The Reverse Sweep

Steve Finn wins the big prize of the season

Well, not really. But the inevitable has become reality and after leading pretty much from the first hurdle, Steve Finn has won our County Player to Watch of the season.

Back in April, we named our 12 county players to watch (see Part 1 and Part 2) and devised a probably flawed scoring system to assess which player(s) of our chosen few would make the biggest impact during the long 2010 English domestic season. We later expanded this list to 16 to incorporate four extra players who had made a flying start to the campaign.

But after taking 14 wickets against Worcestershire back in April, Finn led the table for all but a short time as the extra points on offer for any of our 16 who graduated to the test team proved decisive. Finn is probably a worthy winner, but looking elsewhere in the final table we may have to refine the points categories for next season.

Despite having a fantastic World T20, Craig Kieswetter's season was disappointing, which suggests his runners-up position in our table is too high. Similarly, Chris Tremlett's 48 wickets at just over 20 suggests that he finished too low in the table.

But with a few notable exceptions, we are pretty pleased with the 16 we chose. Most achieved and enhanced their reputations and of the few who didn't (Sam Northeast, David Wainwright and Scott Borthwick), we are confident that there is much more to come.

Player	County	Played	Points		Points awarded*
Finn	Middlesex	13	231		County Appearance	5
Kieswetter	Somerset	28	196		Lions Appearance	10
Rashid	Yorkshire	16	186		Test appearance	20
Hildreth	Somerset	16	185		T20I/ODI/Lions one day	3
Taylor	Leics	19	171		Score of 40-49	3
Bopara	Essex	21	162		50-99	5
Woakes	Warks	17	159		100-199	10
Gale	Yorkshire	18	155		200+	20
Hamilton-Brown	Surrey	16	132		3 wickets in an innings	3
Panesar	Sussex	16	130		4 wickets	5
Northeast	Kent	16	111		5 or 6 wickets	10
Tremlett	Surrey	12	110		7wickets+	20
Stokes	Durham	13	109		Catches	1
Hales	Notts	12	104		Stumpings	3
Borthwick	Durham	10	67
Wainwright	Yorkshire	5	29

 

Is this how England's World Cup squad should look?

So the Ashes squad was named yesterday and other than Shahzad for Bresnan, we were happy with the selectors choice even if the decision to omit Rashid from the Performance Squad was strange to say the least (see our reaction to the Ashes squad announcement here).

The battle for the little urn isn't the only major event that the England team will embark upon this winter. There is also the small matter of the World Cup and with the one day series with Pakistan having concluded this week (see our marks out of ten for the England squad here), then it seems an opportune time to pick our intrepid XV who will battle to lift a trophy that no England side has won.

Mike Atherton recently chaired a panel of so-called cricket experts comprising Darren Gough, Alec Stewart and Derek Pringle to name their England XV for the World Cup. They surprisingly left out Andrew Strauss, who promptly scored his 126 at Headingley in the hours that followed the transmission of the panel's choice.

As such we wisely chose to wait for the end of the series (no television deadlines for us). We do concur though with one of the views of the panel, who suggested that England should utilise an extended squad for the seven (oh no, not seven again) one day internationals against Australia that immediately proceed the World Cup.

This will enable England to rest key players and then make the borderline decisions that will be required to arrive at the final XV by picking players in form. As such, we will name 20 players, but highlight at the end the 15 we would choose now so no one can accuse us of sitting on the fence.

Batsmen

With Strauss, Morgan, Pietersen and Collingwood probably assured of their places in the final squad, it will likely come down to two from Bell, Trott and Bopara. Each offers something different. Bell is the most talented batsman of the three and as he showed in the recent CB Final is capable of shifting through the gears to play a match-winning innings. Trott averages just under 50 in his 11 ODIs and whilst there is some concern over his strike rate, it is difficult to argue against the volume of runs. But if he doesn't bat in the pivotal number three role (where KP is arguably a better bet), can Trott fit in anywhere else in the middle order? Bopara would seem the best suited of the three to the number six role as he can repair, embellish and support a one day innings in equal measure depending on what is required. His medium pace could also prove useful on the slower sub-continent wickets.

Wicketkeepers

Davies would seem to be in pole position to open the batting with Strauss and wear the gloves in the tournament following a good showing against Pakistan. That leaves Kieswetter and Prior to battle it out for the second wicketkeeper slot if indeed England decide to pick a second keeper in the final XV (it could come down to a choice between a second keeper and a third spinner). In our view, Prior has had enough chances at one day level without ever really convincing so should be left to concentrate on test cricket where he has shone over the last 18 months. Kieswetter's ability to hit over the top may actually make him better suited than Davies to the wickets on the sub-continent, but he may complete his hero-to-zero 12 months by failing to make the cut.

Spinners

Two spinners will be needed in the XI in the World Cup, so three may well be required in the squad. Swann and Yardy are clearly in pole position, but the latter doesn't take many wickets and proved expensive in the series against Pakistan. Samit Patel is a better batsman and bowler than Yardy and in our opinion should be selected irrespective of his supposed girth. The other option is Rashid, but unless the selectors have decided to keep him as a secret weapon then his omission from the Performance Squad tells us everything we need to know.

Bowling all-rounders

Despite rarely taking wickets with the new ball and being regularly carted around for runs, the selectors seem set on retaining Bresnan in the XI. Wholehearted trier? Yes. Useful runs down the order? Yes, sometimes. Bowls the occasional good spell with the old ball. Occasionally. But surely England need a more potent option to open the bowling? The other permanent feature in England ODI squads is Luke Wright. We wouldn't take him in our XV, but hell why not give him the chance to prove us wrong in Australia.

Seamers

We actually agree with the selectors decision not to blood Steve Finn in ODI cricket and he should be left to concentrate on tests for the time being. Anderson and Broad pick themselves and to that illustrious duo we would add the names of Shahzad and Tremlett.

So, the Reverse Sweep longlist of XX for the one day series with Australia is (with our current choice for the World Cup XV in bold): Strauss, Trott, Bell, Pietersen, Collingwood, Morgan, Bopara, Davies, Kieswetter, Prior, Swann, Yardy, Patel, Rashid, Bresnan, Wright, Broad, Anderson, Shahzad, Tremlett.

Chris Tremlett and Monty Panesar are back, but where is Rashid?

So the Ashes squad has finally been announced and as predicted and pleaded for here for most of the summer, it sees a return to England colours for Monty Panesar and Chris Tremlett. 

Panesar was the most logical choice as back-up spinner to Graeme Swann as he offers a left-arm option, is a wicket-taker (unlike James Tredwell) and has experience of Australian pitches from the 2006/07 tour where he did reasonably well when he was finally picked. He probably won't get a game unless Swann gets injured as we can't see England changing their six batsmen-four bowler combination. However, he may get a look in at Adelaide or Sydney.

Tremlett is much more likely to play a part in the series, given that it is asking a lot for the three first-choice seamers Anderson, Broad and Finn to stay fit for five matches. Furthermore, if as expected Anderson proves to be ineffective on Australian pitches and takes none for a lot in the first two tests, then Tremlett could come in for Perth where he could prove extremely effective.

