The Reverse Sweep

County Championship of the week #10

Chris Rogers (Middlesex) - We've said it before and doubtless we'll say it again but it's criminal that the Victorian has played just one Test. His 173 against Somerset at Lord's emphasised his classy batsmanship once again.

Joe Denly (Middlesex) - Rogers' accomplice in a 245 run stand for the 2nd wicket continued his renaissance since arriving from Kent - his record in the championship in 2012 is 557 runs at 61.88.

Nick Compton (Somerset) - The batsman of the season continued to shine with 275 minutes of defiance for 69 to prevent Middlesex from securing the victory their dominance deserved. 

Luke Wells (Sussex) - Scored his second hundred of the season against Surrey to rescue his side from 87 for six and instead secure a winning position at Horsham.

Ravi Bopara (Essex) - Whilst Jonny Bairstow continued his struggles in the Test series against West Indies, Bopara put on a batting exhibition against Northants with 174 for his second ton of the week.

Liam Dawson (Hampshire) - Finally passed fifty for the first time in a disappointing season and promptly turned it into a fine unbeaten 134 not out against Kent.

James Foster (Essex) - Completed the 18th first-class hundred of his career in the rain-affected clash with Northants as he and Bopara added a mammoth 294 for the fifth wicket.

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire) - Continued his impressive belated start to the season with seven wickets and 29 runs at Durham where a washout on the final day ruined what looked set to be a tremendous finish between the sides at the top and bottom of the table.

James Anyon (Sussex) - Fine all-round match at Horsham with four 1st innings wickets, a career-best 64 not out and then two of the final three Surrey 2nd innings wickets to fall as Sussex won in the final half hour. 

Monty Panesar (Sussex) - Helped Anyon add 80 for the final wicket and then produced a high-class exhibition of spin bowling to send Surrey spiralling to defeat - his 2nd innings analysis was 32-21-33-3.

Tim Groenewald (Derbyshire) - Whilst Tony Palladino's hat-trick stole the headlines it was Groenewald's five for 29 that looked to have helped his table-topping side create a winning position against Leicestershire before the rain intervened.

Where next?

Read our previous County Championship XI's of the week

We Need To Talk About Durham - we really do

Guantanamo Cricket Club - seriously, we're not kidding...

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County Championship of the week #7

Paul Horton (Lancashire) - Seven and a half hour vigil saved Lancashire from defeat at Edgbaston. It was his first hundred in the Championship for two years and could prove a turning point in the champions faltering defence of their title.

Wayne Madsen (Derbyshire) - The skipper struck his second ton of the season as Division 2's surprise packet beat Glamorgan to extend their lead at the top of the table.

Ramnaresh Sarwan (Leicestershire) - Whilst the West Indies top order struggled at Lord's the man with 15 Test tons made hay at Grace Road with innings of 117 and 98 against Essex.

Simon Katich (Hampshire) - Australia's loss, Hampshire's gain and Yorkshire's pain as Michael Clarke's favourite ex-team mate stroked 196 and 61 not out at Headingley.

James Hildreth (Somerset) - High-class hundred gave Somerset the early initiative in a highly competitive and entertaining draw at The Oval. 

Michael Bates (Hampshire) - Purists have raved about his high-quality keeping, but could he improve with the bat? A maiden hundred at Headingley suggests he can - see also Our County XI to watch in 2012.

Rikki Clarke (Warwickshire) - No wickets in the draw with Lancashire, but his fine year with the bat continued with a second championship ton of the season at Edgbaston. 

David Wainwright (Derbyshire) - Took a five wicket second innings haul at Derby to put his side into a winning position against Glamorgan.

Stuart Meaker (Surrey) - Brought his side storming back into the match at The Oval with a second innings haul of eight for 52 and grabbed 11 in the match.

David Masters (Essex) - Last season's leading wicket taker grabbed six first innings Leicestershire wickets in the draw at Grace Road. 

Monty Panesar (Sussex) - Took five wickets and probably deserved more in 37 probing overs at New Road.

Where next?

Our County Championship predictions - Thank God for Yorkshire

Hedley Verity - a proper hero with 'no breaking point'

Read our previous County Championship weekly XIs

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County Championship 2012 Preview: Division 1 - Sussex

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

Strengths

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

Weaknesses

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

Main man

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

Look out for

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

Prediction

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

Where next?

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

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

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

County Championship 2011 Preview - Sussex

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where next?

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

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

Ian Bell, The Prince and The Pauper

Is Ravi Bopara the unluckiest cricketer in the world?

Dropping Andrew Strauss

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Pakistan vs England - England series marks out of 10

Andrew Strauss – 4 (150 runs at 25.00): Preached the virtues of patience prior to the series but then immediately undid it all with a reckless shot in Ajmal’s first over. Improved as the series wore on though and didn’t lack fight as epitomised by his 56 in the last Test. Some will point to his record of just one century in 46 innings and none in his last 21 but this team needs its captain more than ever now.

Alastair Cook – 3 (159 runs at 26.50): The tone was set by his ill-judged cut against Hafeez on the first morning of the series. A characteristically watchful 94 seemed to have set England up for a big 1st innings lead in Abu Dhabi. Fell four times to the new ball and mostly to poor shots too.

