durham in the first match, and Tom Bailey’s 5-17 against Leicestershire counting for nothing thanks to the weather. Yorkshire’s batsmen deserved more success, with Lyth, Kohler-Cadmore and England’s T20 squad reject Joe Root all contributing, but their attack was less successful. 

Back to proper cricket next week… 

Team of the Week: Bell-Drummond (Ken), Jennings (Lan), Eskinazi (Mid), Root (Yor), Cooke (Gla +), Wiese (Sus), Higgins (Glo), Bailey (Lan), B Smith (Glo), Finn (Mid), Sanderson (Nor)

Kent pair smash partnership record

Kent claimed their first win of the season, but it was the second-wicket pair of 19 year-old Jordan Cox and Jack Leaning who stole the headlines. Their unbeaten stand of 423 was the county’s highest ever, and they might still be batting had they not declared at the 120-over mark. It proved to be the correct decision because 44 year-old Darren Stevens polished off Sussex with 5-50 to win by an innings. Cox promptly let the side down by posing with fans, breaking the Covid rules and consequently missing the next fixture in self-isolation, the idiot. 

Across the Thames estuary, Essex raced to the top of the South division, dealing Surrey a 169-run defeat. Simon Harmer reminded South Africa of his credentials by taking 14 wickets in the match. It was a tighter affair at Radlett where Hampshire took the winners’ bonus. Bowling honours were shared but opener Joe Weatherly needed to defy Tim Murtagh et al and anchor the line-up for 64 to set up a narrow win against Middlesex. 

Somerset made it two wins from two inside two days at Northampton where seamers made hay. The home side’s Ben Sanderson took 9-89 and still lost, because the Overton twins dominated once more. Not only did they take cheap wickets but also top-score with half-centuries. 

Gloucestershire beat Warwickshire at Bristol, despite the sterling efforts of the visitors’ stand-in opening bowler, Oliver Hannon-Dalby, who captured six wickets in each innings. All-rounder Ryan Higgins’ bowling was the difference, his 7-42 ensuring a 78-run winning margin. Worcestershire held the upper hand at home to Glamorgan, beginning with a 318-run partnership involving Jake Libby and Brett D’Oliveira. The Welsh attack again looked fragile but Billy Root struck a century and Chris Cooke staved off defeat in the second innings with 74. More impressive were his wicketkeeping stats: 7 catches and two stumpings. 

In the North group, Derbyshire outplayed neighbours Leicestershire by nine wickets and Lancashire came away from Durham with an innings victory. At Trent Bridge , Nottinghamshire enjoyed a first-innings lead over Yorkshire, with the help of Tom Moores’ 106 and the slip catches of skipper Mullaney. However, they blew their chances of a first triumph since 2018 by being skittled for 97. 

It has been confirmed that the final of the Bob Willis Trophy won’t take place until 23^rd September, but the revised T20 Blast is heading for an October finish in the hope that fans may be allowed into the grounds. Given the current increases in infections, that may prove wishful thinking. 

Team of the Week: Libby (Wor), Cox (Ken), Leaning (Ken), D’Oliveira (Wor), Thompson (Yor), Cooke (Gla +), Higgins (Glo), J Overton (Som), Harmer (Ess), Hannon-Dalby (War), Sanderson (Nor)

Markram eases Hampshire's progress

Hampshire became the first county to guarantee qualification to the knockout stages, thanks to victories over Sussex, Surrey and Somerset. The former Meghan Markle may have grabbed the biggest headlines but Aiden Markram was in prolific form, peaking last Thursday at the Rose Bowl where he fired 130 in 87 balls and shared a 184-run stand with fellow centurion Tom Alsop. Another South African, David Wiese took Sussex close with a big-hitting one-day personal best of 171. However, his dismissal triggered a tail-end collapse. Successive missed heaves off Mason Crane gave Alsop two stumpings and Sussex fell nine short in an entertaining South Coast derby.

Somerset suffered two further heavy defeats to the sides which now lead the South division. Middlesex leapt to second courtesy of their 118-run triumph at Radlett (funny, I always thought it was in Hertfordshire!) and another win against Glamorgan. Most of the batsmen contributed, and Nathan Sowter nabbed seven more wickets.