Tremlett has been a bit unlucky since he performed creditably in his three tests against India in 2007. Injuries, loss of form and a feeling that he wouldn't play if injured (even for a minor one like a broken finger nail) has held him back. But a switch to Surrey this season where he has taken 48 wickets in the championship at 20.18 means that he gets the nod over Ajmal Shahzad. In our opinion, it is Tim Bresnan who can consider himself lucky to get into the XVI ahead of Shahzad.

Elsewhere there were no surprises other than Adil Rashid missing out on the Performance Squad. This is a strange decision considering he took 52 wickets in the championship and also hit 732 runs at 45.75. If Ijaz Butt was asked to comment, he would probably say that it is a conspiracy against Yorkshire and Yorkshire cricket, and on this occasion he would probably be right.   

Our England Ashes and Lions squads for Australia

 
No doubt in between the latest news from Darlington football club and an exclusive from the Blue Square Premier league, England's Ashes squad will be announced on Sky Sports News tomorrow afternoon.

Most pundits have already had a go at picking their squads and it seems an opportune time for us to update the XVII we selected a couple of weeks ago (see Is this how England's Ashes squad should shape up?).

The retirement of Ryan Sidebottom means that we have to change our squad and we've also reconsidered our earlier decision to drop Eoin Morgan from the party in favour of Michael Carberry. Our reasoning that we were worried about the form of Alastair Cook still stands but it would be too harsh on Morgan and in any case Paul Collingwood's form is just as much a concern as Cook's so Carberry can be on hand at the Academy should he be needed.

Talking of the Academy or the Lions or whatever other name they will be called, we have also selected our shadow squad who will be in Australia should injuries or form necessitate changes within the Ashes party. Given what happened in 2002/03 and 2006/07 it will be no bad thing to have additional English cricketers on hand if and likely when the need arises.

Ashes party

As we wrote a couple of weeks ago, the squad pretty much picks itself with the XI from the Pakistan series plus Ian Bell an additional wicket keeper (either Kieswetter or Davies), a second spinner (Panesar, Tredwell or Rashid) and two or three extra seamers (Shahzad, Bresnan and Tremlett).

If reports are to be believed then Davies, Tredwell, Shahzad and Bresnan will make the cut. We've got no problem with Davies, who seems to have supplanted Kieswetter as Prior's deputy or Shahzad, whose pace and ability to reverse the old ball could be a useful option on the dry Australian pitches.

The selection of Tredwell though would surely be a mistake. He is less likely to take a bagful of wickets then Rashid or Panesar, isn't as good with the bat as the young Yorkshire leg spinner and doesn't have the experience in Australian conditions of Monty who did reasonably well on the 2006/07 tour. Two spinners may be required at Adelaide and/or Sydney and Panesar's slow left arm complement to Swann, experience and wicket taking ability would seem to be the best option. Tredwell would likely be cannon fodder to the Australian batsmen.

As for the extra seamers, we stand by our choice of Tremlett ahead of Bresnan. The former has had an excellent season for Surrey (48 championship wickets at 20.18), seems finally free of injuries and is far more suited to Australian wickets than the ineffective Bresnan who to be frank is out of his depth at test level.

With Sidebottom retired, we now go for a squad of XVI rather than one of XVII with our first XI for the Brisbane test in bold:

The Reverse Sweep's Ashes Squad: Strauss (C), Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Collingwood, Prior, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Finn, Morgan, Davies, Panesar, Tremlett & Shahzad.

The Academy / Lions party

We'd opt for an extended group here with a mixture of reserves for the Ashes squad (Bopara, Carberry, Rashid and Bresnan) and the next generation of England youngsters. We'd also select Simon Jones and Samit Patel. Yes, we know that Jones only played one match for Hampshire this season, but where better to monitor his rehabilitation from a string of injuries then the Academy? It would also be a useful fillip for his confidence. 

We'd also take Patel. Forget the weight issues, Patel should arguably be in the England ODI team for the World Cup ahead of Michael Yardy. The selectors would be able to monitor Patel's progress at the Academy and then make a final decision about his form, fitness, attitude and suitability for a recall based on first-hand evidence. Again our first-choice XI is highlighted in bold.

The Reverse Sweep's Lions/Academy squad: Carberry, Alex Hales, Adam Lyth, James Taylor, Bopara, Andrew Gale (C), James Hildreth, Ben Stokes, Samit Patel, Kieswetter, Jos Buttler, Rashid, Samit Patel, Luke Wright, Bresnan, Chris Woakes, James Harris, Toby Roland-Jones, Simon Jones  

Our County XI of the season

What a finish and how disappointing for Somerset to be the bridesmaids in each of the three domestic competitions. In a season where so much was wrong: the alleged corruption, the elongated FP Twenty 20 tournament and the sidelining of the county championship, the ECB were fortunate that each of its three competitions had a dramatic conclusion.

So with the prizes handed out, it is now time to pick our team of the season, which is based on the championship only given that we didn't really follow the CB 40 until the latter stages and the FP T20 until the finals day.

1. Marcus Trescothick (Captain) (1397 runs at 58.20) - So near but yet so far in his first season as captain as Tresco again showed that he is still the best England qualified batsman in the country in all formats bar none.

2. Adam Lyth (1509 runs at 52.03) - The 22 year old finished as the leading run scorer in Division 1 and particularly in the first half of the season regularly propelled the White Rose county's batting. Just pips Michael Carberry as Trescothick's opening partner.

3. Mark Ramprakash (1595 runs at 61.34) - Just like a vintage Chateau Lafitte, Ramps keeps getting better with age. Once again finished as the leading run scorer in the championship and this wasn't even one of his better seasons with only the five hundreds this time.

4. Jacques Rudolph (1375 runs at 50.92) - South Africa's loss continues to be Yorkshire's gain as Rudolph keeps plundering the runs. Gets into our XI ahead of his county captain Andrew Gale.

5. James Hildreth (1440 runs at 65.45) - A stellar season for the batsman once described by Justin Langer as an "extraordinary talent" with seven hundreds. Must be close to England selection and is likely to tour with the Academy this winter.

6. Chris Read (916 runs at 45.80, 59 catches & 4 stumpings) - Gets the nod ahead of Stephen Davies who also had a good year. Read is still arguably the best keeper in the championship and can always be relied upon for runs. The fact that he managed to successfully captain Notts to the title is testament to his multi-tasking skills.

7. Adil Rashid (732 runs at 45.75, 57 wickets at 31.29) - Took some time to get into the groove with the ball, but then consistently took wickets. His batting continues to impress and surely he can't be ignored by the England selectors for much longer?

8. Chris Woakes (54 wickets at 21.57, 431 runs at 23.94) - A burgeoning all-rounder who had a strong start and end to the season. Could well find himself on the Academy tour this winter.

9. Chris Tremlett (48 wickets at 20.18) - Seemed rejuvenated by his move to The Oval and most importantly stayed injury free. Deserves to be in the Ashes squad where his height, bounce and accuracy could prove a potent weapon.

10. Andre Adams (68 wickets at 22.17) - The leading wicket-taker in the country was one of the prime reasons why Notts scraped their way to the title. A strike rate of 40.2 is phenomenal. Gets in ahead of Gemaal Hussain and James Harris.

