The Reverse Sweep

County Championship 2012 Preview: Division 1 - Warwickshire

We tipped them for relegation last season. They finished second and would have won the title but for a tremendous Hampshire rearguard on the final day of the season. We won't be making that mistake again. Or will we?

Strengths

The seam attack is one of the best in the country with Chris Woakes, Boyd Rankin and Rikki Clarke all having outstanding seasons in 2011. The addition of Jeetan Patel as overseas player completes the bowling picture. On the batting front, Varun Chopra finally showed his talent last season whilst Ian Bell could feature more than usual given that he is not currently in England's limited overs squads.

Weaknesses

Other than Chopra, none of the regular top six batsmen who will feature this season averaged above 35.50 last year. An injury or international call-up for Woakes or Rankin would seriously affect the potency of the bowling.

Main man

That Chris Woakes has fallen down the pecking order for England's limited overs squad is a surprise. If he can repeat his performances of last season with ball (56 wickets at 22) and bat (nearly 600 runs at 48), the Bears may punch above their weight again.

Look out for

The silky smooth skills of Bell on show in several championship games. His struggles against spin on slow Asian pitches are unlikely to be replicated once he returns to English shores.

Prediction

4th - There or thereabouts but not good enough to win the title.

Where next?

Read our Division 1 previews: Durham, Lancashire, Middlesex, Notts, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire and Worcestershire

Division 2 previews: Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Northants and Yorkshire

2011 County Cricket Review: including Heroes of the Season, Best and Worst XIs, and a whole host of other nonsense

County Championship 2011 Preview - Warwickshire

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County Championship 2012 Preview: Division 1 - Sussex

We should probably register our vested interest at this point, as Sussex is our county. Can they bring joy to the Reverse Sweep household come the end of the season?

Strengths

The batting has a a solid if unspectacular look to it with the ever-reliable Murray Goodwin ably supported by the liks of Chris Nash, Ed Joyce, captain Mike Yardy and last season's breakthrough player Luke Wells. The bowling relies heavily on Monty Panesar who got through 750 overs in the Championship in 2011. James Anyon and Amjad Khan provide the seam support.

Weaknesses

The squad lacks the depth of others especially in the bowling department and the loss of Luke Wright to the IPL and Panesar and Matt Prior to England could hit them hard. It's an important season for talented youngsters such as Joe Gatting and Will Beer, who will need to prove they can flourish at this level.

Main man

Murray Goodwin is to Sussex what Marcus Trescothick and Mark Ramprakash are to Somerset and Surrey respectively - a reliable source of runs and undisputed leader of the batting line-up. Sussex could need him to produce at least the 1372 Championship runs he delivered in 2011.

Look out for

The seagulls - there's plenty of those on offer at Sussex's Hove HQ.

Prediction

7th - It's hard to predict anything but a season of struggle, but our (probably jaundiced) view is that they will just have enough to keep their heads above water.    

Where next?

Read our Division 1 previews: Durham, Lancashire, Middlesex, Notts, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire and Worcestershire

Division 2 previews: Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Northants and Yorkshire

2011 County Cricket Review: including Heroes of the Season, Best and Worst XIs, and a whole host of other nonsense

County Championship 2011 Preview - Sussex

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County Championship 2012 Preview: Division 1 - Surrey

Promoted on the final day of the season last year, how will County Cricket's equivalent of Manchester City fare back in the top flight?

Strengths

In most cases, it is all about survival for teams in their first season after promotion from Division 2. However, given the strength of Surrey's squad, this may not be the case here. The bowling stocks appear to be as good as any with new signing Jon Lewis making it a quartet of England seam bowlers along with Chris Tremlett, Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker. Murali Kartik looks a good choice of overseas player as does Jacques Rudolph who will fill in until Kartik arrives after the IPL. The batting looks just as strong with the evergreen Mark Ramprakash, Rudolph and Zander de Bruyn joined by some tremendously talented young batsmen such as Jason Roy, Tom Maynard, captain Rory Hamilton-Brown and keeper Steven Davies. All in all, Surrey look to have a formidable side on paper.

