Concluding our half-term report on the ten players we nominated to watch in 2011 at the start of the season, we move to numbers 4-1 (as ranked in order of ascending performance). Who has been the pick of the crop so far?
See also: Part 1 - Adam Lyth, Jos Buttler and Danny Briggs and Part 2 - Jade Dernbach, Adil Rashid and Rory Hamilton-Brown
4. Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire) (Championship: 335 runs at 55.83, CB40: 139 runs at 69.50, SR 115.83)
Promising start in both competitions cut short due to a broken jaw courtesy of an Ajmal Shahzad bouncer. Before his injury, Hales had struck four fifties in seven championship innings including 85 out of a total of 143 against Yorkshire. Hales also made an impressive start to the CB40 with a 101 ball 116 against Essex.
Rating: B – if not for his unlucky break, Hales could even have made the step-up to the England ODI squad where his hit-over-the-top style is reminiscent of a right-handed Marcus Trescothick
3. Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire) (Championship: 453 runs at 45.30; 16 wickets at 33.81. CB40: 171 runs at 42.75, SR 91.93; 2 wickets at 82.00, ER 5.46)
Is Patel finally starting to fulfil his promise? Has lost some weight (even if he still doesn’t exactly look trim), is Nottinghamshire’s leading run scorer in the Championship and outbowled Swann when they bowled in tandem at Hove. For good measure, Patel also scored a ton for the Lions against Sri Lanka.
Verdict: B+ – a good bet for a call-up to the ODI squad. If he keeps this up, a lucrative endorsement from Weight Watchers will surely follow.
2. James Harris (Glamorgan) (Championship: 26 wickets at 21.96, 224 runs at 37.33; CB40: 9 wickets at 14.88, ER 5.18)
Another to suffer from injury after an impressive start, Harris has taken two five-fers in the Championship and doubtless would have impressed Andrew Strauss when taking eight wickets (including that of the England captain) in the win at Lord’s. Impressive batting shows Harris has another string to his bow too.
Verdict: Hit – England have a plethora of impressive seamers and Harris is right up there with the best of those who are not in the current squad.
1. Ben Stokes (Durham) (Championship: 609 runs at 55.36; 17 wickets at 33.00. CB40: 305 runs at 61.00, SR 105.53; 9 wickets at 14.22, ER 5.05)
The pick of the lot thus far. Stokes only turned 20 at the weekend, but has already hit three Championship hundreds this season and his bowling continues to improve even if he does go for a few. Has also scored runs and taken wickets in the CB40, where his 150 not out off just 113 balls against Warwickshire is the obvious standout. Desperately unlucky to have sustained a badly dislocated finger, which has ruled him out for six to eight weeks and put paid to any chance of his call-up to the England ODI squad – for now.
Verdict: A – it’s a matter of when, not if, Stokes plays for England
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
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