A Retiring Cricketers Team of 2018

Autumn Test and ODI series are in full swing. However, I can’t help looking back upon the careers of cricketers who have bowed out after the latest season in England. The following twelve players make a pretty strong team, too.

He may not be a household name but Johannes Myburgh’s popularity with the Somerset faithful earned him a warm round of applause when he left the field at Taunton for the last time in August. The Pretorian had been at the county for only five seasons yet his one-day performances in particular, including a 42-ball T20 century against Essex a few months ago, endeared him to West Country crowds.

In his native South Africa, Myburgh had once played alongside Jonathan Trott, who also migrated to England to further his career. He did pretty well out of it, too. He eventually qualified for England and, after making piles of runs for Warwickshire, made his debut in the 2009 Ashes series. After a few years his Test batting average was way up in the sixties but by the time he retired in 2015 it was back at a still-decent 44. Although an even better 50-over batsman, he was still doing a sterling job alongside Ian Bell in the County Championship in 2018, striking 124 in his penultimate match.

Another South African-born batsman, Nick Compton has also called it a day. Part of the great Compton cricketing dynasty, he began and ended his county career at Middlesex but it was at good old Somerset that he reached his peak. In 2012, he came within a whisker of achieving the traditional landmark of 1000 runs before the end of May in 2012 and played 16 Tests for England. His steady style seemed well suited to five-dayers but he made only two centuries and was discarded two years ago He’ll be fine as an eloquent pundit, I’m sure.

Former Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams is also retiring at the age of 38. Despite his immense value as batsman and fielder to his county, he never quite managed a full senior international appearance ad, after a mediocre 2018, it was probably a good time to step back.

Paul Collingwood was another one-county stalwart, representing his home side of Durham for more than two decades. Including his 300+ appearances for England, he has quite with more than 30,000 runs, 400 wickets and 600 catches to his name. Not as tabloid-friendly as KP, Flintoff et al, he was nonetheless one of England’s finest all-round cricketers for a decade and was still an effective contributor to Durham’s cause into his 40s.

Will Gidman, who has also quite the game, was another all-rounder but who enjoyed a relatively brief stint at the top on the county circuit. He was already 26 when, alongside older brother Alex, he enjoyed a stellar season for Gloucestershire. Notts enticed him away in 2015, followed by Kent but his best cricket was behind him when he left the game aged 33.

Like Gidman, South Australian Stephen Crook may not be a familiar name but for the last several seasons he was a huge hit at Northamptonshire. His seam bowling and big hitting helped the county to two T20 titles but apparently his interests extend well beyond cricket so he won’t be bored in retirement.

Sean Ervine is probably better known, and for numerous summers was a banker in my fantasy cricket team. For Hampshire, he didn’t necessarily make loads of hundreds or collect five-fors but he was one of those consistent all-rounders who would always do a job for you. He split acrimoniously from the Zimbabwe set-up in 2004, otherwise he may have enjoyed more international success.

James Foster must be one of the unluckiest of England players in recent times. One of the best wicketkeeper batsmen in the country he had the misfortune of being a contemporary of Chris Read and Matt Prior, and picked up only seven Test caps in 2001 and 2002. However England’s loss was Essex’s gain and he was a hero at Chelmsford, regaining his place in 2017 to win the Championship crown. He lost his spot this year, though, and at 38 reluctantly stepped down.

James Tredwell was another whose England career was restricted by a parallel career; in his case, Graeme Swann. The mild-mannered, follically challenged Kent off-spinner was never destined for superstar status and he must be one of the very few cricketers who played for two different counties simultaneously (not in the same match obviously!) in different formats.

Another massive Fantasy Cricket points scorer in the past several seasons is Steve Magoffin. A bit of a county journeyman, the Aussie seamer was regularly near the top of the wickets table and bowling averages while at Sussex between 2012 and 2017 and he retires with a total of 597 first-class wickets at an incredible average of just 23.60. Understated, unsung but often unplayable.