Weaknesses

The lack of a genuinely top-class opening batsman - although Rudolph can fill in for the first couple of months - could mean Ramprakash and de Bruyn are exposed to the new ball too frequently. The England selectors could come calling on a regular basis, which could test the depth of the squad as could likely injuries to the likes of Tremlett.

Main man

Whilst Tremlett (if fit) is likely to play more games than last season given his likely slip down the pecking order of England seamers and Maynard looks a great prospect, it's harder to look further than Mark Ramprakash. Injuries and a subsequent meagre return of runs (by his lofty standards) may have plagued him last season, but the challenge of scoring runs in Division 1 is likely to revive him.

Look out for

Some partcularly quick, green and bouncy Oval tracks - with a seam quartet like this, it would be silly not to play to their strengths. 

Prediction

3rd - They could go all the way and will certainly go close to lifting the title, but not quite this year in our view.

Where next?

Read our Division 1 previews: Durham, Lancashire, Middlesex, Notts, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire and Worcestershire

Division 2 previews: Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Northants and Yorkshire

Mark Ramprakash: English cricket’s great lost talent

2011 County Cricket Review: including Heroes of the Season, Best and Worst XIs, and a whole host of other nonsense

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Rory Hamilton-Brown

County Championship Preview 2011 - Surrey 

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County Championship 2012 Preview: Division 1 - Somerset

We predicted that Somerset would finally end their wait to win their first Championship last season. We were wrong. Can County Cricket's perenniel bridesmaids conquer history in 2012? They even finished second on a solo trip to the South Pole.

Strengths

The arrival of Vernon Philander as the overseas player - even if it is only until May - could prove inspired if his spectacular introduction to Test cricket is anything to go by. Then there is the small matter of run machine Marcus Trescothick - the best batsman and the rosiest cheeks in County Cricket. Chuck in the supremely talented James Hildreth, Jos Buttler, Craig Kieswetter and Lewis Gregory and Somerset have the nucleus of a very strong and exciting side. 

Weaknesses

After so many near misses in all of the domestic competitions over the last three seasons, one has to wonder if Somerset have enough of the killer instinct to win trophies. Some of the younger players have been too inconsistent in the Championship and when Philander departs will the bowling attack left behind be strong enough to win enough matches to claim the title? They are also likely to lose Buttler and Kieswetter to England for limite overs internationals.

Main man

In the last five seasons, Marcus Trescothick has scored close to 7500 runs in the Championship at an average of 64 with 25 hundreds to usurp Mark Ramprakash as the outstanding batsman in County Cricket. If Somerset are to challenge they will need more of the same from their captain.

Look out for

Confusion if Somerset actually manage to win anything. Who would they throw the bouquet to having finally become the bride?

Prediction

5th - Philander and Trescothick could give them a flying start, but once the South African leaves who other than Steve Kirby is going to take a regular supply of wickets?

Where next?

Read our Division 1 previews: Durham, Lancashire, Middlesex, Notts, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire and Worcestershire

Division 2 previews: Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Northants and Yorkshire

2011 County Cricket Review: including Heroes of the Season, Best and Worst XIs, and a whole host of other nonsense

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Marcus Trescothick

Vernon Philander joins the great Victorians

County Championship 2011 Preview - Somerset 

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1st Test: Sri Lanka vs England - England marks out of 10

Andrew Strauss - 3: Too negative in the field on the occasions England were on top and  horrendous run with the bat continued with two cheap dismissals having done the hard work and played himself in each time. Has just one hundred in his last 48 innings, averages a paltry 25.50 since relinquishing the one day captaincy and has now lost four Tests on the bounce. Is he now more Captain Caveman than Captain Marvel? 

Alastair Cook - 2: A Test to forget for England's best batsman. Fell to an excellent delivery to his fifth ball in the 1st innings before falling foul of DRS second time around. Has only passed 14 four times in his last 14 visits to the crease in Tests. 

Jonathan Trott - 9: Recovered from an embarrassing dismissal in the 1st innings to become the first England batsman to reach three figures this winter. It was a heroic knock too and provided a template to his colleagues in terms of its judgement and patience.

Kevin Pietersen - 4: Failed first time around but looked close to his best in the 2nd innings before carelessly giving it away early on the fourth morning. That said, looks set to go big in Colombo - England's number one Test ranking could depend upon it. 

