Ashes 2nd Test: A Starc reminder for England

Living in the UK, during the weeks leading up to the Ashes, I could have been forgiven for believing that England’s 5-0 whitewash was in the bag. The Aussies were no-hopers, their pace attack either crocked or simply past it. Just hand over the urn now, knighthoods and bonuses all round. Cheers! 

Who needs practice? Just turn up, let the batters whack it around the boundary and the bowlers reduce Steve Smith et al to nervous wrecks. It doesn’t matter whether the ball is white, red or pink; Bazball rules, ok? 

Then came the Perth debacle. In truth, both sides struggled with the pitch. After the first day, the ‘papers and websites lauded the pace of Carse, Archer and Stokes. Crawley, Root and Smith would come good on day two and the tourists would be celebrating three days early. 

Oops! Crawley bagged a pair, Brook lasted only three deliveries and his Yorkshire brother-in-arm played on to Mitchell Starc for eight. Top score was Gus Atkinson’s 37. Never mind. Unleash the speedsters! Khawaja’s injury brought more optimism, but the promoted Travis Head was having none of it. Ably supported by Marnus Labuschagne, he made a mockery of this relentless marketing maelstrom by slamming an 83-ball 123. No bowlers were spared the Head treatment. Inside two days, it was 1-0 to Australia. 

On to Brisbane, where history isn’t kind to England. But – hey! – we have the fastest pace attack in Ashes history! Well, at least the Second Test lasted four days but the result was the same: an eight-wicket triumph for the hosts. Despite a plethora of runs, there was only one century and, Ironically, it flowed from the bat of Joe Root whose lack of a ton Down Under had been an over-stressed stain on his fantastic Test record. He was left unbeaten on 138, proving that class is permanent. 

When Australia batted, nobody could get close to three figures but, in a Test rarity, everyone reached double-figures. Five passed fifty, and on day two they compiled runs at a rate which would have had Brendon McCullum purring were it his own batters at work. The bowlers wilted, simple catches were spilled all over the place. The England second innings saw Michael Neser grabbing the headlines with two caught-and-bowleds, and a succession of poor strokes edging behind to Carey and Smith. 

England’s woes were epitomised yesterday by the chirping of Archer toward Steve Smith. Even that pathetic sledging failed, as the stand-in skipper was motivated to hook another bouncer for six and clinch victory with a controlled pull from Atkinson for another. 

So what next? I am no fan of England’s cricket but even I am surprised by their embarrassing performances so far. As for the coach’s suggestion that his squad practised too much, it’s laughable. Of course, England could fire on all cylinders at Adelaide. Root, Brook, Pope, Smith and Duggett have made big scores before, and Aussie pitches can aid our bowlers. However, the Bazball strategy can only take you so far. Selecting batters based on their Hundred strike rates and bowlers purely based on their speed gun stats is, in my opinion, ridiculous. 

I know I’m old-fashioned, and fume at the proliferation of T20 and the shortening of boundaries, but you need a Plan B, C or even D, depending on the players available, the conditions and the opposition. For too long, England have relied on sledging, bouncers, Root’s runs and Stokes’ big-stage heroics. Skills can still be honed, but there are many other sub-90mph bowlers and experienced spinners available on the county circuit ready and willing. 

As for Australia, they have performed admirably, uniting the nation against the Barmy Army. Aged 31, Weatherald has enjoyed a solid start to his Test career, Alex Carey has been as brilliant behind the stumps as Smith has been poor, while Boland, Doggett and Neser have compensated for the absence of Cummins and Hazelwood. Then there is ‘past-it’ Mitchell Starc. A six-fer in three successive Tests, a trio of Player of the Match awards and a top score of 77 at Brisbane. His career wicket tally has eclipsed Wasim Akram’s to make him the most prolific left-arm seamer in history. Smith collects records for runs and catches but the tall Sydney man deserves more credit than he receives. Tests, ODIs, T20, he excels in all formats. A glut of Aussie retirements cannot be far away but it is Starc who will be missed the most.

County Cricket: Batsmen Fill Their Boots!

“Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree….” I remember singing this at school, a ‘round’ involving the choir singing different lines simultaneously. “Laugh, kookaburra, laugh…” it went, but it was the batsmen who had the last laugh facing the Kookaburra ball in this week’s County Championship fixtures. There were no fewer than 26 centuries in the full programme of nine matches. 

The Headingley Test proved that cricket can deliver an exciting contest spanning five days with runs a-plenty and produce a result. If only the Championship games had been allocated an extra day because seven of them ended in a draw, with bowlers unable to assert much authority on proceedings. 