Finally a mention for Andy Hodd. His whole career seems to have been spent as understudy, first to Tim Ambrose or Matt Prior at Sussex, then Jonny Bairstow at Yorkshire but when he did step up into the first XI he accumulated more than 5,000 senior runs and 400 dismissals. It seems fitting to make him my 2018 retirees’ twelfth man. Sorry, Hoddy!

Morkel and Trott ride to the front

Surrey ensured they remained at the top of the pile by beating Yorkshire at Scarborough, but they had to come from behind to do so. The home side enjoyed a 75-run first innings lead but after Morne Morkel (5-39) and Jade Dernbach (3-34) ripped through them on the third day, skipper Rory Burns led the charge to the target.

Neither Nottinghamshire nor Somerset could keep up with the leaders. At Trent Bridge, the Notts openers were in fine form. Chris Nash and Jake Libby each made centuries then, with Stuart Broad leading the attack, declared with the expectation of bowling Worcestershire out in just over a day. They failed. The England seamer had an ankle niggle and Joe Clarke had a point to prove. He was still there on 177 at the very end as the bottom side avoided defeat.

When Essex roared to 517-5, Somerset’s chance of winning shrank to almost zero. Ravi Bopara and the returning Ryan Ten Doeschate shared a 284-run partnership but in reply Somerset managed to accumulate more than 400. On the final afternoon, Essex set an ambitious target of 319 and credit to the visitors for seeming intent on accepting the challenge. However, when the top four fell cheaply, the shutters came down and Abell and Gregory dug in for the draw.

There were neither winners nor losers at Old Trafford either. Batsmen were in charge, and no fewer than five reached three figures. Lancashire’s current ‘keeper Dane Vilas top-scored with 134 but Hampshire opener Joe Weatherley showed admirable patience to survive the whole of day four to attain his maiden hundred.

Both Warwickshire and Kent each achieved their fifth victories of the season in Division Two. Ian Bell’s run of form was halted but his ex-England colleague Jonathan Trott racked up more than 200 in the leaders’ visit to Durham. Jeetan Patel’s nine wickets and Tim Ambrose’s ten catches did the rest. Meanwhile at Canterbury Kent flattened Middlesex by 342 runs. Grant Stewart’s 6-22 helped bowl out Malan’s men for 56 first time out, with Eskinazi the only one reaching double figures. Batting at ten, Stewart proceeded to crash a 74-ball century before Middlesex struggled again. When Tim Murtagh top-scores you know you have big problems!

Leicestershire advanced to third, defeating Derbyshire with thanks to Mohammad Abbas’ decisive 6-54, and Northamptonshire leapt from the bottom by putting Glamorgan to the sword. The Welsh, despite the best efforts of Usman Khawaja, are having a nightmare summer so far, so must hope Colin Ingram can resurrect some pride in the T20 Blast which starts next week. If not, 2018 will be a long, agonising road.   

Team of the Week: 

Nash (Not), Libby (Not), Clarke (Wor), Trott (War), Bopara (Ess), Ten Doeschate (Ess), Ambrose (War +), Patel (War), Podmore (Ken), Stewart (Ken), Mohammad Abbas (Lei)

Moeen Ali steers Worcestershire into Royal London Semis

The Royal London Cup knockout qualification places went all the way to the wire this week and there were mixed fortunes for the so-called white-ball specialists.

In the North division, holders Nottinghamshire needed to beat Derbyshire in the ‘A52 derby’ at Trent Bridge to progress and they did so courtesy of a dreadful batting performance by the visitors. The Derby skipper Billy Godleman had amassed more than five hundred runs during the tournament but he could add only four more as Jake Ball (4-29) and spinner Matthew Carter (3-19) helped bowl them out for a paltry 110. With run rates coming into the equation, Riki Wessels clumped four sixes in one Qadri over and the rout was completed inside twelve overs. The aggressive chase was successful, too, in that Notts did finish second to secure a home play-off tie. It didn't matter that Alex Hales could muster only 38 runs from three innings.

Yorkshire also progress thanks to victories over Roses rivals Lancashire and Northamptonshire. Adam Lyth struck a second century in a week and, while Kohler-Cadmore and Pujara suffered rare failures, England limited-overs international David Willey stepped up to the plate with a rumbustious 131 and, across his two games, seven wickets. However, it was Jonny Tattersall’s maiden 50 which saw them sneak home on the final day.