Jonathan Trott – 4 (161 runs at 26.83): Should have been in his element in conditions that rewarded his roll up your sleeves and grind the opposition into the ground attributes.  Instead he collected an uncharacteristic collection of careless of dismissals culminating in an ugly slog in the final day of the series. Averages just 35 since the start of 2011.  

Kevin Pietersen – 2 (67 runs at 11.16): The batsman that once mastered Warne and switch hit Murali for six in a Test match was left shaken and stirred by the combination of Ajmal and Rehman with a twist of DRS. His approach to counter them had improved markedly by the 3rd Test, but it was a case of too little, too late.

Ian Bell – 1 (51 runs at 8.50): Had averaged 131, 73, 66, 331 and 84 in his five previous Test series but boy wonder quickly became boy blunder as Bell was completely bewitched and bamboozled by Ajmal’s doosra. Hi s tame dismissal to a Gul long hop on the final day of the series suggested he was mentally shot and harked back to the days of the Sherminator.

Eoin Morgan – 1 (82 runs at 13.66): Supposedly in the side because of his ability against spin but was dismissed five times out of six by Ajmal or Rehman. Has just five 50+ scores in 24 Test innings, averages just 30 and looks decidedly out of his depth. Self-belief can only take you so far.

Matt Prior – 7 (150 runs at 37.50; 5 catches, 1 stumping): The only England batsman to average over 30 and his unbeaten 49 off 58 balls on the last day of the series demonstrated that a more positive approach could yield runs. As secure as Fort Knox behind the stumps.

Stuart Broad – 9 (13 wickets at 20.46; 105 runs at 21.00): Confirmed his emergence as one of the world’s best bowlers with a consistently brilliant performance with the ball. Also showed his batsmen the way with a sparkling 50 in Abu Dhabi that ought to have led to victory.

Graeme Swann – 6 (13 wickets at 25.07; 105 runs at 17.50): Deadly against the left-handers who accounted for nearly half of his wickets for the series. Unfortunately, there were only two in Pakistan’s line-up and although he didn’t perform badly, Swann was consistently outbowled by Pakistan’s spinners as well as Panesar.

James Anderson – 7 (9 wickets at 27.66; 54 runs at 10.80): Used the new ball well and demonstrated impressive control and accuracy on pitches and in conditions that are supposedly not his forte. Scored more runs than Bell and with one exception in Abu Dhabi caught well at slip to the spinners.

Monty Panesar – 8 (14 wickets at 21.57): A welcome return. England’s leading wicket taker in the series despite only playing two games. Shouldered a lot of hard work and was rewarded with two successive five-fors and had a better economy rate than Ajmal or Rehman. Guaranteed his spot for Sri Lanka.

Chris Tremlett – 4 (1 Test, no wickets): Didn’t let anyone down despite failing to take a wicket in a Test innings for the first time. Now faces the surgeon’s knife and an uncertain international future.

Where next?

Pakistan series marks out of 10

3rd Test marks out of 10: Pakistan and England

2nd Test marks out of 10: Pakistan and England

1st Test marks out of 10: Pakistan and England

England's tale of woe against spin in Asia

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3rd Test: Pakistan vs England - England marks out of 10

Andrew Strauss – 5: That his charges refused to give up is a testament to his leadership and no-one dug in more than the captain with his 82 runs in the match covering 226 balls and nearly five and a half hours of blood, sweat and toil.

Alastair Cook – 4: Tried to atone for his feeble 1st innings dismissal by digging in second time around, but fell one run short of fifty to a spectacular diving catch at slip by Younis.

Jonathan Trott – 2: This series has even scrambled Trott’s brains. First, he didn’t review a LBW decision that would have missed leg stump then he succumbed to a completely uncharacteristic slog second time around.

Kevin Pietersen – 4: Looked much better than in the first two matches of this series and was dreadfully unlucky with his 1st innings dismissal - just as he appeared to be in full flow – a decision that would never have been given pre-DRS.

Ian Bell – 1: A shocking end to an awful series as last summer’s Prom King countered his inability to read Ajmal by tamely chipping a Gul long hop to Shafiq at cover point.

Eoin Morgan – 3: At least went down fighting in the 2nd innings but the suspicion that he is as horribly out of his depth at this level as a Premier League footballer on University Challenge persists.

Matt Prior – 7: Ended the series as he started it with a good knock to top the England batting averages for the series. Was his usual consistent and vocal self behind the stumps – although he was positively mute compared to his Pakistani counterpart.

Stuart Broad – 9: Was once again let down by his batsmen after another lethal exhibition of bowling on a flat track in Asia had reduced Pakistan to rubble on day one. A shoo-in for a current World XI.  

Graeme Swann – 5: Outbowled by Monty for the second game in a row and looked a bit out of sorts, but did at least pick up his new bunny Rehman in both innings. Would have been deadly if Pakistan had 11 left-handed batsmen - unfortunately they only have two.

James Anderson – 7: Like Broad was brilliant on the first morning as Pakistan capsized. Looked more self-assured with the bat than several of his top order.