Last week, Surrey surged to second in the Blast and they maintained that momentum into the red-ball competition. In fact, they needed only three days to despatch a weak Worcestershire by nine wickets. Contrary to the situations elsewhere, both sets of bowlers were on top. Ben Allison and Tom Taylor performed well for the home side, but ultimately it was the Surrey seam pair of Nathan Smith (6-38) and Matthew Fisher (4-47) who wiped out Worcester’s second innings and secured the victory. 

With Nottinghamshire failing to beat Yorkshire, the champions advanced ominously to within two points of the leaders. Notts opener Ben Slater made his fifth and sixth consecutive half-centuries, and even bowlers Dillon Pennington (61) and Liam Patterson-White (87) got in on the act in the first innings. In reply, Yorkshire lost Adam Lyth first-ball but Finlay Bean went on to rack up 224. Teenager Farhan Ahmed and Patterson-White toiled for 112 overs between them. Not since 1929 has a Notts bowlers sent down more balls in a single innings than NL-P’s 372, and he had just three wickets to show for it. 

Jofra Archer’s first-class comeback for Sussex after more than four years’ absence netted him the solitary wicket of Emilio Gay. He sent down eighteen overs, which might have landed him back in hospital but instead earned him an England Test recall. As for the match, it ended up as batting practice for Sussex, yielding centuries for Coles and Ibrahim. 

At Edgbaston, Somerset had the better of Warwickshire, but Latham and Hain dug deep to thwart the opposing attack on the final afternoon. The visitors had amassed 498 in the opening five sessions, including tons for Toms Kohler-Cadmore and Lammonby, but Warwickshire’s run rate was consistently below three an over. OK for five days, but they always seemed to be playing for the draw even if it meant Somerset swapping positions with them in the table. 

In the bottom half, Essex and Hampshire also played out a draw at Chelmsford. Kyle Abbott’s latest five-for put Hants in the driving seat, albeit frustrated by Charlie Allison’s 101. In response, Liam Dawson (139) and India’s Tilak Varma each made three figures, too. Varma is known as a white-ball specialist but he has a habit of making tons in the few first-class games he has played. At 131-5 second time around, Essex were heading for defeat, but a double-century stand between Tom Westley and the expansive Michael Pepper saved the day. 

In Division Two, front-runners Leicestershire couldn’t fashion another triumph despite compiling a massive 576-7 declared. Asa Tribe (107) had anchored a decent 353 for Glamorgan but Sol Budinger and Rehan Ahmed led a strong batting display to establish a healthy lead. However, not for the first time, the experienced duo of Northeast and Ingram rescued the Welsh side from 36-3 to earn the draw. 

It was a topsy-turvy affair at Bristol where Gloucestershire reversed a 211-run deficit to come within two wickets of bating Derbyshire on the final evening. Cameron Bancroft (176) and Graeme van Buuren (175) helped set Derby a stiff target of 316 in about five hours. To their credit, they accepted the gauntlet. Harry Caleb and Caleb Jewell galloped to 177-0 but once they fell, so did the run rate, and time was called twenty runs short. 

The scoreboard also ticked over rapidly at Blackpool. Lancashire topped 600, fuelled by hundreds from Luke Wells, Josh Bohannon and Ashton Turner, the latter’s 154 coming at more than a run a ball. James Anderson’s side had Kent’s second innings in deep trouble at 116-7 but Grant Stewart decided to risk an all-or-nothing approach. His luck was in, and he cracked nine sixes in a score of 130, leaving the Red Roses no time to wangle a win. 

The only victory occurred at Northampton where the home team edged Middlesex in a tight encounter providing almost 1,500 runs. Little-known Aussie quick, Liam Guthrie, took 7-94 while his colleagues enjoyed little success against Middlesex, for whom ‘keeper Joe Cracknell scored a maiden hundred. In the end, Northants won the match by four wickets. Captain Luke Procter (107) and James Sales (108) had to crack on at five an over to reach the target. 

This weekend, Leicestershire meet Middlesex while in the top flight, Surrey welcome Durham to The Oval and Notts visit Somerset requiring a victory to keep Surrey at bay.

Team of the Week:- Bancroft (Glo), Bean (Yor), Came (Der), Lammonby (Som), Coles (Sus), Ingram (Gla), Pepper (Ess +), Van Buuren (Glo), Abbott (Ham), N Smith (Sur), Guthrie (Nor)

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.

2019 – England’s Rollercoaster Year

For ages we had been bludgeoned by articles and interviews detailing how England were focussing on the World Cup and how we would convert number one ranking status into silverware. Even while we were being thumped by the West Indies Test team last winter, it was written off as an aberration, a mere blip en route for the inevitable 50-over success in July.

