The Reverse Sweep

County Championship XI of the week #4

We doubt whether this much rain fell in the first four days of the flood that followed Noah's inaugural launching of the Ark. At this rate, Noah may have to find some room for cricketers to go in two by two also.

As such, picking an XI this week, has proved somewhat challenging, but here goes: 

Varun Chopra (Warwickshire) - The man who started last season at warp speed with double hundreds in each of his first two matches has started a bit slower this time - but a good hundred at Hove means he must have been close to Lions selection.

Michael Carberry (Hampshire) - Made his way to a classy unbeaten 84 at the Rose Bowl before being left stranded by the deluge.

Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire) - Made up for the fact that his appearances in the Warwickshire line-up will be rarer than him hitting a six, with a 400 minute 178 at Hove - that was a full 178 runs more than managed by his England colleague Ian Bell.

Steven Croft (Lancashire) - They may have won the title last season, but hundreds were a bit of a rarity for Lancashire with only seven being recorded. Croft's 113 at Taunton was the Red Rose's first of 2012.

Brendan Nash (Kent) - Whilst his former West Indies team mates - the redoubtable Shivnarine Chanderpaul aside - struggled against Australia's bowlers, Kent's overseas import has made an immediate impact and made his way to an unbeaten 132 against Yorkshire before the rain.

Liam Dawson (Hampshire) - Originally a promising left-arm spinner, before moving up to open last season. Could figures of five for 29 against Leicestershire have rekindled his reputation as a twirler?   All-rounder status may well await.

Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire) - Forgotten England keeper - yes, he really does have 10 Test caps to his name - scored 75 against his former county as Warwickshire piled on the runs at Hove.

Mat Coles (Kent) - A hugely impressive start to the season with bat and ball continued with four for 70 against Yorkshire at Canterbury and has resulted in a call-up for the Lions and his third appearance in our XI of the season.

Andre Adams (Nottinghamshire) - Yet another five wicket haul for Notts' main weapon with the ball as he targets 60 championship wickets for the third successive season.

Jack Brooks (Northamptonshire) - Only 27 overs were possible in the match, but Brooks still had enough time to impress with four for 22 to put Essex on the rack at Chelmsford.  

Harry Gurney (Nottinghamshire) - Robin Hood used to rob from the rich to give to the poor - Nottinghamshire rob repeatedly from Grace Road and Gurney's four for 40 at New Road, suggests that he could prove yet another good steal.

Where next?

A mention in Wisden? Surely not...

County Championship XI of the week #3

County Championship XI of the week #2

County Championship XI of the week #1

County Championship preview: Our XI to watch in 2012

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County Championship 2012 Preview - Division 2 - Hampshire

Relegated last season, Hampshire will be determined to bounce back to the promised land of Division 1. What are their chances?

Strengths

A quick look at the squad leaves one wondering how they were relegated last season. The batting looks powerful with captain Jimmy Adams, Michael Carberry, Neil McKenzie, talented youngster James Vince and overseas star Simon Katich. The bowling also looks good with James Tomlinson, Chris Wood, Danny Briggs, David Balcombe (after a productive loan spell with Kent in 2011) and Dimitri Mascarenhas.

Weaknesses

Mascarenhas will miss the first two months of the season due to the IPL and some of the other bowlers have proved susceptible to injury in the past. Expectations will be high, which could add to the pressure.

Main man

The successful comeback of Michael Carberry from serious illness was one of the feelgood stories of last summer and if Andrew Strauss' troubles with the bat continue, the left hander could even add to the one cap he earned in Bangladesh in 2010.

Look out for

The new Michael Clarke dart board in the home dressing room at the Rose Bowl - Katich is not a fan.

Prediction

2nd - A swift return to Division 1 looks on the cards.

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: Michael Carberry

County Championship 2011 Preview - Hampshire  

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

The Reverse Sweep's County Cricket 2011 Awards

 
The last post of our 2011 County Cricket Review sees the prizes (and wooden spoons) handed out:

Best Team

Surrey won promotion to Division 1 and lifted the CB40, whilst Worcestershire defied the odds and the loss of their first six games to stay up - ditching the yo-yo tag into the process, but Lancashire have to take this for finally breaking their 77 year duck. They may have not had the strongest side on paper, but they did where it counted - on the pitch.

