Kent Spitfires shoot them all down

First of all I have to proffer my grudging congratulations to Kent for winning the T20 Blast, consigning Somerset to their customary runners-up spot. Their Finals Day victories while batting first (also against Sussex) demonstrated their all-round abilities, from the batting of Bell-Drummond and Cox to the bowling of Milnes and Klaasen. However, it was that man Darren Stevens whose unbeaten 47 from 28 balls was instrumental in reaching the final. Kent don’t win many trophies these days so it was nice to see the 45 year-old get to hold aloft some silverware before retirement, whenever that might be, if ever. 

He was rested for the preceding Championship fixture against Derbyshire which they also won. Daneil Bell-Drummond supplied another two half-centuries while the majority of wickets went the way of Grant Stewart and Nathan Gilchrist. The home county’s batters never looked likely to surmount the declaration target of 341 and were duly dismissed for 210. That’s three out of three so far for Kent, a feat matched by Middlesex who beat Worcestershire at Lord’s by 101 runs. Charlie Morris’ 6-52 looked set to spoil the party only for Ethan Bamber (4-28) and Martin Andersson (3-22) to wrap things up on the fourth day. 

In the other Group 3 match, Sussex capitulated in their second innings to hand Leicestershire a comprehensive victory at Grace Road. Hassan Azad (152) and Lewis Hill (145) notched career-best scores then four-wicket hauls by Ben Mike and spinner Callum Parkinson applied the final blows. 

In Group 1, Hampshire moved into pole position by removing nine Nottinghamshire batsmen in the final session at Southampton. The losers were inevitably critical of the pitch as spinners Liam Dawson and Felix Organ wreaked havoc. The weather looked likely to ruin everything before play resumed at 1pm but the meagre crowd were rewarded for their patience. Warwickshire advanced to second, returning from Headingley with the spoils. Here, too, the bowlers were in charge, notably the visiting seamers Woakes, Norwell and Miles but special mention should go to Tim Bresnan. Playing against his old county of Yorkshire, he snaffled no fewer than six slip catches in the second innings, one short of the Championship record, besides taking 4-36 in the first innings. 

Meanwhile Somerset limbered up for their T20 day in the sun by suffering another trouncing, this time at the hands of Lancashire. That they avoided a third successive innings defeat owed much to a battling 100 by Tom Lammonby but there was little to cheer the Taunton faithful in the competition that really counts. Luke Wells and Tom Bailey shone for the Red Roses but there were six wickets for the previously unheralded Jack Blatherwick. His name suggests a background of club cricket in the Irwell valley but the 23 year-old was born in Nottingham. 

In Group 2, Essex remain top despite being held to a draw by Surrey. Reports of a problematic drinking culture affecting performances this summer may or may not be true but the veteran knight Alastair Cook delivered the highest score of the week, with 165. Gloucestershire are on their heels after taking 22 points from Cardiff. Glamorgan surrendered meekly to the orthodox spin of Zafar Gohar His sole Test outing for Pakistan left him with stats of 0-159 but the figures which mattered this week were 6-43. 

Things were more exciting at Northampton where there were some topsy-turvy scorecards. Durham achieved maximum batting points and a handsome first innings lead thanks to a ninth-wicket stand of 159 between Liam Trevaskis and Matty Potts. Having lost the third day to rain they had plenty of work to do with the ball as Northants battled to survive until stumps. In the event, they managed to do by the skin of their teeth. James Sales struck a maiden fifty and Simon Kerrigan stuck around for nearly three hours for his 28 not out and Durham couldn’t prise out him or last man White. 

And so to the Championship climax. The way Somerset have been playing, Warwickshire should take maximum points at Edgbaston but Nottinghamshire can still produce an extraordinary turnaround in fortunes by beating Yorkshire. However, the pennant will fly over the Ageas Bowl for the first time in 48 years should Hampshire overcome Lancashire at Liverpool and I wouldn’t bet against them, provided the fickle North West weather plays ball. 

Team of the Week: Bell-Drummond (Ken), A. Cook (Ess), Hassan Azad (Lei), Hill (Lei), Brown (Sus), Swindells (Lei +), Bresnan (War), Barker (Ham), Bamber (Mid), Potts (Dur), Norwell (War)

Notts On Top - Twice!