Ian Bell - 5: There were flashes of the batsman who dominated Test cricket in 2011 in his 1st innings fifty, but despite his obvious class Bell clearly struggles against spin on slow wickets. There was no better evidence of this than the injudicious sweep that led to his dismissal second time around.

Matt Prior - 6: Assured behind the stumps as usual. Learned from his 1st innings dismissal when he was leg before playing back to form what looked like a matchwinning partnership with Trott before an unfortunate dismissal led to the final denoument. Good enough to bat in the top six.

Samit Patel - 4: Not the easiest Test to make a debut but Patel didn't let anyone down. Kept it tight with the ball and grabbed a couple of wickets, although will need to learn from his dismissals in both innings if he is to prosper at this level.

Stuart Broad - 4: Was clearly not fully fit and looked to have worsened his injury by the end of the match. Costly no ball enabled Sri Lanka to add another 47 2nd innings runs and was one of eight he bowled in the match. Brief 1st innings cameo with the bat threatened to drag his side back into contention.

Graeme Swann - 8: Expensive in the 1st innings when Jayawardene certainly tucked in, but back to his attacking and potent best second time around with six wickets to prove once and for all he is England's number one spinner.

James Anderson - 8: Heroic bowling in the 1st innings as he bagged his 12th five wicket Test haul and overtook fellow Lancastrian Brian Statham on England's all-time leading wicket taker list. His batting continues to improve.

Monty Panesar - 5: A tidy enough performance with the ball but lacked real threat and generally didn't trouble the Sri Lankan batsmen. Comical in the field where his two drops of Jayawardene ultimately cost England dear.

Where next?

1st Test: Sri Lanka vs England - Sri Lanka marks out of 10

Summer 2011: England v Sri Lanka: England series marks out of 10

Ian Bell, The Prince and The Pauper

Is Ravi Bopara the unluckiest cricketer in the world?

Dropping Andrew Strauss

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1st Test: Sri Lanka vs England - Sri Lanka marks out of 10

Lahiru Thirimanne - 4: Failed twice with the bat but as King Cricket explains made himself big like a goalkeeper at short-leg where his bravery and anticipation changed the course of the match when he caught Prior in the second innings.

Tillakaratne Dilshan - 3: Had a game to forget with the bat, but kept it tight with the ball and performed a fielding masterclass with four catches and several breathtaking stops.

Kumar Sangakkara - 2: Cricket's most renowned orator bagged a golden duck in the 1st innings before being undone by a beauty by Swann second time around. Spilled a catch at leg slip to reprieve Pietersen that fortunately for him did not prove crucial in the final reckoning - it's a lot harder without the gloves Kumar.

Mahela Jayawardene - 10: An absolutely brilliant and sublime hundred gave his team an initiative that they were to never truly relinquish. His intelligent attacking strategies in the field suffocated the life out of England's batsmen and demonstrated that Sri Lanka are a completely different side with him at the helm.

Thilan Samaraweera - 5: Exhibited extreme caution to help his captain repair the early damage on day one before a desperately unlucky run out. Was more fluent second time around before uncharacteristically giving his wicket away when well set.

Dinesh Chandimal - 4: Is clearly a fantastically talented young batsman but needs to learn not to give his wicket away cheaply after playing himself in as he did in both innings here.

Prasanna Jayawardene - 8: An electric performance behind the stumps and a crucial unbeaten 61 in the 2nd innings, which helped his side add a decisive 87 runs for the last two wickets. Hugely underrated.

Rangana Herath - 9: He may not be a  Murali or a Saeed Ajmal, but he was still too good for England's spin shy batsmen as he bowled with control to bag a match haul of 12 wickets.

Suraj Randiv - 8: Proved to be a good foil for Herath especially in England's 2nd innings and took six wickets in the match. Useful contribution with the bat as nightwatchman.

Chanaka Welegedara - 5: Just the one wicket and a big one too as it was Pietersen. Dug in both times with the bat adding 54 and 40 for the ninth wicket with the Jayawardenes.    

