Warwickshire Edg It but 99 is the Magic Number

At last a few victories, although I’d give the batsmen another win on points over their adversaries, with the rain giving both a run for their money.

Warwickshire took a turn at the top of Division One, beating Nottinghamshire in a tight contest at Trent Bridge. However, at 17-4 on the first morning, that outcome looked impossible, only for Chris Woakes and Keith Barker to do their familiar rescue act. Each scored centuries in an eighth wicket stand of 167, and it was game on again. Notts led by just ten after the first innings, then Samit Patel and Luke Fletcher each claimed eight wickets to leave themselves just 227 to win with more than a day remaining. 21-3 overnight, things went from bad to worse. Recognising his rapidly declining support, Patel decided to try and steal the victory single-handed. Clubbing 12 fours and 8 sixes, he made a valiant effort before holing out to Hain 52 runs short.

As predicted, Durham did indeed get the better of Lancashire at the Riverside. Steve Borthwick starred with two hundreds, but it was the unfamiliar trio of Weighell, Carse and McCarthy who did the damage with the ball. Leaders Yorkshire had the weather to thank as they struggled to stave off an innings defeat in Somerset. James Hildreth struck a typically stylish 166, and both Trescothick and Trego fell in the nervous nineties en route to an impressive 566-7 declared. In reply, only Adam Lyth (106) passed 40, then it was batten down the hatches time until the weather finally closed in on Wednesday afternoon. Ah, we woz robbed!

The Oval was unusually wet for the London derby, which spluttered to a damp draw. Ollie Rayner’s 6-79 was the stand-out performance for Middlesex who did at least welcome back captain Adam Voges after his recent concussion.

Essex remain in pole promotion position after forcing Derbyshire to follow on at Chelmsford. They plundered more than 500 despite losing the Championship’s top scorer Tom Westley for a third-ball duck. Fortunately opener Nick Browne found his form in a big way, accumulating 255 and sharing a stand of 210 with 18 year-old Dan Lawrence, for whom I predict great things. Ravi Bopara also caught the eye with his 5-49.

Glamorgan remain bottom after suffering defeat at the hands of neighbours Gloucestershire. They did so despite enjoying a first innings lead, thanks largely to David Lloyd, agonisingly caught on 99. Second time out, needing 269 to win, it looked good for the visitors on 81-0. However, Graeme van Buuren, ripped out the first three, Craig Miles the middle-order and Jack Taylor the tail, and that was that!

Brett D’Oliveira also joined the 99 club, robbing him of a third consecutive century for Worcestershire. He had sold support down the order as his side amassed a first innings 491. Sussex were forced to follow on but were harder to dislodge on day four, and consequently saved the match.

At Northampton, returning fallen hero Monty Panesar was given 59 overs in the match and managed four wickets. Nevertheless, Kent’s Joe Denly took charge with a first innings unbeaten 205, and Daniel Bell-Drummond also maintained his early-season form as the match was curtailed by the wet stuff.

Next week, after a first blast of T20 action, it’s top v bottom in Division Two, but the weather forecast isn’t great for Cardiff. Second-placed Kent travel to Derby while Leicestershire host Worcestershire. In the top tier, this week’s two victors meet at Edgbaston while Yorkshire sit it out. Lancashire could go top by beating Surrey but Notts are also lurking and take a trip south to face Hampshire.

Team of the Week:
Browne (Ess), D’Oliveira (Wor), Denly (Ken), Borthwick (Dur), Hildreth (Som), Patel (Not), Rossington (Nor +), Miles (Glo), Barker (War), McCarthy (Dur), Fletcher (Not)

Team of the Week: Hail, Herath and Monty the spin kings!

It was a really well-balanced week in terms of eye-catching performances. Big scores at the top, consistent runs in the middle-order, double-wicket hauls from experienced spinners and excellent all-rounders.

I don't normally do this but I have included three opening batsmen in my Team of the Week, although one is there as an all-rounder who just happens to be a captain and new-ball number one. England's under-19 team beat their South African counterparts 4-0 in one-dayers this week, and Will Rhodes and partner Haseeb Hameed were central to each victory. The former plays for Yorkshire 2nds, the latter for Lancashire 2nds but the Roses differences were put aside for the internationals. Captain Rhodes weighed in with 168 runs and 11 wickets while Bolton-born 17 year-old Hameed delivered a sequence which reads: 97, 97, 125, 32. Maybe in five years' time, he'll be gunning for the Bell, Bopara or Root slot in the senior team.