Monty Panesar – 7: A second successive five-for in his second match back sealed his spot on the plane for the tours to Sri Lanka and India later this year. Surely, he won’t blame himself for this defeat too? 

Where next?

3rd Test: Pakistan vs England - Pakistan marks out of 10

2nd Test marks out of 10: Pakistan and England

1st Test marks out of 10: Pakistan and England

Resurrection: A drastic cure to England's spin woes in Asia

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2nd Test: Pakistan vs England - England marks out of 10

Andrew Strauss - 3: Captained the side well again and at least showed some fight in anchoring the run chase. Sadly the skipper's lack of form and his colleagues lack of stomach did for Strauss and for England. Should consider dropping to three in an effort to regain form.

Alastair Cook - 6: Typically resilient in the 1st innings where his diligence and concentration deserved a hundred. His early loss in the run chase proved terminal for England - it was Cook's sixth single figure score in his last nine Test innings.

Jonathan Trott - 6: Poor footwork cost him his wicket in the 1st innings after he and Cook had done all the hard work. Illness meant it is difficult to level any blame on Trott's shoulders for his failure in the run chase when he eventually came in at number seven. Definitely not Trott's fault.

Kevin Pietersen - 1: Whilst those questioning his place are clearly insane his complete lack of form in this series - only 17 runs to date at 4.25 - and his overall record in Asia where he averages just 29.54 from 13 Tests (excluding matches against Bangladesh) are real causes for concern. 

Ian Bell - 2: The best Test batsmen of 2011 has been made to look a novice by Pakistan's spinners. Seems as likely to be able to read Ajmal's doosra as a tourist in London has of spotting a family of Tyrannosaurus Rex's enjoying a vegetarian picnic in Hyde Park. 

Eoin Morgan - 1: Supposedly in the side due to his ability against spin, but there has been little evidence to date on this tour with his dismissal in the 2nd innings being especially grotesque. Impressing in limited overs internationals is one thing, but Test cricket is quite another. Should be replaced by Ravi Bopara for the final Test.

Matt Prior - 4: Sound again behind the stumps and prepared to battle more than most in front of them. Unfortunately, his game is the least suited of England's top seven to facing quality spin bowling on these type of wickets as evidenced by his tendency to play back too often.

Stuart Broad - 8: Didn't deserve to finish on the losing side after another fine exhibition of bowling and a counterattacking 1st innings fifty that seemed to have put his side in control. As an enforcer he was more Barbie than Rambo, but since he dropped the tough guy act he has taken 33 wickets in six Tests at less than 16. 

Graeme Swann - 7: His hold over the Pakistani left handers - against whom he averages five -continued, but in truth he was outbowled by Panesar for the majority of the Test.

James Anderson - 7: As in Dubai, he barely wasted a ball and performed manfully in conditions that are pretty alien to him.

Monty Panesar - 8: After 29 Tests in the wilderness, Monty made a magnificent return and certainly got through some work, bowling 71.3 overs in the match and taking seven for 153. Looks to have more control, variety and a more attacking line than Monty v1.0.

Where next?

2nd Test: Pakistan vs England - Pakistan marks out of 10

1st Test marks out of 10: Pakistan and England

All-round Stuart Broad no longer a Charles Hawtrey figure

England's tale of woe against spin in Asia

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England will need to be bold to see off Pakistan

A lot has happened since England last played a Test match. Regimes have fallen, cricketers have been incarcerated, David Warner and Vernon Philander have taken to Test cricket like ducks to water and man has finally landed on the moon.

Ok we made the last one up, but it has been a long time – 148 days to be precise – since England wrapped up a 4-0 series against India at The Oval. It was a fitting end to a perfect year that saw England replace the vanquished Indians at the top of the Test rankings and win six out of its eight (the other two being rain affected draws) Tests – four by an innings.

2012 is likely to be both busier – with 15 Tests in all – and tougher given that England face tough assignments in Sri Lanka and India in the sub-continental conditions that have proved to be their achilles heel in the recent past. But first up is an intriguing clash with a rejuvenated Pakistan in similar conditions in the UAE.

One school of thought is that England should stick to the six specialist batsmen, three seamer and one spinner policy that has served them so well in their climb to the top of the pile. But will this lead to success on the flat, slow and entirely different conditions that await them in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka and India?

We think not and believe that England should be bold rather than defensive and trust that Matt Prior is a more than competent enough batsman at six on pitches that will strongly favour the batsmen.

True, it would be better if Tim Bresnan was fit to add ballast at number seven, but Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann both know which end of the bat to hold and in benign conditions should be equipped to perform well enough at seven and eight if they apply themselves.

In any case, if England are to take 20 wickets on pitches where there has been only one positive result (four draws out of five so far) since Pakistan made the UAE its temporary home then Monty Panesar, in form after an eight-wicket haul in the warm-up last week, simply has to be picked alongside Swann and three seamers – Broad, James Anderson and Chris Tremlett in our view with Eoin Morgan the batsman to miss out.