Suranga Lakmal - 6: Started off England's 1st innings demise with a wonderful ball to dismiss Cook and looked lively enough throughout excepting a mini dismantling by Stuart Broad.

Where next?

1st Test: Sri Lanka vs England - England marks out of 10

Sri Lanka's far from ideal preparation

Thilan Samaraweera takes aim at the Sri Lankan selectors

Sri Lankan cricket heroes: Aravinda de Silva, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan

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County Championship 2012 Preview: Division 1 - Nottinghamshire

The 2010 Champions had a disappointing defence of their title last season. Can they challenge again in 2012?

Strengths

James Taylor, Adam Voges and Michael Lumb have arrived to supplement what now looks a very strong batting line-up that also features Alex Hales, Samit Patel and skipper Chris Read. Andre Adams continues to lead the line and will be looking to repeat his success of 2010 (68 Championship wickets) and 2011 (67). 

Weaknesses

The bowling is over-reliant on Adams a situation likely to be exacerbated by Darren Pattinson missing the first two months of the season. International call-ups have permanently deprived Notts of Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann, and Patel, Hales and Taylor could all join them this coming season.

Main man

Of all the young batsmen jostling for position as next man in to the Test side, James Taylor looks to be the most likely to force his way in. A big debut season following his arrival from Leicestershire could help him do that sooner rather than later.

Look out for

Chris Read's heroics with the bat. We've lost count of the number of times he has saved his side.

Prediction

6th - Stronger bowling attacks may successfully raid a helpful Trent Bridge wicket too often for this to be anything but a season of struggle for the champions of two years ago. 

Where next?

Read our Division 1 previews: Durham, Lancashire, Middlesex, Notts, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire and Worcestershire

Division 2 previews: Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Northants and Yorkshire

2011 County Cricket Review: including Heroes of the Season, Best and Worst XIs, and a whole host of other nonsense

County Championship 2011 Preview - Nottinghamshire 

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

County Championship 2012 Preview: Division 1 - Middlesex

2011 saw Middlesex finally return to the promised land. Can they make a big impression in Division 1 or will they quickly return to whence they came?

Strengths

A good blend of youth and experience was augmented over the winter by good acquisitions in Joe Denly and Olly Rayner. Chris Rogers leads a solid batting line-up, which will be bolstered by Andrew Strauss and Eoin Morgan for parts of the season. Much will depend on how Corey Collymore and Tim Murtagh make the transition to bowling with a Duke to Division 1 batsmen although Steven Finn will be around for some matches too.

Weaknesses

The step-up to Division 1 is quite large and despite their talent, the likes of Sam Robson and Dawid Malan are unproven at this level. The lack of a top-class spinner may also prove crucial in the final reckoning.

Main man

Having lost his place in the England Test side, Eoin Morgan knows he will need to make a big impression in County Cricket after he returns from the IPL. He certainly has the nerve and the talent, but can he improve his hitherto less than impressive first-class record?

Look out for

How Denly gets on after his move from Kent. His career had fallen away after playing for England in 2009 until a revival towards the end of last season, so this is a big opportunity for him.

Prediction

8th - Not quite enough quality to prevent a quick return to Division 2. 

Where next?

Read our Division 1 previews: Durham, Lancashire, Middlesex, Notts, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire and Worcestershire

Division 2 previews: Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Northants and Yorkshire

2011 County Cricket Review: including Heroes of the Season, Best and Worst XIs, and a whole host of other nonsense

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: The Tiflex cricket ball

County Championship 2011 Preview - Middlesex 

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County Championship 2012 Preview: Division 1 - Lancashire

Champions after a positively biblical 77 year long famine - can Lancashire repeat the trick in 2012?

Strengths

In 2011 shrewd management and an impressive never-say-die spirit helped an unusually starless Lancashire side be far greater than the sum of its parts. Talismanic skipper Glen Chapple, Kyle Hogg, Sajid Mahmood and the odd cameo from James Anderson are a mighty fine seam quartet. This is backed up by old stager Gary Keedy and new hand Simon Kerrigan in the spin department. The acquisition of Ashwell Prince for the whole season (notwithstanding the possibility of a call-up to the South African squad touring England this summer) could prove crucial in the final reckoning.