Remarkably, it proved correct. That amazing evening of July 19^th, it wasn’t just Jofra Archer’s pace, Eoin Morgan’s captaincy, Jos Buttler’s cool head or Ben Stokes’ hot head which overcame Kane Williamson’s Black Caps after a tied match and tied Super Over; it was slice after slice of astonishing good fortune.

That luck kept on coming during the Ashes series. OK, so Jimmy Anderson’s injury ruled him out and the Aussies depended heavily on runs from the brilliant Steve Smith. But the entire series swung on that glaring run-out failure by Nathan Lyon at Headingley and Jack Leach’s glasses, the assiduous wiping of which wasted so much time that England survived for a draw.  The Ashes could not be prised from the Aussies’ grasp but the victory at The Oval in September did at least tie the series 2-2.

Across the year, England won 14 out of 20 completed ODIs and 6 out of 9 T20 internationals, along with yet another tied contest with New Zealand. However, it was in Tests that we struggled. Excluding the inaugural one-off against Ireland, which England so nearly contrived to lose, we failed to win a single series, defeated in the Caribbean, New Zealand and, this week in the First Test, South Africa.  

Almost inevitably the focus on the World Cup was to the detriment of the Test squad, of whom only Joe Root, Stuart Broad and, arguably, because of his advancing years, Jimmy Anderson are world class. The fast-tracked Bajan Jeffrey – sorry - Jofra Archer proved to be first among equals not only in the five-day arena but also at the global 50-over tourney, where judicious use of the fast bouncer proved decisive in a host of fixtures. 

Ben Stokes’ bowling remains fierce if expensive, but when the spotlight shins brightest he’s a match-winner (or saver) with the bat. Jos Buttler has tried to tone down his T20-style strokeplay with limited success and Jonny Bairstow also has his moments. Elsewhere, consistency is somewhat lacking. Chris Woakes is under-used, Mark Wood is injury-prone, the Curran brothers too up themselves and Moeen Ali desperately short of form. At least his T20 Blast heroics for Worcestershire must have restored some self-confidence.

Popular as he is down in Somerset, Jack Leach isn’t quite the finished article while colleague Dom Bess can’t even hold down a county place. Surrey’s Rory Burns is doing his darnedest to replace Alastair Cook, but Joe Denly still looks like a so-so stopgap until either Crawley, Pope, Sibley or even Malan consistently step up to the plate. Nevertheless this set of players gave Australia a good run for their money last summer and may yet turn the tables on South Africa in the New Year.

However, 2020 sees the return of the Men’s Twenty 20 World Cup and launch of the accursed Hundred so I fear the ECB will be encouraging hoiks over cow corner and hordes of young leggies. Great in the biff-bang formats but a rapid 30 and bowling figures of 4-0-29-0 don’t hold much sway in Test cricket. India may be well ahead in the ICC rankings and favourites for the World Test Championship yet England could advance to second place by defeating Pakistan and West Indies, ranked seven and eight, respectively next summer. Pakistan’s strength is in the T20s and the Windies are currently dreadful in any format. Whoever England field I wouldn’t risk booking an advance ticket for days four or five…

I sincerely hope there is a World Cup ‘bounce’ to entice more youngsters into the sport but I fear that once the Ashes were over, the big-money inducements of Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea were always going to send the pendulum swinging back to football. Ben Stokes may have won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award but how many boys today know that previous winner Andrew Flintoff was a cricketer, rather than a bloke who prats around with cars or on comedy quiz shows? England need to get off the rollercoaster, dispense with the lows and reach consistently.

Next on the agenda is my review of the best players of 2019 but for now I wish you all a very happy New Year and a happy, healthy and exciting 2020!

No Super Over Rescue this time for England

It’s been almost two months since my last cricket blog. Following the crushing conclusion to the English county season and the high drama of the Ashes, there hasn’t been an awful lot to write about. Yes, a handful of Twenty20s and The Hundred’s draft – something nobody understands for something nobody wants – but little to get the heart pounding. Until now.

India have become the first nation to win four successive Tests by an innings. OK, so the final two were against Bangladesh lacking their best player, but the first two in the sequence were against South Africa, even if the Proteas are not as strong as they were a few years ago. Virat Kohli continues to break records of his own and the last victory was clinched with all wickets taken by seamers (India?!). In Brisbane, Australia handed Pakistan their thirteenth consecutive defeat on their shores, and just for a change their runs weren’t primarily provided by Steve Smith.

Which brings us back to England. Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes may well be practising their bowing and scraping in advance of their likely New Year knighthoods but Joe Root’s may have to wait awhile after falling victim  to another of the week’s innings outcomes at The Bay Oval.