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

Worst Team

Leicestershire may have finished bottom of Division 2 by some distance, but they did give Paul Nixon a fitting send-off by lifting the FLt20, so this award has to go to Yorkshire, who in the words of their own chairman were 'a bloody disgrace'.

See also: Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves gets straight to the point

Best Player

With due deference to Glen Chapple and Marcus Trescothick, this award has to go to the unheralded Will Gidman for becoming the first English qualified player since David Capel in 1989 to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 50 wickets. So why didn't he receive a call-up to any of England's winter performance squads? No, we don't know either.  

Best Batsman

Marcus Trescothick, who scored nearly 300 Championship runs more than any other batsman despite missing his side's last three matches. Tres ought to almost receive a handicap such is his total dominance of county bowlers.

See also County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Marcus Trescothick

Best Bowler

93 Championship wickets is impossible to argue with even with the supposed advantage of having a Tiflex cricket ball in your hand, so David Masters pips Alan Richardson (Worcestershire's saviour), Chapple, Kyle Hogg and Tim Murtagh for this honour.

Best Spinner

Gary Keedy may not have received as many plaudits as old Long John Silver himself, Glen Chapple, but his contribution of 61 wickets at under 24 was just as crucial to Lancashire's title success, and enables him to pip Monty Panesar and team-mate Simon Kerrigan for this prize.

Best Cameo

Shivnarine Chanderpaul looked to have this one sown up until Warwickshire failed to secure victory at the Rose Bowl on the final day, so Pragyan Ojha steals this prize for a stunning four match cameo with Surrey. Four wins, 24 wickets at 13 and promotion back to Division 2. And the Indian selectors picked Amit Mishra above him?

Worst Player

South African bowlers didn't exactly cover themselves in glory with Friedel de Wet and Wayne Parnell struggling for Hampshire and Sussex respectively, but Lonwabo Tsotsobe took the biscuit here. Five wickets in three first-clas matches at 77 and a broadside via Twitter prompted Essex coach Paul Grayson to describe him as 'downright rude'. Thanks to @ianashworth for reminding us about this one.

Best Temporary Home

Unquestionably Aigburth. How many times have Lancashire been foiled by the Manchester weather and Old Trafford pitch? A temporary move along the M62 to the sunshine coast of Liverpool and voila, a first title for 77 years. Liverpool 1 Manchester 0.

Let them catch the next bouquet

Surely it's time perenniel bridesmaids Somerset got hitched? Runners-up finishes in the FLt20 and CB40 meant it five second places out of the last six domestic prizes to be awarded leads one to speculate that Somerset would probably finish second in a one horse race.

The Devon Loch honorary Award

At one time it looked like this would go to one of the four title chasing protagonists in Division 1, but by the end of the season there was only one candidate for this award. Northamptonshire looked absolute certainties for promotion to Division 1, but only managed to win one of their last seven matches. They fared no better in the CB40 where despite winning their first five matches, they failed to reach the semi-finals. Did Andrew Hall's South African background obviously had an unexpected choking effect on his charges?

Best Youngster

Mentions to Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes and Alex Hales, but this one has to go to Jonathan Bairstow. He stood tall in the manure that was Yorkshire's season and his blistering one day debut innings was the delicious cherry on the top.

Best Resurrection

Only one possible winner here - Michael Carberry, whose return from a debilitating illness was the most uplifting story of the summer.

See County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Michael Carberry

Biggest Moan

The demise of the Tiflex was disappointing, but the ridiculous fixture schedule has to take the wooden spoon here. For example, Leicestershire finished a championship match on the Thursday, won the FLt20 on the Saturday, played the Indian tourists on the Monday and then started another Championship game against Middlesex on the Tuesday. It is hardly surprising that Middlesex ended the first day on 370 for 1.

Biggest Anti-Climax

Sachin Tendulkar's hundredth international hundred anyone?

Where next?

