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!

Porter carries Essex to the brink of the title

The County Championship entered its final phase with the respective division leaders strengthening their grip on the top spots. With rain interruptions, most matches extended into the fourth day, providing some lively conclusions, but sadly one which was more disturbing.

In Division One, leading pair Essex and Lancashire were in action against the bottom two, and results went to form, much to my chagrin. Runs were in typical short supply at Chelmsford but Somerset were at least in the hunt up to the final morning, thanks largely to the wickets of Craig Overton but no thanks to the batsmen who are collectively having a nightmare season. But Essex romped home, Jamie Porter wrapping up a seventh win of the summer with 7-55 to follow his first-innings 5-40. He and team-mate Steve Harmer now each boast over 50 Championship wickets, more than anyone else.

At Old Trafford, Lancashire clung onto Essex’s coat-tails by defeating Warwickshire by eight wickets. The dye was cast on day one, when Ryan McLaren and Kyle Jarvis captured all ten between them. Liam Livingstone proceeded to outscore the opposition on his own, creaming the attack for 224, including four sixes. The venerable Shiv Chanderpaul just missed out on another century. Warwickshire ‘keeper Tim Ambrose did reach three figures as they succeeded in making Lancashire bat again, but only for 44 balls.

The other fixture ended in more ugly fashion. Middlesex and Surrey were heading towards a certain draw at The Oval when play was suspended. A lethal-looking crossbow arrow had landed on the outfield not far from Surrey players and, with no guarantee the assailant wouldn’t fire again, the match was abandoned. While John Simpson may be a little peeved at missing out on a hundred, the authorities made the correct decision I just hope the scum who shot the arrow is caught before he kills someone.

Back to the cricket…. Nottinghamshire now lead the second tier by thirty-two points after beating Northamptonshire by 163 runs. Riki Wessels top-scored in both innings, culminating in a typically entertaining 116 off 88 balls as they looked to make a declaration. Only Rob Newton passed 50 in the second Northants effort, before Samit Patel polished off the final pair.

I am no fan of the guidelines that no Division Two batsmen can be considered for England selection, although I note that this was not enforced until Alastair Cook’s Essex were promoted last season! It’s not as if the counties battling for promotion all have rubbish bowlers. Think Broad, Onions, Jordan, Patel, Hogan et al. Add to that list Worcestershire’s new signing who happens to be the world’s best spinner, Ravi Ashwin. He played a major part in his county’s victory over Gloucestershire, along with the opening batsmen Mitchell and D’Oliveira and all-runder Ed Barnard. With Ashwin in the attack, Worcester must now be favourites to join Notts in Division One next year.

Sussex are also making a late bid for promotion. They travelled to Colwyn Bay to face a weakened Glamorgan side who were resting their stars in advance of the T20 Finals Day. Credit to the Welsh side that they gave Sussex a real alarm and it was only due to Ollie Robinson’s brave 41 not out that they avoided a humiliating defeat. With last man Briggs at the other end, Robinson knew he had to rescue the team on his own and he duly delivered with a second six off Rhuadri Smith.

Durham recorded their third victory of the season, overcoming dismal Derbyshire at Chester-le-Street. Their star performers were veterans Paul Collingwood (177) and Graeme Onions (4-44 and 3-88) but they really need the younger players, including England reject Keaton Jennings, to step up and get Durham back into the top flight and into the black.

In the other game, another 40-something, Kent’s Darren Stevens, took 8-75 in the first Leicestershire innings but was frustrated by the final pair of Callum Parkinson and Lewis Hill who shared a tenth wicket partnership of 122. The match petered out into a soggy draw leaving Leicester still winless and Kent rueing another which got away.