If England do decide to be positive we would expect them to have enough to take 20 wickets in at least one of the three Tests to win the series, but it will be far from easy not just due to the alien conditions but also because Misbah-ul-Haq has made Pakistan a resilient side that will be extremely tough to beat.

Whatever the outcome the return of the number one Test side after such a long sabbatical certainly whets the appetite. 

Where next?

See THAT catch by Monty Panesar again and again and...

Cricket memories of 2011: England trounce India to reach number one

Responsibility and Misbah-ul-Haq

Cricket memories of 2011: Pakistan rise from the abyss 

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

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Who should England pick to face Pakistan?

It's been a long time since England played a Test match - 22nd August to be precise when they completed a resounding 4-0 victory over India at The Oval. 

Since then every other Test playing country - even regrettably Zimbabwe - have been in action whilst the likes of Andrew Strauss have taken to their sofas, inserted their pipes and caught up with the first series of Danish sensation Forbrydelsen (that's The Killing to you and us) on BBC 4. 

England's next assignment as they look to cement their position as the number one ranked side is in the unlikely surroundings of the United Arab Emirates where a three Test series with a rapidly improving Pakistan starts on January 17th in Dubai. 

Whilst there is a whole host of mince pies, mulled wine and other festive delights to negotiate before then, the encounter with Team Misbah will come closer into view with the announcement of the touring party this Friday. 

The selectors don't have any injuries of any significance to worry about but they will need to factor into their deliberations what make-up will be required for the slow turners that will likely be prepared for the 'home' side and their wily spinner Saeed Ajmal. 

England will have to make serious consideration to foregoing their usual six batsmen policy to play two spinners in each of the three Tests. Either that or they retain a four man attack of either three seamers and one spinner or two seamers and two spinners. The squad they name will need to cover each of these eventualities.

With the six frontline batsmen picking themselves, the discussions will centre on identifying the spare batsman, back-up keeper to Matt Prior, two spinners to accompany Graeme Swann and whether to pick four or five seamers.

The spare batsman will probably be Ravi Bopara, although we'd opt for James Taylor. The keeper will be one of Steven Davies (back-up Test keeper in the last touring party, but who hasn't been seen since), Craig Kieswetter or Jonathan Bairstow (who could double up as the spare batsman) with Davies getting our vote as he is the best keeper of the three. 

The choice of seamers will likely be in order of preference James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan and if a fifth quick is required Steve Finn with Graham Onions next to step in. 

The most interesting decision will be in the spin department. Monty Panesar is by some distance the second best spinner in the country and also has experience on his side, but the selectors seem to like Scott Borthwick and it cannot be a coincidence that Samit Patel announced only a few days ago that he was withdrawing from the IPL auction to concentrate on securing a Test spot.

Borthwick is a big spinner of the ball, can bat and has the added bonus of being a leg-spinner. If England play a second spinner instead of a sixth batsman than Patel could slot in at seven behind Prior. But both are probably not quite Test class yet, so Panesar plus Patel seems the best option to us. 

Of course this could have been the tour to blood Adil Rashid, but he has fallen out of favour with the selectors and had an erractic season with Yorkshire last summer, so once again he will have to sit on the sidelines.

Make no doubt, Pakistan will be a tough proposition for England - as they were in 2005 just a few weeks after that famous Ashes triumph - and the selectors will need to ensure that Strauss and Andy Flower have the requisite resources and flexibility in the squad to combat the steely Misbah and his rapidly improving Pakistan side. 

Our 17 man squad: Strauss, Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Taylor, Prior, Davies, Swann, Panesar, Patel, Bresnan, Broad, Anderson, Tremlett and Finn.

Where next?

Andy Flower and the curse of autobiographies

Spot-fixing: What should the ICC do next?

Is this the greatest England XI of the last 30 years?

England v India: England series marks out of 10

The England cricket team's newest recruit from South Africa

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

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Samit Patel is an optimist

How do we know? Well, he must be if the reason he gave for pulling out of the IPL Auction is accurate.

Patel has foregone the opportunity to make a bit of extra cash in favour of setting his sights on securing a spot in England’s Test side:

“My biggest ambition is to play Test cricket and I need to score a high volume of runs in the County Championship to push my case. If I was selected for the IPL then I would miss several Championship matches and that won’t help me at a time when I need to do everything I can to impress the selectors.”

Whilst Patel’s decision will doubtless ingratiate him to Andy Flower and Geoff Miller, it’s hard to see Patel forcing his way into the England side.

Perhaps his best opportunity will come this winter, when England may deem it necessary to pick a second spinner in Sri Lanka and in the UAE against Pakistan. If so, England could replace a batsman with a spinner and move Matt Prior up to number six.

Patel isn’t in the same league as Monty Panesar as a bowler, but he does add more ballast to the batting, so it is conceivable that he has a chance – albeit just a morsel - of tucking into Test cricket.

So perhaps Patel’s sacrifice is a calculated move rather than a ridiculously optimistic one and his name will appear when the squad to tour the UAE is selected in the coming weeks.

Although given that we understand he has also pulled out of the Annual Nottingham Chapati Eating Contest to focus on being the slimmest cricketer on the county circuit come the start of next season, it would seem that Samit is a glass half full kind of guy.