Weaknesses

Whilst the likes of Stephen Moore, Paul Horton, Karl Brown and Stephen Croft are dependable enough with the bat only the first two topped 1,000 Championship runs in 2011 (and then only by 13 and 40 runs respectively), so the Champions appear to lack heavy scorers. Perhaps more pertinent is that retaining the Championship is extremely difficult. 

Main man

It will be interesting to see how Prince shapes up and the extent of Kerrigan's development as a potential England bowler, but it is the redoubtable Glen Chapple that has to take centre stage - he was inspirational as leader of the 2011 side and has taken 231 championship wickets at 21.16 in the last five seasons. If he can stay fit (and that is a big 'if') then a repeat of last season's triumph can not be ruled out.   

Look out for

How a return to their Old Trafford home affects their chances. How many times will Lancashire be foiled by the notoriously poor Manchester weather or a benign pitch?

Prediction

2nd - Will go close to retaining their crown, but will fall just a little bit short in the final reckoning.

Where next?

Read our Division 1 previews: Durham, Lancashire, Middlesex, Notts, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire and Worcestershire

Division 2 previews: Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Northants and Yorkshire

2011 County Cricket Review: including Heroes of the Season, Best and Worst XIs, and a whole host of other nonsense

10 reasons why neutrals should be glad Lancashire won the County Championship

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Glen Chapple

County Championship 2011 Preview - Lancashire 

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County Championship 2012 Preview: Division 1 - Durham

Third last season and champions in 2008 and 2009, how are County Cricket's northern most side likely to fare in 2012?

Strengths

It's hard to know where to begin as Durham look stronger than a particularly pungent slice of Mont d'or cheese. The batting features the ever-dependable Dale Benkenstein as well as Michael Di Venuto and Paul Collingwood. Then there is young tyro Ben Stokes, all-round(er) Ian Blackwell and skipper Phil Mustard adding ballast and fluency to the late middle-order. If that wasn't enough then a blend of pace in the form of Steve Harmison, Graham Onions and Liam Plunkett, and spin in the shape of Blackwell and Scott Borthwick augers well for yet another concerted tilt at the title.

Weaknesses

These are harder to find although Harmison is past his best and increasingly troubled by injuries, which have also curtailed Onions' England career over the last two years. This means that the seam bowling is not as strong as it was in the triumphant 2008 and 2009 sides.

Main man

That has to be Dale Benkenstein - the heartbeat of the side and as reliable as Santa in that he always delivers.

Look out for

Stokes is returning from an operation on his finger, but if he can hit the ground running with bat and ball as he did in 2011, a regular spot in England's limited overs sides seems his for the taking.

Prediction

Champions - predicting the outcome of Division 1 is as difficult as choosing the winning lottery numbers, but Durham look the best balanced side. Given we've gone for them, they'll probably be relegated now.

Where next?

Read our Division 1 previews: Durham, Lancashire, Middlesex, Notts, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire and Worcestershire

Division 2 previews: Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Northants and Yorkshire

2011 County Cricket Review: including Heroes of the Season, Best and Worst XIs, and a whole host of other nonsense

County Championship 2011 Preview  - Durham 

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Ian Bell, The Prince and The Pauper

Set in the last days of King Henry VIII, Mark Twain's The Prince and The Pauper tells the story of two young boys who are identical in appearance: Tom Canty, a pauper who lives with his abusive father; and Prince Edward, the heir to the throne.

One day Tom and the Prince meet and decide it would be a great jape to swap clothes. While dressed in the pauper's rags, the Prince leaves the palace to admonish a guard who had knocked Tom down. Unfortunately, thinking that Edward is Tom the palace guards throw the Prince out into the street.

Each boy feels uncomfortable in the other's clothes. The Prince fares poorly because he insists on proclaiming his identity as the true Prince of Wales to much hilarity amongst the people of Tudor London. Meanwhile despite Tom's repeated denial of his birthright, the court and the King insist that he is the true prince gone mad. After the death of Henry VIII, Edward interrupts Tom's coronation just in time and the boys explain, switch places, and Edward is crowned King of England.