Next week, all eyes will be on the Essex-Lancashire clash. Win that one and Essex will be almost home and dry. Lose, and Lancashire could yet pull off a totally unexpected Championship success. Over to you, guys…

Team of the Week: Mitchell (Wor), D’Oliveira (Wor), Livingstone (Lan), Collingwood (Dur), Wessels (Not), Stevens (Ken), Simpson (Mid +), Jordan (Sus), C Overton (Som), Robinson (Sus), Porter (Ess)

Derbyshire and Glamorgan Hold Firm

Championship strugglers Derbyshire and Warwickshire continued to rule the roost in the T20 North division, each recording their fifth victories of the season. Luis Reece’s best T20 score of his short career, 97 not out against Lancashire, was instrumental in their win over Lancashire, while New Zealand paceman Matt Henry’s six wickets also proved vital in their progress this week.

Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire also picked up two more victories, thwarted by the weather from making it a 100% record for the week. Alex Hales was arguably the county player of the past seven days, improving his scores steadily, culminating in his 101 against Yorkshire. Their mighty top four batsmen make it easier for the relatively weak attack, although Samit Patel, Steven Mullaney and Jake Ball chipped in.

At the other end of the table, Durham finally achieved their first T20 success of the season. Their fixture at Leicester may have ended up as a seven-over thrash but a six-wicket win is still a win. The two Pauls Coughlin and Collingwood each scored rapid 30s to clinch the two points. A couple of days later, when the latter raced to his first T20 century at the age of 41, a second victory looked on the cards. However, Worcestershire’s Joe Clarke, 20 years Collingwood’s junior, trumped him with a dazzling 124 not out from just 53 balls, and his team reached their huge 200+ target with eleven balls to spare.

Despite, or because of, their four no-results, Glamorgan advanced to the summit of the South group. Coincidentally their winning margin against both Gloucestershire and Kent was 25 runs. In each game, Jacques Rudolph hit a half-century and new arrival David Miller produced a rapid cameo, whilst the bowlers all contributed, too.

Somerset climbed to third behind the Welsh and Surrey, thanks to triumphs over South Coast neighbours Sussex and Hampshire. All the squad played their parts but Stephen Davies was the most consistent cameo batsman. The ever-reliable Gloucestershire opener Michael Klinger scored 52 and 101 but was deprived of continuing the sequence at Chelmsford when rain intervened.

Next week includes a host of potentially money-spinning local derbies on Friday evening. Warwickshire host Worcestershire, Sussex nip along to Kent, Somerset travel a few junctions on the M5 to Bristol, Durham and Yorkshire battle for the North East spoils, but the Derbyshire-Nottinghamshire duel could be the most interesting in relation to the North group qualification places.

Team of the Week: Hales (Not), Klinger (Glo), Clarke (Wor), Davies (Som +), Denly (Ken), Northeast (Ken), Collingwood (Dur), Mullaney (Not), Rashid (Yor), Henry (Der), Parkinson (Lei)

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)

Super Sangakkara so close to a new record

In the clash involving to the top two, the weather wasn’t conducive to a clear result. However, following Kumar Sangakkara’s splendid first-innings 200 (after Surrey’s early collapse to 31-5), the final day was all about whether the Sri Lankan star would become the first player to score six consecutive County Championship centuries. He was cruising into the 60s when play was suspended. Surely Sanga wouldn’t be robbed of the record so cruelly? Fortunately, he was soon back in the middle but Jamie Porter was dismissing his partners at a rate of knots. Then on 84, he fell to a caught-and-bowled by Westley, and that was that. So near yet so far. With both sides claiming eleven points, the draw left Essex a point clear in the race for the Championship pennant.

The only other Division One fixture saw Somerset lose again inside three days. Spinners Jack Leach and Dom Bess nabbed seventeen wickets for the Taunton hosts but, David Elgar apart, the Westcountrymen struggled with the bat against the slow bowling of Liam Dawson and Matt Crane, who took 5-40 to clinch a 90-run victory for Hampshire which keeps them in third place.

Hampshire will now meet Warwickshire while Somerset travel to Lord’s in what will be a tough challenge against the champions. We also have another Roses encounter, this time in Yorkshire, and both counties need a victory to kickstart their red-ball seasons.