Where next?

An XI of Asian Cricketers let down (for the most part) by England

County Cricket Preview - Players to watch: Samit Patel

Is it REALLY Jonathan Trott's fault?

India v England ODI series: England marks out of 10

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 

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

County Championship XI of the week #14

Rob Key (Kent) – So near, yet so far for Key after his vainglorious 162 came so close to leading his side to an improbable victory at The Oval.

Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire) – A career best 184 in front of the watching Geoff Miller will do his England chances no harm at all. One of our ten to watch in 2011 and also 2010.

Zander de Bruyn (Surrey) – His 179 on the first day formed the bedrock of Surrey’s win over Kent, even if Key’s heroics meant it was squeaky bum time at the end.

Chesney Hughes (Derbyshire) – His side were in the mire with only six second innings wickets left and still 63 behind Glamorgan until a brilliant 167 turned the game around at Derby.

James Hildreth (Somerset) – After a stellar 2010, this season has been one of frustration for the Lions captain, but maybe his first Championship hundred of the season against Notts could finally get things going.

Matt Prior (Sussex) – Kieswetter, Foster and Wallace all may have scored hundreds, but Prior’s fabulous unbeaten 97 not out steered Sussex to a tricky victory target against Hampshire at Hove to seal his spot in our XI.

Jonathan Clare (Derbyshire) – A dream all-round match at Derby saw Clare hit a career best 130 and 29 with the bat and take five wickets with the ball.

Tim Linley (Surrey) – Outshone all the international bowlers on show at The Oval to return match figures of seven for 100 from 38 economical overs.

David Masters (Essex) – Took his Championship tally for the season to 52 wickets with another five for at Grace Road as Essex defeated the home side.

Monty Panesar (Sussex) – Just shaded his battle of the left-arm spinners with Danny Briggs at Hove with seven wickets in the match.

Tony Palladino (Derbyshire) – Completed a remarkable turnaround victory against Glamorgan with five for 50 to give him eight wickets in the game. 

Where next?

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

 

 

County Championship XI of the week #9

 
Joe Denly (Kent) – Ended a nightmare run of just 82 runs from eight Championship innings in 2011 to record his first hundred since 2009. Added 74 for good measure in the 2nd innings to help Kent to their first win in Division 2 since the season opener against Essex.

Luke Wells (Sussex) – Promoted to open in the absence of Ed Joyce and proceeded to rack up 174 – the third ton of his rookie Championship season – as part of a 304 run partnership with Goodwin.

Moeen Ali (Worcestershire) – Rob White can count himself unlucky, but Ali's crucial role in his side’s first Division 1 win since 2007 and their first at New Road since 2004 gets him the nod. He top-scored in the 1st innings with 84 and then finished off the run chase with an unbeaten 35 off just 25 balls.

Murray Goodwin (Sussex) – His 274 against Yorkshire was the eighth time in 11 years with Sussex that Goodwin has registered a double hundred.

Ben Stokes (Durham) – First the ecstasy as a career best 185 – his third ton of the season – helped Durham leapfrog Lancashire at the top of Division 1. Then the agony, as a badly dislocated finger puts him out of action for six to eight weeks - robbing Stokes of a possible call-up to the England ODI squad against Sri Lanka. One of our ten to watch in 2011.

Gary Ballance (Yorkshire) – Earns a place in the XI ahead of Dale Benkenstein after his four-hour vigil for 73 not out saved Yorkshire’s bacon on the final day at Hove.

Chris Read (Nottinghamshire) – Once again played a crucial innings when it was most needed to seemingly put Notts in the driving seat at New Road. Alas for Read, on this occasion (unlike against Yorkshire earlier in the season) his unbeaten 120 proved not to be enough for the faltering holders.

Chaminda Vaas (Northamptonshire) – Showed Sri Lanka just what they are missing with a brilliant bowling display in the Division 2 summit meeting with Glamorgan. His ten for 82 simply blew the Welshmen away.

Tim Linley (Surrey) – Surrey may have been without Tremlett, Meaker and (for half of the match Dernbach), but Linley ensured they weren’t missed with ten for 107 in an excellent win at Derby.

Monty Panesar (Sussex) – Just shades Ian Blackwell for a spot in the XI for his sustained excellence against Yorkshire. Monty’s figures in the match 63.3-20-148-7 ensured he easily won the spin duel with Rashid, even if they weren't quite enough to get Sussex over the winning line.

Matt Dunn (Surrey) – Pitched into his first Championship outing when Dernbach received a call from England half-way through the game, the 19 year old didn’t let anyone down. On the contrary, he proved to be a match-winning super-sub with five for 56 to help bowl out Derbyshire for just 99.

Where next?

County Championship XI of the week #8

County Championship XI of the week #7

County Championship XI of the week #6

County Championship XI of the week #5

County Championship XI of the week #4

County Championship XI of the week #3

County Championship XI of the week #2

County Championship XI of the week #1

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

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2nd Test Preview: Lord's - Imperious England target series win

 
As we wrote earlier in the week in some ways it was no great surprise that England shot Sri Lanka out for 82 on the final afternoon in Cardiff, given that it was the fifth time in the last ten Tests that they have bowled the opposition out for under 100.