Before heading for The Oval, I'll divert to the southern hemisphere and select Phil Hughes. The second unofficial 'A' Test at Townsville was ruined by rain, but the maddeningly inconsistent Aussie struck a superb unbeaten 243, to go with another double in one of the earlier one-day fixtures.

The aforementioned Joe Root also makes my team for the latest of his big scores for England. 149 not out was the simple statistic but it seems that once he is set, nobody can get him out, especially an Indian attack seemingly desperate to go home or play the limited over format. Few players average more than 100 in a five-Test series but the young Yorkshireman managed that landmark. Another handy biff-bash merchant, Luke Wright enjoyed a good week personally, if not for his Sussex side. His 113 and 52 in the Championship defeat to Yorkshire were followed by 127 in 115 balls against Glamorgan, also in a losing cause. If Jacques Rudolph had produced runs in the four-day match, his county record-breaking 169 not out in that game would have given me even more of a selection headache, and Kane Williamson (189 for Yorkshire) also just misses out.

My final specialist batsman is Steven Davies. No longer keeping wicket for Surrey, he plundered 174 and 38 against Leicestershire in the Championship and a run-a-ball 50 in the Royal London Cup win against Somerset. With the gloves, Northants' Adam Rossington is narrowly nudged aside by Pakistan's Sarfraz Ahmed. He made his fourth successive Test 50, including 103 in the latest loss to Sri Lanka.

David Willey, Jim Allenby and Adil Rashid all caught the eye as all-rounders but one of the season's stars, Tom Smith, forces his way into my squad this week. His wicket-taking consistency was maintained in both first-class and List A contests, alongside a 47-ball 54 in the Cup plus 44 and a match-winning 35 not out in the nerve-shredding climax versus Durham.

For once, Anderson and Broad let the supporting cast take the spotlight at The Oval, and Chris Jordan lapped it up with 3-32 and 4-18 as India's batsmen capitulated miserably.

Finally to those slow bowlers. Monty Panesar has produced the goods for England before now but in a rare outing for Essex in these days of misbehaviour the former beard that's feared claimed eleven wickets in the Championship triumph over Glamorgan. Rangana Herath is vying with Saeed Ajmal for player of the summer, and he added another fourteen to his Test career tally in the second win against Pakistan. The retiring Mahela Jayawardene may have been given the greater ovation but the spinner, just one year younger than his outgoing colleague, took his wicket tally in the last three five-dayers to a Murali-like 32, and 23 in the two-match series. More records abound!

In conclusion: Rhodes (Eng u-19, *), Hameed (Eng U-19), Hughes (Aus A), Wright (Sus), Root (Eng), Davies (Sur), Sarfraz Ahmed (Pak +), Smith (Lan), Jordan (Eng), Herath (SL), Panesar (Ess).

Yorkshire and Lancashire record vital wins

After the mid-season hiatus, the counties were back in four-day action. Plenty of points were scored as seven out of the eight games produced a proper result.

In Division One, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire opened up a clear lead over the chasing pack. The White Roses picked up maximum points by beating Sussex at Scarborough. Who needs Root and Ballance when Kane Williamson can contribute 204 runs? Surprisingly the first innings 189 was his first century for Yorkshire and it nearly didn't happen. Early on, James Tredwell claimed a slip catch and the NZ man accepted his word only for the umpires to recall him as they were uncertain whether the ball carried. All the bowlers played their part, so that the hundreds from Ed Joyce and Luke Wright were in vain.

Notts overcame Northants despite losing early wickets in both innings and the bottom side's stand-in wicket-keeper Adam Rossington striking 103 and 80. However, Alex Hales' unbeaten 102 saw his side home by five wickets. They now stand just six behind the Championship front-runners and fifteen ahead of Warwickshire who enjoyed a straightforward win against close rivals Somerset at Taunton. Former captain Jim Troughton finally announced his retirement today but it was centuries from his successor Virun Chopra and Ian Westwood, plus eight wickets from Jeetan Patel, which did for the home county, for whom Lewis Gregory starred once again.

Lancashire leapfrogged relegation rivals Durham after a very tense climax at Old Trafford. Paul Horton and Ashwell Prince scored centuries to establish a first innings lead then, after Simon Kerrigan had helped restrict Durham's second effort to 187, Rushworth, Hastings and Stokes almost brought off an unlikely victory. Fortunately for the home team, all-rounder Tom Smith rescued the Red Roses and won the game by one wicket!