There was a full round of fixtures in Division Two, yielding three substantial margins of victory. At Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire flattened Gloucestershire by an innings and 50 runs and now sit atop the table. Cheteshwar Pujara and Michael Lumb each reached three figures while it was all-rounder Steven Mullaney’s 5-32 which wrapped things up on the third day.

Kent remain hard on their heels after taking the honours in the South East derby at Tunbridge Wells. Having dropped him from my Fantasy team, Joe Denly duly struck 119 and 71 not out. Typical! The doughty Darren Stevens then took 5-40 to restrict Sussex to 164 all out and, after a rapid declaration second innings, the visitors were offered the challenge of scoring 504 in the best part of two days. The first three batsmen fell for just eight runs but the rest did at least make a fist of reaching the formidable target before Coles and Harris ended the run chase 147 runs short.

At Northampton, Worcestershire maintained their 100% record in the Championship. Opener Daryl Mitchell continued his recent fine form, contributing 237 to the cause, including a first-innings 161 and a run-a-ball 78 to save the game going to a fourth day.

It was a closer encounter at Swansea where Glamorgan achieved their first win of the campaign. Michael Hogan may not be deemed quick enough to open the bowling, nor Paul Collingwood fit for international duty, but both were in fine fettle for their respective counties. Nevertheless, it was young Nick Selman’s fine 116 not out which proved decisive on an exciting final day down by the seaside.

Leicestershire and Derbyshire are still winless after their clash at Derby, but the runs flowed freely like the River Derwent. It’s not often that Leicester reach 600+ but centuries from Colin Ackermann, Mark Cosgrove and Ned Eckersley (a career-best 158) did propel the side to such heights. Godleman and Thakor also made pleasing hundreds as part of a 532-run response. Spare a thought for Sri Lankan spinner Jeevan Mendis who had to wheel away for 74 overs for a six-wicket return across the match. I think it’s fair to say that neither will make the promotion placings, and to rub it in Derbyshire now meet leaders Notts.

Team of the Week: Mitchell (Wor), Mullaney (Not), Denly (Ken), Sangakkara (Sur), Cosgrove (Lei), Collingwood (Dur), Cooke (Gla +), Porter (Ess), Crane (Ham), Bess (Som), Hogan (Gla)

Essex and Durham make the Royal London running

With the County Championship on a midsummer break, it was all about limited overs. Most of the last group fixtures in the NatWest T20 Blast were rained off. However, the weather left some of the Division Two teams in the running for silverware. As a Somerset fan I'm well aware of the disappointment that failure can bring and we have lost far more one-dayers than we've won in 2015. Kent are having a poor run in the four-day game but, with the likes of Darren Stevens, Sam Billings and Sam Northeast, they boast a formidable batting line-up and look the side to beat in T20.

Warwickshire headed the North group, ahead of Worcestershire, Northants and Lancashire, with Sussex, Hampshire and Essex completing the quarter-final line-up. Meanwhile, the new 50-over tournament has launched with five washouts then a host of hundreds through the week. Essex are looking useful in this competition, the Royal London Cup, too. Openers Mark Pettini and Tom Westley each scored centuries in one fixture, and Ravi Bopara has been a reliable all-rounder.

Yorkshire's Glenn Maxwell has had a mediocre NatWest Blast, but rounded off a fine week with a 76-ball 111 to beat Worcestershire, and Gary Ballance has rediscovered the knack of scoring fifties while Steven Patterson has shone with the ball. Mark Stoneman, Phil Mustard and John Hastings have contributed to Durham's two wins, but captain Paul Collingwood hit the highest individual score of the week, 132.

Familiar big-hitters Jason Roy and Alex Hales each made three-figure innings but possibly the match of the week was Kent v Glamorgan. Stevens led the way with 110 from 66 balls but the response from South Africans Colin Ingram 109 then Chris Cooke (94 not out) was fabulous, and clinched victory with two balls left.

Things are just getting interesting, so the next week will let patterns emerge. I wonder whether the T20 frontrunners will be doing the same in the Royal London.