It was a mixed week for the counties, with a round of Championship fixtures squeezed in between NatWest T20 Blast games. Nottinghamshire opened up a 35-point lead in Division Two after thrashing neighbours Derbyshire. Just days after I wrote off Alex Hales’ potential as a Test batsman again, he scored a run-a-ball 218. Pity the Derby bowler Ben who nabbed ten wickets yet still finished on the losing side. Second-placed Worcestershire suffered a rare reverse at home to Sussex, for whom Chris Nash made 118 and the seamers Jordan and Archer were in the wickets.

Northamptonshire remain third after drawing at home to Gloucestershire and Leicestershire still haven’t won all season. They drew against Durham, for whom young opener Cameron Steel whipped up a top score of 224 and Tom Latham contributed 124. Had the match lasted a full four days, I doubt whether the home team would have avoided defeat. After notching a few wins in 2016, the look back to their old feeble selves.

In the top flight, the weather helped the seamers no end, with a couple of low-scoring results. Essex are now hot favourites to win the title in their first season back in Division One, thumping Yorkshire by eight wickets at Scarborough. Mohammad Amir claimed two five-fors and career-best match figures of 10-72, while Jamie Porter took 7-85. The Pakistan left-armer has been just the fillip Essex needed to push on for the Championship pennant. At the other end of the table, Warwickshire are finally off the mark having seen off Middlesex by 180 runs. Their all-rounders Keith Barker and the returning Chris Woakes were heavily involved. England, too, were particularly thankful to see Woakes back from injury and looking good.

Poor weather prevented any positive outcomes at Southampton and Taunton. I was at Somerset’s County Ground for the first time in ages on Monday and, before the heavens opened during the tea interval, was rewarded by some excellent strokeplay from Tom Abell (96) and, against his former county, Steven Davies (142). In the afternoon, they made the Curran brothers look very ordinary indeed. The following day, Surrey's Mark Stoneman’s 50 ensured his call-up to England did not look misplaced.

In the shorter stuff, Notts are also top of the North group, thanks to their defeat of closest rivals Warwickshire. Samit Patel’s unbeaten 78 was the decisive factor. In his favoured format, Hales was out first ball!  Yesterday, Glamorgan guaranteed progress to the quarter-finals. They went to Taunton and beat Somerset by just one run. With just eight runs required, Peter Trego couldn’t quite find the boundaries he wanted and so the Cidermen slip out of the top three. Essex have leapt from bottom to third inside a week but are three points behind second-placed Hampshire who enjoyed an easy win over Glamorgan.

T20 stars of the week must be Yorkshire skipper Tim Bresnan, who took a stunning 6-19, and Surrey’s Aaron Finch, whose century against Sussex included 30 off one Wiese over.

The next week will decide who finishes in the top four of each group, and the race to Finals Day gathers momentum. Nottinghamshire’s form in red and white-ball cricket must surely give them an edge. But of course in T20, anything can happen…

Team of the Week: Steel (Dur), Latham (Dur), Nash (Sus), Hales (Not), Davies (Som +), Woakes (War), Barnard (Wor), Hutton (Der), Bresnan (Yor), Jarvis (Lan), Mohammad Amir (Ess)

County Cricket Team of 2016

It was all change for the domestic trophies in 2016. Yorkshire relinquished the Championship pennant to Middlesex, albeit only after an incredibly close winner-takes-all final afternoon. Earlier, the 50-over competition was won by Ian Bell’s Warwickshire, and the T20 Blast by Northamptonshire, proving once again that the shortest format is the most unpredictable of them all.

For England, Joe Root’s all-round batting quality shone through, and it was wonderful to watch Chris Woakes finally make the step up from top-notch county stalwart to the international stage. Of course, playing for England deprives the domestic game of the best players for much of the season. It was nice to see Alastair Cook and Jonny Bairstow make some runs for Essex and Yorkshire before the ECB called them back for England duty, but they weren’t available for long enough to justify places in my county team of the year.
As before, this is based partly on my Teams of the Week and partly on the end-of-season statistics.

Openers:
In contrast to 2015, it was a fine year for opening batsmen. Marcus Trescothick, free from captaincy responsibilities and limited-overs cricket, enjoyed a fine 25th season for Somerset, Nick Gubbins’ runs were vital in Middlesex’s Championship success, and Mark Stoneman demonstrated why Surrey have prised him away from Durham. However, my places go to Adam Lyth and Keaton Jennings. The Yorkshireman may have been discarded by England, but he made runs in all competitions in 2016. The same is not true of Durham’s Keaton Jennings. Suddenly the Jo’burg-born left-hander found form of which I’d never dreamed him capable, doubling his career tally of first-class centuries in just one summer. He may not ‘do’ the one-day stuff but his dominance of the Championship run table (1,548 and 7 centuries), plus his record six Team of the Week appearances, earn him a spot in my Eleven.

