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)

Surrey and Kleinveldt shock Somerset and Notts

Only a belated and truncated blog this week owing to my holiday on Crete. Lovely weather, intriguing history and stunning scenery but somewhat lacking in cricket action.

With Essex head and shoulders ahead of everyone else, the Division One microscope was focussed on the relegation battle involving the rest of the counties.

We Somerset fans have endured a sorry summer and, after last week’s fillip, normal misery was restored when we suffered a perfect storm. Not only did Abell’s men get duffed up by Surrey but nearest rivals Middlesex and Yorkshire both won to open up a gap which leaves Somerset probably needing to beat Middlesex this week to maintain their record-breaking top tier stretch.

Steven Finn took 8-79 in the second innings to despatch Lancashire while Yorkshire scrambled to a two-wicket win over Warwickshire. Hampshire had Essex on the rack when Kyle Abbott’s 6-20 destroyed the champs’ first innings. However, 20 year-olds Dan Lawrence (101) and Samuel Cook (5-18) restored the balance of power on the final days. The defeat leaves Hampshire still vulnerable to the drop.  It’s all rather nailbiting.

Nottinghamshire have dominated Division Two all season but, after coming a cropper against third-placed Northamptonshire, now need to win their final match against Sussex to gain the promotion they looked certain to secure only a few weeks ago. Rory Kleinveldt’s 9-65, 4-33 and 91 runs made him the individual all-round performer of the week, although Jeetan Patel ran him close. Glamorgan’s young batsman Kiran Carlsen topped the run-scoring table for the week, striking 191 in the first innings but that man Kumar Sangakkara signed off his home career for Surrey with yet another century, the 103^rd in all cricket. He’s been so supreme in the Championship that on the occasions he is dismissed, spectators are stunned into silence. What a player!

Team of the Week: Wells (Sus), Howell (Glo), Sangakkara (Sur), Carlson (Gla), Davies (Som +), Clarke (Sur), Kleinveldt (Nor), Patel (War), Bailey (Lan), Wood (Not), Finn (Mid)

Essex are Champions!

What an amazing couple of seasons Essex have enjoyed since Chris Silverwood took over as coach. Promoted last year, their eighth Championship win of 2017 has now guaranteed them their first Pennant since 1992. As so often, Jamie Porter and Steve Harmer claimed most of the wickets as the Warwickshire batting capitulated yet again.

Somerset’s seven-wicket defeat of Lancashire at Taunton not only gifted Essex the title but also consigned Warwickshire to relegation. Jack Leach (5-47 and 4-94) led the way for the Westcountrymen while Steven Davies’ 111 was a rare ton for them. They even briefly sat in fifth place before the rain-ruined Middlesex-Hampshire fixture ended as a draw and the brace of three points were dished out.

In contrast, batsmen were in charge at The Oval. As they did in the reverse fixture in June, Surrey clouted the Yorkshire attack for more than 500, and produced three centurions in their hefty first innings of 592. New England opener Mark Stoneman made 131 while old Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara continued where he left off earlier in the summer, striking 164 and sharing a good partnership with ‘keeper Ben Foakes (110). Yorkshire were made to follow on but Aussie Shaun Marsh and Alex Lees each made three figures to salvage a draw.

Division One is very tight in the middle, and any one of five counties could accompany Warwickshire through the trapdoor. Last year’s top two Somerset and Middlesex are favourites, locked on 123 points, just one behind Yorkshire. Both Surrey and Hampshire also sit within a win bonus of the danger zone. This week, it’s Yorkshire who on paper have the easiest task, at home to the Edgbaston wooden-spooners. Somerset travel to Surrey, Middlesex host stuttering Lancashire and Hampshire meet champions Essex at Southampton. Anything can happen.

In Division Two, Worcestershire took advantage of Nottinghamshire’s week off to go top, getting the better of Leicestershire. Basil D’Oliveira got them off to a good start with 138 but Neil Dexter’s 114 helped the away team reach 400. A special mention for Leicester’s 20 year-old spinner Callum Parkinson. He claimed ten wickets in the match, just superior to his twin brother’s seven for Lancashire. If Jamie Overton could overcome persistent injury, will we see two sets of twins playing for England in a few years’ time?!

Northamptonshire had to work hard to beat Glamorgan at Cardiff. Seamer Richard Gleeson continued his excellent season while Richard Levi scored a typical rapid century at more than a run a ball. Promotion is a mathematical possibility but they’ll have to win both remaining fixtures and restrict Nottinghamshire’s bonus points this week.

At Hove, Sussex must settle for mid-table after losing to Derbyshire, for whom Hardus Viljoen captured no fewer than fifteen wickets, completing the victory with 8-90. Kent’s chances of promotion have also been snuffed out after being held to a draw at Bristol. Gloucestershire’s Australian opener Cameron Bancroft delivered the week’s only double-hundred while who else but Kent’s Darren Stevens combined a 50 with a five-for for the umpteen millionth time, give or take!

Team of the Week: Bancroft (Glo), D’Oliveira (Wor), Sangakkara (Sur), Levi (Nor), Davies (Sur +), Wright (Sus), Stevens (Ken), Harmer (Ess), Viljoen (Der), C Parkinson (Lei), Porter (Ess)

Essex Shine in the Lights, Hales Hits the Heights

First I must raise a glass to Nottinghamshire for grasping the first county crown of 2017. The Royal London Cup Final at Lord’s was a game of two centuries. Mark Stoneman may have been disappointed at not making the England Test squad but he ripped an unbeaten 144 out of Surrey’s useful total of 297-9. However, this was eclipsed by Alex Hales’ superb 187 in 167 balls. Helped by his skipper’s valuable 58, he not only ensured his side chased down the target but also easily surpassed the previous one-day final record set more than fifty years ago by Geoff Boycott, of all people.

With Notts sitting pretty at the top of Division Two, it looks like a successful finale for veteran wicketkeeper Chris Read. The county were thwarted in their bid to extend their lead by the rain but Steven Mullaney’s 168 and five cheap wickets against rivals Kent showed they have promotion in the bag even with two months to go.

Meanwhile, in the top tier, the loss of almost two days’ play couldn’t halt Essex’s impressive march to the Championship title. At Chelmsford, after dismissing Middlesex for under 250, openers Nick Browne and Alastair Cook put on 373 for the first wicket. Cook’s departure merely brought in Varun Chopra whose own century, with Browne’s ‘double’, took Essex past 500 without further loss. He was only batting because Tom Westley left mid-match to join the Lions. Incidentally Westley also reached three figures, so everyone’s a winner!Nevertheless, it was Simon Harmer's 9-90 which wrapped things up in stirring style.

In the week when all Championship fixtures were day/night events, it was such a shame that awful weather ruined so much of them. Little more than a day’s play was possible at Headingley, but at least those who witnessed some action were able to see yet another batting masterclass from Kumar Sangakkara. His 180 not out at almost a run a ball was his sixth hundred in ten innings. He’ll be sorely missed in the second half of the summer, and not only by Surrey.

At the Rose Bowl, almost the whole game was concertina’d into the fourth day. True to form, Somerset had the worst of it but, amidst the clatter of wickets (many by Hampshire’s Gareth Berg), managed to hold on for a draw. Last week I despaired at the plight of Somerset’s young skipper Tom Abell, hoping he managed some runs this time. So what did he achieve? A pair of ducks! Everyone is allowed temporary dips in form but poor Tom is desperately in need of confidence, which surely now can come only from a drop to the Seconds or club cricket, I’m afraid.