11. Monty Panesar (52 wickets at 25.69) - Like Tremlett, Monty was reinvigorated by a change of county and seems to have rediscovered his mojo at Hove. Should be picked for the Ashes squad ahead of Rashid and Tredwell.

ECB get the County Championship finish they don't deserve

The final round of County Championship matches started yesterday with three teams battling it out to be Division 1 champions. After losing their last two matches, Nottinghamshire are fading fast and will hope that their slender two point advantage over Somerset proves crucial in the final reckoning.

Somerset have never won the title, but if they can overcome Durham then captain Marcus Trescothick could get the reward that his glittering career deserves. His counterpart at Yorkshire, Andrew Gale, would also be a worthy holder of the trophy should the White Rose county overhaul the two teams above them.

Not so worthy of recognition are the ECB who have served up a real hotch potch of a season. No test matches for England at the height of summer in July, an overlong Twenty 20 competition and a further degradation of the championship have been some but not all of the blunders served up by Giles Clarke and his fellow clowns.

As the season reaches its conclusion we've remembered that we've been as absent-minded as the ECB in not posting an update of our County Player of the Season table in the last few weeks. Anyway the penultimate table is below and it looks like Steve Finn is going to win another (albeit obscure) award in his breakthrough season.

Player	County	Played	Points		Points awarded*
Finn	Middlesex	13	231		County Appearance	5
Kieswetter	Somerset	27	186		Lions Appearance	10
Rashid	Yorkshire	15	180		Test appearance	20
Hildreth	Somerset	15	170		T20I/ODI/Lions one day	3
Bopara	Essex	19	155		Score of 40-49	3
Taylor	Leics	18	154		50-99	5
Gale	Yorkshire	17	150		100-199	10
Woakes	Warks	16	144		200+	20
Panesar	Sussex	15	122		3 wickets in an innings	3
Hamilton-Brown	Surrey	15	119		4 wickets	5
Stokes	Durham	13	109		5 or 6 wickets	10
Northeast	Kent	15	105		7wickets+	20
Tremlett	Surrey	11	99		Catches	1
Hales	Notts	11	98		Stumpings	3
Borthwick	Durham	9	61
Wainwright	Yorkshire	5	29

Regular visitors to this site will know that just before the start of the county season, we named our dozen players to watch (see Part 1 and Part 2 here). We thought it would be fun to see how the 12 fared over the 2010 season, so devised what is probably a flawed points system to help assess their progress. We later extended this list to 16, adding Andrew Gale, Chris Woakes, James Hildreth and Ben Stokes to the mix.

England aim to complete World Cup jigsaw

Whilst the Pakistan cricket team descends further into chaos after more corruption allegations this time involving Wahab Riaz and two heavy defeats in the Twenty 20 internationals (even Shahid Afridi admits that captaining the side is ‘very hard’), England will be looking to put the final pieces of their World Cup jigsaw in place today when the one day series starts.

It is sometimes hard to believe that it is only a year since England reached their nadir in one day cricket when they were smashed to kingdom come by Australia in the Nat West Series that followed the Ashes. Since then of course, England have adopted a more positive and aggressive approach, which has paid off in spades. An improved performance in the Champions Trophy was followed by series wins in South Africa and Bangladesh, before revenge was gained against the Australians in the Nat West Series earlier in the summer.

However, there is still some work for Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss to do as evidenced by the poor defeat to Bangladesh at Bristol and the two dead rubber losses to Australia when a 5-0 whitewash had looked on the cards. Flower and Strauss also need to put the finishing touches to their first choice XI and doubts still remain over who will open the batting with the captain, who bats at six, who will keep wicket, who will be the second spinner and which seamer will join Stuart Broad and James Anderson in the attack.

Who opens with Strauss?

The rags to riches to rags again story of Craig Kieswetter means that the selectors have decided to opt for Surrey keeper Steven Davies for the five matches against Pakistan. Presumably Davies will open the batting with Strauss, so he could prove a like for like swap with Kieswetter. Davies is arguably a better keeper than Kieswetter, but whether he is the aggressive opener that will be needed for sub-continental pitches is another thing. Ravi Bopara is another possible candidate to open the batting, but may be better at number six.

The middle order

Assuming that either Davies or Kieswetter will eventually win the selectors vote to partner Strauss, that means the four middle order places can be filled by batsmen. The decision to drop Kevin Pietersen from the squad gives Jonathan Trott, who currently averages over 70 in ODI, another chance to nail down the number three spot. It is hard see England going without Pietersen in the long-term, so with Eoin Morgan and Paul Collingwood probably also racing certainties for the World Cup XI, that leaves Trott, Bopara, Ian Bell and Luke Wright battling for the final batting spot. Bopara is arguably best suited to the number six spot as he can bat in several gears and is also a useful medium pace bowler, but if Trott keeps getting the runs (if you pardon the pun) then he will be hard to ignore.

Second spinner

Michael Yardy seems to have the vote of the selectors for the second spinner position and his batting adds another string to his bow. He is not a great spinner of the ball, but his darts have proved pretty effective. Two spinners will be required on sub-continental pitches, so maybe the selectors have missed a trick by not blooding Adil Rashid (maybe at the expense of Wright?) to provide them with another option here.

Broad and Anderson, but which other seamers?

With Graeme Swann, Broad and Anderson nailed on certainties for the World Cup XI that leaves one spot open. Given that the selectors have chosen not to give Steve Finn a try in the 50 over format, it would seem that the choice boils down to Ryan Sidebottom, Tim Bresnan or Ajmal Shahzad. The latter would seem best suited for sub-continental pitches but he is also the least experienced of the three and the selectors seem to like the whole-hearted but limited Bresnan.

Our prediction for the Pakistan series

Pakistan’s current problems mean that they are unlikely to cause England too many problems during the series. However, it should be interesting to see how the 6’10” (or 7'1" depending on which PCB press release you believe) fast bowling giant that is Mohammad Irfan fares. With Umar Akmal, Afridi and Saeed Ajmal all being excellent one day players, Pakistan should win one game despite the chaos enveloping their party. So we go for a 4-1 series win for England.

Is this how England's Ashes squad should shape up?

The test series with Pakistan may have come to a chaotic and potentially earth shaking end (if the allegations against Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif are proved), but the England selectors certainly seem to have kept their eye on the ball. Just ask Kevin Pietersen.

Whether you agree or not with the dropping of England's best batsman from the Twenty 20 and one day squads to face Pakistan, no one can argue that Andy Flower isn't afraid to take drastic action in order to get Pietersen's form, confidence and swagger back. At first we weren't sure, but we believe that come Brisbane in November this may prove to have been a canny move from the shrewd Flower.

Like at least ten of the eleven who played in the test matches against Pakistan, Pietersen is assured of being named in the squad that will aim to retain the Ashes. The only possible doubt concerns Eoin Morgan, who with Ian Bell to return may have to compete with Michael Carberry for the spare batsman slot. Morgan will probably get the nod, but with doubts still remaining about the form of Alastair Cook, England will at least want Carberry close at hand with the Academy should a change of plan be necessary. It may be controversial and a little harsh on Morgan, but we'd opt for Carberry on a horses for courses basis and send Morgan to the Academy.