Middle Order
It was a shock when James Taylor was forced to retire from cricket just as his international career was beginning to bloom. He left a big hole in the England middle-order which James Vince could not amply fill this summer. Steve Borthwick and Wayne Madsen were consistent performers but none could match Ben Duckett. The 21 year-old Northamptonshire man amassed well over 2,000 runs in all competitions. Hardly surprising then that he scooped both individual PCA awards and a place in the Bangladesh tour party. He is joined in my 2016 XI by Tom Westley of Essex and Kent’s Sam Northeast. They may have plied their trade in Division Two of the Championship but I wonder how long it will be before they also get their chance for England. Essex, in particular, have an encouraging talent pool of young batsmen.

All-rounders
Genuine all-rounders are a bit thin on the ground in the county game. Darren Stevens wasn’t his usual prolific self for Kent, while Samit Patel was unable to prevent Nottinghamshire from relegation. Somerset’s Peter Trego doesn’t bowl so much these days, helped by his county having the services of the Overton twins and Lewis Gregory. Nevertheless, he broke the 1,000 Championship run barrier in 2016 and struck a career best 154 not out against Lancashire. Now in his thirties, Tim Bresnan is carving quite a niche as a Yorkshire all-rounder these days. Besides supporting the likes of Sidebottom, Brooks and Patterson with the ball, Pontefract’s finest contributed essential runs in the lower order, culminating in his unbeaten 142 against Middlesex which almost clinched the third consecutive title.

Wicketkeepers
Ben Foakes (Surrey), Ben Cox (Worcestershire), Ben Brown (Sussex), James Foster (Essex) and John Simpson (Middlesex) each performed well with bat and gloves, but Tim Ambrose nicks it for me. He claimed more Championship victim than anyone else (57) and averaged a creditable 40 at the crease.

Bowlers
The reliable seamers Graeme Onions, Jack Brooks, Steve Magoffin, Clint McKay and Keith Barker each grabbed more than 50 Championship wickets as usual. Jamie Porter was promoted to new-ball duty for Essex and seemed to relish the responsibility. However, it was his 38 year-old team-mate Graham Napier, in his final season, who stole the glory. For so often he has taken the headlines for his six-hitting but in 2016 it was his wickets which did so much for Essex’s promotion challenge. Toby Roland-Jones seemed to enjoy match-winning performances at crucial times, none more so than the hat-trick which wrapped up the Championship on the very last afternoon. However, I have omitted him in favour of Worcestershire’s Joe Leach. He topped the Division Two table of wicket-takers (65), contributed another 20 in the T20 Blast and scored almost 600 runs in the four-day game.

The change in the toss rules was designed to benefit spinners and the jury’s out. I don’t suppose it made any difference to Jeetan Patel who underlined his reputation as the most consistent wicket-taker in county cricket. Ollie Rayner claimed 51 for Middlesex but the surprise name on the list was Somerset’s Jack Leach. The locally-born 24 year-old benefited from the county’s end-of-season turning track strategy and took his season’s tally of Championship wickets to 65, identical to his Worcestershire namesake.

It was encouraging to see so many different players emerging on the county scene. And I haven’t even mentioned Glamorgan’s Dutch-Aussie Timm van der Gugten, Nottinghamshire’s Jake Ball or Lancashire teenager Haseeb Hameed! How many will kick on in 2017 and will there be more promising newcomers filling the void left by England call-ups? I can’t wait to find out.

In summary, my County Team of 2016 is:-

Lyth (Yor), Jennings (Dur), Duckett (Nor), Northeast (Ken, *), Westley (Ess), Ambrose (War, +), Trego (Som), Bresnan (Yor), Joe Leach (Wor), Napier (Ess), Patel (War)

12th Man: Roland-Jones (Mid)

Middlesex win Thrilling County Championship Climax

The county cricket season used to have its high point with the principal one-day final. This year, Warwickshire thrashed Surrey to take the cup in a game nobody other than Ian Bell, Man of the Match Jonathan Trott and the Bears fans will remember. On the other hand, we have just witnessed the most exciting climax to the unfairly maligned County Championship I can recall.

