Kent and Yorkshire take charge

Rain affected much of the past week’s Blast fixtures and, without the safety net of a reserve day – which came to the rescue of the World Test Championship Final at Southampton – there were ten washouts. Two of Somerset ‘s three matches were abandoned but they did at least gain revenge against Surrey hanks to solid bowling and a rare half-century from James Hildreth. 

However, they remain well off the pace in the South group. Instead it was Kent who seized the initiative. Despite losing to Gloucestershire they leapfrogged Sussex and Surrey to top the table. Runs and wickets came from various sources but opener Zak Crawley and bowler Matt Milnes – whose 5-22 against Essex included 2 caught-and-bowleds – were consistently strong. 

He may not have claimed a five-for but Nottinghamshire’s Samit Patel achieved the most impressive match figures of the week. He took 3-4 as Worcestershire struggled to 86-8 in their full 20-over allocation. He also contributed a match-winning 64 not out against Derbyshire, at a strike rate of 200. Had Notts scrambled two and not a single off their last ball in their away trip to Lancashire they’d be the North group leaders. They didn’t and the resulting tie means that it’s Yorkshire who opened up a 1-point margin. 

They wrapped up two easy victories over Worcestershire and one versus Durham. Jonny Bairstow’s 51-ball 112 last Thursday was the highest score of the week but it was an incredible sixth wicket stand of 141 in 55 balls between Harry Brook and Jordan Thompson which rescued a disastrous start when Worcester’s Dillon Pennington snaffled the top four – including Joe Root - in his first couple of overs. The only other centurion was Leicestershire opener Josh Inglis, whose 103 not out dealt bottom club Northants another blow. It was the Leeds-born Aussie’s maiden T20 ton. 

Next week’s highlights include Surrey’s clashes with Middlesex and Sussex and Yorkshire’s visit to the Birmingham Bears. 

Team of the Week: Bairstow (Yor), Crawley (Ken), Inglis (Lei +), Rhodes (War), Cockbain (Glo), Patel (Not), Brook (Yor), Douthwaite (Gla), Milnes (Ken), Finn (Mid), Cook (Ess)

Notts end the 2020 season in style

And so this short and very sweet domestic cricket season comes to an end. Apart from a few temporary exceptions, there have been no fans but plenty of excitement. England hosted Australia, Pakistan and the West Indies with varying degrees of success, the women’s game wasn’t forgotten and, while postponing the hated Hundred, the ECB somehow fashioned a couple of successful competitions, with both white and red balls. 

Allowing coverage on the BBC and beefing up live streaming at the county grounds achieved the double target in a Covid-ravaged summer of maintaining and possibly growing the fan base and attracting the commercial sponsors without which the whole shebang would have gone bust. 

The county season didn’t start until August but, despite a stormy start to October, managed to produce a meaningful climax to the Vitality T20 Blast on the reserve day. Without fans having to rearrange travel and hotel stays, this seemed a minor inconvenience and it was Nottinghamshire who on Sunday evening ultimately reaped the reward. 

However, the Outlaws needed a superior Powerplay run count to steal their quarter-final against the unfortunate Leicestershire after both finished on 139-7 A late cameo from Samit Patel and last–ball misfield pulled Notts back from the brink and into Finals Day where they first defeated Lancashire in an 11-over thrash then overcame Surrey despite an early wobble. Lose Patel, Hales and Clarke? No problem: there’s always Peter Trego, Darren Christian and Ben Duckett to steady the ship and knock off the runs. 

Surrey, too, could field plenty of experienced stars, from the evergreen Gareth Batty, Liam Plunkett and Hashim Amla to the two 21 year-olds Dan Moriarty and Will Jacks, plus England internationals Roy, Burns and Foakes. Surrey thrashed Kent and overcame Gloucestershire to earn another final place. As with most T20 fixtures, the outcome was impossible to predict but once all-rounder Christian joined Duckett with six overs remaining, they calmly drove and carved the spinners through the gaps and took the silverware. 

Social distancing went out of the window as they celebrated on the pitch but then Man of the Match Christian has to quarantine for a month anyway before he can join the Big Bash in his native Australia. 

But this was a Twenty20 summer for the home-grown contingent. Former England players Daniel Bell-Drummond (Kent) and Jake Ball (Notts) topped the run and wicket tables, respectively. Gloucestershire batsmen Dent and Cockbain were consistent scorers, and bowling colleagues Higgins and Payne were also unlucky not to reach the final. Zak Crawley added a T20 century to his Test 267, Laurie Evans reinvented himself as a white-ball batsman at Surrey and spinner Dan Moriarty announced himself as a short-format performer of considerable promise. Lancashire’s T20 specialist leggie Matt Parkinson against demonstrated his value to the Lightning, alongside all-rounder Liam Livingstone, while Sussex’s 23 year-old quick, George Garton, is another one to watch. 

Let’s hope 2021 brings us a full summer of cricket and, even if the Coronavirus again keeps the stadia empty, that we get to enjoy the action online.