A Year To Forget: County Championship Flops XI of the season

County Cricket 2011 Heroes: The Tiflex cricket ball

County Championship Division 1 XI of the season

County Championship Division 2 XI of the season

Read all of our County Cricket coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

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County Cricket 2011 Heroes: Michael Carberry

A long-standing feature on this blog has been our Cricket Heroes & Zeroes series, which has brought together the likes of Douglas Jardine, Hedley Verity, Charles Colville and Matthew Hayden to be celebrated or mocked in accordance with our wishes.

Over the next few days, we'll be looking at some of the heroes and villains of the 2011 County Cricket season, and we start with perhaps the biggest hero of the lot - Michael Carberry.

Carberry's feats on the cricket field were impressive enough, but it was the dignity and determination he showed in coming back from a life-threatening illness that made his inclusion as a County Cricket 2011 Hero pretty much automatic.

As most of you will know, Carberry was diagnosed with blood clots on his lungs back in November last year and as recently as June, his participation for Hampshire this season and even his career were still in the balance.

Although Carberry's condition was extremely serious, he dealt with it in a matter-of-fact stoical fashion, saying in June that “When your life is at threat, it does make you look at things differently.  I could have continued doing something I love and then dropped dead at the wicket. That would have been heartbreaking for my family and the guys who play with me day in, day out." The master of understatement.

The doubts over whether he would play this season centred around the drug he was given to aid his recovery - Warfarin: a side effect of which meant that the patient can cut or bruise easily - hardly suitable for facing a hard round cricket ball.

But happily Carberry did finally make a comeback at Hove on mid-July, scoring 2 and 59 as Hampshire slipped to a five wicket defeat.

And it didn't take him long to get back in the driving seat either when in his third match back against Yorkshire at the Rose Bowl he had the ride of his life with a career best 300 not out as he and Neil Mckenzie wrote themselves into the record books with a mammoth 523 run partnership.

Carberry maintained his scintillating form until the season's finale, where his final day hundred went a long way to denying Warwickshire the Championship and handing the crown to Lancashire.

He finished up with 793 runs from his nine matches at an impressive 56.64. Carberry's return also coincided with a remarkable upturn in Hampshire's performances that saw them win three of their last six matches.

Sadly, the revival came too late to save them from relegation, but a quick return to Division 1 cannot be ruled out, especially if Carberry - unquestionably a County Cricket hero of 2011 - has anything to do with it.  

We'll leave the last words to Carberry, who said of his illness:

“When something like this happens the important thing is not to spend your time moping around but to stay positive and just be pleased you’re alive."

A lesson to us all.

Where next?

County Championship XI of the season

County Championship Division 1 XI of the season

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

Read all our County Cricket coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

County Championship XI of the season

Picking the best XI players from what has been another thrilling County Championship season is no easy thing, hence our naming separate teams for Division 1 and Division 2 earlier in the week.

But in our column this week for All Out Cricket, we've taken the plunge and bravely picked our composite XI for the season - check out First XI Amongst Equals to see if you agree (or more likely vehementally disagree) with us.

Where next?

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

Ten to watch in 2011: Half-Term report - Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

County Championship XI of the week: Division 1 Half-Term XI

County Championship XI of the week: Division 2 Half-Term XI

Read our 2011 County Championship XIs of the week

Read all our County Cricket coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

County Championship Division 1 XI of the season

 
Marcus Trescothick (Somerset) - 1673 runs at 79.66: Scored 300 runs more than any other batsman despite missing his side's last three games and has once and for all usurped Mark Ramprakash as the premier batsman in domestic cricket. Agonisingly fell just 22 runs short of achieving the Holy Grail of a 1,000 runs before the end of May. Smashed six hundreds including one in each innings against Yorkshire in May.

Stephen Moore (Lancashire) - 1013 runs at 40.52: Others scored more runs (principally Alex Hales with 1023 runs at 51.15 from just 12 Championship matches), but Moore's knack of making vital contributions at critical times played a leading role in Lancashire's title success. His unbeaten 124 anchored his side in a stiff run chase at Trent Bridge, his 169 not out against Hampshire set up a crucial last gasp win in the penultimate round of matches and the former Worcestershire batsman finished off with 71 from 55 to spur the charge to victory on a tumultuous final day at Taunton.