Right up to the final half-hour of the season, the pennant could still have been heading to any of three counties. It was already a rollercoaster ride just following Somerset’s match against Nottinghamshire at Taunton. The home side needed to win and collect a bonus point more than Yorkshire while hoping Middlesex didn’t beat the champions at Lord’s.

It started perfectly. Chris Rogers and James Hildreth put on 269 for the third wicket then, at 322-4, Imran Tahir and Jake Ball took five Somerset wickets for no runs! Despite a gallant effort by Dominic Bess, we failed to reach 400 to secure the fifth batting bonus point. Young Bess then shone with the ball to leave Notts 227 adrift. Rogers then rubbed the relegated side’s noses further in the mire, adding a second personal century en route for a declaration 540 ahead. Before day three was over, Leach and van der Merwe had finshed things off. Somerset had done the business but would that lost bonus point prove critical?

Meanwhile, the top two were engaged in a much tighter, slower contest. Would it be too much to hope that it would end in a draw to hand the title to Somerset, ending those 120-odd years of hurt? Reliable Middlesex opener Nick Gubbins struck 125 but Jack Brooks’ 6-65 put Yorkshire in front. However, at 53-4, the leaders were very much back in it. Enter Tim Bresnan. The ex-England bowler is very much a genuine all-rounder these days and, supported by Hodd and Azeem Rafiq, he helped overhaul their opponents’ total. If they reached 350 a Yorkshire win would bring the title back to Leeds by one point. At 349-9 rain stopped play. Now all we Somerset fans wanted was an immediate Middlesex wicket. Alas, it wasn’t to be, and they played on to 390.

Day 3 ended with the score on 82-2. Delicately poised. Clearly, with Somerset on top, a draw suited neither side; a competitive declaration was inevitable. Dawid Malan struck 116 and Stevie Eskinazi a swift 78 not out, and the whole season came down to an afternoon single-innings shoot-out: 240 runs and ten wickets. The Middlesex seamers kept the wickets falling but at 5.30pm, a draw looked the likeliest result. Come on!!! Bu along comes Toby Roland-Jones. He only goes and grabs a hat-trick! The four points deducted for slow over rates didn’t matter; Middlesex were the champions for the first time since 1993.

Somerset’s agony goes on. Rogers announced his retirement from first-class cricket after his side’s victory but before the final day’s incredible conclusion. To bow out with two hundreds in the same match is impressive but the county’s first-ever Championship would have been so much better!

The final relegation issue was also decided on the last day. After a couple of great escapes, Hampshire couldn’t convert a first-innings lead over Durham into the win they needed. In the end, Mark Stoneman and Steve Borthwick signed off their Durham careers with a 162-run partnership, setting up a six-wicket victory. The batsmen have taken the Surrey shilling (and a bit more!) but are leaving a side which finished a creditable fourth, one ahead of their new masters. Ha ha!

Hampshire’s defeat meant that the Warwickshire v Lancashire fixture was of less importance. In the end, the Midlanders triumphed with ease. In a low-scoring encounter, Tim Ambrose’s 59 not out was the highest individual score!

Coincidentally, the top pair in Division Two also met in the last week. The first day was lost to the weather. Then, with both Essex and Kent pretty much assured of promotion, Sam Northeast blasted his way to 178 not out, helped by bowling of mixed quality by almost all of the Essex eleven.

Worcestershire sealed third position by easing to a nine-wicket win over demoralised Derbyshire. Harvey Hosein and captain Wayne Madsen each reached three figures in a losing cause but Worcester’s reliable young Joes, Clarke and Leach, were the stars. Poor Brett d’Oliveira. He enjoyed a fabulous start to the season but ended with a ‘pair’. Hopefully he can kick on next year, but the county need more reliable bowling performances to retun to the top tier.

At Grace Road, Leicestershire snatched victory from the proverbial jaws thanks to Clint McKay and Charlie Shreck destroying the Glamorgan batting on the third afternoon. A familiar tale in this disappointing Championship campaign for the Welsh. In the other game, wicket-keepers Ben Brown and Phil Mustard were amongst the runs but neither side could secure a winning end to their season.

