2020 World Cricket Team of the Year

Well, what a crap year! An unprecedented global epidemic wreaked havoc with all our lives and of course cricket suffered as much as any professional leisure activity, from village clubs to Test nations. When New Zealand beat India on 2^nd March, we could not have known it would be the last Test match for more than four months. There was a similar hiatus for ODIs and of course domestic competitions and the IPL were either cancelled or postponed until infection rates dipped by the autumn. 

It was a minor miracle that England managed to play a couple of Covid-secure series against an accommodating West Indies and Pakistan, and congratulations also to the counties who challenged not for a full County Championship but an abbreviated version climaxed by a five-day final. Just my luck that Somerset’s peerless group performance wasn’t rewarded with the Bob Willis Trophy. At least the dreaded Hundred nonsense was shelved for a year. 

At international level, major tournaments were ditched for several months but the remaining bilateral competitions did India few favours. Their first Test victory in 2020 came just days before the year ended, and New Zealand’s success has advanced them to the top of the Test rankings with Australia. England head the lists in white-ball cricket. 

As for individuals, the curtain fell on the year with Kane Williamson atop the Test table, displacing new dad Kohli and Smith who, while others tucked into turkey, experienced his first duck in the baggy green for years. Pat Cummins reached the top in bowling but in ODIs it was the turn of Trent Boult. But will they make my Team of the Year? 

As ever I have looked at first-class, List A and T20 to select a cross-format Eleven. They may not be brilliant at any one of the above but are who I consider to have been the best performers in world cricket across the whole year. 

With Tests in short supply, only Dom Sibley stands out as an opener so I’ve focussed on ODIs and T20. For me, Aaron Finch just edges out Aussie team-mate David Warner while one of my 2019 reserves, KH Rahul, is also promoted to the first XI. He may usually drop a few places in ODIs but with more than 1000 T20 runs and an ODI strike rate of over 100 he made the most of his limited opportunities. And he can also don the ‘keeper’s gloves if needed! 

In the middle-order, Virat Kohli is a rare absentee from my team of the year, but another Indian Shreyas Iyer made a considerable impact in white-ball cricket. Dawid Malan was named number one T20 batsman at the end of the year, West Indian Jermaine Blackwood was a rare beacon of light in what was another lacklustre twelve months for his side, while Dean Elgar, Henry Nicholls and Zak Crawley were also in contention. Then there’s Mumbai’s young Sarfaraz Khan who averaged an amazing 154, thanks to an unbeaten triple-century. However, Pakistan’s Babar Azam cemented his position as one of the very best all-round batsmen in the business, scoring more T20 runs than anyone. Steve Smith also makes it, but not for his Test performances. His strike rates were superior to Warner’s in ODIs and Maxwell’s in T20s. However Marnus Labuschagne, who deputised for the Aussie red-ball captain during his 2019 ban, maintained his form throughout 2020. 

For all the claims of Watling, Paine and Hope, my wicket-keeper’s spot again comes down to a straight race between Jos Buttler and Quinton de Kock. As in the previous year the South African is my pick. The England man had a decent Test summer but De Kock’s superior striking elsewhere had the edge. 

Ben Stokes may top the ICC all-rounder rankings but for a change I’m selecting his colleague Chris Woakes. He may not have the brutal batting ability of the Ginger One but took more wickets whilst scoring more limited-overs runs at a reasonable rate. 

There are so many excellent bowlers to choose from. Jimmy Anderson reached 600 Test wickets whilst his long-time England partner Stuart Broad topped 500. Nobody could match his 2020 haul of 38 at barely 14 apiece. Craig Overton was devastating for Somerset but couldn’t break back into the England set-up. All the New Zealand seamers excelled. Tim Southee achieved a career tally of 300 Test scalps, Boult and Wagner shared in the wickets but new boy Kyle Jamieson was even better in his debut Test season, definitely one to watch. Cummins, Hazlewood, Nortje and Haris Rauf are right up there and only Jofra Archer’s mediocre Test performances let him down. Jasprit Bumrah’s T20 economy rate of 6.62 is outstanding for a seamer but he’s edged out by a 6 foot 6 left-armer. No, not Mitchell Starc. Pakistan’s 20 year-old left-armer Shaheen Shah Afridi has become a giant of the game in more ways than one. Few surpassed his 2020 T20 tally of 52 wickets and his four in four balls for Hampshire was pretty special. 

I’ve space for two spinners in my Eleven and, thanks to his continued magnificence in T20, Rashid Khan of Afghanistan is one of them. Meanwhile Adam Zampa has successfully spread his wings away from the safety of mere four-over stints in T20 to the 50-over game and I wonder if he could eventually replace Nathan Lyon in the Test squad. Anything’s possible. Here’s to a safe, less socially-distanced new year. 

So to summarise, here is my 2020 Team of the Year:- 

Rahul (Ind), Finch (Aus), Babar Azam (Pak), Smith (Aus), Labuschagne (Aus), De Kock (SA +), Woakes (Eng), Broad (Eng), Rashid Khan (Afg), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pak), Zampa (Aus). 

My ‘squad replacements’ would be Elgar (SA), Buttler (Eng), Bumrah (Ind), Archer (Eng), Jamieson (NZ)

My Hundred: from 70 to 61

 70: David Lawrence

The term ‘whole-hearted cricketer’ could have been invented specifically for David Lawrence. Gloucester born and bred, his pace got him noticed in the late Eighties when England were constantly marmalised by the West Indies. Like Devon Malcolm he wasn’t always the most accurate but he made his debut in a one-off Test against Sri Lanka in ’88. I saw him play exactly three years later against the same opponents at Lord’s but his next Test v NZ in Wellington that winter ended in agony when he fractured a kneecap, effectively ending a promising and popular career. 

69: Jack Russell

RC ‘Jack’ Russell was one of England’s greatest eccentrics. He was also probably the best wicketkeeper since Alan Knott and Bob Taylor but was restricted to only 54 Tests in the ‘80s and ‘90s by Alec Stewart’s superior batting. A Gloucestershire stalwart for 24 seasons, he accumulated around 1,900 dismissals and ground out plenty of vital lower-order runs. An accomplished artist, he is best remembered by me for his battered white sun-hat and 'non-standard' black gloves which somehow survived his whole career. 