Team of the Week: Pettini (Ess), Mustard (Dur +), Madsen (Der), Maxwell (Yor), Collingwood (Dur, *), Cooke (Gla), Bopara (Ess), Hastings (Dur), Patterson (Yor), Anderson (Eng), Finn (Eng/Mid)

England v New Zealand ODIs – 40 Years Ago

England’s new-found aggressive approach to one-day cricket has won plaudits around the country. After all, everybody loves a slogfest, don’t they? If teams can smash 200 in a T20, then 350 to 400 should be the bar minimum we can expect in a full fifty overs, shouldn’t it?

Well, no, actually. Not that I’m saying I don’t enjoy witnessing a batsman clearing the ropes. At Cardiff on Saturday afternoon, I was unashamedly on my feet to celebrate each of Tom Cooper’s sixes – before the heavy drizzle and Messrs Duckworth and Lewis awarded the match to Glamorgan. Trouble is, I also enjoy seeing a bowler splatter the opponent’s stumps, but the balance has shifted too far away from the latter for my liking.

I didn’t follow the IPL at all this year because I find its manufactured ‘entertainment’ boring, too predictable. At least, over fifty overs, you know that Jos Buttler, Ross Taylor, Ben Stokes and co are taking a calculated gamble when deciding to take on class bowlers like Tim Southee and Trent Boult.

Before this series, I think it was Paul Collingwood who described England’s World Cup strategy was ‘prehistoric’. Ironic that it took the arrival at the ECB of the ultra-cautious ex-captain Andrew Strauss to change things around, even if New Zealand adopted that method a while back, to great effect. The Durham man should know about the way they used to play. He top-scored and took two wickets in England’s first ever T20 international, a drubbing of Australia ten years ago this week. He also became the only England skipper to win a major global trophy in 2010.

However, not even Colly was alive when England first met NZ in an ODI. The Black Caps played and lost a short Test series here in 1973 and also met for a 55-over fixture, officially only the sixth ODI in history. It may seem odd now but it took place in at the St Helens ground in Swansea.

If you thought England’s scoring rate Down Under was poor, take a look at the way most nations played in the early years of international one-dayers. New Zealand leader Bev Congdon won the toss and decided to bat, which soon looked a poor decision. The England pair of Geoff Arnold and John Snow left NZ reeling at 15-4 before Glenn Turner (26 in 69 balls) and Vic Pollard (55 in 112 balls) steadied the ship. Nevertheless, they were bowled out for 158 with thirteen balls remaining. The scoring rate? 2.99 an over!

Did England set out to knock off the runs quickly and take a massive mental lead over their opposition in the 2-match competition? Not exactly. Our main batsman was, let’s face it, Geoffrey Boycott! He adopted the same style that he always did in Test matches and ground his way to 20 runs in 88 balls before being caught. Perhaps surprisingly, his opening partner Dennis Amiss played the good cop to Boycott’s bad. He went on to score a century – already his second in this format - and England won by seven wickets. The tally of sixes was four. Half of them came from the bat of a 21 year-old called Richard Hadlee, the younger brother of the more established Test pair of Dayle and Barry.

The next encounter came in the group stages of 1975’s inaugural World Cup at Trent Bridge. Again, England’s line-up would make Cook and Bell resemble McCullum and Warner, but at least Boycott had made way for Amiss’s Warwickshire big-hitting partner John Jameson. Amazingly there was another individual century to admire, courtesy of 31year-old Keith Fletcher. His only ODI hundred included 13 fours. The total of 266-6 off sixty overs was considered a very tough target back then, and Richard Hadlee’s twelve overs had cost a terrible 66 runs. He was also out for a duck as his side faded to 186 all out from the final ball. Fortunately NZ persevered with the all-rounder, who went on to become a cricketing legend. Amiss accumulated more than 50,000 runs in all cricket and neither nation have yet to win the game’s premier trophy as first the West Indies, then Australia, then the Asian trio learned how to succeed.