New Zealand may have suffered two excruciatingly tight limited-overs losses to England in recent months but in proper cricket they were undone by poor batting and an inability to dismiss the Black Caps’ seventh-wicket pairing for more than eighty overs. A first innings of 353 didn’t look too shabby but that was ery nearly matched by the combined scores of BJ Watling (a career-best 205) and spinner Mitchell Santner (a maiden Test century) who shared a stand of 261. England bowlers toiled for only two wickets on day three before Watling and Santner cranked it up on the fourth, the latter rounding off a superb six hours by dismissing both openers and nightwatchman Leach with the ball.

England desperately dug in for the draw, with Santner bowling nineteen maidens, but Neil Wagner’s lively 5-44 was the decisive factor.  It’s only a two-Test series which won’t count for the World Test Championship, in which NZ currently occupy second place, but it was a humbling experience for new coach Chris Silverwood. It was nice to see Dominic Sibley win his first cap after such a commanding season with Warwickshire, and he did outscore his captain, but that was all. He should get another chance, as might Ollie Pope.

Jofra Archer got no support from the pitch, nor from the crowd. Racist abuse should not be tolerated in any situation but it seems a bit rich to complain when bowlers are constantly spitting vile abuse at the opposition and getting away with it. Sledging = abuse, isn’t it? I hope they throw the book at the small-minded bozo who yelled at Archer across the boundary but it shouldn’t distract from the fact that England were well beaten. Next week Trent Boult will probably be absent through injury but with Matt Henry or Lockie Ferguson waiting in the wings, England will face further disciplined seam and swing bowling, and they will do well to win the series. They don’t have Super Overs in Tests….

Ben Stokes creates Ashes history

Well, who needs Twenty20? England and Australia dished up one of the greatest sporting dramas since, oh, last month’s World Cup Final, demonstrating yet again why Test cricket must be savoured and protested for future generations of fans.

As a turnabout in fortunes it didn’t quite match the Headingley Test of 1981 – Botham, Willis and all that – but for overcoming home supporters’ low expectations in adversity, Headingley 2019 was just as remarkable. 38 years ago, it was a revitalised Ian Botham who, after a terrible start to his Ashes summer, rediscovered his mojo to drag England back from the brink. This time it’s Ben Stokes, although his rehabilitation from drunken thug to cricketing hero began in spectacular style at Lord’s when his innings and Super Over striking did so much to end the nation’s long wait for World Cup success.

I’m no fan of Stokes the person but there’s no denying his bravura talent on the biggest stages, at least with a bat in his hand. And yet, that unbeaten 135 notwithstanding, the Durham all-rounder was not the only man responsible for England’s victory. In the post-match euphoria amid the Stokes-centric headlines, it is easy to forget Jofra Archer’s first innings 6-45 and Saturday afternoon’s heroic resistance of the two Joes, Root and Denly.

On Friday, England were swatted away inside 28 overs for a paltry 67. Hazlewood and Cummins had bowled intelligently but the home team seemed to be batting in T20 self-destruct mode, nicking everything to Warner or Paine behind the stumps. They’d come close to winning the previous week at a rain-affected Lord’s but this dismal performance brought back the usual comments about the lost art of grinding out a score, knowing when to leave alone, when to defend and when to launch an offensive. 

Australia weren’t a whole heap better. Steve Smith’s injury replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, was the only one in a green helmet looking comfortable against the opposition attack. But when he and Lyon were last men out, England’s target of 359 looked challenging enough.

Normally such a fourth innings total would be beyond any side, but England had two and a half days in which to make them. Easy, huh? The portents were not good, especially when Roy and Burns succumbed meekly to the new ball. Root and Denly sensibly saw the side to stumps on Saturday evening but there was still plenty to do. A draw was out of the question; this was all about eight more wickets versus an additional 203 runs.

At 245-4, England looked to be cruising in the Bank Holiday heat but five wickets for 41 run left Australia in the driving seat. Ben Stokes and Jack Leach were on the rack. The Somerset spinner is no mug with the bat, as his 92 against Ireland demonstrated, but Stokes knew he’d have to play to his strength, and that’s to whack the ball as hard as he could. With 73 still required, he had nothing to lose.

Up to that point, he’d played with impressive restraint. Now was the time to display the Stokes of old. The sixes flew, but it was every dot ball faced by Leach which received cheers just as hearty from the Leeds crowd. Stokes was obviously pumped up, unable to even watch as his partner faced the fifth or sixth deliveries of overs by Cummins or Lyon. There was no intention of running quick singles; he merely squatted on his haunches, bat in both hands like a war-weary medieval knight clutching his sword, eyes focussed on his boots.