Team of the Week: Roy (Sur), Davies (Lan +), Duckett (Not), Jacks (Sur), Livingstone (Lan), Christian (Not), Patel (Not), Howell (Glo), Parkinson (Lan), Ball (Not), Topley (Sur)

County Cricket Team of 2017

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

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

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

Openers:

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

Middle-order:

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

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

All-Rounder:

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

Wicket-keeper:

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

Bowlers:-

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

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

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

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

12^th Man: S Patel (Not)

It’s a Blast for Boom-Boom

Alex Hales Steals the Show

Nottinghamshire’s openers were again in fine fettle this week. Riki Wessels passed 35 in each of his three innings but when he carried his bat for just 41 at home to Durham, he was completely overshadowed by his opening partner. Alex Hales hammered nine sixes on his way towards a potential record-equalling T20 century. Going for another huge hit off his thirtieth delivery to match Chris Gayle’s world record, he could only sky James Weighell into the ‘keeper’s gloves. However, it was job done for the Outlaws, breaking the previous best for Powerplay runs (106) and reaching the 185 target with 43 balls remaining. Notts also smashed more than 200 against Leicestershire only for the weather to prevent any reply and deny them the chance to more clear of the rest in the North group. Credit is also due to Samit Patel’s impressive consistency with his off-spin: 2-27, 2-26 and 2-23. As for Hales, I don't agree with the suggestion that such form should propel him back into the Test team, but he must be a shoo-in for any T20 international squad.

Northamptonshire also notched their sixth win of the competition. Ben Duckett’s unbeaten 92 against Worcestershire was the individual highlight but they came mighty close to overhauling Warwickshire on Tuesday. Skipper Alex Wakely had them in his sights but was run out from the last ball with three needed for victory.

Struggling Durham won the North-East derby in a thriller at Chester-le-Street. Paul Collingwood plundered 88 off 57 deliveries but Willey and Patterson frustrated his team-mates and 157 wasn’t a frightening target for Yorkshire. However, the visitors also struggled, with McCarthy and Coughlin each taking three wickets. Needing ten off the last over, they could scramble just eight, thus losing by a single run.

Scoring wasn’t as high further south. Glamorgan’s narrow victory over Surrey ensured they remained top of the league. They were unfortunate not to triumph in the Severn derby, too. Michael Hogan produced a brilliant five-wicket burst in his last two overs to restrict Gloucestershire to 150-9. Unfortunately for the Welsh, they were undone by a poor start when batting before the rain wiped out the last 15 overs. Duckworth-Lewis did the rest. Somerset also lost to their local rivals at Bristol but lead them by a single point with five to play.

The South group is so tight, anything could happen in the next fortnight. Just six points separate top and bottom, so Essex need not be too downhearted right now. However, they face a tricky trip to Bristol next Sunday. On the same day, the Somerset-Glamorgan clash could well have a major influence on who progresses to the quarter-finals. On Friday, Headingley hopes for a bumper night as Roses rivals Lancashire are in town while, down at Trent Bridge, Warwickshire’s bowlers will have to get rid of Hales and Wessels early on if they want to have a reasonable chance of overhauling Notts at the top of the North division.

Team of the Week: Wessels (Not), Hales (Not), Nash (Sus), Madsen (Der), Rossington (Nor +), Bailey (Ham), Patel (Not), Shahid Afridi (Ham), T Curran (Sur), Gleeson (Nor), Hogan (Gla)

Harmer Hammers Warwickshire

In a week when much of England and Wales sweltered in record June temperatures, four counties rediscovered the knack of racking up a commanding score then bowling the opposition out twice. Indeed, all three Division One fixtures resulted in innings defeats.

Essex extended their lead at the top after thrashing Warwickshire at Chelmsford. The long-serving duo of Ravi Bopara and wicketkeeper James Foster each struck centuries in an innings of 542-9 declared before South African spinner Simon Harmer produced career-best match figures of 14-128 to consign their visitors to bottom place for another week.

Lancashire leapt to second with a comfortable win over former leaders Hampshire at Old Trafford. It wasn’t all plain sailing. George Bailey (127) and Kyle Abbott (97 not out) took Hants to the verge of 400 but the Red Roses response included no fewer than three centurions: Alex Davies, Ryan McLaren and Dane Vilas. The latter ended up on 244 from only 275 balls and bossed a 231-run stand with fellow countryman McLaren, who then, wth Anderson and Jarvis, ran through the Hampshire line-up inside 57 overs to clinch maximum points.

At Lord’s Middlesex claimed their first victory of the summer, handing Yorkshire a rare hiding. Sam Robson made 159 and Paul Stirling took his chance in the first XI with 111. With Ireland handed Test status for the first time, he must be a shoo-in for his country’s first-ever five-day squad, whenever that might be! Anyway, all the Middlesex bowlers chipped in, Ollie Rayner’s second-innings 4-35 being the pick of the performances.

Division Two still has a four-horse race look about it. Nottinghamshire notched up win number five, cleaning up against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge. In terms of runs, Samit Patel almost outscored the opposition on his own, striking a second double-hundred in succession. After his 247, he left muh of the bowling to the seamers, the pick of whom was neither Ball nor Broad but James Pattinson.