Depending on whether England opt for a 16 or 17 man squad, that leaves four or five positions available. One of these will go to the spare keeper, where it seems that Stephen Davies has jumped ahead of Craig Kieswetter in the pecking order. That leaves a second spinner and either two or three pacemen (or two plus an all-rounder).

The second spinner, who may well play at Adelaide and/or Sydney will be a straight fight between three players - James Tredwell, Adil Rashid and Monty Panesar. Tredwell is the safe but hardly adventurous option, although in some ways is the man in possession following his participation in the Bangladesh tour earlier this year. Rashid is the wild card choice, but he has snared 51 championship wickets at 31.60 and hit 679 runs at 52.23 this season, so has more than one string to his bow. Sooner or later, England are going to have to give him an opportunity, but maybe the Ashes is not the best testing ground (unlike Bangladesh, where Rashid should have been included).

Panesar has recaptured some of his best form since moving to Sussex and has 44 championship wickets at 26. He has also toured Australia before and performed reasonably well when he was belatedly picked for the last three tests in 2006/07. So, it's Monty for us with Rashid held in reserve at the Academy.

With Graham Onions injured, England will pick two or three from Tim Bresnan, Ajmal Shahzad, Ryan Sidebottom and Luke Wright to complete the squad. We'd opt for three names but also add Chris Tremlett to the mix. Some people may laugh, but Tremlett did well in his three tests against India in 2007 and troubled all of the Indian batsmen. He seems to have finally shaken off a catalogue of injuries and is having a good season for his new county Surrey, where he has 40 wickets at 21.25. Unlike Bresnan for instance, Tremlett has the attributes to do well in Australia with his height, accuracy and bounce.

To our surprise inclusion of Tremlett, we'd also add Shahzad, whose pace and ability to reverse the old ball will be useful. Finally, against our better judgement, Sidebottom would be the last name. As a left armer he offers balance and variety. That means no place for Bresnan, but can anyone really see him taking wickets in Australia (or even at test level, for that matter)? We can't and that's why he misses out.

The Reverse Sweep's Ashes squad (starting XI for Brisbane in bold): Strauss, Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Collingwood, Bell, Prior, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Finn, Carberry, Davies, Panesar, Tremlett, Shahzad and Sidebottom 

Chris Tremlett & Monty Panesar give England selectors an Ashes nudge

With just the final test at Lord's to go, the England selectors will soon have the test after that on their minds. The small matter of the first Ashes test against Australia at Brisbane, which starts on 25th November.

Despite a poor performance at The Oval, the XI who have featured in the three tests to date against Pakistan are racing certainties to be included in the Ashes party to be named some time in September. But spots are up for grabs for extra pacemen and a second spinner.

It is a big season for Chris Tremlett and Monty Panesar with their respective new counties Surrey and Sussex. Tremlett played three tests against India in 2007 and did reasonably well, but since then inconsistency and above all injury, has seen him slip off the selectors radar. A feeling that he lacks the inner fire of a Stuart Broad has also not helped his cause. But his season for Surrey is getting better and better and match figures of 38.1-12-87-8 last week against Worcestershire seem to suggest he is back to his best. He now has 38 championship wickets at 19.6 this season. Is it too late for him as far as England are concerned? Or will the selectors take a gamble on a bowler whose height and bounce would seem to be ideal for Australian conditions?

Panesar would seem to be the favourite for the second spinners role ahead of the untried Adil Rashid. After an annus horribilis in 2009, Panesar seems to have got his mojo back at Sussex where his 43 wickets at 24.11 have helped Sussex top the Division 2 table. Like Tremlett, Monty too is coming into form at the right time and last week took match figures of seven for 122 as Derbyshire were humbled at Horsham.

Elsewhere in our County Player off the Year table, Steve Finn extends his lead despite a poor game at The Oval with second placed Rashid only bowling nine overs on a seamers wicket at Chester-le-Street. Other players to shine in the latest round of county championship matches were James Hildreth, who continued his fine recent form with 84 and 59 in Somerset's victory over Essex, and Andrew Gale, who rediscovered his early season form with a rapid 70 not out in Yorkshire's run chase against Durham.

The latest table is below:

Player	County	Played	Points		Points awarded*
Finn	Middlesex	11	203		County Appearance	5
Rashid	Yorkshire	13	164		Lions Appearance	10
Kieswetter	Somerset	24	162		Test appearance	20
Hildreth	Somerset	13	160		T20I/ODI/Lions one day	3
Taylor	Leics	16	143		Score of 40-49	3
Bopara	Essex	14	130		50-99	5
Gale	Yorkshire	15	130		100-199	10
Panesar	Sussex	13	112		200+	20
Hamilton-Brown	Surrey	13	104		3 wickets in an innings	3
Stokes	Durham	12	104		4 wickets	5
Woakes	Warks	14	103		5 or 6 wickets	10
Northeast	Kent	13	89		7wickets+	20
Tremlett	Surrey	9	86		Catches	1
Hales	Notts	8	69		Stumpings	3
Borthwick	Durham	6	37
Wainwright	Yorkshire	5	29

Regular visitors to this site will know that just before the start of the county season, we named our dozen players to watch (see Part 1 and Part 2 here). We thought it would be fun to see how the 12 fared over the 2010 season, so devised what is probably a flawed points system to help assess their progress. We later extended this list to 16, adding Andrew Gale, Chris Woakes, James Hildreth and Ben Stokes to the mix. 

James Hildreth enjoys the joy of six

Whilst we've been away some teams have played two county matches (and have started their third this week), which means that the Reverse Sweep County Player of the Year table is in need of a bit of an update.

Steve Finn is still out in front thanks to the extra points available for those lucky enough to play test cricket and because he keeps taking wickets. Though maybe we need to readjust the points given that the Pakistan batting line-up would probably struggle against a Division Two county attack at present?

Of those in close pursuit, Adil Rashid had a quiet match against Nottinghamshire a couple of weeks ago, which has allowed Craig Kieswetter and James Hildreth to close the gap in third and fourth. Hildreth has now hit six championship hundreds this season and may yet prove Justin Langer's opinion that the Somerset batsman was "an extraordinary talent" correct.

Elsewhere Scott Borthwick has managed to move off the bottom of the table thanks to him being picked by Durham. The much vaunted David Wainwright is now bottom of the pile ridiculing suggestions by some at the start of the season that he could move up the blind side to be named as the second spinner in this winter's Ashes party. Watch out though for Chris Tremlett, who is close to his best now that both fitness and rhythm have returned.

Player	County	Played	Points		Points awarded*
Finn	Middlesex	10	183		County Appearance	5
Rashid	Yorkshire	12	159		Lions Appearance	10
Kieswetter	Somerset	23	152		Test appearance	20
Hildreth	Somerset	12	145		T20I/ODI/Lions one day	3
Taylor	Leics	16	143		Score of 40-49	3
Bopara	Essex	13	124		50-99	5
Gale	Yorkshire	14	120		100-199	10
Panesar	Sussex	12	99		200+	20
Hamilton-Brown	Surrey	12	99		3 wickets in an innings	3
Stokes	Durham	11	97		4 wickets	5
Woakes	Warks	13	95		5 or 6 wickets	10
Northeast	Kent	12	84		7wickets+	20
Tremlett	Surrey	8	71		Catches	1
Hales	Notts	7	61		Stumpings	3
Borthwick	Durham	6	37
Wainwright	Yorkshire	5	29

Regular visitors to this site will know that just before the start of the county season, we named our dozen players to watch (see Part 1 and Part 2 here). We thought it would be fun to see how the 12 fared over the 2010 season, so devised what is probably a flawed points system to help assess their progress. We later extended this list to 16, adding Andrew Gale, Chris Woakes, James Hildreth and Ben Stokes to the mix. 