68: Courtney Walsh

Another veteran of Gloucestershire, the lanky Jamaican not only became the first bowler to reach 500 Test wickets but he also had the fitness required to take more than 1,800 in all first-class cricket. I saw him play against Essex in 1984 before his first Test call-up then again in his final Lord’s appearance in 2000, earning a standing ovation as he strode out with bat in hand. He won more applause when this bunniest of rabbits actually scored a single! Always a good sport, Walsh also memorably collapsed with laughter at the MCG when facing the blue-haired Aussie spinner Colin Miller! 

67: Rahul Dravid

In the modern era, Rahul Dravid was an anachronism. ‘The Wall’ rarely whacked it around nor had crowds on their feet screaming his name, yet he was as much part of India’s golden period as Tendulkar, Dhoni or Kohli. Nobody in Test match history has faced more deliveries nor spent more time at the crease and only three have made more runs. I finally managed to see him in tandem with Sachin, albeit briefly, in a friendly at Taunton nine years ago, when he scored 17 and faced 20-odd ‘dots.  A master craftsman of innings building, he knew when to defend and when to strike: one of the last of a dying breed. 

66: Mark Ramprakash

Like Graeme Hick, ‘Ramps’ never quite succeeded in consistently converting prolific county form into stellar performances for England. His Test average was a mediocre 27, barely half of his career first-class number. After England eventually gave up on him in 2002, ironically he became peerless in the county game. Having swapped Middlesex for Surrey, in 2006 he averaged over 100 in the Championship and went on to break the barrier of 100 first-class centuries, probably the last man to achieve the feat. A delight to watch when in form, both with the bat and fielding at cover. 

65: Glenn Turner

The New Zealander was not the prettiest strokemaker but during the Seventies was consistently one of the finest opening batsman in the county game. Playing for one of the weaker Test nations at the time, he nonetheless averaged nearly 45, saving his best for the two most successful opponents, Australia and the West Indies. I used to admire him making runs for Worcestershire, for whom he compiled many of his 103 first-class and 14 limited-overs centuries. 

64: Gladstone Small

I could recite a load of stats to justify the Bajan’s presence in my list. There are his plentiful wickets for Warwickshire and match-winning one-day spells to consider. In particular he was Man of the Match at the Boxing Day Ashes Test in 1986. However, he’s better remembered for his almost cartoonish appearance. All collar and no neck, his bowling run-up recalled a clockwork toy wound up to the max but he became a top-class bowler who also seemed to have fun, which I always liked. 

63: Barry Richards

Like Glenn Turner, the South African was a blonde opening bat who was very difficult to get out and scored heavily in the 1970s when my love of cricket took flight. Robbed of surefire global stardom by his country’s pariah status (he managed only four Tests, at an average of 72 before the anti-apartheid ban), his stage was for me the county game. At Hampshire he formed one of the most jaw-dropping of county opening partnerships with Gordon Greenidge and was often even more exciting to watch than the West Indian. A giant of his era, yet not quite my favourite Richards! 

62: Chris Woakes

More than a decade ago, I associated the name of Chris Woakes with a Warwickshire Fantasy Cricket points machine. Ostensibly a metronomic fast-medium seamer, he proved he could also score runs, and in 2011 topped his county’s first-class averages with both bat and ball. I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t picked for England, but his chance duly came. Just last week, the newly-bearded Woakes claimed a five-for in England’s defeat of Pakistan, but it was Stuart Broad who dominated the headlines. That seems to be Woakes’ fate: the cruelly underrated ultimate support act. 

61: Tim Murtagh

Like Woakes, Murtagh has been a long-standing feature near the top of County Championship bowling averages. He has been swinging the ball through the defences of all the best batsmen for two decades, notably for Middlesex, but it was only in his thirties that he won the chance to represent Ireland in ODIs then three Tests. It was June 2005 when I first became aware of him, watching him take 6-24 in an after-work clash at Lord’s and just this week, at the age of 39, he was bowling Middlesex to another triumph against Surrey, this time in the Bob Willis Trophy. Tim represents everything I love about county cricket.

Cricket Lifts the Lockdown Spirits

 Eighteen months ago I commended the West Indies for making a decent fist of their home Test series against England. The same goes for this summer’s hastily-rearranged Wisden Trophy, squeezed into a few weeks. 

Back in the Caribbean Jason Holder’s team had in the opener walloped the tourists, for whom Stuart Broad had been left out, albeit for tactical reasons. At Southampton the Windies again triumphed and Broad moaned publicly. Maybe he needed taking down a peg or two so he was really fired up and ready for the Old Trafford double-header. If that was the strategy it worked brilliantly. 

The Second Test had been Ben Stokes’ triumph but the decider was undoubtedly Broad’s  It was also inspiring to watch Chris Woakes at his most accurate but his 34 year-old team-mate took the honours as well as that landmark 500th Test wicket. 

So in cricket terms it was success for Joe Root and England, Ben Stokes’ batting and Stuart Broad’s bowling. For West Indies, Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach looked world-class at times but the batting was terribly brittle in Manchester, a frequent refrain in recent years. Dowrich’s ‘keeping looked extremely ragged, too. 

But the last few weeks haven’t really been about what happened on the pitch. It was about reviving the whole sport after months of inactivity courtesy of the Coronavirus pandemic. Massive credit must go to the tourists who had to endure weeks of isolation before any play was possible. The idiotic Jofra Archer nearly messed the whole thing up by his selfish diversion home after leaving Southampton but luckily he didn’t spread any infection. 

The secure Covid-proof bubble may have wobbled a bit but it held firm to permit three full Test matches. All that was missing, of course, were the crowds but thank goodness the broadcaster stopped short of providing a fake soundtrack. Or maybe it was there but, given the reserved nature of Test cricket  spectators, I just didn’t spot the difference! 