The Edgbaston weather wiped out the final day of Warwickshire’s contest with Lancashire, but not until Shiv Chanderpaul had compiled another 141 to his 26,000+ first-class run tally. Andrew Umeed’s 113 for the home side was only his second century but there’ll be plenty more, I’m sure. Jos Buttler made a rare Championship appearance for Lancs but fluffed his lines by scoring three runs in two innings and 26 balls. Haseeb Hameed fared little better.

Down in Division Two, there were two nail-biting finishes. At Northampton there was a cracking conclusion to proceedings. Duckett, Wakely and Keogh each struck centuries en route for setting Leicestershire a hefty target of 394 in just over a day. Colin Ackermann seemed to be steering them to victory, ably assisted by Mathew Pillans, With time running out on Thursday evening, and just three runs needed, Pillans holed out to Cobb and blew their chances of a first win of the season.

Derbyshire did finally break their duck, beating Glamorgan by 39 runs at Cardiff. Star performer was Derby debutant Hamidullah Qadri. At the age of 16 (yes, 16), the Afghanistan-born spinner claimed 5-60 to end the Welsh rearguard. Elsewhere, there wasn’t much to shout about amidst the raindrops at Hove and Chester-le-Street, apart from Luke Wright’s 118 and a Mark Wood five-for.

Next week, if the sun shines, the key matches could be Kent v Northants and Somerset’s trip to Scarborough. With Gary Ballance likely to be lining up for England, this may be the visitors’ best chance for nicking that elusive victory.

Team of the Week: Browne (Ess), Hales (Not), Mullaney (Not), Sangakkara (Sur), Ackermann (Lei), Wright (Sus), Read (Not +), Berg (Ham), Harmer (Ess), Hamidullah Qadri (Der), Wood (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)

Super Sangakkara so close to a new record

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cook and Porter steer Essex into Pole position

In a week when the Mumbai Indians fashioned an unlikely one-run triumph in the IPL final it was Essex who made longer-form cricket appear relatively easy in England.

Not only did they top their Royal London Cup group, thus advancing directly to the semi-finals, but their innings victory over Hampshire also took them to the top of the County Championship. Alastair Cook scored another century, while Jamie Porter’s 5-24 wrecked Hampshire’s first innings, from which they couldn’t recover. The newly-promoted side are beginning to look like potential 2017 champions, although the real test will come when Cook is absent later in the summer.

The Roses clash ended as a draw, with Handscomb, Leaning and Chanderpaul trading hundreds. Jack Brooks was a more unlikely centurion, doubling his previous best score, but he took only one wicket. Jimmy Anderson’s injury scare not only blunted Lancashire’s attack but also could weaken England’s cause in the forthcoming Test series.

The other local derby, Surrey’s trip across the Thames to Middlesex, was also inconclusive. The home team’s James Franklin was in cracking all-round form, but Kumar Sangakkara produced centuries in each innings, taking his first-class career tally to sixty. It seems a shame that the Sri Lankan legend has since announced his retirement from the red-ball game when he is stroking the leather around as fluently as ever.

Marcus Trescothick is two years older, but he signalled his determination to serve the Somerset four-day cause for a bit longer by scoring his sixtieth hundred for his county, taking him past Harold Gimblett’s long-standing record. Earlier in the week, he also passed the 25,000-run landmark in all first-class cricket, an achievement which I am sure will become extremely rare in the future. He was unable to help Somerset beat Warwickshire, though. Another ex-England star with a mental illness, Jonathan Trott, trumped him with a first-innings 175, and the Midlanders may well have taken the sixteen points for victory had the first two days at Taunton seen more play.

This weekend, eyes will focus on the clash between first and second, as Essex host Surrey at Chelmsford, which should be a cracker if the weather doesn’t break on Sunday.

Worcestershire made it three wins out of three in Division Two, giving Derbyshire a real hiding on their home turf. Daryl Mitchell and Brett D’Oliveira shared an opening stand of 243, but it was Joe Leach’s second-innings 5-32 which proved most decisive.

Nottinghamshire remain top of the table and could have opened up a significant lead had Glamorgan’s Colin Ingram and Chris Cooke not combined to thwart Broad, Patel et al throughout the entire final day. Indeed, the Cardiff outfit looked doomed when forced to follow on, but the in-form Ingram rose to the occasion yet again.

Another man who constantly delivers the goods for his county is Darren Stevens. After rain messed up days one and two, and Leicestershire racked up 420 all out, he thrashed a rapid 100 for Kent but there was insufficient time to find a way of generating a positive result, leaving Kent in second spot.

The highest scores of the week, both team and individual, were seen at Hove. Durham scrambled their way to 287 then on Saturday, Luke Wells and Stiaan van Zyl put on a whopping 376 for the third wicket. Wells alone scored a career-best 258, the highest score of the season to date, including 34 fours and seven sixes. Jofra Archer and Vernon Philander also enjoyed a powerful partnership, taking fourteen wickets between them, and Durham couldn’t quite bat out the final day.

All ten counties in Division Two are in action on Bank Holiday weekend. The most interesting may well be the traditional Tunbridge Wells encounter between Kent and Sussex, and Nottinghamshire versus Gloucestershire.

Team of the Week: Trescothick (Som), Mitchell (Wor), L Wells (Sus), Sangakkara (Sur), Ingram (Gla), Wessels (Not +), Franklin (Mid), Leach (Wor), Abbott (Ham), Archer (Sus), Porter (Ess)

Warwickshire Woes, Derbyshire in Despair

Yorkshire advanced to third, having fought back after their first-week defeat to cruise to victory over Warwickshire. Their success in recent seasons has been in spite of various stars being absent on international duty. This week, their strength in depth was demonstrated still further when the inexperienced seamer Ben Coad garnered another ten wickets. That’s eighteen already for the Harrogate man, at under 14 apiece.

Edgbaston director of sport Ashley Giles is already talking nervously of “no quick fixes” and “transition period” after Warwickshire suffered their second successive innings reverse. The batsmen were woeful again, especially under floodlights when the cloud cover was particularly heavy. In the second innings, Coad and Willey had them at 7-5, and only Patel’s 49 not out prevented an even greater humiliation. Their bowling has been the county’s strength for quite a while but with Chris Woakes now an established England player, even the attack looks a bit creaky. Most of the side are aged thirty or more and, while experience counts for a lot, some new blood looks essential to achieve a better balance.

At The Oval, 42 year-old Shivnarine Chanderpaul compiled his 74th first-class century, 182, for Lancashire. However, on the fourth day the Surrey pair of Borthwick and Sangakkara put on 256 for the second wicket to save the game. It was also interesting to see Lancashire’s limited-overs spin specialists Parry and Kerrigan working well in harness in the Championship. Surrey now stand top, three points ahead of Hampshire, who had the edge in a draw against champions Middlesex. There were no hundreds, but Roussouw (99) and Carberry (98) came close!

Somerset’s traditional weak start to the season was maintained, beaten by newly-promoted Essex by eight wickets. Wickets fell regularly on the first two days, with Somerset on top after the first innings. However, Neil Wagner’s bowling and Alastair Cook’s decisive 110 combined to wrap up an eight-wicket triumph.