Even as typical glass half-full England supporters, it is time for the Reverse Sweep to confidently (this is not hubris you understand) state that England have an embarrassment of riches at the moment.

Cook, Trott and Bell are in the form of their lives and plundering runs for fun. Swann is indisputably the best spinner in the world and to top it all off, Chris Tremlett has been transformed from a meek, awkward and inconsistent fast bowler into the new Curtly Ambrose. Indeed, England are so strong that they can even afford to carry Pietersen and do without their best bowler Anderson.

England also has a bench that is comparable in strength to Barcelona’s with the likes of Finn, Panesar and Bopara all ready to come in if required. The youth team also has immense promise with James Taylor, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid (eventually) all likely to have long Test careers.

Moving back to the 2nd Test at Lord’s, it will be fascinating to see if Sri Lanka can recover with such a short turnaround time from Cardiff. The bowling was shockingly impotent and some of the shots that the batsmen got out to during the collapse were tantamount to dereliction of duty. If Sri Lanka are to get anything out of the match then the bowling will need to be more penetrating (could it be less?) and their star batsmen Sangakkara and Jayawardene will need to produce substantially more than the 44 runs they managed in total at Cardiff.

England on the other hand will be supremely confident of getting the victory they need to secure the series and continue their impressive march towards the summit meeting with India later in the summer.

Likely line-ups

With Anderson injured, the only change in the England XI will see the return of Finn ahead of Jade Dernbach.

Wholesale changes are likely to the Sri Lankan bowling attack with Fernando, Welegedara and Randiv all coming into contention. Coach Stuart Law will also be casting envious eyes towards Northampton where the legendary Chaminda Vaas has just taken a 10 wicket Championship haul against Glamorgan. If another batsman is required, expect Dinesh Chamdimal, who has a first-class average of over 60, to make his Test bow.

Look out for…

Chris Tremlett will be relishing the chance to get stuck into the Sri Lankan batting line-up again after his exploits on Monday. He’s always had the talent, but now seems to have finally acquired the fitness, luck, aggression and most importantly confidence to fully exhibit his wares. Expect him to continue making up for lost time at Lord’s.

Mahela Jayawardene was one of the few to not give his wicket away on Monday and he is too good a batsman not to produce something special at some point during this series. Lord’s the scene of one of his greatest innings in 2006 (and another century in 2002) seems an apt place for this most regal of batsmen to shine.

Previously at Lord’s

2006 – Match drawn

All appeared to be going to plan as England enforced the follow-on after dismissing the tourists for 192 in reply to their 551 for 6 declared. But skipper Jayawardene led the spirited resistance with 119 as Sri Lanka batted out 199 overs for an improbable draw. Replacement captain Flintoff got his sums completely wrong, bowling himself for 51 overs and Hoggard for 46 whilst only using Panesar for 27 overs (despite him taking 2/49 and dismissing two of the top three).  

2002 – Match drawn

This three match series was the first time that Sri Lanka had played more than the solitary Test in England. They started well by getting the better of a drawn opening test at Lord’s. They won the toss and racked up 555/8 declared with Atapattu (185) and Jayawardene (107) both scoring hundreds before dismissing England for 275 and enforcing the follow on. England did what Sri Lanka were to do four years later by batting for 191 overs to post 529/5 declared. Vaughan and Butcher both scored hundreds. This was as good as it got for Sri Lanka as England powered to a 2-0 series win.

Prediction

Sri Lanka to improve but England to secure the series with a comfortable win and Pietersen to score a hundred.

Where next?

England bowling out Sri Lanka for 82 is not such a big surprise

1st Test, Cardiff: England marks out of 10

Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott are just like Barcelona

Cricket Heroes: Jack Hobbs

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

1st Test: Cardiff - Preview: England reach for the feel good hit of summer

 
The first Test of the English summer has always been an historic event and this year is no different as England embark on their first Test action since that wonderful Ashes triumph down under.

We’ve already written why Sri Lanka should not be underestimated, but talk of England's quest to become the number one Test side in the world shows no sign of abating.

Even Sri Lankan coach Stuart Law has been at it saying that over the last eighteen months “I believe England are the best team in Test cricket”. Whether he truly means that or if it is simply a case of Law getting his excuses in early awaits to be seen.

Certainly, we will know a lot more about how close England are to achieving their goal by the end of the summer given that current top ranked side India visit English shores for a four test series after Sri Lanka have departed.

India are yet to lose a series in eleven under the leadership of MS Dhoni, but England also have a long unbeaten run stretching back to the Caribbean in 2009 where the first series of the Strauss-Flower axis was lost. Since then the pair have overseen home and away wins over Australia and Bangladesh, as well as home victories over Pakistan and West Indies and a creditable drawn series in South Africa.

But India can wait for now as the series with Sri Lanka promises to be a tasty and intriguing hors d’oeuvre.