This week a few county matches are taking place with limited attendance to facilitate social distancing. Much as I love the county game, I do wonder how on earth they are going to attract as many as a thousand into The Oval for anything other than a hot summer evening’s T20. Despite what the buffoon Boris Johnson says, if there are to be no cricket-related infection spikes, social distancing is here to stay, certainly for the remainder of the summer. The crowd-less Premier League contests proved successful in re-energising fans but only those elite clubs could afford to complete the season without paying customers and the ancillary income generated by bars and takeaway food stands. 

Sadly events in the USA, Asia, Anfield, Elland Road and some parts of Europe have demonstrated that many young people are too selfish to consider wider society in their rush to get back into the traditional summer pastimes of boozing and partying. Holidays to Spain have been curtailed almost as soon as they restarted and the only arenas to fill up have been hospital ICU wards. None of us want a return to the dark days of April but if interest in cricket can continue to be generated by England’s games with the Windies and Pakistan, along with truncated domestic competitions and even village cricket I’m all for it. It’s been a tough year so far so let’s embrace cricket in this ‘new normal’ world.

England clinch 4-1 victory over India

In the end, England enjoyed another resounding series success over top-ranked India, by 4-1. Virat Kohli must have had both sets of fingers crossed behind his back when he said his side was not outclassed. Alternatively he was perhaps being modest given that for much of the series India’s batting rested heavily on his shoulders.

It may be true that there was no gaping chasm in quality between the two nations, but the statistics don’t lie. Kohli, Pandya and Bumrah delivered a rare victory at Trent Bridge, and it’s true that Edgbaston and Southampton witnessed two evenly-contested games. Had Alastair Cook not delivered two classic ‘Chef’ innings in his final international appearance, the Oval climax could have been another tight affair. All ifs and buts. 

It’s great that Kohli at last overcame his England hoodoo. Indeed, he scored far more runs (593) in the five-match series than anywhere else on either side, and of those playing more than two Tests, was the only man to average over 40. His majestic 149 out of the first innings total of 274 in the first Test was the highlight, demonstrating the technical changes he had made to counter the movement of Jimmy Anderson in particular, and that they worked extremely well.  The trouble is, most of his loyal lieutenants didn’t follow suit. Dhawan, Rahane, Vijay and, until the very last day – when the pressure was off - Lokesh Rahul, all performed badly. Cheteshwar Pujara struck a typically pugnacious 132 not out to give India a rare first-innings lead at Southampton but there were too many consistent batting failures to give India a chance of winning three matches and therefore the Pataudi Trophy. The skipper must be wondering why it took an Essex debut for Murali Vijay to score a first-class century this year, having garnered only 26 in four Test knocks.

The bowling wasn’t amazing either, although Ishant Sharma’s early-summer Sussex experience bore fruit, and Jasprit Bumrah reproduced his white ball qualities in the last three Tests.

And yet history will show England to have ruled the roost. Ben Stokes returned with some fire in his belly, after getting away with his shameful violent assault on passers-by last autumn in Bristol. Stuart Broad had his moments, while Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali and newcomer Sam Curran each received Player of the Match awards for their all-round performances.

Alastair Cook’s miserable run will have been forgotten when, having announced his imminent retirement, he remembered why he is England’s highest run scorer and finished a magnificent career with a 147. Yet the home team achieved only three other hundreds in the whole series, including lower-order duo Woakes and a recalled Jos Buttler. Jennings’ hold on an opener spot looks extremely tenuous but he’s fortunate that there are few obvious contenders to replace him and Cook. Bairstow was out of sorts, young Ollie Pope couldn’t reproduce his Surrey form and Malan was rightly rejected early on.

However, this wasn’t merely a series for Cook and Kohli. Instead it was a tantalising triumph for 36 year-old Jimmy Anderson. His match figures of 9-43 at Lord’s were pivotal in England’s innings victory and then, with the last delivery of the entire series, the Burnley Bullet overtook Glenn McGrath to become the highest Test wicket-taker by any non-spinner. Blessed with top-notch fitness, it’s not impossible for Anderson to overhaul Kumble and Warne, although Muralitharan’s 800 is probably a record too far!

For all their top-order trials, England must surely take more positives than India from this concertina’d concerto of a tour. Some youth has been blooded successfully and newly-crowned county champions Surrey – always so popular with selectors - are chock full of players who could do a job for England. The Currans and Pope have been tried yet may not reach their peak for a while yet, while Stoneman and Burns are easily the best openers in the Championship and Ben Foakes is a more solid rival to the flamboyant Bairstow as ‘keeper-batsman. On the other hand I suspect the evergreen all-rounder Rikki Clarke will be considered too old to add to his two caps received fifteen years ago. Mind you, he’s only ten months older than J. Anderson, Esquire, and he’s not doing at all badly. Sri Lanka next month might not be Clarke’s cup of tea, so Woakes, Rashid and Moeen may be resting more easily.

As for India, Virat Kohli and co have a few problems when it comes to five-day cricket in England but they are not world number ones for nothing. I’m sure a home series against the West Indies will see them back to winning ways. I’d like to thank India for their contribution to a great summer of sport and I look forward to them returning in a few years’ time and not being outclassed again.

India Serve Up a Feast of Runs

Poor Virat Kohli. It must be so tough to taste defeat on home soil. After all, yesterday’s five-run reverse in Kolkata was the first time it had happened to him as captain in nineteen matches. So India are not quite invincible, and England gave them a real contest over the three ODI fixtures.

At Pune, it took a blistering innings of 120 in 76 balls from Kedar Jadhav to overhaul England’s excellent 350. A few days later, the Cuttack encounter produced 747 runs, with a Morgan-inspired chase falling a mere 15 runs short. The five-run victory at Eden Gardens was no more than the tourists deserved, especially having failed to chalk up a single major triumph so far.

For the first time in a three-match ODI series all six innings delivered at least 300 runs. Never before has such a series produced an aggregate exceeding 2,000. It’s not often you get two centurions in one innings in consecutive matches either.

Jadhav and Kohli may have dominated the opener but it was a fairytale in Cuttack when the two 35 year-olds MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh shared a stand of 256. With all the hullabaloo around Kohli’s successful leadership and Dhoni’s stepping down before the series began, it seemed like a re-run of times past when the latter delivered a vintage century. Even more impressive was the fact that his partnership with Yuvi turned a score of 25-3 into a match-winning 381-6.