New Zealand did finally get one over England over here, in the 1983 World Cup. Hadlee RJ took 3-32 and scored 31 in 45 balls but it took Jeremy Coney’s sensible 66 not out to secure victory off the penultimate delivery from Paul Allott. The rate of 4.2 an over was hardly mesmerising, and when Stephen Fleming’s NZ beat England at Bristol in 2004, not even Andrew Flintoff’s 106 could lift the rate to five an over. Jacob Oram struck the winning boundary off….Paul Collingwood. There were 52 fours and three sixes in that game. Call me prehistoric but I’d rather that than the other way around. It made those three shots into the crowd all the more special.

Prince and Colly Steal the Show

There were plenty of fine performances at Lord's to overshadow those seen in last week's county fixtures. From Cook's 162 to the Root and Stokes show, not forgetting Trent Boult's nine wickets in what was, until the last day and a bit, an encouragingly competitive New Zealand side.

In the County Championship, there were plenty of runs, too, at Taunton, which sadly meant only three substantial innings could be completed. Jack Leaning and Tim Bresnan reached three figures for Yorkshire but the game was unusual in that two players were out on 99: Somerset's Tom Cooper and the visitors' Adil Rashid, who did much to ensure his side didn't lose. Credit to the Overton twins for smashing a rapid tenth wicket stand of 80-odd, including 19-ball 50 from Jamie!

It was an exciting finale at Hove, where Sussex edged a thrilling low-scoring game against Warwickshire by a single wicket thanks to a six from Chris Jordan. Earlier in the match, Oliver Robinson had taken 6-33 and Luke Wells almost carried his bat for 92. However, Durham advanced to the Division One summit by winning at Worcester, overcoming a large first innings deficit. Skipper Paul Collingwood struck his 31st century on his 39th birthday to ensure his team didn’t suffer another meltdown. Steve Borthwick had scored more than half the team’s total in the first innings, before John Hastings’ 7-60 kept the target within reach.

In Division Two, Lancashire predictably went 32 points clear at the top, defeating Derbyshire by an innings. A huge partnership between South African veterans Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince settled matters early on, the latter serving up 230 runs. He is on a great run of form at the moment. Surrey are looking strong, too, despite – or because of - KP’s midnight flit to India. They defeated Kent at Beckenham by three wickets after Jason Roy held his nerve with a typically aggressive 60 not out on the final afternoon.

Michael Klinger made an impressive return to Gloucestershire, thumping 126 in 68 balls against Essex, and Ravi Bopara made some useful contributions for Essex, too.

So my Team of the Week, including Test match heroes and T20 Blast stars reads as follows:-
Klinger (Glo), Cook (Eng), Leaning (Yor), Prince (Lan), Bairstow (Yor, +), Stokes (Eng), Collingwood (Dur, *), Jordan (Sus), Lilley (Lan), Boult (NZ), Hastings (Dur)

Yorkshire Victorious without their stars

In the first week of the 2015 County Championship, newly-promoted Worcestershire must have fancied their chances against Yorkshire. The champions were missing Lyth, Root, Ballance, Rashid and Bairstow, plus the suspended skipper Gale, yet still they enjoyed a ten-wicket win inside three days. Cheteshwar Pujara's debut resulted in a duck, but the bowlers Jack Brooks and Steven Patterson made the greatest impact, taking 9-29 between them in the second innings.

Somerset experienced their usual disastrous start at Taunton, falling to Durham for whom captain Paul Collingwood claimed a century and five-for, supported by Steve Borthwick's runs and wickets for Graeme Onions and Chris Rushworth. Hampshire at least pushed Sussex into a fourth day at Southampton before losing by 92 runs. Luke Wright and Ben Brown to a substantial first innings lead, then a solid display from all their bowlers finished the job.

Nottinghamshire had the better of Middlesex but a defensive masterclass from Nick Compton (85) and, in the last session, James Harris (36 not out in over two hours) ensured a draw. Chris Read and new opener Brendan Taylor each reached three figures for Notts.