At New Road, Worcestershire stole a march on rivals Kent in a much closer encounter of swinging fortunes. Kent struggled early on but only Joe Clarke, with his first three-figure score of the season, made much impact for Worcestershire in reply. It was in the second half of the match when the runs began to flow. Joe Denly’s 227 helped Kent to a lead of 398 but on the final day, Daryl Mitchell and Clarke again struck tons, ably assisted by Moeen Ali’s swift 63, and Kent subsided in the sun by four wickets.

Further north, where the weather was less fierce, Durham finally entered the black with their first Championship success of 2017. They prevented Glamorgan from achieving a third consecutive victory thanks largely to Chris Rushworth’s eight wickets and a 185-run partnership on the second day between Graham Clark and the ageless Paul Collingwood.

Now for the groundbreaking set of day-night matches! Let’s hope they pull in some badly-needed crowds to enjoy proper first-class cricket. Pick of the fixtures must be Kent’s trip to Nottinghamshire and Essex’s hosting of Middlesex. I will be hoping that Somerset enjoy a rare celebration in Hampshire but I don’t hold out much hope, especially with half their team on England Lions duty!

Team of the Week: Davies (Lan +), Mitchell (Wor), Denly (Ken), Clarke (Wor), Patel (Not), Vilas (Lan), McLaren (Lan), Leach (Wor), Harmer (Ess), Pattinson (Not), Rushworth (Dur)

Notts and Surrey Fire towards the Final

While the cream of the world’s one-day batsmen were struggling to accumulate scores of 300+ in the Champion Trophy, elsewhere in England those left behind were making hay while the sun shone on the knockout stages of the Royal London Cup.

The group stage runners-up and third placers met in the sort-of-quarter-finals at Taunton and Headingley. Somerset scored an impressive 405 but unfortunately for them, it w in pursuit of a stunning 429-9 racked up by Nottinghamshire, who had passed 400 twice in last year’s competition. Even without Hales, their batting in limited overs has enormous potential, and most delivered last week.

Brendon Taylor thrashed 154 in 97 balls, followed by a rapid 62 in the semi-final a few days later. Riki Wessels and Samit Patel knocked half-centuries but only Somerset’s reliable Dean Elgar managed a decent innings (91) in response. The late-order did their best with cameo hitting but were bowled out 24 runs and two overs short.

Surrey also claimed an away win by the same margin. That man Kumar Sangakkara passed three figures yet again in that beautifully fluent style that is his hallmark.

When it came to the semis, Surrey were even more emphatic. England discard Jason Roy rediscovered some form with 92 and wicketkeeper struck a second successive score of 86, ahead of the Sri Lankan legend’s 72-ball 73. In a week where county attack were being taken apart, all credit – albeit grudgingly! – to Gareth Batty, who took 5-40 as Worcestershire crumbled.

At Chelmsford, Alastair Cook achieved a third century in the competition this summer for Essex, and at more than a run a ball. His face may not fit the current template for power and aggression but often it’s mastery of the basic which can be so effective in the 50-over game, and Cook is undoubtedly a master batsman. His skipper Ryan Ten Doeschate also produced another of his 102 not outs  And yet it wasn’t enough. A brilliant partnership of 185 between Samit Patel, sweating in the sunshine, and the ebullient Steve Mullaney, took them to the brink of the huge 374 target before Mullaney was caught behind off Wagner on 111. Patel took his side over the finishing line six deliveries later.

It all sets up an enthralling final next month.

Team of the Week: Cook (Ess), Wessels (Not), Sangakkara (Sur), Patel (Not), B Taylor (Not), Mullaney (Not), Foakes (Sur +), Gregory (Som), Batty (Sur), Azeem Rafiq (Yor), Porter (Ess)

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)

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)

2015 County Cricket Team of the Year

So 2015 ended with Ashes success for England, a second Championship crown for Yorkshire, limited-overs trophies for Lancashire and Gloucestershire and a miserable finale for Sussex. But who were the individual stars of the summer? I’ve compiled my Team of the Year based partly on my Teams of the Week and partly on the end-of-season statistics.

Openers:
It wasn’t a vintage year for openers in first-class cricket, although Michael Carberry, Mark Stoneman and, in a September flurry, Marcus Trescothick each passed 1000 runs. However, there were some memorable summers for one-day pinch-hitters. Jason Roy and Steven Davies were superb for Surrey but for consistency I’ve gone for Michael Klinger and Alex Hales. The veteran Aussie arrived late but produced a devastating deluge of centuries in limited overs competitions, playing a major role Gloucestershire’s T20 Blast triumph. He also appeared in no fewer than five Teams of the Week in this blog. Hales chose to spend some time as a gun for hire overseas but when he put his mind to it, he scored heavily in all formats for Nottinghamshire. But will he get to partner Cook for England against Pakistan?

Middle Order
So many options here! James Vince outscored everyone in T20 but was unusually mediocre in proper cricket. James Taylor started poorly but gained ground to win back his international place in ODIs. Luke Wright was a ray of shining light in an otherwise dismal summer for Sussex, and James Hildreth likewise for Somerset. Indeed he was top scorer in Division One but was surprisingly short of runs in the one-day stuff.