It wasn’t all about the Indian batsmen. England’s line-up had more than a few moments, too. Jason Roy passed 50 on all three occasions. Root and Stokes did so twice, while captain Morgan’s rum run of low scores ended with a measured century that came close to reaching that huge target in the second game.

Of course, for all the entertainment generated by such a run-fest, it was no fun to be a bowler. Chris Woakes topped the wickets table with a mere six. Ravi Jadeja was the only man to concede fewer than six runs an over. Ball, Stokes and Bumrah all conceded at least 200 across the series. Moeen Ali failed to take a single scalp in 20 overs. No, no fun at all!

All in all, a splendid advert for 50-over cricket, and I doubt the forthcoming Twenty20 encounters will serve up three such brilliant contests.

Pakistan v England 2nd Test July 2016

Well, all credit to England. After being Misbah-ed and Yasir-ed at Lord’s, they bounced back in the most emphatic style possible, levelling the series with a 330-run victory at Old Trafford.

Chris Woakes was once again England’s leading wicket-taker, but Jimmy Anderson produced some useful spells on his home turf. Pakistan’s batsmen struggled again, with only Misbah passing 50, putting the innings of Alastair Cook and the formidable Joe Root into context.

The pair shared a 185-run second-wicket partnership, but Root went on to be part of two other century stands, with Woakes and Jonny Bairstow. Root’s ability to score just about anywhere, off and leg, punches, pulls, drives and cuts, has always been impressive. In my book, he is as complete a batsmen as anyone one in the modern game, including AB De Villiers, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith.

Root even inspired his captain to up his scoring rate to 60+ in the first innings, his 105 runs including fifteen boundaries. That’s only 12 fewer than Root managed in his career-best 254. Then in the second innings they added another 105 together in barely 14 overs as they raced to declare 565 runs ahead. Cook was criticised for not enforcing the follow-on but the result justified the decision in spades. If the weather forecast had been bad, then of course the decision would have been different. However, I suspect the result would have been the same.

Yasir Shah’s Lord’s magic was well and truly negated, and his 63 overs went for 266 runs. His only wicket was that of Woakes on day two. For all England’s dominance, there still remain question marks over Hales, Ballance and Vince, who are all finding it hard to get beyond a decent 20 or 30. No problem with fielding, and all but three of the twenty Pakistan wickets were catches.

And should Jonny Bairstow cede the ‘keeper’s gloves? Why? Jos Buttler is no better behind the stumps and a poorer red-ball batsman. Billings is a 20-over thrash specialist while Essex’s James Foster is probably too old to be considered by the current selector set-up.

Anyway, apart from the injured Ben Stokes, I certainly don’t blame England for retaining the same squad for the Third Test. Woakes will fancy his chances at Edgbaston where he has picked up 300-odd wickets for Warwickshire. Steve Finn did well on the same ground last summer so he must be favourite to play, unless they go for a twin spin option in the form of Adil Rashid.

Whatever the final XI, I can’t see Pakistan coming back from such a heavy defeat, unless their seam attack or Yasir find a way to dismiss Root early and their openers to survive Anderson and Broad for a change. I believe Stokes’ absence is no big deal. The swear box may be emptier as a result but England should still win on the pitch.

Yasir, he can Googly!

Well, I didn't see that coming! After England flattened Sri Lanka more effectively than the Lord's roller, the long-awaited return of Pakistan was meant to cement England's growing reputation in all forms of cricket. After the football team's humiliation against Iceland, surely there would be no embarrassment at the hands of a side captained by a 42 year-old yet at risk of being cleaved apart by the inclusion of a convicted cheat.

In the end, the return from the six-year wilderness of Mohammad Amir was a mere sideshow. Had his close-catching colleagues been less prone to fumbles, Amir would have had more wickets and the doubters - me included - would have had something to complain about. In the end, it was a cracking Test match. There were no five-an-over innings full of Twenty20 cameos. There were some entertaining innings, but for once the mix of spin and reverse swing tipped the balance away from the batsmen.

Yasir Shah is 30, playing only his second first-class match of the year. Yet his exuberant ten-wicket performance lit up not only Pakistan but the whole of Lord's. And he wasn't even the top wicket-taker! That claim belongs to Chris Woakes. I've long been a fan of Woakesy. He's been taking wickets and clouting runs for Warwickshire for several seasons yet seems to be written off by many. He's too slow, too predictable, not aggressive enough. Rubbish! I thnk what such critics mean is that he isn't a bristling, snarling sledger like Anderson, Broad and Stokes.


Test match figures of 11-102, including two five-fors, show that Woakes is no domestic trundle, even though he struggled in his prevous outings. He wouldn't even have played had Stokes' fitness been in doubt. England selectors now have a problem given that Stokes is back in the squad for Old Trafford, as is Adil Rashid and the recovered Anderson. Surely they can't omit Woakes? By keeping faith with Finn, does that mean he must play?


As for the batters, they had their moments. Vince played a decent second innings, as did Balance. However, it was the old guard who shone brightest. Alastair Cook became the most prolific Test opener in history in scoring 82, Younis Khan added to his considerable middle-order tally but the main plaudits went to Misbah-ul-Haq.

The captain has done so much to bring Pakistan back into the international fold, on and off the pitch, following the spot-fixing scandal six years ago. His unflappable temperament has helped no end, and he can still bat better than anyone. His first Lord's century on day one deserved the warm applause, and his amusing celebration of salute and press-ups endeared him to spectators even more.


The joyous reaction of the whole team, with the display of (almost) synchronised saluting and press-ups before their fans was a welcome sight, but not for England. They now have to regroup and hope that Anderson can reproduce the form he showed against Sri Lanka, and Root can deliver centuries again.

Bairstow Keeps England on Top

The record books say England won 2-0. However, had the inclement London weather not intervened on the fifth day, it would very likely have finished 3-0, whatever Angelo Mathews may claim.