IN the second flight, Hampshire stole a march on Surrey by beating Kent while Surrey failed to get the better of lowly Leicestershire. Grace Road witnessed a 174 from Steven Davies but when it mattered Stuart Meaker was plastered all over the place and Leicester held on for a draw. Hampshire's runs were dispersed down the order but Chris Woods' 5-39 in the first innings was the stand-out bowling performance.

Runaway leaders Worcestershire suffered their first setback of 2014 at New Road, going down to Gloucestershire by seven wickets. Talismanic opener Daryl Mitchell managed only four runs and, although Richard Oliver delivered a 174 in only his fourth first-class fixture, Alex Gidman's batting for the visitors, plus the medium pace of Liam Norwell, gave the visitors a welcome boost and a rise of two places in the table.

Essex are not out of the promotion race after beating Glamorgan in a low-scoring contest at Swansea. Jim Allenby did his best with bat and ball but Monty Panesar (remember him?!) took 5-50 and 6-118 to snuff out the Welsh threat.

There now follows a week's break before the Championship heads for an exciting climax in September.

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.

Monty at the Crossroads, Matt and Michael in the fast lane

So Sussex have released Monty Panesar, still considered by England as one of the two top left-arm spinners in the country. This would be considered a ludicrous decision in cricketing terms, even though Monty is having one of his bad runs. However, getting pissed and urinating on bouncers at a club is not the behaviour of a cricketing role model and he deserves punishment. Being allowed to leave for second division county smacks not of punishment but exasperation. I suspect the well-publicised boozing incident cannot be not an isolated incident, in which case popular Panesar has only himself to blame. Surely what should concern Sussex more is the curse of Hamilton-Brown. Where he hoes boozing, trouble seems to follow. At least Panesar lives on to play another match. Hopefully the new surroundings of Essex prove conducive to his rehabilitation.

Elsewhere, the start of Premier League football has brought Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker to the fore once more. No mean cricketer himself, the legend of Leicester (not to mention Everton, Spurs and Barcelona) must cede number one Lineker cricketing status to 28 year-old Matt (no relation). He made a duck on his first-class debut for Derbyshire two years ago this week and played his last exactly one year ago this week. Losing his contract took Lineker to Lincolnshire and made him available for the Unicorns in this summer's YB40 competition. Suddenly he has struck form. Last week, his run-a-ball 107 took the fight to Yorkshire and this weekend he flayed the Leicestershire attack for 132, two centuries in only six List A matches. Sadly he can't complete a 'hat-trick' as that was the Unicorns' last fixture in top-class domestic cricket. maybe a county contract will come his way for 2014. Perhaps he should take up left-arm spin.....

England's T20 squad for the Australia game has been announced and no surprise to see Michael Carberry's name on the list. His performances for Hampshire in the summer's Friends Life tournament made him a shoo-in for the side, but if picked for the first XI, who should he replace? I'd have picked the other in-form opener, Craig Kieswetter, drop Jos Buttler (so he can play for Somerset!) and drop both Lumb and Hales. Having seen David Willey's all-round talent on show on Finals Day, why couldn't the Northants man be given an opportunity to prove himself at this level? The rest of the side hardly looks a scary proposition!

England v New Zealand - the story so far

In the forty-odd years I've been following cricket, England have played only 29 Tests at home to New Zealand and sadly 2013 will add only two more to the total. In this period, the visitors have managed a mere four victories yet they was sufficient to win two out of the nine series contested since the start of 1973.

In that year, a Geoff Boycott century and eight wickets from Geoff Arnold clinched the three-Test rubber with an innings triumph at Headingley while five years later England enjoyed a 3-0 whitewash. The First Test contained some very slow scoring, typified by NZ's second innings in which spin duo Geoff Miller and Phil Edmonds wheeled away for 68 overs, conceding just 55 runs! 21 year-old David Gower struck the game's only hundred en route to a 7-wicket success, then Boycott's batting and Ian Botham's bowling wrapped up an innings defeat. Botham (again) and Willis flattened Mark Burgess's side for 67 in the Lord's finale to complete the summer rout.

In the 1980s, New Zealand were a very different proposition, featuring the likes of Richard Hadlee, Martin Crowe, John Wright, Lance Cairns and Doug Bracewell's uncle John. Thirty years ago, England won three out of four, but in Leeds, ten wickets for Cairns and solid first innings batting from Wright, Edgar and Hadlee out-performed another Gower century to run up a five-wicket consolation prize. Three years later, England failed to win any of the three Tests played. Mike Gatting's side managed two draws but lost the series at Trent Bridge where it was Hadlee's turn to claim a ten-for, alongside a fine 68.