We're not sure if Ian Bell has read the book or seen one of the several film adaptations of Twain's novel, but given the disparity between Bell's forays to the crease last year and this, one could be forgiven for wondering whether England's silky smooth batsman had been replaced by an incompetent impostor.

In 2011, Bell scored 950 Test runs at 118.75 and stroked five hundreds from just 11 visits to the crease. Bell batted so confidently, so effortlessly and with such serenity it seemed that nothing could stop his relentless march to the top of the rankings.

Then he- or perhaps it really was a batting pauper in Bell's clothing - went to the United Arab Emirates for a winter break. On that trip, 'Bell' stumbled to 105 runs in ten first-class innings and had the dubious honour of becoming Saeed Ajmal's bunny.

It seemed the carrot eating impostor was still in tow when England reached Sri Lanka with scores of 0, 14 and 11 meaning that Bell's first-class average for 2012 stood at 10.83 going into the 1st Test at Galle. So whilst, England's capitulation to 193 all out brought depression and despondency all around, at least the sight of the 'real' Bell stroking 52 attractive runs meant that the impostor had been discovered and sent on his way.

Andy Flower can now turn to the problem of the other imposters filling the specialist batting positions in England's Test side. He needs to hurry as this is only a two match 'series'. 

Where next?

The best Test XI of 2011

Is Ravi Bopara the unluckiest cricketer in the world?

Sri Lanka's far from ideal preparation

Dropping Andrew Strauss

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Is Ravi Bopara the unluckiest cricketer in the world?

Maybe not – it’s not as if he is fighting cancer like Yuvraj Singh, but put it this way if Bopara bought a racehorse the most apt name would be Black Cat given the number of the feline creatures that seemed to have crossed his path in the last few years.

Consider the evidence. After the debacle at Headingley in 2009, the selectors could just have easily have dropped Ian Bell or Paul Collingwood, but it was Bopara (promoted above his level at number three) who proved to be the fall guy. Then to make matters worse, his replacement – a certain Jonathan Trott – came in and scored a nerveless hundred on debut. Bang! That was one door firmly shut in Bopara’s face.

Finally, an opening in the Test side emerged with Collingwood’s retirement at the end of the Ashes series last winter. Ravi sacrificed a money-spinning jaunt in the IPL, impressed with bat and ball in the County Championship and looked in pole position for a call-up to face Sri Lanka at Cardiff. Then Eoin Morgan hopped off a plane from India and smashed 193 in the Lions game against the tourists. Slam! Another door was smashed into Ravi’s face.

And now perhaps the cruellest one of all. Having seen Morgan being dropped after failing dismally in the desert against Pakistan, Bopara looked finally to have secured the number six spot for the 1st Test in Galle before a side strain meant England decided to opt for the extra overs offered by Samit Patel in the Sri Lankan heat. Given it is the same venue where in 2007 a pair led to him being dropped from the Test side for the first time, Bopara’s sore luck will be particularly galling (sorry, we couldn’t resist that one). Crash! Another day, another door shut for Bopara.

If this sorry tale of woe isn’t a case of rotten misfortune, we don’t know what is.

Where next?

Sri Lanka's far from ideal preparation

Dropping Andrew Strauss

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Vernon Philander joins the great Victorians

The early days of Test cricket was a pretty hideous time to be a batsman. Uncovered pitches were bad enough, but it was a murderous cast of bowlers that portended doom.

Cast in the Devil's image himself, this motley crew wreaked havoc on Victorian batsmen and administrators alike as Test matches came and went at the pace of a modern Twenty 20 game.

The names still trip off the tongue and strike fear onto any unsuspecting batsman casting an eye on cricket's history: Charlie 'Terror' Turner, George Lohmann, Tom Richardson and the Demon himself - Frederick Spofforth.

To these Four Horsemen of batting apocalypses can now be added the name of 'Vicious' Vernon Philander who has become the fastest man to 50 Test wickets in over 116 years. Only the Terror (6 Tests) and Richardson (7) in history have beaten or equalled Philander's merciless haul.

In just six and a half Tests, Philander has 51 wickets at a ridiculous average of 13.58 including six five wicket hauls and two ten wicket matches. His strike rate is a wicket every 24.5 balls - the best by a country mile of any bowler with 50 Test wickets. Indeed, his overall stats are 209 overs with 40 maidens and 51 wickets for 693 runs.