I’ll soon be reviewing the season’s top performances and identifying the most consistent players throughout the long summer. But now for my final County Team of the Week:-

Gubbins (Mid), Stoneman (Dur), Rogers (Som), Clarke (Wor), Northeast (Ken), Hosein (Der +), Bresnan (Yor), Leach (Wor), Roland-Jones (Mid), Brooks (Yor), van der Gugten (Gla)

Northants Rollercoaster Ride

For once, most of the Championship fixtures produced a positive result, which makes for interesting movements in both divisions. The week began with the Nat West T20 Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston where Yorkshire were heavily fancied to secure the first leg of a possible Treble.

Ironic that David Willey, who joined them from Northamptonshire to boost his chance of an England career, experienced defeat to Durham in the semis then could only watch as his old side progress to the final. Three years ago, Willey practically won the climax single-handedly but in 2016, it was a good all-round bowling performance and a rumbustious 80 from Josh Cobb which took the trophy back to Wantage Road. They may have a small squad and little money but one strong point of Twenty 20 is that just about anyone can win it.

In the four-day game, it was a fantastic festival fixture at Scarborough for Yorkshire, who advanced to within five points of leaders Middlesex. They hammered nervy Nottinghamshire by 305 runs. Gary Ballance hit an unbeaten hundred before declaring, but his seamers had a field day. Thirty-somethings Tim Bresnan and Jack Brooks nabbed fifteen cheap wickets between them, with Willey unable to make the team.

Surrey also made short work of Lancashire at The Oval, and must surely be safe from relegation with two matches remaining. Sam Curran top-scored with 96 and it was nice to see Mark Footitt taking 7-62 on a rare outing for the Londoners. At Taunton Somerset had the better of Hampshire, as a terrific run-a-ball eighth wicket stand of 217 by Van Der Merwe and Craig Overton, with his debut hundred, set the visitors a tricky last afternoon target. However a second century of the game by Sean Ervine secured the draw.

At Chester-le-Street, almost two days’ play were lost, so Ian Westwood’s 127 and Jeetan Patel’s 5-32 for Warwickshire were in vain. Both counties sit in mid-table, looking anxiously over their shoulders.

Northants are struggling in Division Two but after scoring 551 in their first innings at New Road, a second victory of the season beckoned. Keogh, Crook and Chad Barrett all reached three figures, the latter becoming the county’s highest scorer for a number ten in their history! It was only the 27 year-old South African’s second first-class game, too. However, after some creative declarations setting Worcestershire 401 to win in 80-odd overs, another hundred by Daryl Mitchell and Joe Clarke’s 125 helped reach the target. It also kept them in contention for promotion.

However, Essex and Kent remain above them, each claiming innings victories this week. The leaders dented Leicestershire’s hopes at Grace Road inside three days, thanks largely to Jamie’s Porter’s eighth wickets and an assured 154 from teenager Dan Lawrence, whose first-class average now stands at a fine 47.

Kent also thumped Gloucestershire on the road at Bristol. Sam Billings and Darren Stevens plundered 258 in 49 overs while Hardus Viljoen was the pick of the Kent bowlers. The margin of victory would have been far greater had Hamish Marshall not shown admirable resistance in each innings.

It was a much closer affair at Cardiff, where Sussex just held on to edge Glamorgan by two wickets. Like Marshall, Chris Nash scored more than anyone else in each outing, but it was Ben Brown and George Garton who survived nine awkward overs to see them home. Sussex are still very much in the hunt to go up, with a game in hand. Beating Kent next week at Hove will do their chances a world of good. Lose, and they needn’t bother booking hotels around Lord’s or Headingley next summer.

Now for an honourable mention for Charlotte Edwards. Deposed as England captain, she nevertheless led the Southern Vipers to triumph in the inaugural Women’s Super League T20 tournament at Chelmsford. One in the eye for Mark Robinson!

Bank Holiday weekend sees the Royal London Cup semifinals. Somerset might be confident in their visit to Warwickshire but I fear they are too dependent on Hildreth, Trego and Jayawardene. Meanwhile, Yorkshire have another attempt at a one-day trophy, meeting Surrey in Leeds. I don’t know if they’ll have Root and Bairstow available, but it could be an away victory of Jason Roy is also released. And there’s a certain David Willey….


Team of the Week: Mitchell (Wor), Nash (Sus), Ervine (Ham), Marshall (Glo), Billings (Ken +), Stevens (Ken), Crook (Nor), Bresnan (Yor), Brooks (Yor), Porter (Ess), Footitt (Sur)

Bairstow Breaks Durham Hearts

Last week the bowlers were in command but this time, the County Championship was extraordinarily kind to the batsmen, and wicketkeepers in particular. Even the Aussies got in on the act, making hay in the Kent and Essex sunshine in a week which saw those in the London area experience their hottest July weather on record.