My choice begins at Durham with Steve Borthwick. He still bowls some leg-spin in T20 but is more of a specialist batsman these days. He scored few centuries but chipped in regularly at number three. Kent’s young captain Sam Northeast also saved his best innings for Twenty20, and it was his hundred which thwarted Somerset in the match where Chris Gayle struck his 150.

The season’s greatest run machine was Ashwell Prince. The veteran South African delayed his retirement for just one season and how Lancashire must have been grateful for that decision. He was also part of that record-breaking 500+ stand with Alviro Pietersen. Niall O’Brien claimed the most dismissals, Ben Brown more runs but my wicketkeeper-batsman is Jonny Bairstow. He produced five three-figure scores for Yorkshire before he was brought in to replace Gary Ballance for England. His Championship average was a tidy 100-odd so who knows what he might have achieved with his county had his team-mate not lost form in Test cricket?

Amongst all-rounders, the evergreen Darren Stevens and Peter Trego were typically in the frame but I’ve gone for Samit Patel for his mixture of vital innings and handy wickets. Notts didn’t have a great year with the ball, so his off-spin rescued the side more than once.

Bowlers
Chris Rushworth made only one Team of the Week but he was the most prolific wicket-taker in first-class cricket, with 88. He rarely played in limited-overs fixtures but he has to be in this Eleven. Joining him as seamers are Surrey’s Tom Curran, James Harris of Middlesex and Yorkshire’s Jack Brooks.

Curran, helped by his 17 year-old brother Sam, was instrumental in hauling Surrey up to the Division Two title, while Harris’s Championship wickets and late-order runs gave Middlesex the impetus to be runners-up. It was hard to pick the final man in the Team of the Season.

Yorkshire’s success was built primarily on their attack. Twelve victories generally means bowling sides out twice, and the White Roses had strength in depth. Ryan Sidebottom missed some games through injury yet he claimed more than 40 wickets at under 18 apiece. Tim Bresnan, Steve Pattinson, Graeme Onions and Adil Rashid all contributed but the main man was Jack Brooks. If he wasn’t the wrong side of 30, the bandana man would have been in the England squad by now instead of Mark Wood.

The likes of Footitt, Rushworth and Brooks may have to content themselves with notching up hundreds of wickets in county cricket instead of the England kit, and their respective clubs will be grateful. Meanwhile, for all the talk of overseas stars, the only foreigners in my XI are Prince and Klinger. As far as England are concerned, I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of Curran, Northeast or Hales.

In short, my County Team of 2015 is:-

Klinger (Glo), Hales (Not), Borthwick (Dur), Northeast (Ken), Prince (Lan), Bairstow (Yor/Eng +), Patel (Not), Harris (Mid), T Curran (Sur), Brooks (Yor), Rushworth (Dur).

Notts Advance at the Double

The British weather did its best to disrupt the county cricket schedule, but there was still plenty of excitement around the Championship and Royal London Cup.

Yorkshire can still be caught after only two full innings were possible at Hove. England discard Gary Balance struck 165 before Sussex responded with no fewer than three individual centuries. Ed Joyce, Mike Yardy and the relatively youthful Ben Brown reached three figures but a draw was already inevitable.

Middlesex closed the gap to thirty points by beating Durham at Chester-le-Street. Bowlers were generally in charge, notably Graeme Onions, who grabbed 7-68 on day one. In the second innings, the consistent Chris Rushworth claimed another five-for, yet both finished on the losing side. That had much to do with Neil Dexter’s runs and James Harris’s eight wickets.
Nottinghamshire also consolidated their third place, helped by Steven Mullaney’s 112 and one of those Alex Hales specials, an unbeaten 189 not out. Samit Patel’s 4-23 in 22 overs completed an innings defeat of Warwickshire.

At Taunton, Somerset compiled a huge score and had Worcestershire on the rack at 44-4 before the rain set in. The visitors kept going without losing another wicket but the unbeaten double-century stand between James Hildreth (220 not out) and Peter Trego (130 not out) was all in vain. At least we had the better of the two in terms of bonus points, which could be crucial in the relegation battle. Next week, Worcestershire face another battle at the bottom, this time versus Sussex, while Somerset face an awkward trip to Yorkshire.

All Division Two matches ended in damp squibs. Lancashire’s draw with Glamorgan meant that the Old Trafford side are almost certain to be promoted next month. Glen Chapple could add only two to his first-class tally of 980 wickets. Will he make the thousand by the end of the campaign?! A Ben Foakes century and Tom Curran’s 6-61 were the only performances to note in the truncated Surrey v Gloucestershire fixture.

Rain robbed Leicestershire of a probable triumph at Northampton. Skipper Mark Cosgrove struck a composed 110 and Niall O’Brien a more impatient 95 to establish a first innings lead, before Clint McKay and Will White left their batsmen a target of just 116. Sadly for the basement county, they could face fewer than seven overs before play was abandoned as a draw. The Derbyshire-Kent encounter was memorable only for Billy Godleman’s twin hundreds, making it three in row for the 26 year-old opener.