Any which way you cut it, Vicious Vernon's stats are staggeringly good, which kind of begs the question as to why the South African selectors waited until he was 26 before handing him his Test debut?

The batting paradises of the sub-continent will doubtless provide Philander's career stats with a more modern hue, but anyone that can put Dale Steyn in the shade must be a pretty remarkable bowler.

Where next?

Vernon Philander, Vinod Kambli and hitting the ground running

Annus Orior Oriri Ortus: The breakthrough Test XI of 2011

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Dropping Andrew Strauss

No, we don't actually mean drop England's Churchillian skipper from the team - we haven't entirely lost touch with what remains of our senses, we mean one place in the batting order.

That's the subject of our latest piece for All Out Cricket. And not before time either, as our creative juices have been thwarted for the recent past, which means that our weekly column for AOC has been non-existent these last couple of weeks. Birthdays, work, our lovely but challenging children and to be honest a bit of writer's block have all taken their toll on Reverse Sweep Towers.

We'll leave it up to our 11.5 readers to decide whether that block has extended to the aformentioned piece - but give Is It Time To Drop Andrew Strauss (Down The Order)? a chance before you scoff and shrug those shoulders. Yes, we mean you Monsieur Sarkozy.

Where next?

Sri Lanka's far from ideal preparation

England win the Carling Cup

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Is Chris Gayle about to return to the West Indies fold?

If the reports today on Cricinfo are to be believed then it seems the impasse between Chris Gayle and the WICB is about to be resolved and the T20 gun for hire could appear in the maroon cap again soon.

Let’s hope both parties leave their egos at home and can come to an accommodation because each needs the other. The West Indian side clearly needs Gayle at the top of the order in all forms of the game to add some power and experience to what is a burgeoning but woefully inexperienced side.

And Gayle needs the West Indies. There is only so much money and pointless domestic T20 competitions that even a lover of bling such as Gayle can take. He scored a triple century in the last Test series in which he played and averages around 40 in both Test and ODIs. Add in the fact that he is the best T20 batsman around and there is a World T20 in only six months time, then it is easy to see how a mutual settlement benefits both parties.

A return to the fold is perhaps the most fitting way for Gayle to pay tribute to the recently departed Runako Morton.

Where next?

Chris Gayle may be cool, but we're not sure even he can carry this look off...

Daren Ganga & the future of the West Indies cricket team

Top 20 Cricket Blogs: 14 - WICB Exposé / @wicbexpose

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We're running out of superlatives for Virat Kohli

We've already called him the best young batsman in world cricket, the heir apparent to the great Sachin Tendulkar and along with Hashim Amla and MS Dhoni the best batsman currently playing one day international cricket.

But having produced yet another masterpiece of which Rembrandt, Picasso or perhaps more aptly the spiky Jackson Pollock would be proud, we've run out of superlatives to describe Virat Kohli's batting.

Not content with playing one of the best knocks witnessed in one day international cricket in Hobart just three short weeks ago, Kohli repeated the trick in Mirpur yesterday with a staggering 183 off just 148 balls against India's bitterest rivals in a must-win game.

Kohli has now stroked three hundreds in his last four one day innings and in two of those has helped India chase 320 in Hobart and now 330 against as decent a bowling unit as Pakistan. This takes his career average in ODI run chases to 58.40 in 48 innings with seven hundreds and 13 fifties. That makes him nearly as effective at chasing as Usain Bolt.

If we take Ryan ten Doeschate out of the equation as most of his runs have come against fellow Associate sides, Kohli is also one of only four batsmen in history to average over 50 in ODI cricket. Amla (56.49) and Dhoni (51.70) are two of these and the other is that other master of the run chase Michael Bevan (53.58). That Kohli doesn't look out of place in that company says everything.

In terms of humility, losing the crassness and growing up, Kohli has a long way to go before he can be compared to the humble Tendulkar and United Nations Secretary General in waiting Rahul Dravid.

Kohli is too spiky, too prickly and far too obnoxious to ever probably do that, but in terms of his batmanship, India have a ready made replacement for Dravid at number three in the Test XI and a new champion to try and emulate some of what Tendulkar has achieved.