The first v second battle in Division One proved surprisingly one-sided. Once Jonny Bairstow achieved a career-best 219 not out, and shared with Tim Bresnan a 366-run seventh wicket partnership – the third highest in all first-class cricket and a Championship record – Durham’s pretensions to the title looked distinctly feeble. Bresnan then added three wickets of his own to make the home county follow on. Mark Stoneman capped a good personal week with a solid 131 but all in vain.

At the other end of the table, Nottinghamshire lifted themselves to seventh by beating fellow strugglers Worcestershire in a relatively low-scoring affair at Trent Bridge. Riki Wessels (Notts) and Tom Fell (Worcester) each made two half-centuries, and Richard Oliver fell on 99, but the star bowler was the under-rated medium-pacer Jack Shantry. In the Notts second innings the recorded Murali-esque figures of 35.4-13-48-5. And still ended up on the losing side!

Hampshire are now back at the bottom following a nine-wicket defeat at the hands of Middlesex. The Hants top order again failed, and James Harris helped himself to eight wickets. Meanwhile, at Edgbaston, only twelve wickets fell across all four days! Warwickshire and Sussex each declared on more than 600 with six centurions and another triple-hundred stand. Laurie Evans and ex-England ‘keeper Tim Ambrose piled on 327 for the sixth wicket as Sussex resorted to giving all eleven a bowl. A shame that ‘keeper Ben Brown couldn’t add a wicket to his unbeaten 119 from his eight tidy overs!

Next up, Yorkshire could put real distance between themselves and the rest by beating Warwickshire, while Worcestershire face another relegation battle, this time against Hampshire. Somerset go for a third consecutive success at home to Sussex, but somehow I can’t see it happening. Consistency is sorely lacking but then so is quality of the opposition bowling in recent weeks.

There were only two Second Division fixtures, but the promotion battle looks more interesting as a result. Leaders Lancashire could only draw with Northants, for whom young Ben Duckett contributed more than 200 runs. However, Surrey scorched Gloucestershire by an innings before the heatwave really took hold in London. Ben Foakes top-scored for the home team before Tom Curran (7-20) and Zafar Ansari (6-30) ripped through the vulnerable visitors on days two and three.

Next week, Glamorgan can catch up with one of their two games in hand (playing Derbyshire) but Lancashire can restore some momentum by beating Essex. Leicestershire and Kent will badly want to achieve the win which would consign the other to last place.

Team of the Week: Stoneman (Dur), Ansari (Sur), Duckett (Nor), Evans (War), Wright (Sus), M Marsh (Aus), Bairstow (Yor, +), Bresnan (Yor), T Curran (Sur), Harris (Mid), Shantry (Wor)

Tim Bresnan - Odd-jobber turned indispensible?

Hard to believe Tim Bresnan is still only 27. Maybe it's his physique, craggy features or simply how they breed 'em in Pontefract. However, he has graduated from being a bowling all-rounder in one-day cricket to a useful genuine all-rounder in Tests. His record of succssive victories in his first thirteen Tests has been beaten only by Adam Gilchrist, although unlike the Aussie legend, Bres has spread his appearances over a three-year period, stepping in to replace various injured pacemen from Broad to Finn.

He may not be the fastest, the best swinger of the ball or nimblest fielder but he is a proven wicket-taker with a Test average of 26 and has contributed nearly 400 runs in only 11 innings at an average of 40. OK, so that statistic may not be worth very much but those runs have often helped shore up the England late order to set up victories including against India last summer. He does have three first-class centuries to his name so the occasional 90 for England has not been a fluke, and maybe he would have scored even more had his international team mates been less successful with the bat. Coming in at 400-6 or something doesn't lend itself to big scores!

Bresnan was only 21 when his Yorkshire performances got him selected for the England ODI squad. He made his debut against Sri Lanka at Lord's in 2006 but there was to be no run of victories in 50-over cricket. His only wicket was that of Malinga, who gained revenge later on by bowling him for 16, swinging and missing a full-toss in a doomed run chase.