The 1990 series spanned the announcement of Richard Hadlee's knighthood and I recall seeing the newly-named Sir Richard amble onto the pitch at Chelmsford in the Essex tour match. Surely never has a twelfth man being cheered so heartily by an opposing crowd! In the Tests, things didn't go his way although in the Edgbaston decider, his 5-53 set up the chance of a 345-run chase to take the series 1-0. However, Devon Malcolm took 5-46 and victory went instead to Graham Gooch's team.

Gooch may have been in his 40s by 1994 and the captaincy had transferred to Mike Atherton, but the Essex man's 210 was the decisive factor in an innings victory at Trent Bridge, which proved to be the only decisive result of that three-match series. However, in 1999 New Zealand achieved the rare feat of beating England not once but twice in an away rubber. England edged the First Test thanks to that memorable 99 not out by nightwatchman Alex Tudor. However, a new Cairns, Chris having replaced dad Lance in the side, turned the series on its head. In the second game, he claimed eight wickets en route to a nine-wicket win then in the fourth his 5-31 and rapid-fire 80 laid the foundation for a decisive 83-run victory, and embarrasmment for Nasser Hussain and co. Five years on, and Fleming was still captain and in top form with the bat. Nevertheless that wasn't enough to prevent a rapidly-improving England dominating the series 3-0. Trescothick, Strauss and Harmison shone for the home side that year.

The last time New Zealand came to these shores was in 2008, by which time Daniel Vettori and Michael Vaughan were the opposing leaders. The opener was a weather-affected draw, remembered best for some typically rumbustuous striking by Brendan McCullum and Jacob Oram. Ross Taylor thumped a magnificent 154 at Old Trafford and Vettori's 5-66 put his side in a great position after day two. However, Monty Panesar delivered a devastating 6-37 to reverse fortunes and 106 from Andrew Strauss helped finish things off with a day to spare. England had really hit their stride by Trent Bridge, where the series finale was hopelessly one-sided. Jimmy Anderson (7-43) in the first innings and Ryan Sidebottom (6-67) in the second gave the big-hitters no opportunity to show their talents and the winning margin was an innings and nine runs.

What about the forthcoming contests? Well, I simply can't see New Zealand troubling England, especially with Tim Southee struggling with injury. Vettori, of course, remains out of the picture, too, so the home team ought to win comfortably. I'll focus on some of the best individual players to have participated in England-NZ Test matches in the next blog.

Prior's Presence saves England's blushes

The celebrations amongst England players and fans alike after securing a draw in Auckland were wonderful to behold. Heaven knows how they would have celebrated a 3-0 whitewash. Actually I suspect it would have been a more muted affair with lots of comments like "New Zealand put up a brave fight" and "We just had a little more quality". As things turned out, despite the chasm in quality on paper, it was a reassuringly tight series.

If anything, the home side may have edged it overall. They shocked England right at the beginning in Dunedin, but were decidedly second best at Wellington where they were forced to follow on and rely on rain to save their bacon. The combination of Peter Fulton's runs and Trent Boult's wickets meant that England suffered a 239-run first innings deficit this week but Brendon McCullum decided to make England bat for their lives on the final day. And they only went and flaming did it!

I feel sorry for Peter Fulton. Thrust into the limelight and scoring twin centuries, his achievement will be forgotten. This will be known as Matt Prior's match. He top-scored with 73 in the first innings and then combined bloody-minded determination with some great strokeplay to strike a seventh Test hundred and steer England to an extremely unlikely draw. He doesn't boast a 45-plus average for nothing, and he has the knack of getting the best out of tailenders to either save or win Test contests that would otherwise have led to red faces. This 110 not out was one of his most heroic performances. His 97 Test innings include 17 not-outs and 26 50s in addition to those seven centuries, which is remarkably consistent for a number seven.

Let's not forget the contributions of Ian Bell and Stuart Broad. Bell has often blossomed in partnership with a Trott or Pietersen but this time he got his head down and patiently occupied the crease for six hours or so. That was more important than the 75 runs he scored. Same went for Broad. Six runs from 77 balls must have frustrated the NZ attack no end and when his departure heralded the arrival of Monty Panesar, Southee and co must have thought luck may return to their favour. It didn't happen, and a Prior defensive stroke was to earn one of the biggest cheers of 2013 cricket! Panesar has been part of last-wicket match-saving before, of course. Remember Cardiff 2009 against Australia?