Michael Carberry (Hampshire) - 793 runs at 56.64: His successful comeback from a life-threatening debilitating illness was one of the feelgood stories of the summer. Three splendid hundreds in nine games included a career best 300 not out against Yorkshire and a hundred on the final day of the season to help deny Warwickshire the title. Carberry's return coincided with Hampshire's revival but came too late to save them from relegation.

Murray Goodwin (Sussex) - 1372 runs at 52.76: Zimbabwe's loss was yet again Sussex's gain as Goodwin anchored a steady return to Division 1 for the county he helped inspire to three titles in the noughties. Four hundreds were topped by his 274 against Division 1 whipping boys Yorkshire. Gets into our XI ahead of Vikram Solanki (1148 runs at 42.51) who performed a similar role as Worcestershire defied the odds to stay up with Sussex. 

Dale Benkenstein (Durham) - 1353 runs at 61.50: Durham's title charge may have spluttered, but Benkenstein was consistency personified with 13 scores of 50 (including four hundreds) or more from 26 innings to once again prove that he is definitely not a mercenary.

Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire) - 1015 runs at 46.13: Having finally removed the monkey from his back in reaching his maiden ton in his 59th first-class innings (and promptly turning it into a double), the sublime Bairstow didn't look back. An impressive season culminated in a stunning ODI debut at Cardiff and Bairstow should clearly be exonerated from the ire heaped on his team-mates by Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves after their ignominious relegation. Scores his runs quickly as a Championship strike rate of a touch under 70 ably demonstrates and looks to have the talent and nerve to forge an international career as a specialist batsman. 

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire) - 56 wickets at 21.78; 579 runs at 48.25: Injury may have restricted him to 11 matches, but that did not lessen the impact he made with both bat and ball, as well as the huge influence he had on Warwickshire's title challenge. His performance with the ball was particularly telling and a strike rate of 43.5 is indicative of the regularity with which he struck. Pips team-mate Rikki Clarke as well as Samit Patel, Ben Stokes and Ian Blackwell to the all-rounder's spot in our XI.

Andre Adams (Nottinghamshire) - 67 wickets at 22.61; 551 runs at 23.95: Last year's champions may have faltered badly in their attempt to retain their crown, but that wasn't down to 2010's leading wicket-taker Adams who was once again outstanding and pips Alan Richardson (the leading wicket-taker in Division 1 with 73 wickets at 24.42), Boyd Rankin and Ryan Sidebottom as the third seamer in our XI. Adams also added vital ballast to the lower order with five fifties and a strike rate of 100.

Glen Chapple (Lancashire, Captain) - 55 wickets at 19.81; 365 runs at 19.21: Despite battling leg problems all season, the lion-hearted Chapple battled on to inspire his troops and write his name in Lancashire folklore. Delivered time and time again with the ball - no more so than in the final game at Taunton where he took three 2nd innings wickets despite a bad hamstring tear - and also added useful late order runs. Clearly, a man you would want in the trenches with you, Chapple epitomised the spirit and togetherness that took Lancashire to the promised land after 77 long years in the Championship wilderness. And Yorkshire fans, he was born in Skipton...

Kyle Hogg (Lancashire) - 50 wickets at 18.80; 365 runs at 21.47: Started the season late but immediately made up for lost time with an 11 wicket haul at the Rose Bowl and ended up with a half-century of wickets at a phenomenal strike rate of a wicket every 37 balls - the best by far of anyone with more than 10 wickets. Also contributed several useful cameos with the bat.

Gary Keedy (Lancashire) - 61 wickets at 23.63: With Chapple and Hogg plundering wickets at one end, the experienced Keedy waded in at the other with 61 priceless wickets. His success rubbed off on his spin twin and likely successor Simon Kerrigan. Keedy is the slow bowling option in our XI ahead of Monty Panesar who may have taken more wickets (69), but did so at a higher average and ten balls more per wicket.

Where next?