Warwickshire beat Durham by five wickets in a match featuring no fewer than four centurions. Richardson and Smith reached three figures for Durham but their visitors, needing 300 to win, duly made them thanks to vintage batting from former international partners Jonathan Trott (100) and Iain Bell (143 not out). In the concluding day-nighter at Edgbaston, the final place was decided by a straight shootout between Warwickshire and Worcestershire. The winner would top the group and get a bye into the semi-finals while the loser would depart the competition. After a duck in the preceding game, Moeen Ali rediscovered his form at the right time, especially given Joe Clarke’s first-ball dismissal and Callum Ferguson bowled by Stone for seven. Ali followed his admirable 3-40 with an excellent 114, including five sixes. Supported by Ben Cox (80), he put Worcester into a winning position. However, a flurry of wickets left them on 288-9, with plenty of overs but still five runs short. Fortunately Ed Barnard was at the crease and able to hit the winning boundary.

In the South, Hampshire went into the final fixture already assured of progressing but it was all very tight behind them. Surrey beat Middlesex in the all-London tie but, two days earlier, had suffered a second massacre in the tournament when Kent demolished them at Beckenham by 220 runs. Heino Kuhn struck 117, then Darren Stevens’ 6-25 meant there was no way back. Glamorgan managed a consolation victory over Sussex at Cardiff, with captain Colin Ingram’s runs the only bright light in a woeful campaign.

Paul Stirling’s third cup century lifted Middlesex spirits against Gloucestershire, whose Royal London Cup hopes were ruined by three ‘no-results’. On the final evening, Somerset went after Hampshire’s formidable score of 356-9 knowing that it would be in vain should Essex beat Kent at Chelmsford. Oh, for another Kuhn century and Stevens five-for. Instead it was David Lawrence – not known for his white ball batting – and Ravi Bopara who made hundreds, while Jamie Porter’s return netted 4-37. Therefore, by the time Craig Overton sneaked a winning boundary from the very last ball, after Peter Trego’s 100 had done the hard work, Somerset knew they had narrowly missed out. It hadn’t been a great day for England’s new hero of sorts, Dom Bess, whose three overs went for 34. However, Hampshire’s more illustrious last-minute signing, Dale Steyn, got clouted for eighty. At least he wasn’t injured again.

So next week’s ‘quarter-finals’ will see Notts hosting Kent and Yorkshire making the trip to Essex, with Worcestershire and Hampshire awaiting the winners the following weekend. I wouldn’t mind betting Notts will be in another final but I can’t predict their opponents.

Team of the Week:

Moeen Ali (Wor), Kuhn (Ken), Godleman (Der), Trott (War), Willey (Yor), Foakes (Sur +), Richardson (Dur), Stevens (Ken), Carter (Not), Crane (Ham), Ball (Not)

Wagner Runs Rings Around Notts

Week 2 of the domestic season brought decent weather. Instead it was batting dominance which produced just two results out of six. Runs flowed particularly freely at the top of the order.

In Division One, Stuart Robson broke a Middlesex record with his match aggregate of 337 runs. However, Jonathan Trott’s unbeaten 219 and a fine all-round performance by the redoubtable Keith Barker were instrumental in negating Robson’s total. Warwickshire ‘keeper Tim Ambrose will also remember the game, not for catches or runs, but for his maiden first-class wicket as the game petered out into a draw.

There were big scores in Yorkshire’s first Championship fixture of the season, too. In the first innings, no fewer than three players reached three figures. Adam Lyth made 111, then Jonny Bairstow struck a brilliant 246 and even Liam Plunkett weighed in with a rapid-fire 126. Ryan Sidebottom’s victims included his thousandth in senior cricket! Hampshire were not to be out-done, though. In reply, James Vince and Sean Ervine also hit hundreds and a draw was inevitable. Hants came out worst, however, as yet another fast bowler was afflicted by injury. Fidel Edwards contrived to break an ankle in a mid-match warm-up, unfortunate in the extreme.