Essex now meet neighbours Middlesex at Lord’s, Somerset travel to Old Trafford, Hampshire host Yorkshire and Warwickshire must turn things around against high-flying Surrey.

In Division Two, it’s very tight at the top. Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Kent each made it two wins out of two, making hay while the sun shone across the land. At Derby, there was a genuine nailbiting finish. After Lancs reject Luis Reece and Billy Godleman struck a Deryshire record 333 for the first wicket, Northants set about the target of 326 in 65 overs. When Richard Levi was thumping boundaries at will, success seemed assured but when he was caught behind on 99 still 50 short, the result was in doubt. In the end, it took a Rory Kleinveldt six to clinch victory off the penultimate ball. After last year’s terrible season, this narrow loss must have been particularly galling. Hopefully they can concentrate on the positives, as they say.

Nottinghamshire rubbed Durham’s noses in the doo-doo at Chester-le-Street. Keaton Jennings (102 not out) ran out of partners in the second outing, leaving Greg Smith and Jake Libby to steer the visitors towards the inevitable win.

Kent were also good travellers, outscoring Sussex at Hove. Sam Northeast returned from injury to thump 173 not out while that man Darren Stevens scored another two 50s and a five-for. Like Chanderpaul, he proves that 40 is not the age barrier it is often made out to be.

Supporting players Worcestershire and Gloucestershire also recorded 16-point win bonuses. John Hastings and Tom Kohler-Cadmore shone in the former county’s eight-wicket defeat of Glamorgan, who looked completely out of their depth for a second consecutive week. At Bristol, Liam Norwell took ten wickets for 99 runs in the innings drubbing of Leicestershire.

Leicester’s fixture against Glamorgan next weekend is already looking like a battle of the wooden spoon contenders. Meanwhile, the Worcestershire-Northants encounter is the pick of the matches.


Team of the Week:
Reece, Godleman (both Der), Sangakkara (Sur), Northeast (Ken), Chanderpaul (Lan), Eckersley (Lei +), Stevens (Ken), Fletcher (Not) Wagner (Ess), Norwell (Glo), Coad (Yor)

Great week for Middlesex and Surrey

The open nature of the County Championship was again much in evidence after the latest round of matches. Non-playing Somerset slipped to fifth but aren’t out of the running. Nor, it can be said, are Hampshire, in eighth place!

However, Middlesex’s crushing defeat of Durham, only their fourth of the season, extended their lead at the top to 26 points. Nicks Gubbins and Compton shared a second-wicket stand of 247, then Ollie Rayner was the star bowler (4-17 and 5-85) as the visitors crumbled twice. No Durham batsmen managed even a half-century.

Yorkshire have a game in hand but failed to beat their Roses rivals at Old Trafford in a high-scoring match. Alex Lees scored 199 runs for the away team but Lancashire opener Haseeb Hameed is on a hot streak right now. He picked up a couple of centuries, ably supported by Tom Smith, leaving Yorkshire, bolstered by Root and Bairstow, no time to meet the formidable target.

Surrey are also flying right now, leaping to third after seeing off Warwickshire by 226 runs with a solid all-round performance. Sam Curran’s 62 and match stats of 6-76 were probably the key contributions, along with Kumar Sangakkara’s 135 runs.

Hampshire won the battle of the bottom two by 176 runs, leaving Nottinghamshire in serious trouble. Wheater struck 102 early on but Scottish teenager Brad Wheal’s second innings 6-51 proved decisive.

In Division Two, Essex also collected win number four, making mincemeat of Derbyshire who have yet to record a single Championship success. Nick Browne pursued his penchant for big scores, making an unbeaten 229, before Ravi Bopara and Graham Napier led the way with the ball. The home team’s ex-Essex opener, now Derby captain, Ben Godleman did manage a hundred but all in vain.

At Northampton, Ned Eckersley scored his third successive century, and team-mates Cosgrove and Pettini also reached three figures for Leicestershire. However, Rob Newton was instrumental in depriving the opposition of a crucial victory, aggregating 224 without losing his wicket.

Sussex collected maximum points in their demolition of Gloucestershire at Hove. Luke Wells and Ben Brown stroked hundreds for the home side but Michael Klinger couldn’t follow his first-innings 129 with another big score and they failed to make Sussex bat again. Worcestershire’s promotion challenge faltered at home to Glamorgan, who delighted in a rare win. Bragg and Morgan scored the all-important runs and Mark Wallace bagged nine catches behind the stumps. A shame for Worcester’s Joe Leach, who was the stand-out all-rounder on display.

It wasn’t Worcestershire’s day, either, in the Royal London Cup quarter-finals. Somerset massacred them by nine wickets with several overs to spare at Taunton. Mahela Jayawardene rewarded his county’s patience with a beautifully-judged 117 not out. They will now take a trip to Edgbaston, after Warwickshire beat Essex by 70 runs. Jonathan Trott’s 101 set them on their way before his spinners finished the job.

It was a closer finish in the Yorkshire-Kent encounter at Canterbury, but the England trio of Willey, Plunkett and Adil Rashid wiped out the tail when Kent looked set for victory in their chase. However, you couldn’t have witnessed a more exciting climax than the one served up by Surrey at Northants. The home side had Surrey nine men down with 14 balls remaining and 27 required. That they succeeded was almost entirely down to the brilliance of Sangakkara, who farmed the strike, hitting a six and four in the final over. Had he not been dropped on seven, things may have been rather different!


Team of the Week: Browne (Ess), Newton (Nor), Hameed (Lan), Sangakkara (Sur), Bragg (Gla), Brown (Sus +), Franklin (Mid), Leach (Wor), Napier (Ess), Rayner (Mid), Wheal (Ham)

Essex Spring Clean Up in the Championship

Pity the poor county cricketers. While the IPL sloggers sweltered in India, it was a week for multiple sweaters, pocket hand-warmers and woolly hats around the English grounds.

Play was briefly stopped by snow even at The Oval, where 40 year-old Marcus Trescothick’s bones defied the low temperatures to create a fine century for Somerset. Another veteran batsman, Kumar Sangakkara was even better for Surrey, aggregating 244 runs, more than anyone else this week. It ended as a draw but at least they started four innings, which few matches could boast.

Warwickshire have looked good all month but have yet to secure a single victory. They top the table after marginally shading proceedings against Yorkshire. There were several fifties but only Chopra reached three figures. It was a similar story at Chester-le-Street where Mark Stoneman’s unbeaten 141 was the stand-out individual performance.

In Division Two, Essex stole a march on the rest by grabbing a second success of the season, to head the table by 21 points already. They thrashed a miserable-looking Northamptonshire by an innings. Ravi Bopara top-scored but it was the bowlers Jamie Porter, David Masters and Ryan Ten Doeschate who dominated.

Weather and the batsmen were on top in the remaining three fixtures. Chris Dent maintained his early-season form for Gloucestershire, for whom Hamish Marshall also contributed more than 150 runs. However, young Joe Clarke, then Moeen Ali enjoyed hundreds for Worcestershire.

Leicestershire look a more useful unit in 2016. Clint McKay added a further five wickets, and skipper Mark Cosgrove shared a big stand with new recruit Neil Dexter against Kent. Glamorgan showed some more fight this week, but Derbyshire were their equals. Will Bragg struck a rare century but Palladino achieved a five-for in the drawn match.