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

Ten to watch in 2011: Half-Term report - Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

County Championship XI of the week: Division 1 Half-Term XI

County Championship XI of the week: Division 2 Half-Term XI

Read our 2011 County Championship XIs of the week

Read all our County Cricket coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Lancashire threaten to transform our County Championship casserole into a hotpot

Despite the dastardly Shivnarine Chanderpaul continuing to plunder more performance enhancing runs, yesterday was a good day for Lancashire in their pursuit of their first outright County Championship title for 77 years.

Bottom of the table Hampshire proved more resilient than expected at the Rose Bowl and with the weather also frustrating Warwickshire, the win they need to pip Lancashire to the title is not a given. With Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry both having made big scores recently, you never know.

Even better for Lancashire was their fightback at Taunton, which saw the home side bowled out for what looks like a below par 380. With Lancashire moving assurededly to 247 for three by the close, they are arguably in  a better position than the rivals to get the win they desperately require.

So with two days to go, the destination of the title is still unknown and our County Championship casserole is back on track to come to boil at exactly the right time. Indeed, if it wasn't for the fact that we don't like lamb then it could yet turn out to be a Lancashire hotpot.

Where next?

Warwickshire, Lancashire or Durham? The County Championship reaches another thrilling conclusion

Is it time for the County Championship equivalent of Match Of The Day?

Our Top 20 Cricket Blogs

Read all our County Cricket coverage

County Championship XI of the week #18

Ten to watch in 2011: Adam Lyth, Jade Dernbach,  Rory Hamilton-Brown, Samit Patel, Alex Hales, Danny Briggs, Ben Stokes, James Harris,Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

 

County Championship XI of the week #17

Andrew Strauss (Middlesex) - A daddy hundred - a career best 241 not out - for the England skipper on his return to county cricket. A case of anything Cook can do ...?

Jimmy Adams (Hampshire) - Compiled a second career double hundred to leave Somerset's title hopes in ruins at Taunton.

James Cameron (Worcestershire) - Defiant 98 was worth at least a hundred runs more in a game where no one else reached 50. Its value to his side was priceless as it could yet preserve their Division 1 status.

Michael Carberry (Hampshire) - The inspirational feegood story of the summer is Carberry's successful return from a life threatening illness. His 182 at Taunton increased his tally to 639 runs from just seven Championship matches.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul (Warwickshire) - Second Championhip hundred in a week against Yorkshire and an unbeaten fifty to secure the draw for his side in the second innings. 

Gary Ballance (Yorkshire) - First hundred for Yorkshire saved his side's bacon at Edgbaston and provides some hope in what appears to be a forlorn battle to escape the relegation trap door.

Steven Davies (Surrey) - England's forgotten man has run into form at just the right time. His 81 and 156 helped Surrey to a big win over promotion rivals Northamptonshire and guaranteed his place in our XI for the second successive week.

Stuart Meaker (Surrey) - Devastating four wicket burst changed shaped of crunch match with Northamptonshire. Another fast bowler to add to long list of England hopefuls - and as he was born in Durban, Meaker ought to be at the head of the queue!

Pragyan Ojha (Surrey) - Recorded second innings figures of six for eight from 18.1 overs at Wantage Road to leave one bemused that the impotent Mishra was picked ahead of him in India's Test squad this summer.

Alan Richardson (Worcestershire) - Derailed Lancashire's title aspirations with a second innings six for 22 to take his season tally to 62 Championship wickets. Effigies of the 36 year old veteran are probably being burnt all over the Red Rose county.

David Balcombe (Kent) - How did Hampshire let such a fearsome fast bowler go out on loan? Balcombe destroyed Essex with a ten wicket match haul to outshine the country's leading wicket taker David Masters at Canterbury. 

Where next?

Does anyone actually want to win the County Championship?

Cricket XIs: Cricketing Criminals

Read all our County Cricket coverage

See if you agree with our other County Championship XIs of the week

Ten to watch in 2011: Adam Lyth, Jade Dernbach,  Rory Hamilton-Brown, Samit Patel, Alex Hales, Danny Briggs, Ben Stokes, James Harris,Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

 

 

Who should make the England Lions XI to play the Sri Lankans?