However, the match belonged to Prior. His runs, keeping and general chirpy demeanour came together in one glorious five-day grouping. England may have missed KP and Swann, and no doubt the Black Caps will find the England tour considerably more difficult, but all bar the under-cooked Jonny Bairstow had something to offer in the past month or so. Maybe NZ have uncovered new stars in Williamson, Boult and Rutherford, but they will surely be overpowered this summer. While the shocking assault on Jesse Ryder today also puts cricket into perspective, it is heartening to see a low-ranking side give the big boys a real run for their money. Meanwhile, Prior will continue to keep English spirits high - along with his amazing Test batting average.

First Class Cricketers of 2012

Kevin Pietersen made a lot of headlines in 2012, not always for the right reasons. It surprised me to see that he ended the year having scored more first-class runs than anyone else in the world! The tally of 1,932 probably owed much to his international layoff in the summer which enabled him to score heavily for Surrey, followed by a productive Test series in India.

England played 15 Tests in the year so their other top batsmen appear high on the list, too. Alastair Cook was in great form with or without the captaincy, accumulating 1,880, of which 1,249 came in England colours. Nick Compton started 2012 as an England Lions player, enjoyed a prolific start to Somerset's Championship season, spent months out injured then came back to play all four Tests on England's tour of England as a stand-in opener. His 1,855 runs put him third in the first-class list, averaging a very impressive 77.29.

Australians occupy the next three places. Ed Cowan has yet to cement a place in the national side but he played a lot of cricket, domestic and international, to score 1,784 runs in total. Michael Clarke appeared in barely half the number of first-class matches as Cowan, yet gathered only 16 fewer runs across the year. His Test tally of 1,595 was comfortably ahead of nearest challengers Cook, Hashim Amla, Pietersen and Trott, the only others to reach four figures in 2012. Chris Rogers is the only non-Test playing man to top 1,700 runs in the calendar year. His 2012 included a mighty 49 innings for Middlesex and Victoria, yielding 1,737 runs.

Like Cowan, Phil Hughes put in a good shift in all formats last year but in Tests, special mention should go to Shiv Chanderpaul, whose nine appearances for the West Indies brought him 987 runs at an average of just under 100. Mike Hussey can hold his head high as he faces retirement as his last full year for Australia brought him 898 runs at a shade under 60.

The most eye-catching stats for a wicketkeeper were AB De Villiers' 815 Test runs at 58, although he only donned the gloves after Mark Boucher's sad career-ending eye injury at Taunton in the summer. Matt Prior showed again how useful a batsman he can be, even at six or seven, accmuulating 777 runs at 39 for England. In all first-class games, only Sarfraz Ahmed dismissed more batsmen than Prior: 65 from 16 games in Pakistan. Hampshire's young 'keeper Michael Bates enjoyed a great summer, but needs to work on his batting to threaten Prior's position as England's number one.

Rangana Herath pipped fellow spinner Graeme Swann to top the Test wicket-taking table of 2012, with 60 in only 10 games. A shame none of his Sri Lanka team-mates could follow his lead. Anderson and Broad also took at least 40 Test wickets each but when it comes to all first-class victims, one Englishman stands head and shoulders above the rest in world cricket: Monty Panesar. His 102 included 33 in England colours, where he often outshone the established Swann, whose annual tally was 81.

Ahead of Swann was another off-spinner, Jeetan Patel. He didn't have a great year for Wellington or New Zealand but played a big part in Warwickshire's County Championship triumph, as did Chris Wright and Keith Barker. It wasn't a year only for the slow bowlers. Vernon Philander may not have matched his sensational start to Test cricket in 2011, but his 85 wickets in all first-class cricket placed him second in the world. A fair proportion of them came for Somerset, even on the traditional batting track at Taunton.

Jackson Bird's 70+ wickets for Tasmania and Australia A at under 20 apiece finally earned him an international call-up and he looked a useful fast bowler in the defeat of Sri Lanka in the dying days of 2012. Graeme Onions was also in fine form in an otherwise mediocre Durham side last summer, averaging a mere 16.24 from his 16 matches.

I haven't actually mentioned any genuine all-rounders. That's because 2012 didn't appear to be a vintage year for those who excel at both batting and bowling in the first-class game. Is this because T20 has channelled those with dual talents into playing in a way that simply doesn't suit longer-form cricket? Maybe it's just a blip!

If I had to pick first-class teams of the year, here goes....

ALL 1st class cricket:-

Cook, Cowan, Compton, Pietersen, Clarke(*), Pujara, Prior(+), Philander, Bird, Onions, Panesar.