Last week’s winners Nottinghamshire came a cropper against newly-promoted Lancashire. While Anderson and Broad were unusually on opposite sides of a first-class game, it was New Zealander Neil Wagner who stole the headlines. He claimed an eye-catchingly symmetrical 11-111, and the Notts batting fell apart.

In Division Two, Leicestershire enjoyed a rare victory on their first appearance in 2016 destroying Glamorgan at Cardiff. Wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien top-scored with 93 and claimed 8 catches, New recruit Paul Horton opened with two half-centuries and Clint McKay contributed eight wickets, leaving Robert Croft aghast.

Nevertheless Essex head the table despite failing to beat Sussex at Hove. Alastair Cook compiled a patient second innings century but I can’t help think he should have been a bit bolder as his team failed to attack a reachable target of 329 on the final day. Veteran all-rounder Graham Napier was in fine form, but the home side’s opener aggregated 211 runs in the match..

It was even more of a batting paradise at Bristol where only 22 wickets fell. Even Gloucestershire’s nightwatchman Liam Norwell scored 102, mostly in the company of Chris Dent. However, Derbyshire’s Wayne Madsen and Chesney Hughes helped themselves to more than 400 runs between them.

Let’s hope for more even contests between bat and ball next week when County Championship highlights include Leicestershire challenging Kent, now lacking their retired hero Robert Key, Durham hosting Middlesex and Yorkshire visiting Warwickshire.

Team of the Week:
S.Robson (Mid), Nash (Sus), Hughes (Der), Trott (War), Bairstow (Yor), Ervine (Ham), N O’Brien (Lei +), Napier (Ess), Plunkett (Yor), McKay (Lei), Wagner (Lan)

Yorkshire and Worcestershire sitting pretty

As the Championship takes a mid-season break in favour of the one-day stuff, the storms abated and hot sun shone across most of Britain, even here in Cardiff. All bar one of the week's fixtures took place at the much-loved cricketing outposts, taking their bows in the spotlight. In Division One, Yorkshire enjoyed the annual trip to the seaside and regained the top spot thanks to an easy win against Middlesex at Scarborough. At first, Rogers, Gubbins and Morgan batted as if they'd brought spades instead of a willow but wicketkeeper John Simpson allowed his team-mates extra time on the North Bay Beach by top-scoring in both innings. Nevertheless, the home county dominated, with centuries from Adam Lyth and Andrew Gale, assisted by a stirring 7-47 from a creaking Ryan Sidebottom and a decisive 4-27 from Adil Rashid on the final afternoon.

At Horsham, it was a closer affair until Warwickshire collapsed to defeat against Sussex, denting their Championship credentials as a result. The visitors did at least welcome Jonathan Trott's first hundred in four-day cricket this summer, producing a typical hundred in the first innings. However, he succumbed like most of his colleagues in the second as Chris Jordan blew away the top order and James Tredwell despatched the tail with three in four balls.

Sussex's fears of swapping places with Worcestershire were eased, while the latter showed that they aren't mourning the loss of Saeed Ajmal's wickets for the rest of the season. They now stand 43 points clear in Division Two after overcoming Gloucestershire by eight wickets on the college ground of Cheltenham. Daryl Mitchell carried his bat for 167 while the opposition crumbled twice in two days. It would have been over even quicker had tailenders Craig Miles and Liam Norwell not broken Gloucester's tenth wicket record with 137 defiant runs. The answer to the question of who could replace Ajmal is....all of them! New signing Mitchell McClenaghan, Jack Shantry, Morris, Leach and Chowdry each helped themselves to a wicket or several. Saeed who?

Surrey remain second despite losing by 89 runs at Guildford. It was even-stevens for three days but then Darren Stevens claimed 5-68 as Kent to thwart Dilshan and the other chasers to win by 89. There were plenty of runs in total but no centurions, while Stevens and Surrey's Stuart Meaker grabbed twenty wickets between them. Non-playing Hampshire, in third place, will be more pleased than most by this result.