The Royal London One-Day Cup may not be given much of a future by the PCA, but it has provided four counties with a chance of silverware, none of them participating in this weekend’s T20 Blast Finals Day. Nottinghamshire capped a good week, knocking out holders Durham. Hales and Patel reprised their star turns in their fifty over quarter-final. Essex were booted out at the same stage for the fourth consecutive competition, this time by Yorkshire. Paul Grayson and James Foster must be scratching their heads over this but their young talent may yet flourish in the next season or two, unless England steal Reece Topley, that is!

That man Michael Klinger delivered another match-winning innings for Gloucestershire, handing Hampshire a rare one-day defeat. In the other tie, Surrey’s Curran twins were showing that the pace attack without the retired Chris Tremlett still has a promising future as they kept Kent’s top batsmen quiet. Jason Roy thumped a run-a-ball century but a blistering 100 from Matt Coles, including nine sixes, almost produced an incredible turnaround before he became the tenth man out seventeen runs short.

Next weekend, Gloucestershire hope that talisman Klinger will return from Oz to hit them into the Lord’s final and end Yorkshire hopes of a second trophy. Surrey host Notts in the other semi, which could be a cracker!

Team of the Week: Godleman (Der), Hales (Not), Ballance (Yor), Hildreth (Som), Dexter (Mid), Patel (Not), N O’Brien (Lei +), Harris (Mid), T Curran (Sur), McKay (Lei), Onions (Dur)

Gubbins and Klinger Club the Runs

It was all about 50 overs in county cricket last week and, with some decidedly dodgy weather at times, Gloucestershire must be delighted with four wins out of four, to secure a knockout phase place. Fellow Group A front-runners Surrey also had a 100% record in the past seven days, albeit from three matches.

Surrey owed much to their batsmen, Jason Roy, Stephen Davies and the evergreen Kumar Sangakkara, with Joe Burke chipping in with valuable wickets. Gloucestershire weren’t a one-man band either, although Michael Klinger’s incredible one-day form showed no sign of waning. Two more centuries and a round 50 boosted the Bristol-based side, but ‘keeper Garth Roderick also made three figures and Geraint Jones struck three half-centries. Seamer David Payne also collected eleven scalps including five against Durham.

In Group B, Nottinghamshire rule the roost. Riki Wessels produced one of his trademark innings to defeat Middlesex today. Seven sixes helped raise his score to 131, the third highest this week. However, the star player
was probably Samit Patel. A fine century against Essex and seven wickets did as much as anybody to take his side to the top.

Middlesex experienced a mixed week but, despite a duck against Hampshire, it was a fabulous seven days for their 21 year-old, Nick Gubbins. He aggregated well over 300 runs, the best being 141 in 113 balls against Sussex. In that game, he shared a massive stand of 268 with fellow centurion Dawid Malan.

Some compensation for me came in two victories for Somerset, for whom Taunton favourites Peter Trego and James Hildreth showed what they are made of. Wes Durston (Derbyshire) and all-rounder Scott Borthwick (Durham) were also consistently excellent, but a special mention should be made of Joe Clarke.

The Worcestershire teenager plundered an unbeaten 131 in 109 balls off Gloucestershire but still finished on the losing side. Sentimentality would have placed him in my Team of the week, but there were just too many other worthy winners, especially with the bat. Maybe next week, Joe? Colleague Joe Leach also made the headlines. Against Northants, he achieved the rare feat of a hat-trick with the first three balls of the whole match. Unfortunately for him, his side's batting was even worse than the opposition's and his spectacular opening was in vain.

Team of the Week: Klinger (Glo, *)), Davies (Sur), Borthwick (Dur), Durston (Der), Gubbins (Mid), Roderick (Glo, +), Patel (Not) – two weeks running!, Trego (Som), Rayner (Mid), Payne (Glo), Hannon-Dalby (War).

Gayle Force in Somerset, Raine-ing success for Leicester

Just for a change, I’ll start my weekly review of the county cricket action at the foot of Division Two. The reason is that Leicestershire have finally won a Championship match for the first time since September 2012. When Lewis Hill nudged the single which took them past Essex’s target, you’d think they’d won the World Cup! Maybe now the hoodoo is broken, they can kick on. They actually have some decent players. Unfortunately, the team they beat at Chelmsford are looking very weak. The top order can’t score and without Topley and Masters the young Essex attack lacks experience.

The top two played out a boring draw on a bat-friendly Oval pitch. There were centuries for Jason Roy, Rory Burns and, for the first time, James Faulkner but only two runs for the returning Kevin Pietersen. Surrey narrowed the gap behind Lancashire by just one point, but Glamorgan are now only eight points adrift of second place after defeating Northants by ten wickets. Craig Meschede’s 107 and 3-19 made the difference.

At Derby, Jack Taylor struck his debut hundred for Gloucestershire then after a couple of last morning declarations, his miserly 2-19 almost secured victory over a second-rate Derbyshire. Dilshan has yet to produce the killer innings and only Billy Godleman and Shiv Thakor exceeded 20 in the second innings. However, Gloucester could take only eight wickets and a draw ensued.