 
The England selectors will meet in the coming days to pick their Lions squad to face the Sri Lankan tourists in a game starting on 19th May at Derby.

They will have their work cut out as one of the features of what has been a fascinating start to the County Championship is the number of impressive performances by young English cricketers.

We’ve had a go at naming our XI:

Varun Chopra (Warwickshire) – The former England under-19 captain has started the season like a runaway train and deserves an opportunity to see whether he can flourish against an international bowling attack.

Adam Lyth (Yorkshire) – Whilst the young opener still needs to turn more of his fifties into big hundreds, he is still probably at the head of a queue that also includes Stephen Moore and Jimmy Adams. But for injury Alex Hales and Michael Carberry would also have come into the equation.

James Hildreth (Captain, Somerset) – Has had a bit of a slow start to the season after a phenomenal summer in 2010 and impressive performances for the Lions over the winter, but is still on the shortlist for the vacancy created in the Test side by the retirement of Paul Collingwood.

Ravi Bopara (Essex) – With Eoin Morgan opting for the riches of the IPL, Bopara is Collingwood’s probable replacement in the Test squad. He is running into form with the bat as an unbeaten match-winning ton in his last Championship match Glamorgan testifies. Underrated bowler.

James Taylor (Leicestershire) – Supremely talented and gutsy too, if his batting against a fiery Surrey attack on a lively Oval pitch last week is anything to go by. It is a case of when, not if, Taylor plays Test cricket. Other middle-order batsmen that could come into contention include Samit Patel, Andrew Gale and Ben Stokes.

Craig Kieswetter (Somerset) – It’s a borderline decision between the Somerset keeper and Stephen Davies, but Kieswetter has made the more impressive start to the season. Jonathan Bairstow may also get a mention in dispatches.

Adil Rashid (Yorkshire) – Presumably the selectors know all they need to about Monty Panesar, so the game against Sri Lanka offers another opportunity to take a look at the young Rashid - still the pick of an ever-growing list of young English spinners that also includes Danny Briggs, Scott Borthwick and Simon Kerrigan.

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire) – Not many have started the season better than Warwickshire’s bowling all-rounder, who has 24 wickets in the Championship at 18.54 and 262 runs at 52.40. A real candidate for further England honours after demonstrating he had the temperament for international cricket in Australia over the winter.

Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire) – Has now been on the fringes of the England Test, ODI and T20 sides for a while now and deserves his chance to show what he can do against the tourists. Alex Hales’ jaw will vouch that Shahzad has fully recovered from the injury that saw his World Cup curtailed early.

Steve Finn (Middlesex) – With Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan and Stuart Broad likely to be in a three-way race for two spots in the Test XI, the selectors will probably want to take a look at next cab on the rank Finn in a Lions shirt.

Jade Dernbach (Surrey) – The surprise late call-up to the World Cup looked the real deal against Leicestershire last week and will probably pip the likes of Steve Kirby, Stuart Meaker, James Harris, the returning Graham Onions and 17 year old Reece Topley to the final spot in the XI.

Where next?

County Championship XI of the week #5

Our ten to watch in 2011: Adam Lyth, Jade Dernbach,  Rory Hamilton-Brown, Samit Patel, Alex Hales, Danny Briggs, Ben Stokes, James Harris, Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid

An England under-23 XI - the future looks bright

2010 County XI of the season

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County Championship Preview - Division 1: Hampshire

 
After starting our preview of the runners and riders in the County Championship with Durham, we head south to the Rose Bowl to look at Hampshire, who will be looking to improve on last season’s disappointing seventh placed finish.

Strengths

There are many. The opening partnership of Michael Carberry and Jimmy Adams is arguably the best in the division, and the likes of Michael Lumb, James Vince and Sean Ervine are also talented batsmen.

The acquisition of Imran Tahir from Warwickshire means that Hampshire will have a potent spin attack with the immensely promising Danny Briggs already looking like an England spinner of the future.

On paper the pace ranks also look strong with Kabir Ali, Simon Jones, James Tomlinson and the shrewd acquisition of Friedel de Wet, as well as canny skipper Dominic Cork…

Weaknesses

…but Kabir and Jones have both had injury concerns and it is doubtful whether either will last the whole season – or even sadly half the season in Jones’ case.