TESTS: Cook, G Smith, Amla, Kallis, Chanderpaul, Clarke (*), De Villers(+), Swann, Philander, Anderson, Herath

One-day cricket to follow....

KP, Monty and Faf rule the roost

After the euphoria of Ahmedebad, it was misery in Mumbai for the Indian team. Fortunes were completely reversed as Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar cleaned up, taking 19 wickets between them, with Jimmy Anderson's second-ball lbw decision against Gambhir on the first morning the only seam success of the whole match!

Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh struggled most of the time and, while Ojha was again the most productive of India's 4-pronged spin attack, he failed to get the better of that famous left-arm 'bunny', Kevin Pietersen. The latter played the perfect innings in that respect, treating Ojha with immense respect before finally opening up more after reaching three figures. His 206-run stand with Alastair Cook was a superb partnership in every sense of the word. When one was defending, the other attacked, but overall, of course, it was the opener who anchored the whole affair, leaving KP to enjoy a free rein after he edged Ashwin to the 'keeper for 122.

KP's innings of 186 won the man of the match award, which was tough on Monty Panesar. The oft-discarded left-armer marked his return to the England side by taking eleven wickets, even if Swann's eight wickets came cheaper. Monty nabbed Sehwag, Tendulkar and Dhoni twice, although new star Pujara was Swann's double victim.

Across the Indian Ocean, South Africa managed to salvage an exciting draw against all the odds. Set 430 to win in almost five sessions, the bowlers were always going to be on top. In these days of T20-inspired strokeplay, it must have been extra difficult for players such as AB De Villiers to drop anchor and play for the team. At 45-4 on the fourth day, the Aussies must have been pretty darned optimistic! Then AB toiled for more than four hours to reach 33. His 89-run fifth wicket stand with debutant Faf Du Plessis lasted an extraordinary 68 overs! For the second time in the game, Jacques Kallis defied injury to deliver a vital innings but when he went, the tail-enders gve commendable support to Du Plessis.

It's not often that a duck is a positive contribution to a batting cause but Dale Steyn's 28-ball nought enabled Du Plessis to pick off some runs as well as defy the likes of Siddle, Hilfenhaus and the tireless Nathan Lyon who bowled no fewer than 31 maidens, conceding less than a run an over. Indeed, almost half the 148 overs bowled by Australia in the second innings were maidens, but Faf duly followed his initial 78 with an unbeaten 110. Despite Michael Clarke's historic double-hundred in that amazing Aussie first innings, it was the Saffer who nabbed the Player of the Match award, and rightly so. Two contrasting performances but Du PLessis showed he's more than just a useful T20 all-rounder in this Test match.

Now it's all-square going into the Perth decider, and Australia must wonder what they have to do to beat their opponents. The South Africans have been excellent with ther backs to the wall. Chokers? The India-England series also moves in to a third leg with honours even, but the momentum has swung back to the tourists. I reckon England now have the confidence and inspiration to crush Indian spirits further and win 3-1. I also reckon Mr Panesar might just be selected for Kolkata...

India's Win or England's Defeat?

So the dramatic change of fortunes didn't materialise and India duly wrapped up a nine-wicket victory. Here in England, all the talk is about the so-called mistake of not picking Monty Panesar, but opinions seem to be divided over who he should have replaced, which suggests it wasn't such an obvious selection after all. The same goes for what should happen for the Second Test. Bresnan or Patel?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and not even the Indian team were expecting the pitch to go so low and slow after the first two days. Ojha may have taken the most wickets, but Zaheer Khan and Yadav also bowled quite well, while England's seamers were simply ineffective. I don't know what the Mumbai groundsmen are preparing but all I can offer Cook, Flower and Miller by way of advice is not to worry about having a number eleven who can't bat. This is not limited-over cricket!

The media seems to be full of England's failure but let's not forget India's triumph. Pujara was a revelation, Sehwag was revitalised, Yuvraj Singh showed he has recovered and Ojha proved he can slug it out with the best of them, taking wickets and breaking batsmen's hearts in the process in more than the familiar four overs.

With the notable exceptions of Alastair Cook and Matt Prior, the visiting batsmen came off a distant second best. The skipper was correct in shifting the blame away from the Monty non-selection to the poor performances of the remaining batsmen. It was unfortunate that proven stars like Trott, Pietersen and Bell all failed twice, even without an Ajmal bowling at them. New boy Nick Compton stonewalled successfully in the second innings while Cook gathered pace, and is unlikely to be discarded for Mumbai. Bairstow for the absent Bell is pretty much a given.