But as far as superlatives go, we've run out of those.

Where next?

Virat Kohli's starter for ten

Virat Kohli points the way forward for India

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Sri Lanka's far from ideal preparation

When picking through the wreckage of England's green-wash in the desert against Pakistan, coach Andy Flower partly blamed himself for the limited preparation that saw just two warm-up matches after several months of inactivity for the number one ranked side.

The same excuse won't wash if England suffer a similar failure in Sri Lanka later this month. England are already on the island whilst their hosts are on the latest leg of a one day international jamboree that rivals a tour by U2 or The Rolling Stones given the sheer number of dates.

Since being battered by South Africa in the deciding Test at Newlands at the start of January, Sri Lanka have played five ODIs against the Proteas, 11 more in the CB series and are now dragging their tired limbs through the Asia Cup for another three or four games.

If the likes of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene pitch up for the 1st Test in Galle on 26th March in their blue pyjamas they should be forgiven their absent-mindedness. England should be ready.

Where next?

Two Indian bookmakers, a Bollywood actress and some New Zealanders

So Sri Lanka are not like Jesse Ryder after all

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Virat Kohli's starter for ten

Not content with smashing one of the greatest hundreds in ODI history in Hobart just a couple of weeks ago, Virat Kohli returned to plunder the Sri Lankan bowling once again in the Asia Cup this morning.

In so doing Kohli registered his tenth ODI ton in just his 80th innings in the format and thus becomes the fastest ever in terms of fewest number of innings to reach double figures for three figure scores in ODI - if you catch our meaning.

In fact Kohli obliterated the previous record of 99 innings set by Gordon Greenidge and also left the likes of Herschelle Gibbs (105), Marcus Trescothick (107), Brian Lara (109) and some bloke called Sachin Tendulkar (127) in his wake. The original Little Master has now gained some understanding of what it is to be the ugly bloke even if instead of missing out on girls, Tendulkar is left to watch all his mates (even R Ashwin) grabbing hundreds whilst his wait on 99 international hundreds now extends to 32 innings.

Kohli has no such worries and with Rahul Dravid confirming his retirement, a spot at number three in the Test side seems his for the taking even if his new record seems unlikely to last for long – the bearded Laxman Hashim Amla already has nine ODI tons from just 56 innings.

Where next?

Two Indian bookmakers, a Bollywood actress and some New Zealanders

Virat Kohli points the way forward for India

King Viv - The Greatest ODI innings ever: vs England, Old Trafford 1984

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Two Indian bookmakers, a Bollywood actress and some New Zealanders

Two bragging and decidedly dodgy Indian bookmakers, a Bollywood actress and some New Zealanders. It sounds like the start of a very bad joke but in fact these are the central figures in the latest cricket corruption expose from the man behind the sting that led to the downfall of then Pakistan captain Salman Butt and his opening pair of fast bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif.

Mazher ‘Fake Sheikh’ Mahmood is now an investigative journalist for The Sunday Times and it was the ‘English Cricket in bung scandal’ headline on the front page of this publication that nearly caused us to choke on our breakfast yesterday morning.

Fortunately, the actual article could best be described as ‘fanciful’ and seems entirely based on the testimonies of two Indian bookmakers including the unlikely named Vicky Seth.

Despite a number of references to corrupt New Zealanders, no cricketers are actually exposed as Butt, Aamer and Asif were on that fateful Sunday morning in August 2010. Indeed, the only vaguely interesting part of the story was the alleged use of a ‘well-known’ Bollywood actress as a honeytrap, which seems something as likely to ensnare Winnie the Pooh as it would a leading international cricketer.

The only other point of interest was claims that the second match of the recent Bangladesh Premier League was fixed, which given the rumours surrounding that particular tournament doesn’t come as any real surprise.

Whether any of what was written was actually true and not just a couple of not particularly ingenious bookies trying to obtain money under false pretences awaits to be seen, but the overwhelming sense we got was that it was an article that wouldn’t look out of place on Page 2 of Cricinfo – neither true, nor indeed funny.

Where next?

Sir Charles Colville and other cricket unthinkables

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