The county also has a long recent history of underachievement in the championship, so it will take a brave man to predict that will change in 2011.

Main man

The addition of Friedel de Wet looks like a canny piece of business and if he can reproduce his spell with the second new ball in the Centurion Test of 2009 against England with any sort of regularity, then he should earn a bagful of wickets. But can he stay fit?

Look out for…

If it is a hot summer then purists should enjoy watching Tahir and Briggs bowling in tandem.

Prediction

4th  - serious challengers for the title, but not quite winners in our view this time.

Where next?

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Durham

2010 County XI of the season

Read all our 2011 World Cup posts here

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

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  

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 

England vs Pakistan: 2nd test - England marks out of ten

So, another win in four days and another solid performance to make it six test wins on the trot for England. But there still a few areas of concern for England. As at Trent Bridge, England suffered another first innings collapse as the last eight wickets fell for 74. Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower will also be disappointed that England weren't ruthless enough in Pakistan's second innings as the last four wickets added 195. Other concerns are Alastair Cook's form and Stuart Broad's ill-discipline. Both need addressing.

How did the England boys rate on the Reverse Sweep report card?

Andrew Strauss - 7 Started well by losing the toss. Looks in great nick with the bat, but is still searching for his first hundred since Lord's last summer - now 11 tests ago. Marshalled his bowlers pretty well, but must take a share of the blame for the sloppy and ill-disciplined performance in the field on Sunday afternoon.

Alastair Cook - 2 Come in Mr Cook, your time is up. Two more failures and surely it is time for Cook to go back to Essex for the rest of the summer to repair his technique and confidence? But will the selectors twist with Michael Carberry or stick with the vice-captain? Cook is even making Salman Butt look in good nick at the moment.

Jonathan Trott - 8 Was calmness personified at the crease again and two fifties on that pitch was pretty good going. Keeps answering all the questions put before him with aplomb and may even find himself opening in the Ashes if Cook's travails continue. England's Mr Reliable.

Kevin Pietersen - 7 Scored the ugliest 80 he will ever make and must have had a leprechaun sitting on his shoulder such was his good fortune with dropped catches and even a dead ball reprieve. Hopefully, the time in the middle has got KP back into the groove.

Paul Collingwood - 5 A disappointing test for England's usually most reliable performer. Looked scratchy with the bat and dropped a couple of chances in the field. But did manage to get a compliment from Shane Warne (at last) - ironically (given his rare butter fingered performance) on how great a fielder he is.

Eoin Morgan - 5 Was due a failure and obliged with what could become a familiar dismissal for the Irishman - caught behind prodding at one in the corridor of uncertainty.

Matt Prior - 5 Another of England's heroes at Trent Bridge who had an average match here. Was leg before when missing an attempted sweep and kept untidily in Pakistan's second innings. 

Graeme Swann - 8 Is there a better spinner in test cricket at the moment? Finally had something to do in the series and did so with typical pizazz as he grabbed career best figures of six for 65. Struck yet again in the first over of a spell with a magical ball that drifted, gripped and turned to bamboozle Farhat.

Stuart Broad - 6 Bowled wonderfully well in the first innings but, not for the first time, lost his cool in the second when things went against him. Appealing without looking at the umpire is bad enough but throwing the ball at Zulqarnain was pure petulance. Needs to grow up.

James Anderson - 8 The king of swing was in the groove again especially in Pakistan's first innings. Bowled some absolute pearlers throughout the match but like the rest of the England attack looked a bit toothless when the sun was shining and Zulqarnain and Ajmal were making hay. Must be getting fed of all the doomsayers questioning how well he will perform in Australia.

Steve Finn - 7 The youngster continues to impress and grabbed another three wickets in the match. Looked very annoyed when he fell over in the second innings - just as the Sky commentators were discussing how he seemed to have cured that problem. Commentators curse? 

How did England rate in Bangladesh?