Steven Finn is back in charge

With Adil Rashid and Yorkshire not having a game, Steven Finn eased back to the head of our County Player to Watch 2010 Table with five wickets in England's demolition of Pakistan at Trent Bridge. Finn must now be hot favourite to win this title given that he has three more tests to come against Pakistan's fragile batting line-up over the next few weeks.

Elsewhere it was a quiet week with six of our sixteen's counties not in Championship action. Three players did impress however. James Hildreth hit his fourth championship ton of the summer, a season's best 142, as Somerset trounced Nottinghamshire. Craig Kieswetter also got amongst the runs with 73 in the same match. The other player to shine was Chris Tremlett who bowled a fiery new spell to take three wickets in five balls against Middlesex and ended up with four for 90. He also scored 53 not out, but was unable to avert an innings defeat for his county Surrey.

Regular visitors to this site will know that just before the start of the county season, we named our dozen players to watch (see Part 1 and Part 2 here). We thought it would be fun to see how the 12 fared over the 2010 season, so devised what is probably a flawed points system to help assess their progress. We later extended this list to 16, adding Andrew Gale, Chris Woakes, James Hildreth and Ben Stokes to the mix. 

 

 

Can England find the final pieces of Ashes jigsaw?

Back in May on the eve of the test series with Bangladesh, we at the Reverse Sweep suggested that England had several questions to answer before they endeavour to retain the Ashes Down Under in the winter.

So, prior to the test series against a resurgent Pakistan, which starts today at Trent Bridge, we thought it would be appropriate to have a progress check and see what are the remaining burning issues that Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower will hope to have nailed down come the end of the final test at The Oval.

Who should open with Strauss?

Although he hardly covered himself in glory in the two tests against Bangladesh, Alastair Cook is an odds-on certainty to open with Strauss for a second successive Ashes tour. Cook has a pretty dreadful record against Australia, but there is no tried and tested alternative. Michael Carberry has only played one test in Bangladesh and new kids on the block Adam Lyth and Alex Hales are too inexperienced to be thrown to the wolves. So, Cook it is. Let's hope he provides the right recipe. Status: Closed

Who bats at three?

Despite some doubts over whether he is a positive enough statement of intent in the pivotal number three position, Jonathan Trott seems to have nailed down first drop in the batting order. As long as he can negotiate his way through to The Oval without any major mishaps (and that won't be easy against the Pakistan pace trio), then Trott will have a chance to repeat his debut test heroics against Australia during the winter. The only thing that may prevent this is if Eoin Morgan has a storming series against Pakistan and the selectors decide to then opt for Ian Bell ahead of Trott at three. Status: Closed, barring a major surprise

Four or five bowlers

It is clear that England have decided to go with the four bowler option and given that there is no all-rounder good enough to bat at six (or seven with Prior at six), this is the right decision. Luke Wright is not a test cricketer with bat or ball and neither is Tim Bresnan. Adil Rashid would be a brave selection, but this won't happen. So the number six position will either go to Bell or Morgan, with the Warwickshire batsman's broken foot giving the Irishman a chance to stake his claim. Ravi Bopara waits in the wings. Status: A straight battle between Bell and Morgan with the latter needing a stellar series to get the nod

Prior or Kieswetter

Back in May we suggested that it was Craig Kieswetter's weakness with the gloves that would enable Prior to win this particular battle. After Kieswetter's well documented struggles in the one-dayers with Australia and Bangladesh, any slight doubt as to who will be behind the stumps in Brisbane have now been removed. The Somerset keeper can thus firmly focus on getting his mojo back in time for the World Cup. Status: Closed

Which seamers should board the plane?

As we stated in May, we believe that six seamers will be selected for the tour. Three of those will be Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Steve Finn. The latter having sealed his spot and a probable place in the XI with his performances against Bangladesh. Pakistan's brittle batting order may not provide much more of a test than the hapless Bangladeshis, so Finn's star is likely to continue to rise. Ajmal Shahzad and his late replacement in the squad for the 1st test, Tim Bresnan, are also likely to make the cut. This leaves one spot open to be contested between Graham Onions (if he can regain fitness) and Ryan Sidebottom unless the selectors mistakingly pick Wright. Anderson seems to have lost the ability to take wickets with the new ball, and with his poor record against Australia and a suspicion that the pitches Down Under will not suit his bowling, Shahzad could pip him for a place in the XI. Status: The door is still ajar and one place in the XI waits to be confirmed

Who should be the back-up spinner?

We are no wiser on this and probably won't be until the Ashes squad is picked. Why? Because England are unlikely to play two spinners in any of the four tests against Pakistan. The choice boils down to one of James Tredwell, Monty Panesar or Adil Rashid. The former has nowhere near the ability of the other two, but may be seen as the safest option by the selectors. Panesar, our pick back in May, is the most experienced and seems to have recovered his confidence at Hove. But we'd plump for Rashid now. He is in form having taken 49 wickets at 27.87 and scored 524 runs at 52.40 to date for Yorkshire in Division 1. But will the selectors follow the lead of their Australian counterparts and pick a young leg-spinner? Status - Open

Adil Rashid is knock, knock, knocking on England's door

As is often the case, we found ourselves agreeing with a discussion on Test Match Sofa during coverage of the Australia-Pakistan test at Headingley. This particular debate related to Adil Rashid and whether he should be elevated to the Englandtest and/or one day squad. So far this season, Rashid has taken 49 championship wickets at 27.87 and scored 524 runs at 52.40. These are stats that the likes of Tim Bresnan, Luke Wright and James Tredwell, all of whom seem ahead of Rashid in the England pecking order, could only dream of.

In our humble opinion, Rashid should go to Australia (just ahead of Monty Panesar) as the second spinner where he could expect to play at Adelaide and/or Sydney. The Yorkshire leg-spinner should certainly go to the World Cup, where three spinners will be required. But will the England selectors go where their Australian counterparts have already trod by picking fellow young leg spinner (but inferior to Rashid) Steve Smith?

Whatever his fate over the winter, Rashid stretches his lead at the top of our County Player to Watch in 2010 table, despite the return of erstwhile leader Steve Finn from his strength conditioning course. Rashid took five for 87 and scored 52 not out as Yorkshire drew with Essexin Division 1. That is Rashid's third successive championship five for and he has now amassed 24 wickets in those three matches - a rich vein of form indeed.

Elsewhere, Ravi Bopara continued his resurgence in form with a hundred in each innings in the aforementioned clash with Yorkshire. He too must be in serious contention for a place in England's Ashes squad. Monty Panesar also is right back in form, taking his second successive five for (including the wicket of England captain Andrew Strauss) as Sussex just failed to beat Middlesex in Division 2.