Likely line-ups

Now that the Morgan vs Bopara contest has been settled in favour of England’s adopted Irishman, the only question mark over England’s final XI is between Chris Tremlett and Steve Finn. In our view, it is the Surrey giant who should get the nod to build on his pivotal role in the last three Ashes Tests.

Things are not so clear with the Sri Lankan line-up. Nuwan Pradeep has gone home with injury and there is a doubt over Dilhara Fernando. Farveez Maharoof, who has been called into the squad from Lancashire will probably play.

Look out for…

As usual a lot of the focus in the build-up to the Test has been on Kevin Pietersen, with some in the media suggesting that he could be dropped for India if he fails to shine. Pietersen has said that he has got the bug back, so the RS expects him to build on a successful Ashes series where he averaged over 60 and hit that magnificent double hundred at Adelaide.

It will be interesting to see how Tillakaratne Dilshan fares as Sri Lanka’s new captain. He has made a good start with two wins and a hundred in each of the warm-up games. He has the experience of former captains Sangakkara and Jayawardene to call upon should he need it, but even so it will be a real test to see how he works with what is an inexperienced and largely unproven bowling attack.

Previously at Cardiff

This is only the second Test to be held at Sophia Gardens, and this Test will have to go a long way to match the finish of the inaugural Test in 2009 where Paul Collingwood, Monty Panesar and James Anderson memorably led England’s Great Escape against Australia.

Sri Lanka’s record in England is two wins, three draws and four defeats from nine matches, with both wins (The Oval 1998 and Trent Bridge 2006) being engineered by Muralitharan. How they fare without their spin genius, is just one of the many posers of what promises to be a fascinating series.

Stat attack

Kumar Sangakkara is criminally underrated despite a Test average of over 57. His stats are even more impressive when he doesn’t have the added burden of keeping wicket - a Bradmanesque 76.52 from 46 Tests sans gloves.

Since being rested from the tour of Bangladesh in early 2010, James Anderson has taken 56 wickets at 20.78 in 11 Tests. With a strong battery of quicks to call upon, expect rest and rotation to become a feature of England’s selection over the summer.

Prediction

Earlier this week, we had a hunch that this could be Sri Lanka’s match, but with the pitch likely to favour the batsmen and rain forecast throughout the game, the draw seems the most likely result.

Where next?

Seven reasons why England should not underestimate Sri Lanka

Read all the excerpts of KP's Summer of Cricket Diary

10 reasons why Ian Botham may have worn sunglasses at the premiere of 'From the Ashes'

Eoin Morgan has got "it"

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

County Championship XI of the week #6

 

Another week, another round of County Championship matches and here is our XI of the week.

Marcus Trescothick (Somerset) - A swiftly struck 144 to put his side in command against Durham. Will have been disappointed to have been foiled by the home team's rearguard on the final day.

Chris Nash (Sussex) - 93 and 57 against a strong Nottinghamshire attack featuring Broad and Swann. Got his runs quickly too to help turn a tricky victory target into a comfortable stroll. Needs to start converting good starts into three figures. So far this season he has seven half-centuries and no tons. 

Nick Compton (Somerset) - Did a convincing impression of his illustrious Grandfather to stroke a career best 254* in a marathon nine-hour innings at Chester-le-Street.

Mohammad Yousuf (Warwickshire) - Was a class apart on a treacherous Edgbaston pitch with 109 and 68 in a match where there were only three other scores over 50.

Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire) - One of our 10 to watch this season celebrated his call-up to the Lions squad with a fifty in each innings as well as outbowling team-mate Graeme Swann in the reigning champions surprise defeat at Hove. 

Will Gidman (Gloucestershire) - Unbeaten and unbowed during his side's innings defeat to Northamptonshire, recording a maiden first-class ton (116*) and following that with an undefeated 81 in the second innings. 

Niall O'Brien (Northamptonshire) - Proved there is more than one decent cricketer in the family with 166 from number eight as Northamptonshire went top of Division 2. Pips Mark Wallace to wear the gloves in this week's XI.

Dominic Cork (Hampshire) - The old warhorse was close to heroic with match figures of 56.4-13-126-8 at Headingley, before showing the application his top order had lacked by staying at the crease for 75 minutes in the final session to help secure the draw. Not bad for a 40 year old.

James Anyon (Sussex) - Took eight wickets to send the previously unbeaten champions Nottinghamshire tumbling to defeat at Hove.

Monty Panesar (Sussex) - He may not have got the wickets the sheer quality of his bowling deserved, but his match return of 46-19-81-5 helped others like Anyon flourish at the other end. Almost back to his best. 

David Masters (Essex) - Eight wickets for the experienced and reliably consistent opening bowler as Essex drew with Derbyshire.

Shouts also to Michael de Venuto (86 and 112 for Durham against Somerset), Ravi Bopara (a second successive Championship ton - this time against Derbyshire),  Ben Stokes (a brilliant 120 to help Durham escape with a final day draw), Chris Metters (six for 65 on debut for Warwickshire), James Harris (five wickets and another fifty as Glamorgan trounced Kent) and Azeem Rafiq, whose bowling is far more impressive than his Tweets (six for 91 in 42 tight overs against Essex). 