To their credit Sri Lanka did make a contest of the Lord’s Test. With England at 84-4 and 226-6, they had the upper hand, only for Jonny Bairstow to find solid company at the crease in Chris Woakes. Their stand of 144 restored England’s usual status as favourites.

It was reassuring to see the visitors’ openers finally compile a decent partnership, both Karanuratne and Silva making half-centuries. But then they all collapsed under the magic spell of England’s seamers, Woakes the best and fastest of them.

Alex Hales proceeded to 94 before again missing out on a maiden Test century, trapped lbw to Mathews’ medium pace, and England were able to declare safe in the knowledge that Sri Lanka would not achieve the 362-run target. The weather forecast backed them up and in the event the rain ruled out any chance of a positive result.

It wasn’t a great series for batsmen. Only four hundreds were scored, and Chandimal’s 126 at Chester-le-Street the sole ton for Sri Lanka. Half of those four came from the England wicketkeeper, who compensated for the occasional glaring lapse behind the stumps by dominating the series batting statistics. Only Alec Stewart has struck a higher score by an England ‘keeper, and it can only be a matter of time – perhaps a month or two – before the 25 year-old Yorkshireman breaks that particular record, too.

Neither Root, Compton nor Vince performed well at Lord’s and the latter two are vulnerable to replacement for the Pakistan series. It has to be said that while Sri Lanka inevitably miss the big three batting superstars, England are relying heavily on the experienced bowling pair Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad. Finn remains an enigma, but Chris Woakes enhanced his reputation as more than just a decent county all-rounder and thoughtful one-day death bowler. Herath apart, it wasn’t a month for spinners, but that could change in the limited-overs competitions.

Chris Jordan hasn’t convinced me but has enjoyed a reasonable start to the 2016 season. Tymal Mills’ conversion from rough, ready and expensive paceman to part-time T20 specialist is complete after his selection for the Twenty20 international. That match doesn’t mean anything other than his potential England debut. The 50-over stuff is more intriguing, and offers England another opportunity to show what their younger, more exciting players can do. Let’s see if they succeed.

Jarvis and Woakes make it a brill week for the bowlers

Hurrah! The last week in May and finally the bowlers have something to celebrate. With five counties collecting their 16-point win bonus, there were some major shifts in league positions, too, with Lancashire surging to the top of Division One, and non-playing Yorkshire slumping to mid-table.

For once, there was considerable competition for places in my Team of the Week, too. I can’t count the performances of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad but, while England were hammering another nail in the coffin of the five-day game, any number of counties were promoting the four-day format in all its glory.

Perhaps the best match was at the Rose Bowl, where Hampshire overcame Nottinghamshire by 69 runs. It probably didn’t help the visitors to lose star bowler Jake Ball to an England call-up mid-game, nor Chris Read to injury. However, despite nine wickets from Harry Gurney, it was the whirlwind sex machine, aka Tino Best, who did most to propel the hosts to victory on day four. Strangely the highest individual score was a mere 72!

Lancashire made short work of Surrey, with Alviro Petersen’s first hundred of the campaign and Kyle Jarvis capturing eleven wickets. Durham are just ten points behind them after despatching Warwickshire. Chris Woakes finished on the losing side despite claiming a magnificent 9-36. However, in mitigation he followed Jake Ball to the England camp before the second innings could begin. Instead, the final day bowling honours went to Durham’s James Weighell, although his own nine-wicket haul came at the expense of 130 runs.

At Lord’s, Middlesex and Somerset shook hands on each side’s sixth successive draw. Chris Rogers and Nick Gubbins swapped centuries, while James Hildreth and Peter Trego again stabilised Somerset’s batting. Trego seems to bowl less these days but two more fifties make him an invaluable asset at six or seven, especially as our new wicket-keeper can’t bat to save his life.

In the second tier, it was the bad old Leicestershire who turned up to Grace Road and face Worcestershire. Matt Henry and Joe Leach cut through their second innings batting like a hot knife through butter, dismissing them for 43 and leaving their own top-order a meagre total to chase, which they did for the loss of only three wickets.

At Derby, Shiv Thakor’s fine century and five-for were in vain, as Kent wrapped up another seven-wicket success. Sean Dickson ended a miserable run by amassing the week’s only double-century, and James Tredwell justified his four-day place with six scalps.

Gloucestershire must be licking their lips now that Michael Klinger has arrived at Bristol. He racked up 140 on his season debut, but it wasn’t enough to beat Northants, for whom Steven Crook found some form with the bat. Glamorgan kept leaders Essex at bay, thanks largely to Will Bragg, who followed a first-innings duck with a career-best 161 not out.

Next week, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that Somerset can break their duck at home to Surrey. I just hope Mr Sangakkara doesn’t take a liking for the Taunton wicket! However, the Bank Holiday weekend heralds the War of the Roses at Headingley. Can Lancashire widen the gap over the champions?
In the promotion hunt, Essex travel to Northampton while Kent entertain Leicestershire, whose new-look batting line-up needs to forget this week’s second-innings horror show.


Team of the Week:
Dickson (Ken), Jennings (Dur), Bragg (Gla), Klinger (Glo), Davies (Lan +), Thakor (Der), Crook (Nor), Woakes (War), Jarvis (Lan), Weighell (Dur), Gurney (Not)

Raina and Ravi blow England away at Cardiff

I've just got back from Sophia Gardens where India made it three out of three ODI victories in the past year or so. They even took the final wicket just minutes before the rain pepped up - timing as impressive as that of MS Dhoni's batting. Maybe the BCCI should pay me handsomely to attend all their games around the world as I was in Cardiff for those Champions Trophy successes, too. Please get in touch, guys, and don't forget to include travel expenses!

It wasn't all plain sailing for India today. Jimmy Anderson and Chris Woakes bowled beautifully in the first ten overs, the latter rewarded by the wickets of Dhawan and poor Kohli, thumping a great off drive straight at the only fielder in the arc, Alastair Cook. After his earlier new-ball struggles, Rohit Sharma began to settle and, with Rahane, built a useful third-wicket partnership.