Next week, Warwickshire rest, but unbeaten Lancashire must fancy their chances of beating notorious poor starters Somerset at Taunton. Surrey against Durham could be an interesting one while Essex could make it three out of four at Worcester. Let’s hope they won’t be playing snowballs instead of cricket!

Team of the Week:
Trescothick (Som), Dent (Glo), Sangakkara (Sur), Moeen Ali (Wor), Marshall (Glo), Ambrose (War +), Rashid (Yor), Rampaul (Sur), McKay (Lei), Palladino (Der), Porter (Ess)

2015 Cricket Team of the Year

The cricketing year produced its usual share of successes and disappointments, retirements and blossoming new talent. Australia won the World Cup but lost the Ashes. India and Sri Lanka lost momentum, New Zealand won a lot of new friends and respect, while Pakistan and England experienced maddening inconsistency. Bangladesh finally showed they are more than Shakib plus fillers, but the West Indies have many mountains to climb if they are to be once again competitive in the Test arena. Gayle, Pollard, Bravo and Russell may be amongst the principal T20 globetrotters but sadly their success seems to be diminishing their prospects at proper cricket.

So who have been the stars of 2015? Steve Smith, Martin Guptill and Chris Gayle were the leading scorers in each of the three international formats. Ravi Ashwin and Mitchell Starc topped the wickets tables in Tess and ODIs. AB De Villiers proved yet again how important he is to South Africa in all types of the sport, and now on top of all his batting and captaincy responsibilities he has taken the gloves in the Test series against England. No wonder he is looking for some time off in 2016. Yet, as his appearances were relatively few, he doesn’t even make my team of the year as it is intended to reflect performances across all forms, domestic and international.

For example, Steven Smith may be righty feted for his form in Tests, but his Aussie team-mate Adam Voges comfortably outscored him (and everybody else) when it came to all first-class cricket. He aggregated 2,547 in the twelve months, but yet even HE doesn’t make my team, as he wasn’t very active in limited overs cricket.

With the ball, Stuart Broad produced one incredible session for England, backed by other useful contributions alongside Jimmy Anderson. Jeetan Patel, Abdur Razzak and Nathan Lyon all added plenty to their career wicket tallies, but time out taken to remodel illegal actions has diminished the effectiveness of traditional spin stars such as Narine and Saeed Ajmal. Instead, there seems to have been a renaissance in left-arm seam and swing bowling.

So to my Eleven of 2015: Chris Gayle may be a T20 specialist (apart from a few World Cup 50-over outings) but his dominance can’t be ignored. His opening partner is Michael Klinger. Arriving at Gloucestershire from a successful domestic season Down Under, the Aussie clumped three T20 centuries in quick succession, before helping them to an unexpected 50-over cup triumph against Surrey. He also amassed 1,666 first-class runs in only 17 matches, making an all-format aggregate of 3,383!

Kumar Sangakkara bowed out of international cricket in 2015 but his form and class were maintained to the end, not only for Sri Lanka but Surrey, too. His overall run total was also comfortably above 3,000 and his glovework did enough to make him my wicketkeeper, too. A modern legend.

Steve Smith’s rise and rise from so-so leg-spinner to Aussie captaincy and leading Test scorer in 2015 is remarkable. His consistency eased the transition from the Michael Clarke era, although it was painful to watch ‘Pup’ struggle for runs in England, which eventually led him to call time on a wonderful career. Yet perhaps the most enjoyable growth in talent belonged to New Zealand’s Kane Williamson. Brendon McCullum’s aggressive yet sporting approach reaped benefits in all forms, but Williamson’s runs were just as important. It is to his great credit that I can find no room for the admirable Joe Root.

My number six is perhaps a little surprising. With a full season with Glamorgan as well as in South Africa, Colin Ingram was free to amass runs in all form of cricket. He could play carefully in the County Championship, yet explode into strokeplay in List A and T20. His strike rate in the latter was 146, right up there with Pollard and Pietersen. I appreciated his willingness to sign autographs for children at the Swalec Stadium boundary, too.

Genuine all-rounders seem to be in short supply at the moment. Dwayne Bravo came into my reckoning but as a T20 one-trick pony, I’ve passed him over in favour of Aussie James Faulkner. Still only 25, his left-arm seam bowling may be his greatest asset, yet in his batting career he averages more than 30 in first-class and List A cricket, and he boasts impressive strike rates. His 2015 performances nudge him into my XI of the year.

Ravi Ashwin was head and shoulders above not only his fellow Indian slow bowlers in height but also every other bowler in Test cricket. He scooped 62 wickets at a mere 17.0 apiece. With 35 ODI victims, too, he’s the first bowler on my team sheet.

Another bowler who can add useful late-order runs is John Hastings. Like Faulkner, a current one-Test wonder, yet a vital cog in the wheels of Durham and Victoria. He took 115 wickets across the year, but even that was eclipsed by the statistics of another Aussie quick. Mitchell Johnson may be the most recognisable of the Mitches, but Starc was the outstanding bowler of 2015. 63 first-class victims at 21, a world-leading 67 List A at a mere 14 apiece, and 21 T20 wickets at an admirable sub-7 economy rate speak for themselves. 100 mph deliveries, too! I just hope he can stay fit for 2016.

My final bowling position is a tough one. Tharindu Kaushal has made little impact on the international scene. However, the 22 year-old off-spinner from Galle amassed a remarkable 111 first-class wickets last year, primarily for the Nondescripts club. Trent Boult has blossomed for New Zealand, yet can I afford to include another left-arm seamer? Perhaps Broad’s right-arm status makes him a contender after all.

Anyway, it’s been an interesting year for cricket in lots of ways. For the record, here is my 2015 Team of the Year:-

Gayle (WI), Klinger (Aus), Sangakkara (SL +), Williamson (NZ), Smith (Aus *), Ingram (SA), Faulkner (Aus), Ashwin (Ind), Hastings (Aus), Starc (Aus), Kaushal (SL). My ‘squad’ also contains Alastair Cook (opener), Root (batsman), Broad and Boult.

Sadness for Sussex, Heaven for Hampshire

When rain swept the nation early in the week, I feared the worst: that the weather would decide the Division One relegation battle and the county season would fizzle out in a damp squib. How wrong I was; there were fireworks a-plenty, and a brilliant climax!

Not only did the battle to avoid the drop go right to the wire, but there were also great performances with bat and ball in all eight fixtures played.

Personally, my relief came a day early. At Taunton, a combination of James Hildreth’s century and spinner Jack Leach’s wickets were enough to guarantee Somerset’s safety regardless of what happened at Trent Bridge or Headingley. Jeetan Patel’s 7-34 left Warwickshire needing only 225 to win on the final day, but Leach and the unlikely figure of Tom Cooper claimed nine of the ten wickets to fall, giving Somerset victory and a sixth place finish. That’s the second successive season when we’ve pulled it out of the fire in late September!

Sussex merely needed to avoid defeat to Yorkshire to remain in Division One. However, the champions weren’t happy to sip champagne and play their reserves. Most of their England stars were on the pitch, but Jack Brooks and Tim Bresnan were the pick of the Eleven. In his last game, Michael Yardy did his best, but Sussex’s batting, Ben Brown and Luke Wright apart, has been woeful for much of the summer, restricting their bonus point tally. They lost by 100 runs.

Meanwhile, the first innings scores in Nottingham were fairly even, but then Hampshire grasped the initiative on day three, West Indian seamer Fidel Edwards completing a ten-for in the match as the Notts batting collapsed. Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry kept their heads and Hampshire had won the one that really mattered. Sussex were relegated by just two points!