So what about India? Meagre returns from Tendulkar and Dhoni must continue to cause concern but I doubt there will be changes unless injury intervenes. It's 1-0 to the home nation and in convincing style. Now they have to maintain that superiority but a series win is not yet guaranteed.

Man of the Moment: Tino Best

It's been a good week for Number Elevens. First it was Monty Panesar's four fours and a six in Sussex's first innings against Surrey, and now Tino Best's remarkable 95 for the Windies. I half expect any West Indian bowler to have the potential for the occasional late-order blitz but Tino Best?

Maybe it was the knowledge that with the dismal weather, the game required something better than endless rain by which to be remembered. Yes, it ended as an inevitable draw, having lost days 1, 2 and 5 to the Edgbaston elements, and - yes - there was the controversy of Denesh Ramdin's disrespectful handwritten note to Sir Viv Richards on reaching his century. However, I do hope the truncated Third Test to be more fondly recalled for the record-breaking effort from Tino Best.

He swept past his previous highest score quite early on, passed first the Windies record for a number eleven before overtaking Zaheer Khan's Test world record of 75 and, to almost everyone's disappointment, falling for 95 with a mistimed slog in an attempt to reach one of the most implausible hundreds in cricketing history! At the other end, Ramdin played an excellent innings, holding it all together while Tino wielded the willow with carefree abandon. They weren't all slogs, either. Crisp drives, cuts and pulls sent the scoreboard spinning, all played with a smile on the face that is all too rare to see these days.

Best's score off 112 balls formed the majority of a tenth-wicket partnership of 143, the third highest in history and only eight short of the record. The previous peak for the final Windies Test wicket was 106, featuring Carl Hooper and one of the most famous 'rabbits' of all, Courtney Walsh. Then the great fast bowler contributed only 30, but this time it was the supposed bunny who dominated the stand.

The compact Bajan proceeded to grab the wickets of Strauss and Bairstow but, given Best's terrible career Test bowling average of 47, perhaps he ought to practise his batting a bit more and let the bowling take a back seat. I remember watching him bowl a few overs for Yorkshire a few seasons ago. His windmill delivery action is a delight to behold. He runs and bowls like a clockwork machine wound up to maximum and then released.

His Test career stats may make dreadful reading, with a paltry 30 wickets spread over 15 matches and nine years but in all first-class cricket, he has 271 scalps to his name, at fewer than 28 apiece. That's not bad going at all. He may have been given this chance, after a three-year gap, only because of injuries to most other pacemen and I think it's fair to say he has shrugged off Flintoff's infamous sarcastic 'Mind the windows, Tino' sledge and given us something more positive to remember him by.

So what next? I can see it now. Against South Africa, England 200-9, still 150 short of saving the game, and in strides Monty.... Well, you can dream!

Rain reigns!

What on earth is going on? Everything is so topsy-turvy this year! Today saw the weirdest thing of all. No, I'm not talking about the weather; Monty Panesar hit a six!!

As for the rain, well, I'm English so wet summer days are hardly a surprise. Global warming has played havoc with our seasons in recent years and now Edgbaston has had England's first two-day Test match wash-out for 48 years. Actually, that did cause me to raise an eyebrow, given my childhood memories of endless TV cricket watching on a screen with a little 'R' in the corner, denoting recording of past matches when rain stopped play.

When the gales subside and the clouds move north, at least there could be some play on Saturday, although with Sunday's forecast decidedly iffy, even the current England team may struggle to bowl the Windies out twice in a day to make it 3-0. Across the country there has been very little play. Hampshire's Liam Dawson has now batted across three days for his century at Tunbridge Wells, and may well also have to pad up on day four!

As a long-suffering Somerset fan, I have sought solace in the excuse that they will never win the Championship because it always seems to rain in Taunton, thus turning potential victories into draws, depriving the county of vital points. In the same vein, Lancashire could surely suffer the same fate. So what about their triumph in 2011? They won ten matches in all, five at home, five away, including the clincher in, of all places, Taunton! Somerset won four at home and two away, but blew it by failing to win any natch in the final six weeks of the first-class season. Ah, but Lancashire played most of last summer's games in Liverpool, not Old Trafford, so maybe it was the Manchester climate which was holding them back. I suggest Somerset merge with neighbours Dorset so if we transferred our home games to Bournemouth or somewhere, perhaps we'd finally claim that elusive title at last. Yeah, dream on...