In the top tier, Middlesex leapfrogged Durham despite drawing with Warwickshire, but Nottinghamshire enjoyed a victory over a promising Sussex side. Despite poor weather, it was all over inside three days, and there were several performances to savour. Pity Steve Magoffin: 12 wickets yet finished on the losing side. Former Notts favourite Bruce French has a new family star. His nephew Jake Ball took 9-67 in total, Samit Patel hit 100 but teenager Luke Wood fared even better. With Notts reeling at 98-7, he surprised everyone by thumping exactly 100 in 96 balls. Allied to five wickets, he did more than anyone to ensure his county escaped the relegation zone.

In the other match, Hampshire dug themselves out of the mire on day 4 to avoid losing against fellow strugglers Worcestershire, for whom captain Daryl Mitchell hit an unbeaten 142.

It may not have been a vintage week in the Championship but last weekend, the NatWest Blast competition really came alive as some of the IPL superstars joined at the party. There’s no bigger name in T20 than Chris Gayle. Not only did he bring in thousands through the turnstiles at Chelmsford and Taunton but he also sent local residents - human and fish – scurrying and swimming to safety amidst a blitz of sixes. Against Essex, his 92 in 59 balls laid the foundation for a last-ball victory for Somerset. Then, facing a huge Kent total courtesy of Sam Northeast, he smashed an unbeaten 151 only to miss the target by just three runs! What would we do without him?! Hats off, too, to Paul Stirling and Dawid Malan, for giving Middlesex fans plenty to cheer about in the short format game, too. After three weeks, there are no clear favourites; almost every team has won at least one match. Only Kent – with four wins in five – have established some sort of winning sequence.

Team of the Week: Gayle (Som), Stirling (Mid), Northeast (Ken, *), Patel (Not), Watling (NZ), Roy (Sur), Ronchi (NZ, +), Raine (Lei), Wood (Not), Ball (Not), Magoffin (Sus)

Team of the Week ending 6th June: All Hales to - er - Mankad?

It was a week of the IPL final, prolific opening batsmen and a controversial run-out. Yorkshire's openers Adam Lyth and Alex Lees put on 375 in the Championship and, with the former's astonishing acrobatic catch 'assist' in the T20 win over Lancashire accompanying his 230, Lyth is a shoo-in for my first position. Lees doesn't join him, and neither does Durham's Mark Stoneman (187) because Alex Hales produced a couple of peaches. Given carte blanche to go for his shots by Notts skipper Chris Read, Hales thumped 167 in 133 balls in a first-class game, followed by a more familiar T20 blast against Derbyshire.

Stoneman's partner and occasional England leg-spinner option, Scott Borthwick almost hit a 'double' in the rain-truncated Middlesex draw, and is my number three. At four I was even tempted to include Vinoo Mankad. His name was mentioned more often than just about any other cricketer this week, as the alleged originator of the bowler-runs-out-non-striker dismissal in the 1940s. However, he misses out only because he has been dead for nearly 36 years. He is eclipsed by my wicket-keeper selection. No, not Jos Buttler. His brilliant ODI 121 for England took him close but his failure to heed two warnings of excessive backing up by Senanayake let him down. Instead, Wriddhiman Saha's IPL final heroic innings of 115 in 55 balls merits recognition. No winners' medal but he can look back proudly on his place in my Team of the Week!

Samit Patel keeps on scoring runs and taking wickets for Nottinghamshire, and this week was no exception. Yet he still can't get anywhere near the England set-up. His 156 was narrowly overtaken by Ed Joyce's unbeaten 164 for Sussex in the same match, and both players keep out other high run-makers in Moeen Ali and Alviro Petersen.

Like Saha and Buttler, Darren Christian's blistering short-form innings with Middlesex was in a losing cause. His T20 assault of 129 in 57 deliveries included twelve fours and no fewer than ten sixes. He even added a pair of wickets, too. Two other all-rounders were in fine form for their respective counties. Glamorgan's Jim Allenby contributed almost a hundred runs in the Championship then blitzed 96 not out at Taunton in a classic T20 encounter. They won despite a typical Trego onslaught, as Peter plundered 94 in a run chase which fell just a few runs short. His 3-37 and 3-25 in the four-day game versus Lancashire showed he is more than just a limited-overs specialist. But then we Somerset fans have known that for years!

My team bats well down the order this week but my final two are bowling specialists. Danny Briggs has played T20 for England but his Championship 5-50 and 2-22 for Hampshire against Derbyshire make him the top spinner of the past seven days. Palladino and Shantry had their moments but Reece Topley made it a return from injury to remember. He claimed ten wickets for Essex against Glamorgan, including a first innings 6-41. In my view, he is a left-armer with more potential than Gurney.

To summarise: Lyth (York), Hales (Nott), Borthwick (Dur), Saha (Kings, +), Patel (Nott), Joyce (Sus, *), Christian (Mid), Allenby (Gla), Trego (Som), Briggs (Ham), Topley (Ess). Twelfth man: Mankad (Ind)....