Worcestershire’s demise had already been set in concrete so it was a huge surprise that they gave second-placed Middlesex a trouncing by an innings and 128 runs. The two Toms, Fell and Kohler-Cadmore each struck hundreds. In the latter’s case, it was his first in the championship.

By contrast, all four Division Two matches were drawn. It was a cracker at Derby where the home side were set a target of 341 in under a day by Leicestershire skipper Mark Cosgrove, whose 156 had made his side narrow favourites. At 285-2, things looked promising as Chesney Hughes reached three figures. However, once he and Madsen were out, it also became a race against the clock. There were two run-outs and in an exciting finale, Derbyshire closed on 331-8. Mark Footitt took another ten wickets on probably his last appearance for the county. He would be badly missed.

Surrey ended the season as second tier champions, but Northants gave them a rollercoaster ride at the end. Another silky century from Kumar Sangakkara and ten wickets for the young Curran brothers left the Londoners 300 runs ahead. However, the visitors fought back with three centurions of their own and time was against even Jason Roy et al in the final session to deny them victory.

Having lost the first day to bad weather, Lancashire and Essex couldn’t conjure up a positive result either. James Anderson and Alastair Cook faced each other for a change and it was the bowler who was most definitely on top, with match figures of 8-90. The England captain aggregated a mere eight runs in two innings, lbw to, then caught by Anderson! Ravi Bopara and Jesse Ryder scored most of Essex’s runs. Ashwell Prince’s career finished with another half-century while 41 year-old Glenn Chapple could take only three more wickets. He is now cruelly 15 short of the thousand in first-class cricket. Will he be back for more next year?!

In the other game, it was a runfest at Bristol. An unbeaten 180 stand between Ingram and Cooke for Glamorgan on the final day was impressive but was completely eclipsed by Gloucester opener Chris Dent. A mediocre season was turned on its head when he spent more than eight hours at the crease compiling a career-best 268. Few have score more in the Championship al summer!

And so the 2015 summer comes to an end. England won the Ashes, domestic silverware went to Yorkshire, Lancashire and Gloucestershire, and the same old questions were being asked about the demise of four- and five-day cricket, 50-over cricket and basically all cricket other than the IPL. Pathetic! There’s room for all formats; it’s just a matter of finding compromises to fit them in the calendar. However, that’s harder than it sounds!

I’ll be reviewing the domestic season’s star performers shortly but, in the mean time, here’s my final County Team of the Week:

Dent (Glo), Duckett (Nor), Sangakkara (Sur), Fell (Wor), Madsen (Der), Bopara (Ess), Cooke (Gla, +), Edwards (Ham), Leach (Som), Anderson (Lan), Footitt (Der)

Worcestershire Down, Hampshire Cling On

With the title already in Yorkshire’s hands, the main focus this week was on the relegation battle. For Worcestershire, it was simple: beat Durham to survive.

They also needed to beat the weather, which was wreaking havoc across England. Indeed, Worcester’s first innings spanned the first three days, then the scoring rates picked up as the away side tried to set a challenging target for Durham on the final day. Unfortunately for them, Dave Richardson (65 not out) and the reliable Steve Borthwick (99) were too good for the Worcester attack and duly clinched victory in their last match of the season.

At the Ageas Bowl, Hampshire also enjoyed a good start, Liam Dawson’s 140 contributing to a 400 score. A weakened Yorkshire struggled in response but more rain meant Hampshire needed an early declaration and a forfeited second innings to contrive a result. At 37-3, the home team looked like taking a giant stride towards safety. However, Andrew Gale and Jack Leaning put on 190 for the fourth wicket, not only denying Hampshire victory but also five valuable points for a draw.

Just along the South Coast, Sussex were hosting Somerset, starting on an equal footing. Ed Joyce chose to bat and both sides could be satisfied with h situation at lunch on day 2. Mike Yardy scored a century on his final appearance at Hove, but Somerset bowled them out. With rain wiping out day three and no risky declarations on the agenda, it was all about bonus points. A flawless double-hundred from Marcus Trescothick took them past 400 then, once Peter Trego also reached three figures, a declaration was offered by Tres. Although Sussex had claimed only one bowling point, the captains shook hands and Somerset finished two points ahead.

There was even less play at Edgbaston, where James Taylor’s 164 was the highlight of Nottinghamshire’s draw with Warwickshire.

In next week’s final round of fixtures, Hampshire must beat Notts at Trent Bridge and hope neither Sussex nor Somerset also win their games versus Yorkshire and Warwickshire, respectively. They will also be praying for washouts at Headingley and Taunton to keep the bonus points down!

In Division Two, the promoted pair of Surrey and Lancashire met at Old Trafford, and it was the former who had the better of the drawn encounter. They declined to enforce the follow-on, allowing Kumar Sangakkara to score his 54th first-class hundred and set the home county 492 to win. The match ended with the score at 195-7, Hameed having produced a valuable 91. Having been called up by England, Surrey’s Zafar Ansari scored 99 but a dislocated finger prevented him from bowling. Meanwhile, James Anderson made his first county championship appearance of the year and took the three wickets needed to reach 700 in his first-class career.

The only match to produce a positive result was at Leicester. Despite losing the first two days to rain, both sides negotiated a target of 307 for Essex in the final two sessions. This they managed, largely thanks to Nick Browne. The opener struck his fifth century of the season to take his side up to third in the table. They’ve done particularly well since coach Paul Grayson resigned!

There wasn’t much to shout about at Northampton, especially for Glamorgan. Wicketkeeper, captain and stand-in opener Mark Wallace retired hurt early on and this could end his amazing run of 230 consecutive Championship matches dating back to 2001. Young Welsh batsman David Lloyd enjoyed a career-best 92. Only fifteen overs were possible in the Kent v Gloucestershire contest. Kent must be relieved the 2015 season has finished. They did at least avoid the wooden spoon with a few recent victories.

Team of the Week: Trescothick (Som), Browne (Ess), Borthwick (Dur), J Taylor (Not), Dawson (Ham), Yardy (Sus), Trego (Som), Foster (Ess +), Kleinveldt (Nor), T Curran (Sur), Barker (War)

Yorkshire Lose Twice but Win the Title

A strange week for Yorkshire. Firstly, they fell victim to Gloucestershire’s Michael Klinger to lose their Royal London Cup semi-final. A few days later at Lord’s, Ryan Sidebottom took three Middlesex wickets in the first over en route to bowling out their nearest rivals for 106. They thus secured their second successive County Championship, a wonderful achievement.

They continued to rub their opponents’ noses in the brown stuff with the bat before suddenly it all went wrong. Nick Compton (147) and tail-ender Toby Roland-Jones (103 not out) helped the home side to almost 600, then Roland-Jones grabbed 5-27 in 21 overs to secure an unlikely victory. It also spoiled the champions’ unbeaten record in the competition. Still, Andrew Gale and Jason Gillespie can celebrate their overall success with two matches yet to play. Root, Lyth, Ballance, Bairstow, Rashid and Plunkett have all been on England duty yet strength in depth, especially the bowlers have seen them home.

A special mention should go to young Stevie Eskinazi. He struck 122 for Middlesex Seconds in their 2nd XI Final against Notts and was 13 not out in the second innings when he was summoned to make his first-class debut at Lord’s. The fairytale didn’t continue but not any players are whisked away mid-match like that!