Since then he has become a regular in the side, especially in 2011. From 59 ODIs, he has only one 50 to his name, in the Champions League semi-final defeat to Australia in 2009, and one 'five-for' against India in the World Cup. However, he seems to have fewer fitness problems than some of his rivals and has done a reasonable, if not exceptional job for England. Same goes for his 20 T20 internationals. He fits easily into the category of wholehearted player, which can be reserved for those whose effort outperforms ability (echoes of my PE grades at school!) but he is no longer the first reserve who could be expected to stand down when Tremlett or Dernbach press for a place in the attack.

At 27, he could well have a couple more World Cups and plenty of Tests ahead of him. The Edgbaston rain may have ended his sequence of wins, but there's always Malcolm Marshall's phenomenal run of not losing any of his first 35 Tests. Of course, the West Indies were an amazing side at the time, and Marshall was one of the greatest fast bowlers ever. Nevertheless, while England are number one in the ICC rankings and provided they overcome South Africa this summer, Tim Bresnan may beat Mike Smith's (no relation!) England record of 19 consecutive Tests without defeat at the start of a career. Then, who knows?!

Broad and Bresnan make it look easy!

Well, who would have thought it? The world's number one cricketing nation are already 2-0 down and already there's talk of a series whitewash. Even I have to admit believing that England have a very handy side. As everybody now knows, they have only to avoid defeat in the next two games to supplant India at the top of the tree and I just can't see them slipping up.

At least after the second day at Trent Bridge, India looked to be making a game of it. Even without Zaheer Khan, their seamers had embarrassed the English batsmen before Broad and Swann produced a late-order fightback. Then Rahul Dravid produced his 34th Test century to steer his side to 267-4. Already super-confident, Stuart Broad then struck with the ball, too, taking 6-46 including a hat-trick.

Day three brought more misery for Alastair Cook but, even when you aggregate just 20 runs from four innings, nobody gives a monkey's when everyone else is helping themselves. Your openers fail? Bring on Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen. If Trott slips up, you can rely on Eoin Morgan and Matt Prior to chip in with half-centuries. England also seem to have the best 'tail' in world cricket, with Broad, Bresnan, even Swann capable of creaming top class bowlers, and not just T20-style slogging either. Thumping 544 at more than 4 1/2 an over is an incredible achievement, rounded off by the knowledge that on the last day your bowling attack can make even Dravid, Laxman, Raina and Dhoni look like nervous schoolboy debutants.

Broad deservedly took the Man of the Match award but the final day belonged to Tim Bresnan, claiming 5-48. Tendulkar and Harbajhan Singh gave India a glimmer of hope while all around them collapsed like a sandcastle under a beach bully's boot, but fittingly it was a middle-stump yorker from Broad which delivered the coup de grace, wrapping up a 319-run victory which must leave Duncan Fletcher in a real quandary. Let's face it, he looks miserable at the best of times but with his charges demolished twice in succession, there's not much he can do.

OK, so India were without Sehwag (again), Gambhir and Zaheer Khan. However, the rest of the stars were made to look fairly ordinary, Dravid excepted. Kumar and Sharma also had their moments but the gods of Indian cricket have appeared unusually mortal these past two weeks. Even at full strength, I think that a pumped-up England will be too strong for them. The crowds will be large and vociferous, scenting another series triumph. Who are the best batsmen on show? Bell? Pietersen? Broad? Who was that Sachin bloke who was supposed to pretty nifty with the willow?!

It's five years since England have has such a strong all-round attack, featuring the likes of Jones, Flintoff, Harmison, Hoggard and Giles. Then, the first three proved sadly fragile, both in mind and body, but Anderson is a new man now, Broad has rediscovered zest, bounce and swing, while Bresnan showed he can deputise brilliantly for Tremlett - and we still have Steve Finn, Chris Woakes and Jade Dernback waiting in the wings. If it's a spinner's wicket, England can simply call upon Swann to bamboozle batsmen.

To be honest, while England have boasted better batsmen and bigger personalities in the past, I can't recall such a powerful all-round line-up on the field. Strauss has proved me right for being such a commanding leader, while Andy Flower has demonstrated the same skill and professionalism as coach as he once did as a world-class player. Everything seems to be in place and provided the pace bowlers stay fit they could remain on top for a few years to come. For India, I hope they don't automatically wield the axe and encourage the ageing batting superstars to retire gracefully. They may do that anyway but in the past two matches, only Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman have shown any real gumption. Grit, application and maybe a bit more luck are what's desperately needed if they are to avoid further humiliation.