When on strike, my, how Stokes rode his luck. Aiming for the stands, three times he narrowly avoided outstretched hands, with a few very difficult diving catches spilled. The desperate LBW review for a ball clearly pitching and striking  outside leg stump cost the Aussies the match when a few overs later the umpire failed to spot a blatant leg-before; the ball would have hit middle. Justin Langer’s expression told the story. My thoughts strayed to Edgbaston, 2005 when the Aussies, featuring Langer, had been in a similar position yet were robbed just three runs from victory. With it, went that amazing series.

Nevertheless, in August 2019, all Stokes’ heroic hitting looked in vain when, with 2 needed, Stokes reverse swept to backward point then turned his back on Leach. His windmilling arms indicated that his partner had to run back to the crease. It wasn’t the greatest throw but all Nathan Lyon needed to do was catch the ball and calmly whip off the bails. With Leach stranded metres from safety, the bowler had plenty of time. He fumbled it, the chance had gone and with it the match and, in all likelihood, the Ashes.

The coup-de-grace followed shortly and one of the greatest of all Ashes Test matches was over. Just a few days after registering their lowest home Ashes total, England had achieved their highest ever fourth innings run chase. The series score reads 1-1 but I have no doubt that England will now proceed to build on their amazing good fortune and Stokes’ inspirational innings and regain the Ashes which, as the ball was lobbed to Lyon, looked certain to be Australia’s. I don’t think even the return of Steve Smith will prevent England’s sensational summer script becoming fact.

Morkel and Archer on Target

Although bookended by some Vitality Blasts, most county players had to dust off their red-ball skills. It was an especially successful week for Surrey and Sussex.

The former continued their expensive cruise towards the Championship title by trashing Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge by an innings and 183 runs. Skipper Rory Burns took his season’s run tally to 875 with another century, aided by fellow opener Mark Stoneman’s run-a-ball 86 and Ricky Clarke’s 111, as Surrey racked up almost 600. Notts had no response as the quality attack ripped through them twice. Morne Morkel was the star performer, taking 4-60 and 5-60.

Somerset leapfrogged Notts into second place by beating Worcestershire at New Road, where it was a tale of two Alis. There was little to split them after two days, but Somerset took control in their second innings. Moeen did little with the bat but claimed eight wickets in the match. However, the visitors’ new signing Azhar Ali had the better of the two, top-scoring with 125. Seamers Jamie Overton and Davey nabbed fifteen wickets between them to end any remaining resistance. 

At Old Trafford, Yorkshire upset their neighbours by a 118-run victory. Lancashire’s Jordan Clark upset the rhythm by achieving a rare Roses hat-trick. Not a bad trio of victims, either: Root, Bairstow and Williamson, all in the world’s top twelve! However, the Red Roses capitulated and who was the star bowler? None other than Joe Root, who ended up with 4-5. Who needs Adil Rashid when your captain and top batsman can spin sides out like that?

Warwickshire’s progress towards promotion from Division Two suffered a blow when they suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Middlesex at a baking Lord’s. The ever-reliable Tim Murtagh ended with an aggregate of 7-97. Sussex narrowed the gap to seven points, bowling Glamorgan out twice for under 100. Jofra Archer’s 2018 domestic season is at last taking off, demonstrated by his return of 4-15 and 4-31, abetted by Chris Jordan.

Kent would have been right in the mix had they beaten Leicestershire at Canterbury. But they didn’t. They were taken apart by ten wickets, with Ned Eckersley catching eight behind the stumps.

In mid-table, Derbyshire dealt Northamptonshire a 39-run blow at Chesterfield. Spinner Matt Critchley finished with ten wickets, to go with 88 valuable runs. Wayne Madsen weighed in with a second-innings hundred. It was tough on Northants’ Alex Wakeley who made a century of his own, albeit in a losing cause.

In the other fixture, Gloucestershire all-rounder Ryan Higgins proved he’s not just a white-ball player by scoring 147 runs and taking six cheap wickets in a close-fought win over Durham. The latter’s New Zealand opener Tom Latham maintained his form with 192 runs, but the rest of his side were unable to build on his good starts.

Higgins also landed three wickets in Gloucester’s T20 triumph over Glamorgan. Assisted by Michael Klinger’s unbeaten 77, Gloucestershire moved to the top of the South Division, just ahead of Kent and Sussex who were thwarted by summer storms around Canterbury.

Still awaiting a first win of the campaign, Northamptonshire suffered yet another defeat, this time by Worcestershire, whose openers Martin Guptill and Joe Clarke whipped 162 in 10 overs en route for a nine-wicket victory. Lancashire just about held on to the lead in the North despite losing their second Roses clash in a few days. This time it was the six-hitting of Tom Kohler-Cadmore which inflicted the most damage.