It was a topsy-turvy contest at Trent Bridge, too. Durham let a 168-run first-innings lead slip as Samit Patel’s century and a second five-for by Ben Hutton gave Nottinghamshire victory by 52 runs inside three days. Notts could yet gain second-place above Middlesex with a game in hand.

Somerset enjoyed the best of a home draw with relegation rivals Hampshire. Jamie Overton took 4-37 as they restricted Hants to a single batting bonus point. Somerset not only secured maximum points but also piled on 630-9. Each of the top three batsmen Marcus Trescothick, Tom Abell (for the first time) and Tom Cooper reached three figures. Sadly for my team, Carberry, Vince, Adams et al remembered how to bat and the Taunton strip obliged to dish out a draw. Worcestershire look doomed but just eleven points separate the three sides above them.

In Division Two, Essex surged to third place, crushing Derbyshire by an innings. Thirty-somethings Ten Doeschate, Pettini, Bopara and Foster each contributed but, despite the absence on ODI duty of Reece Topley, youngsters also starred. Teenage opener Dan Lawrence returned with 88, while 20 year-old debutant Jack Winslade took 4-20.

Essex were also helped by Glamorgan’s capitulation to Kent. Rob Key continued excellent end-of-season form with 94 and 158, assisted by a typical all-round performance by 39 year-old Darren Stevens.

So, as last year, most of the big questions have been answered two weeks early, but the Division One relegation places may not be settled until the final week. Sussex v Somerset this week will be a crucial encounter, and Worcestershire simply must beat Yorkshire. The others must hope the champs don’t have a champagne hangover!

Continuing the rollercoaster theme, Team of the Week selection has been difficult. Nomally, the intense competition for places comes from middle-order batsmen and seamers. Unusually, this week, most of the runs came from openers, so Tres, Adams and Eskinazi miss out.

Team of the Week: Abell (Som), Key (Ken), Klinger (Glo), Sangakkara (Sur), Stevens (Ken), Pettini (Ess), Ronchi (Som +), Hutton (Not), Roland-Jones (Mid), Winslade (Ess), Sidebottom (Not)

World Cup 2015: Australia make it five!

A shame that the final proved so one-sided because until today the tournament looked as open as any World Cup I can remember. Whether it was home advantage, extra tactical nous or luck, Australia made their experience tell when it mattered, ending New Zealand's magnificent march to Melbourne.

Maybe, too, the script was pre-typed for Michael Clarke to dedicate victory to the late Phil Hughes and announce his retirement from ODIs. Steve Smith has stepped into the breach superbly, with Shane Watson recovering some form at last. More remarkable was the work done by the physios to ensure the Aussie pacemen stayed fit throughout, and each of them played a part in the nation's success.

I felt that if the Aussies were going to win the final they had to dismiss both Black Cap openers cheaply. In the event, four players were out for ducks but none more significant than Brendon McCullum. He was brilliantly bowled by a 93mph inswinging Starc yorker, but not sure if anyone could have dug that one out. Guptill and Williamson fell before the scoreboard read 40 and, while Grant Elliott stuck around for another 80+ score, the quicks did their job and bowled out the opposition with ten overs to spare.

Southee, Boult and Vettori have bowled NZ into the final but, apart from Finch's caught-and-bowled for zero, there was to be no repeat of the group stage heroics. Michael Clarke can retire with head, as well as World Cup, held high, scoring 74 from 72 balls, although James Faulkner's 3-36 earned the Player of the Match award.

As for the World Cup itself, I reckon it was another wonderful advert for the 50-over format. The huge tally of sixes will please the T20 fanatics but there was plenty to enjoy amongst the bowling fraternity and also those of us wanting to see the nations like Ireland and Afghanistan mixing it with the big boys - and England - in 2019.

So who comprises my team of the tournament?

My openers are Martin Guptill and Shikhar Dhawan. The New Zealander's 237 not out against the West Indies was just the icing on the cake and his captain McCullum's four rapid half-centuries came close to edging out the Indian, whose 137 against South Africa showed that ODI batting is not all about slogging the ball over cow corner. Chris Gayle thumped more sixes than anyone but apart from that 215 he was largely quiet.

Kumar Sangakkara is an obvious choice at number three thanks to his four consecutive centuries, also taking the gloves, and AB De Villiers again demonstrated why he is one of the greatest batmen of his generation. However my number four doesn't represent one of the top nations and didn't even reach the quarter-finals. Brendan Taylor of Zimbabwe accumulated 433 runs from his six matches, including successive hundreds against Ireland and India. His scoring rate of 107 was up there with the best, too. He may have occupied the fourth position but I think Mahmudullah's first two ODI centuries of his career were too important for him to be left out of the team.

It wasn't really a vintage World Cup for established all-rounders but I'll make an exception for Corey Anderson. His wickets tended to be expensive but his 231 runs at more than a run a ball provide ample compensation, and gave New Zealand great impetus in the latter stages of a few innings.

Daniel Vettori hasn't played a lot of cricket in recent years but at 36 and recovered from injuries a-plenty, the former NZ captain was the top spinner of the World Cup. He played in all nine games, took 15 wickets at 20 apiece, conceding barely four runs an over. Despite the talents of Mitchell Johnson and Wahab Riaz, two other left-arm quicks led the wicket-taking league. Trent Boult's seam and swing were critical in the Black Caps' success, but Mitchell Starc's extra pace and place on the winner's podium won him the Player of the Tournament award despite both claiming 22 scalps.

Umesh Yadav enjoyed a productive set of games in the latter stages, pipping team-mate Mohammed Shami to the Eleven thanks to his marginally superior wicket tally. Both proved many people, myself included, wrong about the quality of Indian seamers, but it wasn't enough to beat the eventual champions in the semi-final.

In summary, hats off to Guptill (NZ), Dhawan (Ind), Sangakkara (SL, +), Taylor (Zim), De Villiers (SA *), Mahmudullah (Ban), Anderson (NZ), Vettori (NZ), Starc (Aus), Boult (NZ), Yadav (Ind).

Above all, hats off to Australia and New Zealand for co-hosting a successful tournament as well as providing the two best teams. ICC, take note: don't ruin a winning format!

Pakistan end Ireland's World Cup dream

It was all set up for a memorable St Patrick's Day celebration but it has all gone wrong. Wales ended Ireland's long unbeaten run at rugby in Cardiff whilst in Adelaide, the gallant cricket squad lost the winner-goes-through encounter with Pakistan. Nobody could offer any support for centurion Will Porterfield, leaving a fairly simple target of 238. Keeper Sarfraz Ahmed's maiden hundred ensured there would be no collapse and victory cam with almost for over to spare.

With the West Indies making light work of the United Arab Emirates, Ireland went out on net run rate despite beating the Windies earlier in the tournament. Despite outperforming Zimbabwe in the 2015 World Cup, presumably the ICC will prevent the Irish from building on their minor successes in global tournaments by persisting with the blinkered, brain-dead proposal of keeping the Associate nations out in 2018. Of course if the sport's rulers had gone for an eight team World Cup based on 2015 group positions, there would be no place for England! Then I suspect there would have been a definite re-think!