Both Division Two fixtures were also drawn. A double-century partnership between Jacques Rudolph and Will Bragg gave Glamorgan a great start at Leicester before Angus Robson and Ned Eckersley almost matched them on day two. The home side had no time to achieve that elusive win but at lest they avoided defeat. Wooden spoon rivals Gloucestershire batted out the last day while losing only two wickets after a flurry of late Northants runs set up a safe declaration. David Willey smashed only his second first-class century to go with a similarly rapid first innings 62, but special mentions should go to Glos medium-pacer Craig Miles (6-63) and 'keeper Gareth Roderick, who notched two half-centuries and claimed six catches on the opening day.

The other counties were getting some pre-season batting practice against the universities. Kevin Pietersen made the headlines for his Surrey innings of 170 against Oxford, but we shouldn't overlook Essex batsman Nick Browne's twin centuries against Cardiff MCCU nor Martin Guptill's effortless 161 for Derbyshire at Fenner's. It's always pleasing to note good performances by students against the professionals, be they superstars or 'muppets'. So hats off to centurions Charlie MacDonnell (Durham), Nitish Kumar and Mike Burgess (both Loughborough v Kent) and Steve Leach (Oxford). Who knows? They may become England staples of the future.

Next week sees Yorkshire meet title rivals Notts, Warwickshire take on Hampshire and Sussex look to make it from two from two against Worcestershire. Hopefully Cardiff will attract crowds to see KP in action but hopefully he will be out for two golden ducks....

County Team of the Week: Lees (Yorks), Browne (Ess), Eckersley (Leic), Borthwick (Dur), Roderick (Glos +), Collingwood (Dur *), Read (Notts), Willey (Nth), Brooks (Yorks), Briggs (Hants), Miles (Glos)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team of the Week: Cook and Bell back in business

One-dayers ruled this week, and so did the batsmen. The sun shone (mostly) in Britain and the runs flowed accordingly. For once, the Caribbean didn't get much of a look-in, but I'll start with an A team one-day series Down Under. In recent years, Phil Hughes has been in and out more than the world hokey-cokey championship where CA has been concerned. However, he had a great week for the 'A's, starting with an unbeaten 202 (yes, that's not a typo) against South Africa A, followed by two further half-centuries. His aggregate far outweighed the 165 accrued by Alastair Cook, but the embattled England skipper also makes my Eleven for showing the character in adversity to not only score much-needed runs but also to lead his side to their first Test victory in almost a year. And to blunt the knives of the media and tongues of ex-captains who should know better!

The big centuries scored in that Third Test against India by Gary Ballance and Ian Bell also propel those two into my team of the week. The Zimbabwean has been in good form all summer but when Bell is firing on all cylinders, England normally do well. Last year, Derbyshire captain Wayne Madsen enjoyed his best season for the county bt so far in 2014 runs have been harder to come by. Normally better suited to first-class cricket, Madsen surprised me by striking not one but two hundreds this week in the new 50-over One-Day Cup.

There were numerous other excellent middle-order innings in this trophy. Karl Brown, Glen Maxwell and James Hildreth particularly impressed but I've gone with consistency over one-off brilliance. Ex-England leader Paul Collingwood produced a 92-ball 113 against Somerset and 77 versus Warwickshire, also contributing a few wickets to Durham's cause. The century shold have been enough to win the game but Somerset were to compete in three thrilling contests. They came from behind to win that one, then tie the fixture at Nottingham and lose by just two runs in an incredible finish at Taunton after Kent compiled 383!

Lewis Gregory has been a godsend for Somerset when he's been fit this summer, and he scored 105 not out in 71 deliveries against Durham. However, he took a pasting in the Kent match, in which young Sam Billings thumped 135 off just 58 balls. The wicketkeeper also notched 64 in 54 earlier in the week, so he beats England debutant Jos Buttler to the gloves.