The coming week sees a return to T20 supremacy in Britain. Some counties face three games, including Yorkshire, who must squeeze them into four days. The most interesting could be Lancashire’s trip to Worcestershire and Sussex hosting Gloucestershire as all four vie for their respective divisions’ number one spot.

Team of the Week: 

Latham (Dur), Burns (Sur), Guptill (Wor), Azhr Ali (Som), Wakely (Nor), Higgins (Glo), Clarke (Sur), Milton (Wor +), Critchley (Der), Archer (Sus), Morkel (Sur)

County Cricket Team of 2017

The County Championship structure was adjusted this year to reduce the fixtures played by the top tier, and presumably the strain placed upon those men likely to be playing for England. However, with the international summer dragging on until the end of September, it was even harder for counties to play their stars for more than a few games all season anyway.

From my team of 2016, Keaton Jennings and Ben Duckett were tried and discarded, while Tom Westley just about did enough against the West Indies to justify selection for the Ashes tour. As for the 2017 county competitions, newly-promoted Essex became champions by a country mile while their predecessors Middlesex were relegated alongside a woeful Warwickshire outfit. Worcestershire replaced them, as did Nottinghamshire, who also grabbed both limited-overs trophies in Chris Read’s final season. With only eight teams in Division One, by mid-September most of them were still at risk of relegation. Not sure if that’s a healthy thing but it certainly concentrated the mind, especially at Somerset’s final match at home to Middlesex.

Anyway, who were the men who contributed most to domestic cricket across all three formats?

Openers:

In terms of first-class cricket, there were few consistent run-scorers.at the very top of the order. Alastair Cook helped Essex to a fine start to the summer, averaging 67 in all and, perhaps improbably, was the most prolific player in the Royal London Cup. However, my top two pretty much pick themselves. Alongside Rory Burns, Mark Stoneman made 1,156 Championship runs at 60.84 and 456 in the 50-over tournament for Surrey, and Daryl Mitchell’s seven centuries for Division Two champions Worcestershire were critical.

Middle-order:

Let’s deal first with the no-brainer. Kumar Sangakkara was utterly magnificent. In only 16 innings he reached three figures eight times, five of them consecutive. He stroked runs in either innings and, with the openers, ensured Surrey attained more batting bonus points than anybody else by a mile. If only their bowlers had been any good, they may have given Essex a run for their money. In all competitions the retiring Sri Lankan legend scored 2,156 for his county. Fabulous! Kent’s Joe Denly was the second highest scorer overall. With Sam Northeast, he often held their batting together in Division Two and tonked almost 600 runs in the T20 Blast.

When considering Nottinghamshire batsmen, many don’t get further than Alex Hales. However, the duo of Samit Patel and Riki Wessels were far more influential with the bat, Wessels particularly effective in the T20, often doubling as wicketkeeper. Patel crunched two double-centuries and his spin was typically miserly in the short stuff, too. I should also mention Mark Cosgrove’s consistency amidst the misery that was Leicestershire’s batting line-up. Nevertheless, my number five slot goes to South African Colin Ingram. He scored over a thousand limited overs runs in all, helping Glamorgan to a rare Finals Day appearance with bat and ball.

All-Rounder:

As ever, top-class batsmen-bowlers were thin on the ground. While Ben Stokes was doing his thing for England and outside Bristol clubs, Peter Trego unusually quiet in Taunton, Samit Patel focussing on his batting and Chris Woakes out of county action, the stage was set for a couple of doughty county old-stagers. Steven Mullaney is often written off as a dibbly-dobbler medium-pacer who can bat a bit. However, I bet most counties would love to have a Mullaney in their squad: he has the sound technique to open in the four-dayers, provide valuable late-order swishes in the 50-overs and keep the runs down in Twenty20. Yet he is eclipsed by my old favourite, Darren Stevens. It speak volumes for Kent’s thin attack that a 41 year-old opens their bowling but he finished the season on a record 60 Championship wickets at barely 18 apiece, while notching 707 runs at over 41, and that ignores almost 400 in the one-dayers. His age suggests retirement can’t be far away but at the moment he s simply irreplaceable for Kent.

Wicket-keeper:

Much attention was paid to the progress of Lancashire’s Alex Davies, promoted to open in the Championship. He made a good start, too, while their other young opener Habeeb struggled. At 31, his namesake Steven Davies took time to find his feet at Somerset but then so did the rest of the side. It was his runs and stumpings which did so much to rescue the county from relegation and he seemed to perform best against his old Surrey team mates. Ha-ha, Mr Batty! Surrey’s Ben Foakes also improved his batting but Ollie Pope tended to man the stumps in the Blast. I ought to mention James Foster’s fine second half of the season for Essex but my selection goes, narrowly to Middlesex’s John Simpson. Too often his runs at six or seven held them together and nobody claimed more dismissals on the county circuit.