Where next?

Cricket XIs: Cricketing Criminals 

10 reasons why Ian Botham may have worn sunglasses at the premiere of 'From the Ashes'

County Championship XI of the week #5

County Championship XI of the week #4

County Championship XI of the week #3

County Championship XI of the week #2

County Championship XI of the week #1

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

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 XI of the week #3

 
As we wrote yesterday, round 3 of the County Championship produced some classic matches, fine individual performances and generally showed that rumours of its imminent death had been greatly exaggerated.

Perhaps not unsurprisingly, trying to whittle down the top performers to an XI is an arduous task to say the least. We could find no place for Zander de Bruyn despite his 172 against Glamorgan, nor Tom Maynard who served his revenge cold against his former county with 123 in the same match.

Spare a thought too for Tony Palladino, whose nine wickets and 44 unbeaten runs from number 11 proved in vain against Middlesex. Gary Keedy and Farveez Maharoof also miss out despite starring for Lancashire in their innings win over Somerset.

Here without further ado is our XI for this week:

Varun Chopra (Warwickshire) – from 409 runs in the whole Championship season in 2010 to a sublime 471 in just two matches this season. A second successive double hundred turned the match around at New Road for Warwickshire. A talent that is finally flourishing.

Alastair Cook (Essex) – the tormentor of the Australians got his season off and running with 155 against Northants - an innings described by Derek Pringle as clean and exhilirating. More of the same against Sri Lanka and India please.

Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire) – One of our 10 to watch in 2011 ploughed a lone furrow in the 1st innings at Headingley with a magificent 85 (off just 89 balls) in a sorry Notts total of 143, and then repeated the dose with 83 (off 112) second time around to help stun Yorkshire.

Luke Wells (Sussex) – maiden first-class hundred from the 20 year old was the solid backbone of Sussex's impressive chase of 309 to beat Durham (despite a late scare) at Chester-le-Street.

Andrew Gale (Yorkshire) – looked to have secured Yorkshire's complete supremacy against Notts with a brilliant 145 not out. Alas a 193 run 1st innings lead did not prove enough.

Chris Read (Nottinghamshire) – How many times has Read scored runs when Notts were in dire straits? His 86 and partnership of 150 with Steven Mullaney gave his side something to bowl at and led to a stunning comeback win against Yorkshire.

Gareth Berg (Middlesex) – six wickets and a match-winning knock of 80 as Middlesex chased down 328 at Derby

Chaminda Vaas (Northamptonshire) – five for 76 in a first innings of 433 and then hit 96 as Northants wrested back the initiative against Essex at Wantage Road.

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire) – a crucial first-innings 47 gave his side at least a few runs to play with before a brilliant performance with the ball saw his six second innings wickets condemn unlucky Worcestershire to defeat at New Road.

Ryan Sidebottom (Yorkshire) - couldn't have done much more to secure a win over his former county with match figures of eight for 97 against Nottinghamshire. Getting into this XI is unlikely to prove much consolation.

Monty Panesar (Sussex) – seven wickets for 144 in 44 controlled overs helped Sussex back into the match twice at Chester-le-Street. Any spinner who takes four wickets on day one of a Championship match at Durham in April deserves automatic selection.

Where next?

County Championship XI of the week #2

County Championship XI of the week #1

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

County Championship Previews - Division 2: Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire,  Kent,  Leicestershire,  Middlesex,  Northamptonshire,  Surrey

County Championship Previews - Division 1:  Yorkshire,  Worcestershire,  Warwickshire, Sussex,  Somerset,  Nottinghamshire,  Lancashire,  Hampshire,  Durham

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County Championship Preview - Division 1: Sussex

 
We should probably declare our allegiance here and state that at The Reverse Sweep we are dyed in the wool supporters of the county of our birth. After the shock of relegation in 2009, Sussex are now back where they belong, but how will they fare in their first season back in the top flight?

Strengths

The batting looks strong with the likes of Yardy (subject to a quick recovery from the problems that caused him to leave the World Cup early), Ed Joyce, Chris Nash and the evergreen Murray Goodwin. Monty Panesar was successfully rehabilitated ay Hove in 2010 and with the talented Olly Rayner and Will Beer also on the books, Sussex have the weapons to take advantage of the spin friendly Hove track. Wayne Parnell and Naved-ul-Hasan look good choices to fill the spot of overseas player.

Weaknesses

Matt Prior and Luke Wright are likely to be playing in the one day series against India rather than helping their county at the climax of the season – they will be missed. The loss of Corey Collymore to Middlesex is significant so new acquisition Amjad Khan has big shoes to fill.

Main man

Parnell should do well and Goodwin can always be relied upon for runs, but we opt for Monty Panesar here. With form and confidence regained, Panesar will be looking to kick on in 2011.

Look out for…

Although Naved Arif seems a bit of a wildcard acquisition, his first-class record is excellent, so Sussex fans will be hoping that the club has unearthed a gem.

Prediction

6th – A solid if unspectacular return to the top flight

Where next?

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Lancashire

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Hampshire

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Durham

2010 County XI of the season

Read all our 2011 World Cup posts here

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