Having plunged in at the deep end by taking the Surrey captaincy at the age of just 22, Hamilton-Brown performed creditably in his first season in the role - even if there was not much improvement in Surrey’s performance.
Now a year older and wiser, and with the county having been further strengthened over the winter, Hamilton-Brown will be looking to lead Surrey back into Division 1.
As a batsman, Hamilton-Brown is an exciting prospect, but was too inconsistent last season. There were glimpses of his talent with two championship hundreds and some impressive hitting in the limited overs games, but his overall championship return of 808 runs at 30 was a tad disappointing.
If he can rein back his aggressive nature, then Hamilton-Brown should have a better season personally. If he continues to impress in the 40 over and T20 formats he may come onto the radar of the England selectors, not only for his batting but also perhaps as a left-field choice as captain to build for the 2015 World Cup.
Forget the snide remarks about his privileged background and double-barrel name, Hamilton-Brown is a decent cricketer.
Where next?
Ten to watch in 2011: Adam Lyth, Jade Dernbach, Rory Hamilton-Brown, Samit Patel, Alex Hales, Danny Briggs, Ben Stokes, James Harris, Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid
County Championship Previews - Division 2: Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Kent, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Surrey
County Championship Previews - Division 1: Yorkshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Sussex, Somerset, Nottinghamshire, Lancashire, Hampshire, Durham
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This is a great post, I enjoyed reading it. Well, he's a great player.
Posted by: Mens Black Suits | Friday, May 06, 2011 at 08:32