Yorkshire's quick win beats the rain and rivals

After three good days of cricket, rain swept over England on Wednesday, frustrating the likes of Somerset, Hampshire and Worcestershire who each looked odds-on to clinch victories. Yorkshire could at least look smug havig despatched Nortamptonshire inside three days, thus eliminating the lottery of the early June weather.

The struggling home team actually earned a first innings lead, thanks in part to Ian Butler's 4-41. However, Yorkshire turned things around in stunning fashion. Following a first morning duck, Adam Lyth produced a top-drawer 230, sharing a record-breaking opening stand of 375 with Alex Lees. Liam Plunkett then led the final charge to clinch a 271-run victory and a place in the England Test squad. At the Riverside, Middlesex were relieved to survive with a draw after Durham slammed Murtagh, Finn et al for 568. Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick enjoyed a productive second wicket partnership of 274, each reaching career-best scores of 187 and 216, respectively. Toby Roland-Jones maintained his recent fine form with another five-for/half-century duet, or maybe Middlesex wouldn't still be sitting top of the table.

Somerset forced a follow-on at Old Trafford, courtesy of an Alviro Petersen century and three wickets apiece for Peter Trego, Craig Overton and George Dockrell. Unfortunately their bid for the number one position was thwarted by a Wednesday washout. Hove also witnessed a handful of 150+ scores. Samit Patel stroked 25 boundaries in his 156 but Ed Joyce responded with an unbeaten 164. Alex Hales was let off the leash to plunder 167 in 133 balls with the intention of hastening a practicable declaration but it ultimately achieved nothing. It also did nothing to establish Test credentials of a player who cannot play a solid responsible opener's role but can be magnificent when required to score rapidly. The draw left both teams in mid-table but still within reach of Middlesex.

In Division Two, both Hampshire and Worcestershire were left high and dry within reach of easy wins. The former needed just two final Derbyshire wickets to wrap up a comprehensive victory only for a combination of dogged Alex Hughes and dour rain to ruin their opportunity. NO three-figure scores but a 5-50 for Danny Briggs. At The Oval, Moeen Ali compiled an excellent 162 but Surrey's equally famous beard-owner Hashim Amla was elsewhere being named SA Test skipper. Surrey slipped from 134-1 to 206 all out, most wickets going not to Saeed Ajmal but Jack Shantry. They followed on but batted more respectably until the weather intervened.

IN Essex, Will Bragg accumulated more valuable runs for Glamorgan but there wasn't time for the home side to face more than six overs in their chase for victory. If the rain had matched Monty Panesar's poor timekeeping his side may have succeeded. Gloucestershire leapt to third place after defeating Leicestershire by nine wickets. The match started a day later than the others, giving Michael Klinger and Benny Howell the chance to smash their way to 255 at almost seven an over. The Aussie captain must have been particularly relieved after enduring a miserable run of scores in all cricket this summer. Mid-season signing from Kent and former England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones whacked 93 in the first innings, too.

Next weekend, the top two meet in a mouth-watering clash at Worcester while the bottom pair Leicestershire and Derbyshire also vie to avoid the wooden spoon. The top tier challengers will be competing to topple Middlesex from their lofty perch. Yorkshire, Somerset and Warwickshire all have home advantage, against Notts, Sussex and Lancs, respectively.

The Outlaws Steal the Show!

After all that, the combined might of Nottinghamshire's all-star XI provged too much for Glamorgan in the YB40 Final. It was a shame, too, that Lord's was far from being sold out but as soon as it was announced that Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann weer to be released by England, it was always going to be a tough ask for the Welsh side to come out on top. Nevertheless, they reached the final on merit and in a single 40-over match, nothing is impossible.

The floodlights were on for a gloomy day in St John's Wood, and after Glamorgan inserted the Outlaws, the England T20 openers set a good pace, with Michael Lumb leading the way with three fours and a six. However, both he and Alex Hales fell in successive overs, then James Taylor and Samit Patel struggled as Simon Jones, in his last season of proper cricket with Glamorgan, and Andrew Salter in his second, exerted some pressure. David Hussey and captain Chris Read have disappointed this season, one reason while Notts are in Championship trouble. However, they rescued their side's innings with a 99 partnership. Swann and Mullaney biffed some late boundaries off Wagg and Hogan to set a stiff target of 245.

When the Welsh came out to bat, Broad and Gurney induced a lot of playing and missing from the word go. Mark Wallace miscued for 2, but Rees rode his luck to make 29. Danger men Chris Cooke, one of the highest scorers in this year's tournament, and consistent all-rounder James Allenby steadied the ship and kept the Glammies' hopes high. Enter Samit Patel. Miffed at his treatment by England selectors, he showed his talent as left-arm spinner by bamboozling both batsmen with prodigious turn, clipping both off-stumps. Murray Goodwin made little impression and when he went, a long tail was exposed. Shahzad, Patel and, in the 33rd over, easily cut it to pieces. Simon Jones, given a generous standing ovation by all sets of fans and the Notts players, was left high and dry on 0 while the Notts fielders went berserk around him.