However, it was oves 38 to 41 which destroyed England. Woakes' second spell began with an over in which he conceded twenty runs, including two sixes from Suresh Raina. The next over seemed to go on forever as Chris Jordan served up no fewer than five wides, each greeted by even greater derision by the massed ranks of India fans in the Foster's stand. Jordan's stuttery run-up seemed even more forlorn by the end. Meanwhile Raina flayed all bowlers and reached three figures before holing out to Woakes on the cover boundary. His was the star innings but credit to his captain, too. Dhoni seemed to crawl in comparison but he produced some delightful shots and excellent running to reach fifty at more than a run a ball. It was inevitable that Ashwin and Jadeja would take their side past 300. and so they did.

I did despair when the rain started to fall just as Cook and Hales were on their way to the middle. They did a smatr about-turn with the Indian side still on the pitch. The weather forecast had been dismal but the skies turned slightly less dark and England's innings did finally get under way half an hour late, giving me time to see the ICC World Cup trophy on display in the Fan Zone!

Cook hit the first two balls for two on the leg side but he and Hales, batting in an ODI for the first time after the Bristol washout, played, missed and edged frequently against Shami, Mohit Sharma and Kumar. They were well ahead of India's scoring rate until things went wrong in the eleventh over. Shami had Cook LBW and bowled Bell whi inexplicably left a straight ball on his off stump. Root was beaten by a Bhuvi nip-backer, leaving Hales and Morgan to sink into a slough of despond. Even the introduction of spinners Ashwin, Jadeja and Raina failed to ignite them into going for their strokes.

When Hales and Buttler fell in quick succession, Duckworth-Lewis had England miles behind, and the required target of 295 from 47 overs was also lookig more and more remote. Dhoni rotated his attack frequently, the result being no opportunity for England to build any momentum. Sixes from Woakes and Tredwell came far too late and the death knell came mercifully for the home side elevn overs and about an hour early when Tredwell swung Ashwin to Jadeja.

India were best for batting, bowling and, I should add, fielding and they seemed to feed on the growing noise and energy from the boisterous but never menacing fans in orange, white, green and blue. Swann, Vaughan et al can't point the finger solely at Cook and Bell, as most of the others failed to deliver on the day. Bad day at the office? Maybe. Jordan must surely be dropped but perhaps he others deserve another shot. Meanwhile, Indian confidence must be a helluva lot higher than it was a few weeks ago, although I'm afraid I don't have tickets for the remaining ODIs. Find me on Facebook, Duncan and Ravi: Mike Smith's the name. I take cheques.

Does Flower's tour party have the right Ballance?

These days, the announcement of the England winter touring party is normally a damp squib. Back in the '80s, there were usually half a dozen certainties, a few possibles and then in came a few players who performed brilliantly in the Gillette Cup/Nat West Trophy final the day before. In 2013, Andy Flower et al possess the luxury of a settled and successful side so it's only cover for injuries or the rare turning wicket that allows the opportunity for selectors to spring a surprise.

Cook, Trott, Root, KP, Bell, Prior, Broad, Swann and Anderson pick themselves, so the rest are fighting for only two places. Bresnan is presumably out of the equation through injury so the main contest is for the two vacant seamer positions, along with the number six batsman/all-rounder spot. Maybe this season is not so different from yesteryear in that limited-over form seems to be the dominant factor in choosig players for the Ashes Test squad. Not from the YB40 but recent ODIs.

A few years ago, Michael Carberry was a free-scoring opener for Hampshire. This year he has been brilliant in short formats but mediocre in the Championship. So in he comes! Jonny Bairstow, I can understand, if only because he has become so adept at carrying drinks that there are no others with the same waiting credentials. Tut-tut. In my day, 12th men had to carry drinks on a tray without spilling anything. Any idiot can carry a cool box!

Genuine all-rounders are, surprisingly in this era of T20 bits and pieces players, very thin on the ground. Chris Woakes advanced his case today with a century for Warwickshire, but all too late. Ben Stokes has made the squad as a brisk strokemaker and nippy bowler who can give as good as he gets. His batting catches the eye, but he has captured 41 wickets at 25 for Durham which is pretty useful. I've no problem with Gary Ballance joining the team. Forget his duck against Ireland; he's had an excellent season with Yorkshire in first-class cricket and deserves his chance of a Test debut.

On the bowling side, Boyd Rankin has been impressive in the 50-over games, and Steve Finn always gives the impression that he is the best man to bang 'em in short and bother those pesky Aussie short-arses. How well he can actually deliver against top-class batsmen like Clarke is more debatable. Nevertheless, if I were Jimmy Anderson I'd be a bit worried. It would seem that the selectors are unashamed heightists. Seamers have clearly been included on the bass of being at least 6 foot 5 tall. Why else would Chris Tremlett be there instead of Graham Onions? The latter has been the best Championship bowler in each of the past two seasons delivering under pressure in the top flight and leading the attack for the number one county. Tremlett has managed a mere 32 wickets at 33 from 11 games for a relegated county. Go figure. Perhaps Onions would have tipped the balance too far in favour of players from northern counties? Seems ludicrous to me.

As support spinner, England have turned to Monty Panesar. So awful both on and off the pitch, past glories have swung the decision his way, helped by James Tredwell being right-handed and Sean Kerrigan having frozen at The Oval. Perhaps the Essex loanee will put his disastrous summer behind him and take a few wickets in his single Ashes Test. Actually, I hope he does, but please don't let him go for a night out with Ben Stokes....

I don't know whether members of the England performance programme squad can be called up as replacements, but if I were Chris Jordan - who had a good day against Durham today - and Moeen Ali, possibly the star of the domestic season, I'd keep an eye on signs of broken fingers or twisted ankles on Root, Carberry, Stokes or Trott.

Champions Warwickshire!

In the past few seasons there have been some exciting climaxes to the County Championship season, usually featuring Somerset faltering at the final hurdle to allow Durham, Lancashire or Nottinghamshire to size the pennant. This time, Warwickshire have clinched the title with a game to spare and I have to admit it is well-deserved.