Nevertheless after 42 matches, we now enter the knockout phase where anything can happen. The first quarter-final on Wednesday is perhaps the hardest to call. South Africa, with AB De Villiers at his outrageous best, have been piling on huge totals despite losing early wickets but Sri Lanka can never be ruled out. However, surely not even Kumar Sangakkara can score hundreds in every match, and if Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir keep applying the screw and taking wickets, AB's men ought to win.

Bangladesh have so far done everything asked of them, with just one defeat (to Sri Lanka), the big scalp of England and an excellent fight against table-toppers New Zealand. Normally they are super-reliant on all-rounder Shakib-al Hasan but in the group stage they have owed a lot to Mahmudullah's two centuries and Mushfiqur Rahim's consistency. Nevertheless they now face a confident Indian side. Shikhar Dhawan is back in form, supported by Kohli and Raina but even more impressive has been the bowling unit. Mohammed Shami has 15 cheap wickets but Ashwin, Sharma and Yadav have all been in the mix, too. As a result they ought to make the semis at least.

Pakistan have qualified by the back door but Australia should underestimate them at their peril. Wahab Riaz has looked dangerous and Misbah-ul-Haq is always difficult to remove. The Aussies haven't dominated the run charts either, but one of their matches was rained off. Glenn Maxwell's strike rate of almost 200 is their most eye-catching statistic, and Mitchell Starc's 6-28 against New Zealand is the second-best bowling performance of the tournament to date. With Michael Clarke back in the saddle and such formidable batsmen as Finch and Warner, not to mention a partisan Adelaide crowd, Australia must be the hot favourites.

Most impressive team must be New Zealand. The co-hosts have exploited the swing-friendly conditions to perfection, and Trent Boult and Tim Southee were unplayable against England. Daniel Vettori has marked his return to the big time by taking more wickets than any other spinner with an economy rate second to none. Their opponents at Wellington, the West Indies will need to practise against swing this week if they are to stand a chance against the Black Caps. A runfest is unlikely and, assuming Chris Gayle isn't allowed to rack up the sixes, you'd fancy Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor or Cory Anderson to achieve any target batting second.

The form book says a semi-final line-up of India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa but don't rule out a Caribbean cracker!

2014 Overall Team of the Year

To complete my review of the year, I'll examine the performances across all three formats, and not restrict myself to international cricket.

have not been the most successful batsmen outside Twenty20 but David Warner has played himself into my good books. Having played for Australia in T20 before even playing a single first-class match, he has since become a vital cog in the Green Baggie wheel. With Chris Rogers playing the anchor role, Warner has been given free rein to play his strokes and in 2014 collated more than 2,000 runs, averaging over 63 in Tests and a T20 strike rate of 142. He has been paired with Hashim Amla of South Africa. He just oozes class and unflappability whatever the format, and made more than 2500 runs in total. He doesn't seem to have many weak points. Even in T20 his strike rate in 2014 was on a par with McCullum and Finch, superior even to that of Chris Gayle.

Kumar Sangakkara may now be 37 years old, but his batting just seems to improve with age. Top scorer in Tests and ODIs, who cares about T20? His Test average last year was 71, pushing his career figure to a mighty 58, ahead of Ponting, Lara and Tendulkar. A shoo-in at number three, and did I mention he keeps wicket better than Dhoni, too?

Virat Kohli is also starting to carry his 50-over talents across to proper cricket, even on the hard pitches of Australia. He was another of the 2,500-run select few, whose most noteworthy statistic was his ODI strike rate of 99.62! Somewhat less of a global phenomenon, Kane Williamson has shone in what was an excellent year for New Zealand. He averaged 62 in Tests and, with his county cricket exploits included, scored 1,558 first-class runs. Add his List A and T20 figures and the run tally extends towards 3,000. I really hope he shines at the World Cup.

Angelo Mathews also had a fantastic year, converting fifties into hundreds in Test matches, averaging 88 alongside 62 in ODIs. He has grown as a captain for Sri Lanka, too, a great example of a man who has not just fulfilled expectations but exceeded them. Steve Smith has perhaps enjoyed an even steeper rise to the top. With Michael Clarke sidelined by injury, Mike Hussey retired and the rest of the middle-order inconsistent, Smith has rescued Australia for much of the year. Five centuries and an average of 82 in Tests and a good record in ODIs, and by December he had also assumed the captaincy. A wonderful year for him!

While Warner, Williamson, Smith and Mathews have all bowled at international level, surely the best all-rounder in 2014 was Shakib-al-Hasan. Admittedly Bangladesh didn't always face the big boys but as a bowler who also averaged 47 with the bat in Tests he was again a class act. Narine (T20), Herath (Tests) and Mendis (ODIs) may have taken more wickets but in limited overs, few were consistently more economical than Shakib.

Mitch Johnson and Dale Steyn comprise my pace attack. The Aussie's main contribution was in Tests, the highlights coming in the 2013/14 Ashes series. He wasn't a prolific ODI wicket-taker but was surprisingly mean when it came to economy. Steyn is an amazingly consistent trouper over many years. 2014 may not have been his best year but his 39 Test scalps came at just 19.56 apiece and there were 22 ODI wickets at 26.54, too. A fearsome death bowler in T20, too, but not at the top of the tables. My last bowler is Jeetan Patel. The evergreen Kiwi has been a fantastic spinner for Warwickshire in recent years and his 2014 featured 133 wickets all told. His rare talent is to appear equally good in all three forms of cricket. Statistically maybe his best last year came in T20; in 28 games he took 35 wickets at a mere 15, and an economy rate of 5.86, better even than Saeed Ajmal and Malinga.

Just missing the cut were Joe Root, Brendon McCullum, Saeed Ajmal and AB de Villiers.

So my Eleven of 2014 stands as follows:-
Warner (Aust), Amla (SA), Sangakkara (SL, +), Kohli (Ind), Williamson (NZ), Smith (Aust), Mathews (SL *), Shakib al Hasan (Ban), Patel (War/NZ), Johnson (Aust), Steyn (SA).

Roll on 2015..!

2014 Cricket Review: ODIs

As in the Tests, Australia were in the ascendancy when it comes to the 50-over format and their home series victory over South Africa meant they stay on top of the ODI rankings as 2014 faded into history. England were beaten both by Sri Lanka and India while the former notched up far more games than anyone else, helped by a last-minute substitution for the West Indies this autumn. Poor Pakistan did their World Cup preparations no good by losing all three series during the past twelve months but don't write them off just yet!

As for my team of the year, I'll start by mentioning Rohit Sharma. He shattered the ODI record by slamming 264 in 173 balls at Kolkata but the rest of his year was mediocre. Then there was Phil Hughes' unbeaten 202. Not in a full international but for Australia A against SL A in July. One of many great innings in a career tragically cut short by that freak injury.

Dilshan and Dhawan were again fairly prolific in ODIs in 2014. The Sri Lankan's contribution with the ball makes him an easy pick for my XI while the Indian scored 815 runs in 18 matches at nearly 48.

It takes some good performers to knock Hashim Amla out of my line-up but it happened this year. Kumar Sangakkara topped the run table in ODIs as well as Tests, compiling 1,256 including four centuries. With 39 dismissals behind the stumps he was also the leading wicketkeeper. Virat Kohli's rise to the top of the tree is now complete. His strokeplay and captaincy have kept India fiercely competitive all year.