Other notable performances included a swashbuckling hundred from Rory Hamilton-Brown in Surrey's innings victory over Northants plus fifties from James Taylor and Alex Hales for Leicestershire against Glamorgan and Notts in their win over Warwickshire respectively.

Regular visitors to this site will know that just before the start of the county season, we named our dozen players to watch (see Part 1 and Part 2 here). We thought it would be fun to see how the 12 fare over the 2010 season, so devised what is probably a flawed points system to help assess their progress. We recently extended this list to 16, adding Andrew Gale, Chris Woakes, James Hildreth and Ben Stokes to the mix. 

It's Spin City as Rashid and Panesar impress

The race for the Reverse Sweep County Player of the Year Award heated up this week as Adil Rashid and Monty Panesar spun their sides to victory in the County Championship.

Rashid took his season's tally to 42 wickets with nine for 208 in the match as Yorkshire returned to the top of the Division 1 table. With Steve Finn still on his strength conditioning course (which, will doubtless last until Ricky Ponting and his men board their Qantas jet back to Sydney), Rashid takes over at the top of the table.

Meanwhile, Panesar took his first five for since September 2008 as he inspired his side Sussex back to the top of the Division 2 table. Both will be eyeing a spot in the Ashes squad and are surely each a better bet than James Tredwell as a potential second spinner at Adelaide and Sydney?

Regular visitors to this site will know that just before the start of the county season, we named our dozen players to watch (see Part 1 and Part 2 here). We thought it would be fun to see how the 12 fare over the 2010 season, so devised what is probably a flawed points system to help assess their progress. We recently extended this list to 16, adding Andrew Gale, Chris Woakes, James Hildreth and Ben Stokes to the mix.

Elsewhere, Ravi Bopara and Andrew Gale took advantage of their opportunities with England A to make a move up the table. Bopara had an extraordinary match against West Indies A hitting 168 and then taking four for 43 - surely he should be playing as the number six in the full England ODI side? Gale hit 90 in the final as England A beat India A to the title.

Finally, the immensely promising Sam Northeast hit a fifty for Kent against Hampshire, but all to no avail as Kent slipped to a heavy defeat.

Player	County	Played	Points		Points awarded*
Rashid	Yorkshire	10	132		County Appearance	5
Finn	Middlesex	7	129		Lions Appearance	10
Kieswetter	Somerset	18	107		Test appearance	20
Gale	Yorkshire	12	104		T20I/ODI/Lions one day	3
Taylor	Leics	12	101		Score of 40-49	3
Hildreth	Somerset	8	90		50-99	5
Bopara	Essex	10	88		100-199	10
Woakes	Warks	11	84		200+	20
Stokes	Durham	8	76		3 wickets in an innings	3
Panesar	Sussex	9	74		4 wickets	5
Hamilton-Brown	Surrey	9	73		5 or 6 wickets	10
Northeast	Kent	9	66		7wickets+	20
Hales	Notts	4	38		Catches	1
Tremlett	Surrey	5	38		Stumpings	3
Wainwright	Yorkshire	4	24
Borthwick	Durham	4	22

England ODI healthcheck - how are things shaping up for the World Cup?

5-0 would have been quite a statement, but given England won the first three matches and Australia had an under strength bowling line-up, 3-2 to England probably left honours even. That said it is quite a turnaround for England having lost 6-1 to the same opposition less than a year earlier. Following on from the improved display in the Champions Trophy and series wins in South Africa and Bangladesh, England have certainly made a Lazarus like recovery in the 50 over format.

 

But, just how healthy is the England line-up ahead of the big one - the World Cup next spring on the subcontinent? Dr Reverse Sweep casts an eye over the team below and provides the possible remedies where necessary.

 

The openers

Andrew Strauss quashed the murmurs before the series that he wasn’t worth his place, but there is still a slight question mark whether his favourite run-getting areas will allow him to flourish in a World Cup on subcontinent pitches. But he will be there and will probably open with Craig Kieswetter, who had an inevitable fall after a meteoric start to his international career. Surreykeeper Steven Davies and young Alex Hales of Nottinghamshire (an opener in the Marcus Trescothick mould) are perhaps the unlikely alternatives here.

Verdict: healthy, but caution is required.

 

The middle order 

Kevin Pietersen’s position as the star of the side has now been usurped by the quite remarkable Eoin Morgan. The Irishman’s hundred at the Rose Bowl was one of the best ever scored for Englandin the one day game, and he should do well on the slow pitches of the subcontinent. Pietersen had a poor series and is maybe suffering a hangover from starring in the World T20 and becoming a new father. But as he normally does, Englandfans can be confident Pietersen will raise his game for the big one. Sandwiched between them in the batting order is the irrepressible Paul Collingwood, who just seems to get better and better. This is a middle order that rivals the best in the one day game worldwide.

Verdict: in a rude state of health.

 

The number six spot

This is the main worry in the side as Luke Wright is a place too high at number six and arguably is not worth his place in the side with bat or ball. If Kieswetter opens, then there is merit for having a specialist batsman at number six in the order especially as Collingwood and Pietersen can provide sixth bowler duties if necessary. We’d also argue that Englandcan not accommodate Wright and Tim Bresnan in the same side with the latter’s batting impressing far more than what is supposed to be his strongest suit with the ball. The candidates here are Ian Bell (back in the side for the Bangladeshseries to replace the injured/rested [take your pick] Pietersen), Matt Prior (who could also take the gloves, and who is impressing for Sussexin the FP t20), Ben Stokes (probably too young) and our choice Ravi Bopara. Bopara is a good batsman who can rebuild or embellish an innings in one day cricket and his bowling adds another string to his bow.

Verdict: in need of some medicine from Bopara

 

The spinners

Graeme Swann’s remarkable success story continued in the Nat West series and he will be the key man if Englandare to repeat their Caribbean success in the World Cup. Mike Yardy did a good job in the World T20 and was England’s most economical bowler in the Nat West series. His left hand style complements Swann and as an opener in domestic cricket, he adds batting strength to the lower-middle order. The only doubt concerns his lack of wickets. James Tredwell has come into the squad for the Bangladeshseries in place of the rested Swann, but surely Adil Rashid is the next best option to the two incumbents.

Verdict: in excellent health, but  Rashid should be held in reserve in the First Aid box

 

The seamers  

Stuart Broad returned from his strength conditioning in fine fettle and was England’s leading wicket taker in the series, whilst putting a marker down against Ricky Ponting in particular ahead of the Ashes. James Anderson was his usual hot and cold self – brilliant at Old Trafford but woeful at Lord’s. Tim Bresnan only took one wicket for 255 in the series and one wonders whether he will be even more ineffective on the subcontinent. A more potent opening bowler is required as early wickets are crucial in one day cricket. Steve Finn should probably be kept just for test cricket at the moment, which means that Ryan Sidebottom, who would probably survive a nuclear explosion such is his ability to stay in the mix, comes back into the equation. Ajmal Shahzad is also worth a look.

Verdict: Mixed. Broad looks in good health, but maybe Anderson could also do with some extra vitamins and strength conditioning? A new opening bowler is urgently required otherwise England could quickly get sickly on the subcontinent.

 

Conclusion

Things are looking pretty healthy with eight or nine spots looking nailed down. A new number six is required with either Wright or Bresnan (or both) dropping out. And a more potent opening bowler should also come into the mix. As it stands, England must be amongst the favourites and who thought we’d have been saying that just ten months ago?