Bowlers were on top in Derby where the home side defeated Glamorgan by six wickets. Derbyshire's victory lifted them above the Welsh opposition and Gloucestershire in the bottom half of Division Two. Wes Durston's 50 was the top score in the whole match and Mark Footitt's 6-48 the pick of the bowling performances. Only Saeed Ajmal has taken more Championship wickets so far in 2014 than the Derby seamer's 52.

This weekend the Twenty20 quarter-final line-up should be settled. Somerset look likely to miss out for the first time in living memory (OK, so I exaggerate, but it seems like forever) so my interest in the competition is waning fast - unless we defeat Middlesex tomorrow and the Glammies lose to Gloucester, in which case I might just start dreaming of that traditional Finals Day disappointment yet again...

Trott's absence leaves a gaping hole

Was I alone in complete ignorance of Jonathan Trott's illness? It was certainly a shock to read that he had returned home following the Brisbane debacle, a game in which he had copped the worst of the sledging and indeed criticism by the more discerning journalists.

That the news of Trott's longstanding battle with his own demons as well as the world's best bowlers proved so surprising is a credit to the ECB and the player's friends, family and team-mates. In some ways it's a shame that such an illness has to be kept secret. Should depression really be treated as a 'weakness', there to be exploited by the opposition, bloggers and tabloid 'papers? If it had been, say, diabetes or cancer, I'm willing to bet he would have been lauded to the skies, labelled a hero and a symbol of sporting courage above any sessions facing 90mph bouncers from Mitchell Johnson.

An illness is an illness. Mike Yardy and Marcus Trescothick have suffered similar meltdowns in recent years, although everyone is different, affected in a variety of ways. Should anyone be in any doubt that 'stress-related illness' is an affliction of the weak-willed, a sign of losing your bottle, all in the mind, just read Trescothick's excellent autobiography Coming Back to Me. The Somerset and former England opener fought and fought against it and ended up in pieces and floods of tears. Had the likes of Hussain, Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher not fallen into the trap of believing depression to run counter to the masculine world of professional cricket, maybe Tres's international career may have been extended.

Fortunately, he could continue to develop his legendary status at Somerset without the need to take his kit bag to an airport and board a plane. The current England administration seems more enlightened and have allowed Trott to have the recuperation his illness requires. Possibly the epitome of calmness, even temperament at the crease, Jonathan Trott has never been my favourite player. However, in the four years since he made his late debut for his adopted country he has taken the rankings by storm and made the number three position his own in Tests and ODIs. In the latter his average is more than 50, a rarity even in these days of batting-friendly rules and conditions.

So what can England do in his absence for the rest of this tour? If KP refuses to step up and Alastair Cook can't vacate his opener spot, then the number three position surely rests with Ian Bell, Joe Root or even Gary Ballance. Bell is England's best batsman, a more assured performer after last summer's successes. However, does that mean he should expose himself earlier to a swinging, bouncing new ball and deprive the side of his skill and strokeplay further down the order?

Root was drafted into the Test XI on the basis of his runs as a county opener, as was Michael Carberry. For the sake of balance I'd prefer to see Carberry complementing Cook at the top, with Root returning to three. There's no Nick Compton, James Taylor or Moeen Ali in the current squad so I reckon there could be a place for Ben Stokes to come into the reckoning at number six as all-rounder. If Matt Prior fails again, then Jonny Bairstow would have the opportunity to don the gloves and add strength to the middle order. Why not? If players are picked for the tour they ought to be good enough for Test cricket.

Yes, it would be better to experiment when one up in the series instead of trailing but Jonathan Trott's absence leaves the selectors with no choice. After all the speculation about Cook's poor form, Carberry's suitability, KP's injury, Bell's technique and Prior's form, it's ironic that it's Trott who is out of the side. Whatever happens in the Ashes, I hope he is allowed time to relax and not think too much about his cricket. Warwickshire would be delighted to see him back at Edgbaston next summer but I'm not sure if the man himself would see himself back in regular county cricket so soon. I reckon he'll be back at some point but not until after a well-deserved winter break.