Kane Williamson, Aaron Finch, Joe Root and Steve Smith all had claims, too, but my next batsmen are South Africans. AB de Villiers is a phenomenon and averaged more than 70, helped by some handy not-outs. De Kock's promotion to number one Saffer 'keeper will have relieved the pressure on the man who is probably the finest all-round batsman in the world. His team-mate Faf du Plessis has finally fulfilled that promise as a consistent big-hitter, thumping 790 rubs in 15 internationals.

Angelo Mathews was another Sri Lankan who seemed invincible in 2014, second to Sangakkara in terms of runs in birth Tests and ODIs. His medium-pacers were less expensive than they used to be, too. Number seven is a bit low in the order but a useful man to come in during a crisis.

I was surprised to see that Chris Jordan was equal third in the list of leading wicket-takers but recalling that no-ball-athon in Cardiff, I cannot consider him for my team of the year! Instead my pace attack is led by Mohammed Shami and Lasith Malinga. The Indian seamer isn't cheap but his strike rate is up there with the best of them. Malinga is best known as a T20 finisher but the year was one of his best in ODIs thanks to 29 wickets at 26 apiece.

Two more Sri Lankans complete my list. While Shakib's average and economy rate were superior, his opposition was probably weaker to those of Sachithra Senanayake and Ajantha Mendis. The former has had his problems with the old bowling arm angle but he was brilliant in the first half of the year. Fellow spinner Mendis took more List A wickets than anyone else (47) and was joint leader in ODIs with 38.

To sum up, here's the electric Eleven. Not sure why Sri Lanka didn't do better, really!

Dilshan (SL), Dhawan (Ind), Sangakkara (SL, +), Kohli (Ind), De Villiers (SA), du Plessis (SA), Mathews (SA), Shami (Ind), Malinga (SL), Mendis (SL), Senenayake (SL).

2014 Cricket Review: Tests

In 2014, Test cricket has been a roller coaster ride. England went from Ashes meltdown to redemption of sorts at home to India, the only top Test nation not to win a single series all year. Australia also defeated India and South Africa but, even without Smith and Kallis, the latter remained number one in the ICC rankings. New Zealand have won a record five Tests but now need to prove their new-found winning formula against the top three. All credit, though to the Aussies for coming through the grieving period after Phil Hughes' tragic death.

So who were the individual stars of 2014? In all first-class cricket, Chris Rogers was the only batsman to aggregate more than 2,000 runs and the world's top wicket-takers were Bangladeshi spinner Taijul Islam (89) and ever-reliable Michael Hogan (88). However, at the highest level, my pick of the openers were David Warner and young West Indian Kraigg Brathwaite. The abrasive Aussie smashed six centuries and 1,136 runs while Brathwaite's average in five matches is an excellent 77.88.

The middle-order is typically competitive. Brendon McCullum, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson enjoyed great years but for consistency, my next batsmen are Kumar Sangakkara and Younus Khan. The Sri Lankan out scored all other Test players with 1,493 runs at more than 71. The Pakistan veteran finished with a similar average and produced a purple patch this autumn, grabbing more than 700 runs in four matches against Australia and New Zealand in the UAE.

Next up are Joe Root and Angelo Mathews. In a topsy-turvy year for England, the Yorkshireman demonstrated his value many times and the batting line-up will surely be built around him for many years to come. His average for 2014 was a stupendous 97. With the Sri Lanka big three looking shaky, Mathews has stepped up to the mark, not only as captain but also as someone who can deliver big scores, not just useful 50 not outs. Only team-mate Sanga scored more Test runs and Angelo's average of 87.80 is mighty impressive. He also gets the captaincy.

MS Dhoni retires from Tests with loads of plaudits but Pakistan's Sarfraz Ahmed edges him and Brad Haddin to the wicketkeeper berth. A better batsman than Akmal, he is also improving his glovework.

My team boasts four specialist bowlers alongside part-timers Mathews and Root. Rangana Herath's tally of 60 wickets was easily the most in 2014, claiming no fewer than six five-fors. Apart from his problems with the arm inspectors, Saeed Ajmal took only 17 at 44 apiece, so three pacemen complete my XI. Dale Steyn continued to take wickets (39) and with a sub-20 average. James Anderson boasted one more scalp, averaging an impressive 22 but star 'quick' has to be Mitch Johnson. His year ended in a bout of daft 'verbals' with Kohli but it began with such pace, bounce and venom that England didn't just suffer an Ashes whitewash but also lost two of their three finest players of recent times, Swann, Pietersen and Trott.

So, to sum up, here is my Test Eleven for 2014:-
Warner (Aust), Brathwaite (WI), Younis Khan (Pak), Sangakkara (SL), Root (Eng), Mathews (SL, *), Sarfraz Ahmed (Pak,+), Johnson (Aust), Steyn (SA), Anderson (Eng), Herath (SL).

ODIS and T20s to follow....

Team of the Week: Steyn and Sangakkara steam ahead

Some difficult choices this week after a relatively weak pool from which to select last time. Test matches, 'A' internationals, the CPL and the last of an intensive few weeks of Royal London county fixtures were all vying for attention.

For some reason, 111 was a popular score. The late umpire David Shepherd would have been hopping around like a demented flamingo but only one of these batsmen make my team of the week ending 15th August 2014. That's Essex opener Tom Westley, who shared a double-century partnership with Ryan Ten Doeschate in a run chase against Yorkshire, before weighing in with 74 versus Hampshire. Jacques Rudolph, Lendl Simmons and Wes Durston were all in the frame, but Alex Hales' 141 in Nottinghamshire's thumping of Middlesex earns him the other opener spot.

He put on 217 with Michael Lumb yet his colleague and skipper James Taylor produced an even better 100 not out in 55 balls in that match to accompany another unbeaten hundred for the Lions against Sri Lanka 'A'. Worcestershire's 20 year-old Tom Fell delivered three innings each of at least 70 in the past week, although his side struggled a bit. He edges my decision ahead of Pakistan's Younis Khan but I simply can't ignore Kumar Sangakkara. His prolific year continued with 221 in Sri Lanka's victory over Pakistan. Majestic! However, his score was eclipsed by the South African 'A' man Rilee Roussouw, whose 231 helped deflate an Aussie attack in the triangular tournament.

Messrs Dhoni, Buttler and De Kock all made some runs but Hampshire's Adam Wheater steals the wicketkeeper gloves with a 97-ball 135. A shame that it was in vain as his side's run chase fell five runs short of the Essex total.

Paul Collingwood and Notts transfer target Will Gidman each produced a notable all-rund county performance but my remaining four places all go to specialist bowlers. Yasir Arafat claimed 5-36 and 4-49 against Somerset and Kent, respectively, and who can forget Stuart Broad's India-shattering 6-25 in the Fourth Test? A pity his nose took a shattering soon afterwards....

Rangana Herath didn't need to bowl as many overs this week as last but he added another nine wickets to his tally for Sri Lanka. His first-class aggregate now stands at 870, which surely few if any current players can match. His Test average has also dropped below 30, a sign of a top-class bowler. Finally, that man Dale Steyn was at it again, taking 5-46 and 3-38, although his latest eight victims were Zimbabweans. Herath's record is improving but he has a long way to go before emulating the South Afican maestro's 383 Test wickets at 22.56.

Summing up: Hales (Lions/Not), Westley (Ess), Sangakkara (SL), Fell (Wor), Taylor (Lions/Not *), Rossouw (SA 'A'), Wheater (Ham +), Yasir Arafat (Sus), Broad (Eng), Steyn (SA), Herath (SL).