A 2-0 series victory and winning margins of 181 runs and nine wickets suggest that England comfortably won the series, and to some respect they did. Nevertheless, at times Bangladesh had England on the ropes but either because of umpiring error or mainly because Bangladesh were unable to land a telling punch at crucial moments, England's counter-attack was enough for them to prevail.

But how did each of the men that played in the two tests perform? For what it's worth, here are my ratings:

Alastair Cook - 9 for batting, 5 for captaincy: Centuries in both matches suggested that the captaincy didn't affect Cook's batting, but he certainly didn't have the air of a Jardine, an Illingworth or a Vaughan in the field. There was too much of captaincy by committee and at times Cook looked a bit confused. If the opposition had been stronger, Cook may have been more exposed. That said, England won both matches and Cook's batting looks back to its best.

Michael Carberry - 6: Only played in the first test and given the opposition bowling attach, we didn't really learn too much about whether Carberry can make the step up to test cricket. Looked good in both innings and will be annoyed that he couldn't convert decent starts into big runs. His fielding was magnificent and he is nearly as quick as Usain Bolt.

Jonathan Trott - 5: After his stunning debut at the Oval most thought that England had found a real star. But nerveless has turned into nervous and Trott's batting has become ugly to watch and his batting in the first innings in Mirpur was either just what England needed replying to 419 or ridiculously negative depending on your opinion. The pressure seemed to affect Trott's fielding where he dropped an absolute dolly to reprieve Tamim.

Kevin Pietersen - 8: Came into the series under immense pressure but showed real grit and application as he recovered his mojo and swaggering confidence at Chittagong, where he fell one run short of a richly deserved century. On the minus side, he threw his wicket away in the first innings at Mirpur but people must learn to take the rough with the smooth where it concerns KP. Looked secure in the 2nd innings run chase and England will hope that Pietersen is back to his best for the big year ahead.

Paul Collingwood - 7: A typical Collingwood century at Chittagong put England out of sight. This was followed by two failures, although the second was aided and abetted by a poor umpiring decision. Although he was his usual reliable self, this was not a series for Collingwood to thrive in. Those await Down Under next winter.

Ian Bell - 9: Looked in wonderful touch throughout the series as his renaissance continued. His century in Mirpur got England out of a hole and answered those critics that argue Bell only shines as a supporting act to others. Now looks at ease with himself and his game, but can he deliver against Australia?

Matt Prior - 6: Just as his wicketkeeping has got more proficient so his batting has become more inconsistent. He ruined all the good work of his counterattacking fifty in the 1st innings at Mirpur by getting out to an atrocious swipe. Could come under pressure from England's coming man Craig Kieswetter.

Tim Bresnan - 7: The Yorkshireman earns full marks for trying and certainly seems to make the best of his ability, but I don't see him as a test opening bowler. But, he was the pick of the England seamers in the series and the balls to remove Tamim on Chittagong and Musfiqur in Mirpur were arguably the balls of the series. Just failed to get a deserved maiden ton, but his partnership with Bell put his side firmly in control.

Graeme Swann - 9: Swann's remarkable success story continued with ten wickets at Chittagong and six in Mirpur, despite the obvious effects of Dhaka belly. Still has the uncanny knack of getting a wicket in the first or second over of each spell and long may it continue. Now at a heady number two in the ICC rankings and it is richly deserved.

Stuart Broad - 5: Broad was frustratingly inconsistent with dross combined the occasional good ball. His habit of getting on the wrong side of the umpires and the spirit of the game is becoming annoying and needs to be rectified. Is he starting to get a bit big for his boots?

James Tredwell - 7: Should have played at Chittagong, but made up for it with six wickets on debut in Mirpur and added useful runs into the bargain. Tredwell could well have nailed down the reserve spinner role to Swann ahead of Monty and Rashid. Also took a stunning catch at Chittagong during a brief stint as substitute fielder.

Steve Finn - 6: Came in ahead of Liam Plunkett and Ajmal Shahzad and didn't let anyone down on what were extremely unhelpful wickets for the paceman. Seems to have a good attitude and is apparently still growing, so he could become a long term fixture in the side and a potential replacement for Harmison. It will be good to see how he fares on more helpful wickets and against stronger opposition.