Sticking with the meteorological theme, I see that there is hot debate about the relative merits of Duckworth-Lewis against the new VJD system of reassessing limited-over match targets when rain causes a reduction in overs. I applaud the Cricinfo article's attempt to compare the two but, in the end, it's all about trying to apply science to guess what SHOULD happen when a wicket falls with X overs to play, and we all know that sport doesn't always work like that. If it did, it wouldn't just be Indian bookmakers sitting on piles of cash. The ICC has stuck with the tried and tested D/L because it has become part of cricketing life. Both appear flawed - and the infamous 22 off 1 ball scenario between England and SA is always trotted out as evidence of D/L's failings - and maybe Messrs D and L could tweak their algorithm as one-day cricket tactics have also evolved in the years since the Method was launched.

At least a method has yet to be developed for Test matches. Maybe if rain ruins three days, they should go back to an uncovered pitch and see how the batsmen cope with an old-fashioned 'sticky-dog', and the modern Health & Safety regulations! Strauss and Sammy, beware!

Ajmal Shahzad - Last of England's Asian new wave?

It was sad to read today that Yorkshire have suddenly agreed to release Ajmal Shahzad from his contract. I don't know what prompted the fast bowler to request such a move but he has been through some tough times since making his international debut two years ago against Bangladesh. There have been severe injuries, a fine for deliberately scuffing the pitch last September and a reputation for being a bit of a trouble-maker. I can't say whether that is truly justified but it does seem a strange decision so soon after apparently welcoming the arrival at the county of bowling coach Jason Gillespie. At only 26, with one Test and 11 ODIs to his name, there is time to rebuild his career and maybe return to the top table once again. However, there have been many young cricketers with an Asian heritage who have risen to the top only to falter and fall. After having to battle racism for so many years several players in the last decade, most born in England, shone in the county game to earn an opportunity for their national side. Vikram Solanki, though born in Pakistan, played more than 50 ODIs for England in the early 'noughties' without really playing to his free-flowing potential. In 2003, Kabir Ali burst onto the scene, taking five Test wickets on his debut against South Africa. That proved to be his last Test, too, and has made only fitful appearances for Hampshire in the past few years due to injury. Then in 2006 and 2007, the floodgates opened and England seemed blessed with a number of promising young Asian players. Owais Shah, another man born in Pakistan, played 71 one-dayers and six Tests before slipping out of contention and becoming more a T20 specialist, one of the few England players commanding respect and the occasional appearance in the IPL. Two bowlers also made their debuts in 2006. Sajid Mahmood (Bolton) and Monty Panesar (Bedford) took wickets galore for Lancashire and Northants respectively and when injuries struck the Ashes-winning quartet hey got their chance. Saj still strides purposefully in for his side with little chance of an international recall but Monty to his credit has once again warmed the selectors' and fans' cockles, even if his batting and fielding will surely preclude his playing in T20 matches. One-day games require more all-round options, and these are often provided by Leicester's Samit Patel and Londoner Ravi Bopara, who debuted in 2008 and 2007, respectively. If you include Shahzad, Yorkshire currently boast five squad players with Asian ethnicity. One of them is Adil Rashid, someoneI have often championed in this blog. As a teenager he seemed such an exciting prospect, a leg-spinner who could score centuries. It took a few more years before he finally got his chance in ODIs and T20Is but he blew his chance on the big stage and has disappointed somewhat since. I hope he soon rediscovers his zest and form because there aren't many leg-spinning all-rounders in the English game. Amjad Khan made his single Test appearance in Trinidad three years ago, received a bit of a pasting from the Windies batsmen, and has retreated to the shadows, although he remains an able performer for Sussex. At least he can say he is the only Danish international to also play for England! All the above would make a useful international XI - if only there had been a wicketkeeper to join them! So are there any others likely to follow Shahzad and co into the England team in the foreseeable future? True, there are few vacancies at the moment but, as in 2006-7, injuries could leave the door open. A sudden Compton-esque shower of runs could assist the likes of Arul Suppiah (born in Malaysia but Somerset-educated), Virun Chopra or Moeen Ali, who had a great season for Worcestershire last year. Jigar Naik is a promising off-spinner/batsman for Leicestershire, and Naqaash Tahir is hoping his move to Lancashire will boost his chances of getting noticed. The announcement today of a longer qualification period for over-18s seeking to play for England will probably have little effect on Asian players who may have been tempted to try their luck over here. On the other hand, the passion for cricket in areas of strong Asian communities such as West Yorkshire, Lancashire, Birmingham and Leicester will hopefully generate future stars from these communities

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.