England's South African XI

This week, Jonathan Trott celebrated his Englishness to emphasise no mixed feelings as he prepared to face the team representing the nation of his birth. I wouldn't doubt his devotion to the cause for one moment, nor that of any of the other South African-born cricketers about to line up for England in the forthcoming Test series.

Many people, including myself, have often written about England's reliance on players who have left South Africa for various reasons to qualify for the team. Some migrated as children, others for the explicit opportunity to further their careers which had apparently stalled in the southern hemisphere. The current batch are by no means unique, and I reckon they and their predecessors would make quite a useful one-day - but maybe not a Test - fantasy team. See what you think...

To open, Andrew Strauss (home town: Jo'burg) is an automatic choice. Solid Test opener and, whilst no longer selected for ODIs, he has a reasonable record in the shorter format. That World Cup 158 against India will live long in the memory. A few years ago, Craig Kieswetter was catapulted into the England team after impressing as a teenage 'keeper-batsman for Somerset. His star may have waned since then but the 2010 vintage Craig should join his fellow Transvaal-er at the top of the order.

Next comes Jonathan Trott, from Cape Town. It seems strange to think he's only been an England international for three years yet according to the ICC and his statistics, Trott is one of the finest one-day batsmen in the world. Often derided for his slow scoring, he at least gets runs on a consistent basis, at an average close to 50! Pietermaritzburger Kevin Pietersen is more of a cricketing mercenary but he served his apprenticeship in the county game before exploding onto the Test scene in the 2005 Ashes series. He's been pretty hot in ODIs and T20, too, and is an obvious choice for my team.

The Eleven is a bit batsman-heavy but at least they will frustrate bowlers all the way down the order. Twenty-odd years ago, Robin Smith was ranked two in the world. He and brother Chris fro Durban scored plenty of runs for Hampshire before qualifying for England. Robin proved the more successful, playing 62 Tests and 71 ODIs. A pugnacious cutter of the ball, he passed 50 on 19 ODI occasions, including four centuries,led by a memorable 167 not out against the Aussies at Edgbaston in 1993. Another squat moustachioed Saffer, Allan Lamb, was a middle-order mainstay of England in the 1980s. Brought from Western Province by Northants at the height of the apartheid-fuelled boycott, he played for his adopted country by dint of his English parents. Lamby often shone in a mediocre team up against first the awesome West Indians and then the emerging Aussie greats, even if he wasn't quite as good as he liked to think!

I'm going back to the 1960s/ early '70s for my first all-rounder: the late Basil D'Oliveira. Leaving his homeland because the racist regime denied him the chance to pursue his profession, he later famously became the unwitting catalyst for the global boycott of South African sport. While 'Dolly' came too soon for a proper one-day international career, he did play in the first ever ODI in January 1971 at the age of 39. Primarily a batsman, his medium-pacers also claimed more than 550 first-class and almost 200 List A wickets.

Tony Greig has always enjoyed a spot of controversy, be it his infamous 'grovel' speech to wind up the 1976 West Indian tourists, his recruitment role for WSC a few years later whilst England captain, or excitable commentaries after retirement. As player, he was a very fine all-rounder who could bowl medium-pace seamers and spin. Just as well, because I can't find any Saffer-born pure spinners in my team!

It's back to the present day for the final three. Despite the presence of Kieswetter, I'll pick Matt Prior for wicketkeeper. He represented England at all junior and senior levels, played for Sussex and eventually established himself as first-choice man behind the stumps and sledger-in-chief. He contributes useful quick runs and in T20 there are few players with a superior strike rate of 146. I'm really struggling for qualifying bowlers but the current Surrey duo of Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker could provide some incisive pace. Their lack of batting skill is more than compensated by their ability with the ball and their fantasy team-mates' batting depth.

I may well have missed out somebody but I reckon this eleven each plucked from their international heydays could be more than a match for any ODI team England have fielded in the past thirty-odd years, born and bred at the other end of the globe!
Strauss (*), Kieswetter, Trott, Pietersen, R Smith, Lamb, D'Oliveira, Greig, Prior (+), Dernbach, Meaker. Give us a few more years and I could probably do the same with the Irish!