Bowlers:-

While the likes of Anderson, Broad, Ball and Finn were restricted in their conty appearances, it was left to 24 year-old Essex seamer Jamie Porter to reprise last year’s Division Two success at the higher level. His return of 75 wickets at only 16.82 was phenomenal and makes him the obvious choice, besides Sangakkara, for my Eleven. Worcestershire skipper Joe Leach was also rock steady with the new ball, Ben Coad was a real find for Yorkshire, Liam Norwell did great work for Gloucestershire and, unlike Surrey’s Curran brothers, Craig Overton seemed to progress for Somerset on unhelpful pitches. But my other two seam spots are reserved for Kyle Abbott and Jofra Archer. The 30 year-old South African nicked 60 cheap first-class wickets for Hampshire as well as adding useful runs at eight or nine. At 22, Archer blew out of nowhere for Sussex with his fast bowling. The Bajan’s batting was also strong enough for him to end the Championship summer averaging a very healthy 45.56. Definitely one to watch at home and overseas.

In terms of spin, Jack Leach enjoyed a fruitful September for Somerset, but the normally reliable Jeetan Patel’s season went like much of Warwickshire’s cricket, downhill fast. It is therefore a simple decision to pick Simon Harmer in my XI. I admit my ignorance of the Pretorian before 2017 but his aggressive offbreaks despatched 90 batsmen in all competitions and did so much to carry Essex to the title. What a shrewd Kolpak signing he turned out to be.

In summary, based on stats and my Teams of the Week, my County Team of 2017 is:-

Stoneman (Sur), Mitchell (Wor), Denly (Ken), Sangakkara (Sur), Ingram (Gla), Stevens (Ken), Simpson (Mid), Abbott (Ham), Archer (Sus), Harmer (Ess), Porter (Ess)

12^th Man: S Patel (Not)

Tendo fires Essex to the Top

With kind weather and a conducive pitch, the Guildford crowds witnessed almost four full days of cricket. Unfortunately for the home fans, Essex came out on top and, buoyed by maximum points, now lead Division One by six points. Surrey made a solid enough start, thanks largely to Mark Stoneman’s 197. However, Essex skipper Ryan Ten Doeschate led a spirited response with an unbeaten168, then Tom Westley’s final day century finished things off.

Yorkshire also achieved their third Championship success of the summer at Taunton but by a mere three runs. I’m gutted that Somerset should lose yet again by such a narrow margin. Neither side managed 300 in an innings and it was Gary Ballance’s second innings 98 not out which proved to be the top individual score. While Ryan Sidebottom was reverse swinging the ball, and only one wicket left, Jamie Overton decided to attack the off-spin of Adam Lyth.  The first ball of the part-timer’s 18^th over went for six, the next for two leg-byes. Seeking a match-winning boundary, Overton just hol out to mid-wicket, dammit! Somerset’s young captain Tom Abell endured another miserable week with the bat. Surely a change is imminent, but the rest of the batting line-up is also struggling.

There were no three-figure scores at Southport either, and it was Lancashire’s bowlers who the upper hand over Middlesex. Stephen Parry was unused on the first morning but took 5-45 on the final morning. Special mention must go to Alex Davies. His runs have dried up but he made an impressive nine catches and a stumping.

Division Two is beginning to resemble a table of two halves. At the top, Nottinghamshire, Kent and Worcestershire each have four victories so far. However, none of them won this week. Indeed, the latter county contrived to lose at home to Glamorgan inside three days. Not wishing to downplay the significance of stand-in skipper Michael Hogan’s 5-38, the crucial passage of play was probably the Glammies’ recovery from 57-6 to 381 all out. It included a century stand for the ninth wicket between Andrew Salter and Lukas Carey.

At Bristol, Samit Patel struck a career-best 257 not out to put Nottinghamshire in the driving seat. However, Gloucestershire batted out the entire final day to salvage a draw. Northamptonshire also registered a fourth Championship success, this time against Derbyshire. It wasn’t all plain sailing, though. Rob Newton was back in form but after he was out for 108 in the second innings, his team collapsed farcically, the remaining eight wickets vanishing for just 52 runs. However, they had sufficient runs in the locker and Derbyshire aren’t exactly prolific scorers. Seamer Ben Sanderson did the rest. There was, however, personal success for the losers’ teenage seamer Conor McKerr. In only his second first-class fixture, the South African claimed a satisfactory ten-for!