Adil Rashid stalks Steven Finn as Championship returns

The County Championship returned on Monday without any fanfare after a three week break, during which domestic cricket has been devoted to the never ending saga of the FP t20 competition.

Contradictorily the shortest form of the game lends itself to a competition longer than War and Peace and unbelievably we are still only about halfway through the league part of the tournament, so the Championship will have to settle for second place on the bill until the end of July.

Still the return of the Championship plus England's Nat West series with Australia and the parallel England A tri-one day series with India A and West Indies A means that the table to determine our leading county player of the season has resumed with relish.

Regular visitors to this site will know that just before the start of the county season, we named our dozen players to watch (see Part 1 and Part 2 here). We thought it would be fun to see how the 12 fare over the 2010 season, so devised what is probably a flawed points system to help assess their progress. We recently extended this list to 16, adding Andrew Gale, Chris Woakes, James Hildreth and Ben Stokes to the mix.

Anyway, with Steven Finn off having strength conditioning, Adil Rashid took advantage to move within 18 points of the 'new Glenn McGrath' with an excellent all-round performance in the Roses match; why the leg spinner is not in the England A squad, we will never know. Craig Kieswetter also moves up the table thanks to five matches in England one day colours against Scotland and Australia, despite disappointing returns against the latter. Elsewhere, Chris Tremlett's four for 94 saw Surrey prevail against Derbyshire, James Taylor's 43 not out saw Leicestershire past the post against Worcestershire and Ravi Bopara's bowling continued to impress for England A.

Player	County	Played	Points		Points awarded*
Finn	Middlesex	7	129		County Appearance	5
Rashid	Yorkshire	9	111		Lions Appearance	10
Kieswetter	Somerset	16	100		Test appearance	20
Taylor	Leics	10	94		T20I/ODI/Lions one day	3
Gale	Yorkshire	10	93		Score of 40-49	3
Hildreth	Somerset	8	90		50-99	5
Stokes	Durham	8	76		100-199	10
Woakes	Warks	8	74		200+	20
Hamilton-Brown	Surrey	9	73		3 wickets in an innings	3
Bopara	Essex	7	62		4 wickets	5
Panesar	Sussex	8	56		5 or 6 wickets	10
Northeast	Kent	8	55		7wickets+	20
Tremlett	Surrey	5	38		Catches	1
Hales	Notts	3	32		Stumpings	3
Wainwright	Yorkshire	4	24
Borthwick	Durham	4	22

  

Finn consolidates lead as championship takes a break

Another fine performance from Steven Finn in England colours consolidated his lead at the top of our table of county players to watch this season. For the second successive match, Finn took a five for as England eased to a 2-0 series victory.

Regular visitors to this site will know that just before the start of the county season, we named our dozen players to watch (see Part 1 and Part 2 here). We thought it would be fun to see how the 12 fare over the 2010 season, so devised what is probably a flawed points system to help assess their progress. We recently extended this list to 16, adding Andrew Gale, Chris Woakes, James Hildreth and Ben Stokes to the mix.

Elsewhere, Alex Hales impressed again with a quickfire 95 at the top of the order in Notts draw with Kent whilst James Hildreth continued his rich vein of form with another fifty in Somerset's defeat of Warwickshire. The others of our 16 to shine were Ravi Bopara, who scored 61 to help steer Essex out of a hole against Hampshire and James Taylor, who followed up his double hundred against Middlesex with 63 as Leicestershire beat troubled Surrey by an innings.

The championship now takes a break until the end of June as the Friends Provident T20 takes over. As a purist we don't like to see what should be the centrepiece of the domestic game taken over by the hit and giggle of Twenty20, but money talks and it seems that the counties are as greedy as the next man in the street.

Player	County	Played	Points		Points awarded*
Finn	Middlesex	7	129		County Appearance	5
Hildreth	Somerset	8	90		Lions Appearance	10
Rashid	Yorkshire	8	89		Test appearance	20
Taylor	Leics	9	86		T20I/ODI appearance	3
Gale	Yorkshire	8	85		Score of 40-49	3
Woakes	Warks	8	74		50-99	5
Kieswetter	Somerset	11	70		100-199	10
Stokes	Durham	7	68		200+	20
Hamilton-Brown	Surrey	8	65		3 wickets in an innings	3
Panesar	Sussex	8	56		4 wickets	5
Northeast	Kent	8	55		5 or 6 wickets	10
Bopara	Essex	5	48		7wickets+	20
Hales	Notts	3	32		Catches	1
Tremlett	Surrey	4	28		Stumpings	3
Wainwright	Yorkshire	4	24
Borthwick	Durham	4	22

 

 

 

Who should be in England's one day cricket squad?

For England, the two test series with Bangladesh was as flat a follow up to the World T20 triumph as 'The Second Coming' was to The Stone Roses' magnificent self-titled debut album. And just as Ian Brown delivered a famously flat performance at Reading in 1996, the same was true of some of England's stars in the Caribbean at Lord's and Old Trafford. Kevin Pietersen and Tim Bresnan to name but two.

Talk of anti-climaxes leads us to the forthcoming five match one day series against Australia. Yes, we can't believe it either that after the never-ending seven match Nat West series between the same two sides that followed the Ashes last summer, Australia are back again for an encore. But at least it will help Messrs Strauss, Flower and Miller dot a few I's and cross a few T's ahead of the World Cup on the subcontinent next year.

One of the reasons England won the World T20 was that the selectors made some uncharacteristically brave and audacious picks in Michael Lumb, Craig Kieswetter, Michael Yardy and Ryan Sidebottom. All of their punts came off, but will they employ similar ruthlessness when it comes to the England one day side? 

Since the nadir of the 6-1 reverse to Australia in the aforementioned Nat West Series last autumn, the fortunes of the one day side have greatly improved. First they reached the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy with a new attacking approach. Then they won back to back series in South Africa and Bangladesh. Now with the success of the Twenty 20 side, the selectors have some interesting decisions to make.

 

The first is the biggest. Do they retain Andrew Strauss as captain of the one day side knowing that aggression at the top of the order will be critical in the subcontinent next year? Anyone who remembers the 1996 World Cup would agree that Lumb is much closer to Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana than the more obdurate Strauss. However, Flower has given unequivocal support to Strauss following some confused signals from Miller, so we guess this question has been answered for now. Lumb would also need to show that he is capable of scoring hundreds as quickfire 20s and 30s are not enough for an opener in 50 over cricket. So it will be Strauss to partner the hugely impressive Kieswetter at the top of the order.

 

Then it gets a bit easier for the selectors as barring injury or serious loss of form, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan are certainties for the next three spots in the batting order. Presumably Collingwood, now forever the ginger Bobby Moore, would take the captaincy should the selectors make the brave and unlikely decision to leave out Strauss.

 

Luke Wright did very well in the Caribbean, but the feeling that he is a place too high at number six in Twenty 20, is probably even more the case in 50 over cricket. Assuming that Andrew Flintoff’s time as an international cricketer is over, then this position is up for grabs with Wright, Ravi Bopara and Matt Prior (allowing Kieswetter to concentrate on just his batting) the main candidates. If the selectors are feeling really adventurous, then they may want a look at the hugely impressive Ben Stokes of Durham.