As I wrote yesterday, this was their first one-day title for more than 20 years, and they relished the success. And so they should. Their side boasted five current and two recent England internationals plus Hussey. Their opponents featured just two, and Jones last played for England in 2005, Goodwin for Zimbabwe in 2000! Taylor and Patel each aggregated more than 500 runs in the competition, although well behind Peter Trego and Michael Klinger. The final featured the top wicket-takers in Michael Hogan and Ajmal Shahzad, while the Outlaws Gurney and Mullaney also enjoyed a solid summer of 40-over cricket. Jake Ball claimed 19 wickets in twelve games and could be forgiven for feeling pissed off at being dropped for the big occasion in favour of glory boy Broad. Hopefully he'll get another opportunity. Patel may be the Friar Tuck amongst Read's Merrye bande of Outlaws but he deserved the Man of the Match award!

And so the domestic one-day season came to a bit of a damp-squib climax. 40-over cricket has once again been consigned to the commercial dustbin, and a two-division 50-over format takes over in 2014. I hope next year's final gets the crowds the occasion deserves. IN the mean time, well done to Nottinghamshire but I'm cheering on Somerset against them in next week's Championship relegation showdown!

England's go for a Spin Quartet

I can just about remember India regularly playing three or four top-class spinners like Bedi and Venkat back in the early 1970s. Now, with slow bowlers back in vogue thanks first to Warne, Murali and Kumble, then to their success in Twenty20, everyone wants to get in on the act.

In the recent UAE series against Pakistan, Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman destroyed England, but Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar also had their moments on the pitches of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is interesting that for the forthcoming Tests in Sri Lanka, the English selectors have gone for two other spinners in James Tredwell and all-rounder Samit Patel.

I rather suspect they may be on drinks duties unless injury strikes one or both of Swanny or Monty. However, by giving Eoin Morgan the boot, Patel's chances of making his Test debut look the stronger unless Andy Flower goes for Bresnan as an extra seamer and, alongside Matt Prior and Stuart Broad, useful late-order batsman. The Notts all-rounder has always been a batsman first and foremost but of course his additional bowling option has earned him 25 ODI caps. His first-class batting average is a satisfactory 41, with 13 centuries to his name. Ravi Bopara will presumably take Morgan's place at Galle as a like-for-like but should he fail, Patel is waiting in the wings.

Tredwell made just one Test appearance in Dhaka after an excellent season for Kent in 2009. Against Bangladesh he took six wickets for 181 before returning to the semi-wilderness. He made the one-day squad last winter, making the last of his five ODI appearances against Sri Lanka, taking no wickets. Mind you, so did all his colleagues, as Tharanga and Dilshan each scored unbeaten hundreds!

England's eleven will probably read: Strauss, Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Bopara, Prior, Swann, Broad and two out of three of Finn, Anderson and Panesar. It's possible that the Essex man could give way to Bresnan or even Anderson, if England opt for a five-man bowling attack. It's weird to think that the Lancashire paceman should find himself in danger of being dropped whilst still ranked third in the world. However, it would be tough to leave out Finn after performing so well in the one-dayers.

I have little sympathy for Morgan. He is a fine 'one-day' number six but I would go for Bopara every time. Patel's lack of movement in the field counts against him but, as I said, he could find himself called up in the event of injury, loss of form or just a gamble by the coach. Could we see an England Test XI featuring a full spin quartet? I somehow doubt it, but having four in a squad of fifteen opens up the intriguing possibility!

Player of the Week: Samit Patel

Top scorer of the week was Kevin Pietersen, the only man to beat 200 in an innings, while the First Test also brought plenty of runs for Matt Prior and Rahul Dravid. However, in the domestic game, apart from Marcus Trescothick and Tim Maynard, it was the bowlers who caught the eye.

The ever-reliable Middlesex seamer Tim Murtagh grabbed ten wickets against Surrey while Kiwi spinner Jeetan Patel did the same for a resurgent Warwickshire in their defeat of Sussex, adding some useful late-order runs, too. Nevertheless, my Player of the Week - and I never thought I'd ever write this! - is his namesake, Samit Patel.

The Leicester-born all-rounder has been having a productive summer,apparently putting his old fitness problems if not completely behind him then at least tucked behind his rather ample back! OK, so he'll never hare across the outfield or leap like a gazelle, but Patel has scored almost 600 runs and taken 31 wickets in the Championship alone so far. He earned a recall to England's ODI line-up earlier this month and, despite making little impact, he has returned to the county fray with vigour, taking 11 for 111 in Notts' triumph over Hampshire. Forget the so-called 'unfit' Rose Bowl pitch; he spun the ball well and deserved his wickets. Then there is his very impressive strike rate with the bat in T20, and more tan 250 runs to date in the 40-over competition, although he hasn't bowled consistently well in short-form cricket.

Samit's first-class average of more than 40 suggests he is more of a batsman than bowler, especially in the four-day game. However, with England in Test ascendancy, there are no vacancies in that particular squad. Instead, he could shave off a few pounds and stake a consistent claim to one of the all-rounder berths in ODIs. He is still only 26 and could give the likes of Bopara and Wright a run for their money. As long as he doesn't take it too literally...