At Grace Road, Jofra Archer chalked up another eleven scalps with his fast-medium pace as Leicestershire came a cropper against Sussex. Meanwhile, at Canterbury, Durham came within a whisker of celebrating a first win of the season. On the last afternoon, after skipper Sam Northeast was the eighth man out for 72, Kent’s last three men, Claydon, Coles and Yasir Shah managed to survive the last eighteen overs. Tough on Paul Collingwood who contributed another 171 runs to the north-easterners’ cause.

This week, its back to the Royal London Cup, starting with the two quarter-finals. I wonder whether Somerset’s ongoing woes will impact upon their chances of advancing to the semis. Notts are in form so I fancy they will progress. Yorkshire v Surrey is harder to call but, if pushed, I’d plump for the Londoners to advance to Friday’s decider.

Team of the Week: Stoneman (Sur), Newton (Nor), Northeast (Ken), Patel (Not), Collingwood (Dur), Ten Doeschate (Ess), Davies (Lan +), Archer (Sus), McKerr (Der), Sidebottom (Yor), Sanderson (Nor)

Cook and Porter steer Essex into Pole position

In a week when the Mumbai Indians fashioned an unlikely one-run triumph in the IPL final it was Essex who made longer-form cricket appear relatively easy in England.

Not only did they top their Royal London Cup group, thus advancing directly to the semi-finals, but their innings victory over Hampshire also took them to the top of the County Championship. Alastair Cook scored another century, while Jamie Porter’s 5-24 wrecked Hampshire’s first innings, from which they couldn’t recover. The newly-promoted side are beginning to look like potential 2017 champions, although the real test will come when Cook is absent later in the summer.

The Roses clash ended as a draw, with Handscomb, Leaning and Chanderpaul trading hundreds. Jack Brooks was a more unlikely centurion, doubling his previous best score, but he took only one wicket. Jimmy Anderson’s injury scare not only blunted Lancashire’s attack but also could weaken England’s cause in the forthcoming Test series.

The other local derby, Surrey’s trip across the Thames to Middlesex, was also inconclusive. The home team’s James Franklin was in cracking all-round form, but Kumar Sangakkara produced centuries in each innings, taking his first-class career tally to sixty. It seems a shame that the Sri Lankan legend has since announced his retirement from the red-ball game when he is stroking the leather around as fluently as ever.

Marcus Trescothick is two years older, but he signalled his determination to serve the Somerset four-day cause for a bit longer by scoring his sixtieth hundred for his county, taking him past Harold Gimblett’s long-standing record. Earlier in the week, he also passed the 25,000-run landmark in all first-class cricket, an achievement which I am sure will become extremely rare in the future. He was unable to help Somerset beat Warwickshire, though. Another ex-England star with a mental illness, Jonathan Trott, trumped him with a first-innings 175, and the Midlanders may well have taken the sixteen points for victory had the first two days at Taunton seen more play.

This weekend, eyes will focus on the clash between first and second, as Essex host Surrey at Chelmsford, which should be a cracker if the weather doesn’t break on Sunday.

Worcestershire made it three wins out of three in Division Two, giving Derbyshire a real hiding on their home turf. Daryl Mitchell and Brett D’Oliveira shared an opening stand of 243, but it was Joe Leach’s second-innings 5-32 which proved most decisive.

Nottinghamshire remain top of the table and could have opened up a significant lead had Glamorgan’s Colin Ingram and Chris Cooke not combined to thwart Broad, Patel et al throughout the entire final day. Indeed, the Cardiff outfit looked doomed when forced to follow on, but the in-form Ingram rose to the occasion yet again.

Another man who constantly delivers the goods for his county is Darren Stevens. After rain messed up days one and two, and Leicestershire racked up 420 all out, he thrashed a rapid 100 for Kent but there was insufficient time to find a way of generating a positive result, leaving Kent in second spot.

The highest scores of the week, both team and individual, were seen at Hove. Durham scrambled their way to 287 then on Saturday, Luke Wells and Stiaan van Zyl put on a whopping 376 for the third wicket. Wells alone scored a career-best 258, the highest score of the season to date, including 34 fours and seven sixes. Jofra Archer and Vernon Philander also enjoyed a powerful partnership, taking fourteen wickets between them, and Durham couldn’t quite bat out the final day.

All ten counties in Division Two are in action on Bank Holiday weekend. The most interesting may well be the traditional Tunbridge Wells encounter between Kent and Sussex, and Nottinghamshire versus Gloucestershire.

Team of the Week: Trescothick (Som), Mitchell (Wor), L Wells (Sus), Sangakkara (Sur), Ingram (Gla), Wessels (Not +), Franklin (Mid), Leach (Wor), Abbott (Ham), Archer (Sus), Porter (Ess)