 

Tim Bresnan has surprised many (including us) with the way he has performed with bat and ball in limited overs (if not test) cricket and seemed to have the number seven spot nailed down until his recent injury. This will probably earn Wright a reprieve for now. Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad are also certainties barring injury, loss of form or in Broad’s case suspension for upsetting one umpire or match referee too many.

 

That leaves two seam and one spin vacancies, as two spinners will clearly be required on the slow turners of the subcontinent so surely should be employed now in the run up? Yardy was the right horse for the T20 course offered up in the West Indies, but we are not sure whether this is the case for 50 over contests in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. With the selectors likely to require a second spinner that can bat, Monty Panesar will be deemed surplus to requirements, which leaves James Tredwell and Adil Rashid to battle it out. If Rashid can continue to rediscover his mojo with the ball this summer, then we’d go with his leg-spin option. He should certainly be recalled to the squad for the games with Australia.

 

 

Ryan Sidebottom’s incredible renaissance in the World T20 showed that the variety he offers could also prove valuable in 50 over cricket. That said we will be very surprised if James Anderson, the erstwhile leader of England’s attack, is not back in the side for the World Cup. With Steven Finn hidden from the Australians on an 'intensive strengthening programme' and Bresnan and Graham Onions injured, Ajmal Shahzad - so impressive at Old Trafford, should get a chance in the 50 over format.

 

So our 15 man squad for the games against Australia (with our first XI in bold), as well as the one off match with Scotland and the three games with Bangladesh that sandwich the battles with Ricky Ponting's men would be:

 

Strauss, Kieswetter, Pietersen, Collingwood, Morgan, Bopara, Stokes, Rashid, Wright, Swann, Broad, Sidebottom, Anderson, Shahzad and Yardy.

 

  

  

Steven Finn roars back to the top of the table

Steven Finn roared back to the top of our table of county players to watch this season with his nine wicket haul in his first home test match at Lord's over the weekend.

Regular visitors to this site will know that just before the start of the county season, we named our dozen players to watch (see Part 1 and Part 2 here). We thought it would be fun to see how the 12 fare over the 2010 season, so devised what is probably a flawed points system to help assess their progress. We recently extended this list to 16, adding Andrew Gale, Chris Woakes, James Hildreth and Ben Stokes to the mix.

Finn now has a big lead at the top of the table as the points system is weighted towards test appearances and performances. He was helped by the weather decimating the programme of county matches, which meant only two of our 16 were able to star. Prior to the game against Middlesex, James Taylor has not been able to repeat the excellent consistency of 2009, but he came back to form with a bang with an unbeaten double century.

And for the second successive match, Adil Rashid took four wickets and hit a fifty as the Roses petered out to a draw. Rashid seems to have regained form and confidence and with the World Cup being on the subcontinent next year, maybe now is the time that the England selectors gave him a run in the side for the forthcoming one day matches with Australia and Bangladesh.

The Reverse Sweep's County Players to watch 2010 - League Table
Player	County	Played	Points		Points awarded*
Finn	Middlesex	6	99		County Appearance	5
Rashid	Yorkshire	8	89		Lions Appearance	10
Gale	Yorkshire	8	85		Test appearance	20
Hildreth	Somerset	7	77		T20I/ODI appearance	3
Taylor	Leics	8	75		Score of 40-49	3
Stokes	Durham	7	68		50-99	5
Woakes	Warks	7	66		100-199	10
Kieswetter	Somerset	10	59		200+	20
Hamilton-Brown	Surrey	7	59		3 wickets in an innings	3
Northeast	Kent	7	50		4 wickets	5
Panesar	Sussex	7	50		5 or 6 wickets	10
Bopara	Essex	4	38		7wickets+	20
Wainwright	Yorkshire	4	24		Catches	1
Tremlett	Surrey	3	23		Stumpings	3
Borthwick	Durham	4	22
Hales	Notts	2	21

Adil Rashid finds some form

Nothing gets an England cricket fan (or selector for that matter) more excited than the prospect of the national side fielding a world-class leg-spinner.

It led to the extraordinarily premature selection of Chris Schofield for two tests against Zimbabwe in 2000. Unsurprisingly, it all ended in tears and Schofield is still trying to rebuild his career at Surrey after things went sour with Lancashire. Whither too Ian Salisbury who was tried and discarded in the 1990s.

So there was much wetting of selectorial pants when Adil Rashid burst onto the scene in 2006 with six wickets on his first-class debut for Yorkshire. Incredibly, the hype went up to the maximum almost straight away and the young Rashid was called a number of variations of the same theme - essentially an English Shane Warne. The fact that he can bat and has a first-class average touching 40 increased the hysteria.

Eventually Geoff Miller and co could contain themselves no longer and he was called up for experience purposes for the tours of India in 2008 and West Indies in early 2009. Then he was selected for the 2009 World T20 and did reasonably well.

Since then he has been badly messed about by the selectors, most famously being withdrawn after one expensive over in Alastair Cook's farcical debut as England captain in a Twenty 20 match against South Africa at Centurion last November. Suddenly the England hierarchy was nervous and James Tredwell leapfrogged Rashid for the tour of Bangladesh; which was surely the ideal opportunity to blood the young leg spinner. A chastened Rashid returned to Yorkshire with his confidence and morale understandably low.

When naming our 12 players to watch this county season (see part 1 and part 2here), we wrote the following about Rashid:

"Rashid has only just turned 22 and even if the Englandhierarchy has stymied his development over the last 12 months, there is plenty of time for Rashid to develop into the match-winning leg-spinner his promise suggests he can be. The Bangladeshseries should have been an excellent testing ground for Rashid, but maybe his non-selection is a blessing in disguise. What he needs is bowling time and plenty of it, and he is much more likely to get that in Yorkshire’s championship side than ferrying drinks for the England squad. His batting too continues to grow in promise with 545 championship runs at 68.12 in 2009. If Englandand the player himself are patient then Rashid will eventually become that rare commodity; a leg-spinning all-rounder. We at the Reverse Sweep expect a big season from Rashid once he has regained his confidence and rhythm."

Up until last week, it seemed that Rashid was still struggling for form and confidence. He was taking wickets, but he was proving expensive and his economy rate was poor. His batting though seemed unaffected. But the light at the end of the tunnel seems to have been reached in his two most recent championship matches. Last week at Southampton, he followed up a 51 with four for 62 in 18.4 overs against Hampshire, and in the Roses match this week he took four Lancashire wickets before hitting a fluent 65 in Yorkshire's reply.

Talk of him making the Ashes squad is ridiculous. Rashid is not ready for that and England need to be patient with regards to test cricket. But with the World Cup being on the subcontinent, England have a choice of Rashid, Michael Yardy's darts, Monty Panesar or the conservative James Tredwell as second spinner to Graeme Swann. Three spinners will be needed in the squad and we reckon that Rashid should be one of these.

With the forthcoming one day matches against Bangladesh and Australia upcoming, now might just be the time to restore Rashid to the one day squad and give him a proper run in international cricket. He will only miss the FP T20 whilst the one day internationals are being played, so if anything this move would enhance not affect his development.