England spun out again

Yesterday I looked back at the previous England tour of Sri Lanka, which began with a Sri Lankan victory by 88 runs having set the visitors 350 to win. That is eerily similar to what happened this week in Galle, where the target was an almost-as-unlikely 340. In December 2007, it was Ian Bell and Matt Prior who had given Vaughan's side hope but there was no Jonathan Trott in those days.

Now he is becoming indispensible to England and while he was at the crease, the tide seemed to be turning slowly but surely their way. As I sneaked glimpses of the score at work, I witnessed the total edging towards then past 200, reducing the target to below 100, and still with six wickets remaining. However, Jayawardene is no fool, and he kept faith with the spinners Herath and Randiv, well aware of England's struggles against the turning ball not only against Pakistan but also in the first innings, where the former took 6-74, including four LBWs. That screams technical flaws, either missing the sweep or playing back to full length deliveries. I know it's easy to write and not so difficult when you're out in the middle. You have to focus like hell in the heat, batting to avoid defeat yet also to give your country a chance of a record-breaking fourth innings victory.

Strauss, Cook, Pietersen and Bell had each reached double figures before coming a cropper but Trott did what he does best: lay down the anchor, watch the ball and defend the good ones and punish the loose. While the other batsmen often fell to a mix of ugly shots and brilliant fielding, he progressed to his seventh century in 27 Tests. His 81-run partnership with Matt Prior must have jangled the nerves of the Sri Lankan side and fans, but when the 'keeper was caught at short leg on 41, there were still more than 100 runs required.

Debutant Samit Patel is no mug with the bat but he was caught at the second attempt by Dilshan after a bit of a one-day lofted cover drive, and the confidence seemed to drain from the England side. Dilshan took another excellent catch to dismiss Trott and then the tail not only failed to wag but drooped miserably in the Galle sunshine. The final three wickets tumbled in eight balls and that was that.

Four successive Test defeats for England and the first on home soil for Sri Lanka since Murali retired may signal a slight change in the world order, or it just reinforces the fact that England are useless against spin on Asian and Middle Eastern wickets and supreme everywhere else. South Africa will be a real Test later in the summer but first there is a second Test in Colombo to face. If it is exciting as this one, who can complain? OK, runs were hard to come by, unless your name is Jayawardene or Trott (!) but it wasn't a total spinfest, not in the first few days anyway. Rangana Herath achieved a double 'six-for', and Graeme Swann also rediscovered that flight and turn second time around. James Anderson was the pick of England's attack in the first innings.

In the end, I think the difference between the two sides was not Monty's dropped catches (although they didn't help!) but England batsmen's inability to read spin delivered with control and guile. This is a new golden era for slow bowling and batsmen simply have to learn how to play it in the five- (or four-) day format. We have excellent players who play with a degree of patience and concentration. Now they have to perform together next week to avoid the humiliation of a fifth straight defeat.

England Players On Top of the World

Buoyed by the team's success in the 2000th Test against India, England can be proud that in the latest individual ICC Test cricket rankings, both Jonathan Trott and James Anderson have advanced to second in the world with their best points totals to date. With Graeme Swann top of the ODI Bowling tree and no.3 for Tests, can England ever have looked so strong?

In terms of official Test rankings, probably not, but England have had such high spots before. Indeed, twenty years ago this week, Graham Gooch was statistically the best Test batsman in the world and a few weeks later, Robin Smith was second. In fact, the opener and former skipper was still number one in July 1992 and 1993, even though Australia and the West Indies were top dogs at the time.

IN July 1994, Sachin Tendulkar had supplanted Azharuddin as India's highest ranked batsman but England boasted three in the top ten, Atherton and Stewart joining Gooch. Late in the 1990s, looking at July, Nasser Hussain and Graham Thorpe also enjoyed spells amongst the elite then eight years ago, Michael Vaughan was at number three behind Lara and Tendulkar, A year later, there were no English players higher than eighteen! However, fortunes can change quickly, and Marcus Trescothick was soon to peak at six and Kevin Pietersen at three (in July 2007). It is not impossible to see Trott and Cook heading the rankings by the end of the year, providing rivals Jacques Kallis, Kumar Sangakkara and the evergreen Tendulkar lose form!