Gregory is also eclipsed by Steven Mullaney for the all-rounder of the week position. The Notts man has been batting low in the order in recent weeks but it hasn't prevented him making vital quick runs. IN total, 103 came in 66 balls, alongside 6-59 with his medium pacers. A greatly under-rated member of the Nottinghamshire squad.

James Anderson has to be there, too. Unlike the previous game, he deserved to be the Man of the Match at the Aegeas Bowl, claiming 5-53 and 2-24 to thwart a lacklustre India. His acquittal on disrepute charges in the Jadeja 'handbags' incident polished off a great week for him. Now Ian Botham's longstanding England Test wicket record is there for the taking.

My line-up is completed by two spinners. Jeetan Patel has done wonders for Warwickshire in the Championship and this week he was Mr Consistent in the Royal London tournament, with figures of 4-24, 2-36 and 2-43, adding a few runs, too. He didn't have to bowl as much as Rangana Herath, though. Having already sent down 45 overs in the first innings and now with South Africa under the cosh, he opened the bowling in the second innings with Perera and flogged a dead pitch for another 45. Two in three were maidens, and he finished with stats of 45-30-40-5. It wasn't enough to win as Amla and co defended splendidly to defy SL, draw the match and win the series. Sometimes a backs-to the-wall performance can deliver a dramatic cricket match just as much as a runfest.

My team: Cook (Eng *), Hughes (Aus A), Ballance (Eng), Madsen (Der), Bell (Eng), Collingwood (Dur), Billings (Ken +), Mullaney (Not), Patel (War), Anderson (Eng), Herath (SL)

Team of the Week 16th May 2014 - the Colly and Yuvy show

Three major tournaments to pore over this week, as the County Championship and IPL were joined by the inaugural round of Nat West T20 Blast matches. Despite that, there were few opening batsmen to really stand out. Finch and Sehwag enjoyed one good score each in the IPL but Lendl Simmons picked up 118 runs across the week for for Mumbai. Top of the lot was Graeme Smith, whose 103 laid the foundations for a final day rally by Surrey to clinch ther first Championship in for yonks.

David Warner was in the runs for Hyderabad, plundering an aggregate 111 runs in 63 balls, the best performance being his 31-ball 55 against the Indians. Sangakkara's 159 was compiled when the match was alreay drawn so I've gone for the hard-hitting Nottinghamshire batsman Riki Wessels at number four. Today he struck a cameo 25 in 18 in the T20 but his 156 in the Championship fixture against Northants was completed in a T20-esque 152 balls.

North and Styris excelled in today's Blast but in India Yuvraj Singh proved there's life in the old dog yet. After a miserable run, he produced a couple of stupendous innings for Bangalore, including sixteen sixes, plus a 4-35 to demonstrate his all-rounder credentials. For Sussex, Luke Wright (189) and wicket-keeper Ben Brown (163) shared a record sixth wicket county partnership, then a few days later, Wright added another rapid 56 in the T20 against Surrey. Both he and Brown stake their places in my Team of the Week with ease.

Neil Dexter and Darren Stevens came close but the best all-rounder candidate is Paul Collingwood. He followed a 74 in the first-class match versus Sussex with a rapid 62 and 3-29 in the 20-over stuff this evening. Not far behind is Colly's former Durham colleague, Liam Plunkett. Now at Yorkshire, the ex-England seamer produced not one but two excellent all-round performances this week, but his 75-ball 86 batting at number nine in the four-day victory against Notts was the most eye-catching.

Jack Brooks almost features in my XI again, while Ajmal Shahzad out-bowled even Peter Siddle for Notts earlier in the weeks. Nevertheless, the final two bowling spots go to Tim Murtagh and Chris Tremlett. They each took six cheap wickets for their counties to bring about last day victories.

So, no out-and-out spinners this time. Even Tambe failed to make the grade. So my Team of The Week reads: Smith (Sur), Simmons (Mum), Warner (Hyd), Wessels (Not), Yuvraj Singh (Bang), Wright (Sus), Collingwood (Dur), Brown (Sus +), Plunkett (Yor), Tremlett (Sur), Murtagh (Mid)