They reached the achievement in style, too, trouncing neighbours Worcestershire at New Road by an innings and 202 inside three days. Two years ago, Warwicks were struggling near the foot of Division One, escaping relegation by a whisker. Their batting was in particularly dire straits, the top order frequently failing only to be rescued by the likes of Chris Woakes and Neil Carter, who also shared many of the wickets.

Last summer, they signalled their revival by defeating Somerset early on, and this year it has been a close fight with Notts until Jim Troughton's side pulled away in the past few weeks to take the Championship for the first time since 2004. Then, like now, Worcestershire were relegated and there was a chasm between the counties this week. Warks opener Varun Chopra alone almost outscored the entire Worcs line-up twice, scoring 195 to the opposition's aggregate of 269! Ian Westwood and skipper contributed half-centuries and recent signing Ian Blackwell bludgeoned 84 to set up the declaration.

However, it has been the depth in bowling that has really delivered success for Warwickshire in 2012. They could never expect Trott or Bell to play more than the occasional innings but when Chris Woakes suffered an early-season injury, I rated their chances of success as slim at best. Boyd Rankin also missed much of the campaign. However, Chris Wright and Keith Barker really stepped up to the plate. It was typical of the summer that they bowled unchanged to take five wickets each at Worcester this week and the former polished off the last three wickets in his final three overs to take the title this afternoon. Both men have claimed more than fifty wickets in the competition so far, Barker's 54 coming at an average of just 20.

Add in the all-round contributions of Rikki Clarke, the spin of New Zealander Jeetan Patel and the resurgence of former England wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose and Warwickshire can feel extra proud of their squad. Much of it is home grown, although both Chopra and Wright were brought in from Essex where they had been surplus to requirements. No disrespect to Patel but they didn't have to rely on a big overseas star to generate success, either. Director of cricket Ashley Giles credited the late Neal Abberley, former batting coach, with laying the foundations for the 2012 triumph but Giles, chief exec Colin Pavey and the rest of the backroom staff should also take some credit and who's to say that Jim Troughton's leadership didn't play a part? His batting hasn't lived up to the early promise but he has stayed true to the cause and turned in some useful, though not startling, performances this year. Chopra is one of only three men to top 1000 Championship runs and when he scores, he usually goes on to a big hundred.

Their season is not over, either. Victory over Hampshire in the CB40 final will present them with the rarer double, and they do have the players to do it. I wouldn't be surprised to see some young players blooded for the final four-day fixture against Notts but Warwickshire have earned the right to take it easy. This has been officially the wettest summer for a century, leading to a large proportion of draws. The champions have won a mere six first-class games but that has proved enough, with only Somerset beating them - and narrowly at that. Hopefully the positions will be reversed in 2013. Sigh....!

My Team of the Season - The Bowlers

The other day, I revealed the top six in my team of the English season which ended last week. Now for the rest of the Eleven which to me summed up the most notable players and performances across the whole summer.

I don't think it was a vintage year for all-rounders. Samit Patel enjoyed a good start to the summer for Nottinghamshire and, although he faded a bit, it was enough to get him back into the England set-up and indeed he played in this week's T20 internationals against the West Indies. Ravi Bopara also returned to the England fold but, apart from the first Windies T20I, it was as a batsman only. Durham's Ian Blackwell was solid but unspectacular while Gareth Berg produced some great all-round performances early and late in the summer, while missing out on most of the matches in between.

Mike Yardy was a welcome face back on the county circuit following his bout of depression last winter and he scored some telling first-class hundreds and took some one-day wickets for Sussex. Darren Stevens and Rikki Clarke were dependable as ever but my man for number seven is Chris Woakes. he's not normally thought of as an all-rounder but I rate him higher in those terms as Stuart Broad or Tim Bresnan. Maybe the England selectors want to see more of his bowling before giving him a chance. In only 11 Championship games for Warwickshire, he took 56 wickets at 21.78, while averaging 48 with the bat. OK, so he was less impressive in one-dayers but his consistent first-class cricket performances give him the edge for me.

My Team of the Season is not intended to set the standard as a world-beater, more as a clutch of individuals who lit up the English cricket scene between April and September. That is why the Championship's winning captain and the leading wicket-taker force their way into my side. David Masters is the epitome of a county pro, now at Essex, and his steady fast-medium pacers have taken wickets wherever he has played. 2011 saw him add more than ninety to his first-class career record, including 8-10 in a single innings against Leicestershire. At 37, Glen Chapple is four years older and has been a Lancashire stalwart for twenty seasons, While he was largely spared one-day duties this summer, he captured 57 scalps in the Championship at under 20 apiece and his enthusiastic captaincy also played a major part in his county's successful title challenge.

If I were to pick my other seamer purely on first-class performances, the leading contenders would have to include the evergreen Tim Murtagh (Middlesex), Andre Adams (Notts), Ryan Sidebottom (Yorkshire), Tim Linley (Surrey), Jon Lewis (Gloucs) and the one Sri Lankan to emerge from the summer with credit, Chaminda Vaas (Northants). However, I am going for a young bowler who earned his England spurs through his excellent limited-over ability and sheer pace, Jade Dernbach. With a little more consistency in the first-class format, he merits a spot amongst those pressing Anderson, Broad, Tremlett, Finn and Bresnan for a Test place.

Finally, amongst the myriad of tyro spinners advancing their careers through the medium of T20 (Borthwick and Briggs spring to mind), there are two who challenge for the final place in my Summer 2011 team. Monty Panesar is the forgotten man, who not five years ago was one of the best spinners in the world but who is now rebulding his career at Sussex. He bowled more than 750 overs in the Championship for 69 wickets, augmented by some economic contributions in CB40 and T20. However, my slow bowler of the year is Gary Keedy. He missed most of 2010 through injury but his availability for the past year made the difference in Lancashire's title push. In T20, his economy rate was under six, and he took 20 wickets at 17. He made little impression in the CB40 competition but in the four-day fixtures, emerged with 63 wickets at under 24 apiece. He didn't blast opposition away in single innings blitzes like team-mate Simon Kerrigan but he was always there nagging away at batsmen.