On Tuesday Sussex were involved in another exciting climax, this time emerging on top. Having restricted Essex to 287, they were left reeling at 87-6, but Will Beer proved an unlikely high-scoring partner for Laurie Evans. However, when the ninth wicket fell, 24 were still needed from four remaining overs, only for Danny Briggs and Mir Hamza to sneak over the finishing line off the penultimate delivery.

Glamorgan passed 300 for the second time in two days, led by captain/’keeper Chris Cooke whose barnstorming 161 at Bristol, well supported by Billy Root, ensured a 74-run margin over Gloucestershire. Surrey’s campaign failed to improve, as fellow strugglers Kent bowled them out for a paltry 127. As for the qualifiers, tomorrow’s final round of fixtures could produce a myriad of possibilities. Middlesex should join Hampshire with a trip to Canterbury and Somerset require a return to last month’s form at home to Surrey. Net run rate will probably determine the top four.

Nottinghamshire retained their place at the summit in the North group despite losing to Worcestershire by five wickets. The latter also dealt Yorkshire a thumping, Wayne Parnell enjoying consecutive five-fors whilst conceding fewer than fifty runs in total. Lancashire’s three-wicket success against Durham put them in contention but they had to sit on the sidelines as fellow contenders battled for a place in Friday’s quarter-finals. 

Team of the Week: Robson (Mid), Markram (Ham), Gubbins (Mid), Cooke (Gla +), Root (Gla), Wiese (Sus), Dawson (Ham), J Taylor (Glo), Parnell (Wor), Sowter (Mid), A Thomson (War)

Surrey champs but finally beaten

And so the 2018 county season came to an end, heading for a damp squib finale but then rescued by a thrilling conclusion to Surrey’s championship-winning campaign. Like so many matches in this overwhelmingly warm and dry summer, most fixtures failed to reach a fourth day but this week’s exception was a cracker.

At The Oval, I was incredulous as Surrey’s formidable batting line-up was demolished in 27 overs for a mere 67. To top it off, Essex proceeded to rack up an impressive 477-8, thanks largely to centuries by Tom Westley and Simon Harmer. No county had ever overturned a 410 first-innings deficit to win and I naturally assumed the home side were just experiencing the effects of some over-enthusiastic title celebrations. Not a bit of it. Surrey totally dominated day three, Jason Roy and Ollie Pope each reaching three figures as they cruised to 541 all out, the third highest total in Division One all year. Chasing a target of only 132, and with neither Curran brother in action, an Essex victory seemed a formality. However, Morne Morkel and Jade Dernbach had other ideas; Surrey would not surrender their unbeaten status without a battle. Wickets tumbled regularly, but skipper Ryan Ten Doeschate was defiant and, with just one wicket remaining, it was apt that he struck the winning runs off Dernbach.

It made no difference to the Division One standings; Surrey had already clinched the title with ease, much as Essex had done a year ago, but it showed there is also plenty of fight in the four-day format The ECB may have spent a fortune in developing The Hundred but the venerable Championship still has the potential to excite.

Somerset nailed down another runners-up spot, a glorious surprise to me. James Hildreth became only the second man in the top tier to pass 1,000 runs and both Tom Abell and Craig Overton achieved hat-tricks as they flattened Nottinghamshire by an innings.

The only unresolved issue in the competition was who would join Worcestershire through the trapdoor. Nottinghamshire were well beaten with just three bowling bonus points to their name but Lancashire’s latest failure to bag more than two batting points in their eight-wicket victory over Hampshire meant they finished on the same points total, 133. Despite the win, they finished second-bottom because Notts won a game more. This was particularly tough on Tom Bailey, who claimed another eight victims in a highly productive summer. In fact no other Division One team picked up more bowling bonuses, but they just couldn’t press home many advantages earned during the summer. Meanwhile Worcestershire lost for the tenth time, Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance scoring 194 and 60 and the departing Jack Brooks 82 to accompany his seven wickets.

In Division Two, the promoted counties met to decide who finished on top. Kent had been on a charge but it was Warwickshire who triumphed remarkably easily.  He may not have made many runs but Jonathan Trott could retire on a high as Dominic Sibley’s 119, his third century in four Championship innings, laid the foundations for success. Trott’s former England colleague Paul Collingwood also signed off, but his Durham side threw away a sizeable lead against Middlesex. At 37 Tim Murtagh is also knocking on a bit but his seven wickets were crucial in the visitors’ victory.