Our bowlers have also had their spells in the ICC ranking limelight, but only Steve Harmison became a Test World number one, achieving that accolade in August 2004. However, back in the 1990s, England had few top-tenners in mid-summer, with Phil de Freitas and Angus Fraser squeaking into the elite, but then India didn't either, dependent on Kapil Dev, Kumble and Srinath in that decade. Indeed, only Kumble and Harbajhan Singh flew the Indian flag in the past ten years, too, but the rankings can be capricious. In recent Julys, Matthew Hoggard, Andrew Flintoff, even Monty Panesar and Ryan Sidebottom in the top ten.

However, I don't recall five England bowlers commanding places in the top 20 in the past twenty years, as is the case right now. It is a symbol of the side's strength that one of those five, Steve Finn, can't even get in the Test side! Allan Donald reckons we have the best attack in the world right now, and he should know. South Africans Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis still keep Anderson and Trott from reaching the no.1 spot but with England in the ascendancy, the points are there to be accumulated and global supremacy for team and individuals is within their grasp.

Player of the Week: Murray Goodwin and Jonathan Trott

Four individual performances caught my eye last week - and all from players born in Southern Africa. Somerset compiled one of the highest scores in county Twenty20 history against Middlesex, thanks to thunderous half-centuries by Craig Kieswetter and Roelof van der Merwe. The former has missed a number of matches for Somerset and England Lions through injury but in his first day back he belted 59 from 22 balls. Imagine what he might achieve when he gets his eye in! Van der Merwe's 51 came from only 21 deliveries, including five sixes. This was no lucky break, either, because two days earlier, he took 89 off 51 balls against Kent, making even Marcus Trescothick look pedestrian.

Last week, Jonathan Trott hit another double-century for England, yet got slagged off for being slow. I'm no fan of the policy of selecting South Africans for England but if they're good enough and qualified, then I can't really argue, and the Warwickshire batsman is clearly good enough. In fewer than two years as an England international, he has played 19 Tests and 25 ODIs, averaging a magnificent 67 and 56, respectively. Not even Tendulkar can match that. He's currently equal third in the ICC World rankings for Tests and seventh for ODIs, not bad for a player castigated for being slow. The thing is, he isn't particularly slow at all, just gives the impression of obduracy when in fact he is keeping the scoreboard ticking along without the need to slog boundaries. In short, the ideal Test batsman to have around as foil for more flamboyant strokeplayers like Pietersen. I'd rather have someone who can score 50 in 60 balls than 20 in 10, unless match circumstances dictate otherwise. Indeed, in his last five games at the World Cup, his lowest score was 47. ANyway, the 203 he made at Cardiff makes him one of my Players of the Week.

The other is 38 years old, an age when retirement must weigh heavy on the mind. No, I'm not talking about Sachin Tenduulkar. After all, the Little Master didn't score an unbeaten 274 last week; Murray Goodwin did. Goodwin has been a consistent runmaker for Sussex throughout the past decade, with more hefty aggregates at Western Australia. Born in what is now Zimbabwe, he learnt his craft in Oz but got his international chance in the land of his birth. His Test debut came in a heavy defeat to Muralitharan/Sri Lanka and his 19th and last at Trent Bridge two years later, in which he struck 148 not out in a game England could have lost but for the weather. He played more than 70 ODIs but with less success, but he was a gifted back-foot player and nimble fielder in a side which also boasted Andy Flower, the nation's best ever batsman.

Because his family failed to settle in Africa, he retired from internationals in favour of county and state cricket, and has been a great servant to the game since then. He is no stranger to massive scores, with triples to his name as well as this week's 274. His 20,000 first-class runs feature 65 centuries, and add to the total another 12,000 one-day and T20 runs. OK, so his first ever T20 innings lasted only one ball, courtesy of a Wasim Akram LBW, but he remains an effervescent evergreen on the South Coast and deserves the joint Mikes Spin on Cricket accolade for the first week in June.