So there we have it. My complete Team of the Season reads: Cook, Trescothick, Hales, Bell, Taylor, Bairstow (+), Woakes, Chapple, Dernbach, Masters, Keedy. It was nice to see a mix of old and young making their mark on the season, and I hope to see more of the same in 2012.

Young Player of the Year: Jonny Bairstow

Yorkshire's wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow has been voted the 2011 Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year, and my congratulations to him. While the leading run-scorers and wicket-takers in domestic cricket were no spring chickens (Trescothick, Masters, Adams, Richardson et al), there are plenty of talented youngsters in England, some of whom have this year broken through at international level.

In a way, it is a shame that there are no current vacancies in the Test squad, as they seem to be doing very nicely, thank you! However, the ODI and T20 fixtures have offered some of the newer faces a chance to shine on the international stage. The 2009 winner James Taylor has made it only to the Lions captaincy and must have come close to beating Ravi Bopara to the number six batting berth towards the end of the India series. However, England is awash with promising stars in all positions.

Alex Hales (aged 22) made his international debut in a T20 (with a duck!) but he averages over 40 in first-class cricket and, provided he doesn't get too wrapped up in the biff-bang stuff, is a potential Test opener or number three. Rory Hamilton-Brown is only just turned 24 and he showed great maturity in leading Surrey to the CB40 trophy, and his team-mate Jason Roy (21) is a very stroke-maker in limited-over cricket, too. Ben Stokes (20) had a terrific season in 2010 but only made his debut in ODIs this summer. However, I would argue that he is better suited to the first-class game where he averages 44 with five hundreds already. I suppose his medium pace bowling option gives him the edge for a place in one-dayers.

The current vogue for T20 has enabled a raft of young spinners to emerge in recent years. Last year it was Danny Briggs and Simon Kerrigan, although the latter made a vital contribution to Lancashire's late surge to this summer's County Championship. This year it was the turn of Durham's Scott Borthwick (21). As with Stokes and Hales, his elevation to England status came in a form to which he is arguably less well equipped, i.e. 50-over cricket. His statistics look notably better in first-class matches, with both bat and ball. Indeed, he scored a debut hundred earlier this season. Seamer Chris Woakes (still only 22) was another who burst upon the county scene last year with some impressive wicket-taking, allied to late-order hitting. He debuted against Australia last winter, taking the wicket of Michael Clarke, but injury spoiled his 2011 summer and prevented following in Steven Finn's footsteps to win the Young Cricketer award. I still think Woakes is a better prospect than Dernbach and Finn because of his all-round game. He already has more than 200 first-class wickets to his name, at an average under 25, and five centuries. That's arguably more impressive than Stuart Broad's figures, and I look forward to the Warwickshire player getting his chance in the Test team.

Where England seems to be awash with talent is in the wicketkeeper berth. There have been plenty of more senior players who have represented their country and, with Matt Prior the Test incumbent, are still doing sterling service for their counties. Foster, Read,Jones and Mustard spring to mind. However, Craig Kieswetter is fast becoming an ODI veteran at 23 while his Somerset colleague Jos Buttler (barely 21) followed an impressive 2010 with T20 performances which finally won him a T20I place against India. He has a phenomenal strike rate in limited-overs cricket and a deserved reputation as a ruthless 'finisher'. He has yet to show the same potential in the first-class game but his innings in the CB40 Final showed he possesses the maturity which could lend itself to developing him as a fine all-round batsman. As I've written before, he seems a level-headed nice guy off the pitch, too.

That brings me to Jonny Bairstow. He enjoyed a great run of scores for Yorkshire in the early part of the domestic season, including a brisk and brash 205. He is also one of several prominent redheads on the scene at the moment, about the only thing I share with him, Bell and Stokes! He has since made the big gloves his own, batting at number four or five, and seized his opportunity in last week's ODI debut by scoring 41 in 21 balls to steer England to victory. Kieswetter was behind the stumps for England on this occasion and I can see the international side boasting Bairstow and both Somerset 'keepers in the coming years. Only one can wear the gloves but at least there will be some useful men in the outfield, too. Like Ryan Sidebottom, Jonny is a son of a Yorkshire legend and another 'keeper. However, his batting looks more solid and already boasts a first-class average of 45. If he can maintain his 2011 form into the winter and beyond, he will be a formidable player indeed.

Player of the Week: Jason Roy

Spoilt for choice this week, and the main contenders featured a number of former Players of the Week. Ian Bell's magnificent double-century in the Oval Test was a wonderful performance and showed again how good a batsman he is, and has been for several years now. Chris Woakes's ten wickets (including a first innings 7-20) and two top-scores for Warwickshire was even more remarkable for the fact that he ended up on the losing side, against bottom-club Hampshire. David Masters was again in the wickets, both in the Championship and the CB40 for Essex.

Today's 40-over group fixtures produced some humdinger innings. Alviro Petersen struck ten sixes out of 141 in Glamorgan's win over Lancashire, Jacques Rudolph returned to form for Yorkshire with 132 in 112 balls (following a 120 in the Championship) and Durham captain Phil Mustard opened his innings by taking the Northants attack for 139. The week's four-day cricket featured a brilliant century by Essex's 21 year-old Adam Wheater, who now improbably boasts a first-class average of more than 50, another measured hundred by James Taylor and an excellent 145 by James Vince in that vital victory for Hampshire.

There was also a rare century in both innings made by Sussex skipper Mike Yardy. He compiled 130 and a run-a-ball 122 as he looked to declare against Yorkshire. He also contributed a CB40 50 during the week. However, he is pipped to the post by young Surrey batsman Jason Roy.

His week featured three innings which were instrumental in maintaining his county's march towards the CB40 semi-finals. Against Northants, he hit 65 in 42 balls, then at Edgbaston, he reached three figures (101 in 95 balls) and four days later, his contribution to the Surrey cause increased yet again, adding 131 in only 99 balls, almost as many as the Leicestershire opposition manage between them.

It should be hardly surprising that such a talent should have been born in South Africa but he has been less effective in the first-class game, averaging only 30. However, in one-dayers and T20, he is looking the real deal and his fielding has also garnered rave reviews since his Surrey debut as an 18 year-old. Another young player worth keeping an eye on.