They finished fourth, pipped by Sussex despite the South Coast side losing to Northamptonshire in two days. Bens Curran and Cotton starred with bat and ball, respectively. Derbyshire opener Luis Reece provided the best bowling figures of the week with his first innings 7-20 but ended on the losing side against Gloucestershire. Craig Miles took 5-50 and 3-46 in his last match for the winners.

In the remaining game, Glamorgan finally remembered how to play first-class cricket, beating Leicestershire at Cardiff. Both sides relied heavily on their tails for runs – a familiar story for the Welsh – but Michael Hogan’s 2-18 and 4-30 were the outstanding bowling stats and Chris Cooke chipped in with 72 runs and five catches. Now all they need to do is fix their top order problems and avoid another wooden spoon.

As for my Championship predictions, I deserve a C+, a great improvement on my usual efforts. Surrey or Essex to win. Yes. Worcestershire and Somerset for relegation: 50%. Kent and Middlesex for promotion: the same. I’ll reveal my County Team of the Year shortly but in the mean-time, here is my final Team of the Week of 2018.

Team of the Week: 

Mitchell (Wor), Reece (Der), Westley (Ess), Ballance (Yor), Pope (Sur), Hildreth (Som), Cooke (Gla +), C Overton (Som), Bailey (Lan), Miles (Glo), Hogan (Gla)

Team of the Week: Lyth and Faf put their sides in charge

It was a funny old week involving mountains of runs and an England fightback. Joe Root built up steadily across the week, culminating in a rare ODI century and even rarer triumph for Cook's men at Headingley. Ajinkya Rahane struck a splendid century in India's winning cause before falling for a third-ball duck in the final match. Durham played Nottinghamshire twice, emerging victorious both times, taking them into the Royal London Cup final against Warwickshire and also potentially deciding the fate of the Championship title.

That now seems destined for Yorkshire, who beat Roses rivals Lancashire by an innings at Old Trafford with a record innings score of over 600. Adam Lyth scored 251 and Adil Rashid an unbeaten 159, together with his eight wickets, as Lancs subsided on home territory.

Another double-centurion was Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams. He put on 253 with Michael Carberry for the first wicket as the county consolidated their promotion place in Division Two. Leaders Worcestershire suffered a second consecutive defeat, this time to an energised Derbyshire, for whom Wayne Madsen contributed 56 and 98 and newly-bearded all-rounder Wes Durston a career-best spin haul of 5-19.

Angus Robson, Sam Hain, James Taylor and Usman Khawaja each reached three figures in the Championship yet fail to make my team of the week thanks to dismal showings in their other innings, but Glamorgan's Chris Cooke ended his first-class century drought in style. His 171 kept his county in the match early on, then Graeme Wagg's 116 not out ensured a draw with Kent, although he was assisted by the fact that all eleven Kent players had a bowl on the final afternoon!

Two red-haired Durham all-rounders also make my Eleven. Paul Collingwood struck 123 runs and claimed a 3-26 in the Championship fixture while Ben Stokes thrashed an excellent 164 in 113 balls in the 50-over semi-final. No doubt he gained confidence from his 3-47 and batting cameo for England, following his three successive ducks earlier in the series. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's brilliant 2-14 in England's trouncing at Edgbaston also merits a place ahead of Dale Steyn and Thisara Perera.

My wicketkeeper is Alex Barrow. While still only 22, he has been in the shadows of Kieswetter and Buttler for a few years at Somerset, hampered by an inability to score runs. However, against Northamptonshire, he made a career best 88, including eighteen boundaries, without which the Taunton side may well have witnessed the visitors' first Championship success of the season.

I conclude with the outstanding batting sequence of the week, served up by South Africa's Faf du Plessis. He scored 126, 121 and 96 as the Proteas won the triangular ODI tournament in Zimbabwe. With just one more boundary in the final he'd have become the first man ever to score four centuries in an ODI series. Gutted! However, he did aggregate an impressive a record 464 runs in the five games and until last week had never reached three figures in 50-over cricket. What a way to break through!

And so my team reads:- Lyth (Yor), Adams (Ham *), du Plessis (SA), Madsen (Der), Cooke (Gla), Collingwood (Dur), Stokes (Eng/Dur), Rashid (Yor), Durston (Der), Barrow (Som +), Kumar (Ind).